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KickStarter Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones - a Lovecraftian Computer RPG

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Can somebody post the contents of the backer-only update here? (minus the download link or secret passwords or whatever)
 

Grauken

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Welcome our dear guests! Welcome to our cabaret of macabre and suspense! Theatre Cultic welcomes you all!

It seems this update is going to be among the shortest because it is time for "Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones" to talk for itself.

LrNQMHgGxqaqObvAdovRbJfsTcJi7_UB_n-9FjeGNTUT6X27Of35m-ZaSTThnytK9R3Vwb-4duwKUevHo8I6-ilAzq-NO9RUZo8_dLtxRPmuxaO53Og0F_muvZh_aZN9vNyi3nM-unxEb4gL6I0Cmmw51rG4Nn6WoRYgjyZXxkJKPvfFZTWWo8oOeOjBHkoqje2nIbeHYmAmiUw8FKT6le1M8teywRM_NYJGuTQNtdkLVoU8aKf0GRqdMJuxPrkw=s0-d-e1-ft

Time to join the cast of Stygian
You can find the Windows version of our backer demo from here.

And the Mac version here.

You can contact culticgames@gmail.com for the Linux version.

Be good, be old school and read your "Read Me" file. It includes some helpful info and tips.

We did our bests to materialize the fever dream which happens to be Stygian. We hope we've been able to deserve your never-ending support.

In addition to our usual meeting place down the black seas of infinity, we can also meet at Discord and chat about Stygian here.

We'll continue this journey through the whirlpools of reality, altogether. For the moment, enjoy your time in the lost town of Arkham and listen to the sorrowful stories of its residents.

We better get back to work. So much to do and so little time until the end of days...

Team Cultic
 

Jinn

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Nov 8, 2007
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Demo was really good. Pretty much agree with Junta's assessment of it. Loved the RPG mechanics, artwork, atmosphere, and setting. If anything in the world looks interesting, you can usually hover your mouse over it, click, and get a nice detailed description, which is something I find very appealing. Strangely enough, I appreciated these descriptive texts more than the dialogue so far, but I'm sure they're going to continue to refine it. Also, there seems to be a bit of intentional campiness going on (ala pulp horror comics and fiction of course), so that might have been something I just needed to adjust to. Not necessarily a negative, but rather an observation.

There wasn't enough variety in combat to make any real comments on it besides that I enjoyed it, and I think it will work very well for the type of game this seems to be.

It was a nice taste that made me want A LOT more. I look forward to putting many hours into the full game when it is finished. I can tell I'm going to be a big fan of the final product. Definitely glad I backed this one.
 
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Jinn

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Any puzzles in the demo or just combat and dialogs?

Not really any that I saw. There was a little introductory process of how "investigating" will work, but that was just acquiring an item and asking around after where you could find information about it. I'm sure I missed a number of things in the demo, as I was just quickly playing through it to get a feel for how the game played, as I don't wish to spoil to much for myself.

Not sure how much I'm suppose to talk about, so that's why I'm staying a little vague about it right now.
 

Starwars

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Sweden
Enjoyed the demo a lot.

-The atmosphere is pretty cool. It's obviously Lovecraftian but it's its own weird thing as well, with a pretty surreal feel to it all. The graphics are nice and the soundtrack works very well.
-I dig that it kinda feels like a mix between an adventure game and a roleplaying game to play, I guess much of that comes from the perspective and the fact that there are a lot of things to "look at". Makes exploring nice.
-Character creation is great. It's just a fun bunch of options you have there and there looks to be some cool reactivity to it. My occultist had some unique dialogue options (as well as checks for the Occult skill if I'm not mistaken), love that shit.
-I think the writing needs refinement. I think especially the more "rough" characters end up feeling a bit... try-hard.
-The combat seems to be a pretty good fit for the type of game this is but I was kinda disappointed to see that one particular area was... well, this is basically the combat area! The feeling of having a RPG "dungeon" kinda screws the pacing up a bit in my opinion. I mean, it's not that it's overbearingly long or anything but still... I would've liked to see more sporadic encounters and not a bunch of generic enemies clustered together in a combat area if that makes sense.

Still, highly enjoyed it. Sucked me right in and I played it right to the end in one go.

Looking forward to the finished thing!
 
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Jinn

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but I was kinda disappointed to see that one particular area was... well, this is basically the combat area! The feeling of having a RPG "dungeon" kinda screws the pacing up a bit in my opinion. I mean, it's not that it's overbearingly long or anything but still... just my personal feelings. I would've liked to see more sporadic encounters and not a bunch of generic enemies clustered together in a combat area if that makes sense.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention this. This is the most disappointing part of the demo if it is a representation of how it will actually be in the game. I have to unfavorably liken it almost to a stage in a side scrolling beat-em-up, except with turn-based combat. I hope "dungeon" exploration takes a vastly different direction in the finished game.
 
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PhantasmaNL

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Impressed how it looks and plays in this early stage.

First start up i thought the game crashed immediately, froze for about 20 seconds. Must be unity i guess.
 

Prime Junta

Guest
Yeah gotta admit my hype-meter just totally recalibrated for this one. Not quite sure what I expected, but whatever it is, this is clearly way more than that. It feels, for want of a proper word, professional, all while retaining the individuality that makes indies at their best so exciting. It's confident and cool and it plays really well -- the UI is simple and intuitive (although could use a few keyboard shortcuts, space to end the turn, anyone?) and ... hell, it's just great.

Fantastic job so far Scrawled and the rest of you mad Turks, if you can maintain / build on this level of quality for the rest of the game this could be a real sleeper hit.

(Pare down those mobs though. Cthulhu games do not need combat all the time, it should be rarer and much more deadly than it is here. For the demo, I'd leave the mob fight and just one madman fight, get rid of the others, they feel like filler. Instead have some madmen prancing around and running off the screen or behaving in otherwise disturbing ways to build up tensions. But then make those two much harder.)
 

Scrawled

Cultic Games
Developer
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Mar 20, 2016
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Thanks a lot for the support, suggestions and comments ladies and gents!

We're going to release a public demo in the near future. We'll send the mad town crier to you when the time comes.

It is great to hear your discussions on the demo. We're here for any further questions!
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Thanks a lot for the support, suggestions and comments ladies and gents!

We're going to release a public demo in the near future. We'll send the mad town crier to you when the time comes.

It is great to hear your discussions on the demo. We're here for any further questions!

Hey, welcome back!

How soon is "near future"? :D
 

Scrawled

Cultic Games
Developer
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Thanks Infinitron! It's nice to be back.

That is pretty vague considering the Lovecraftian relativity of timelessness we've delved into :D

I'll share the word with you when I know more ;)
 

Zombra

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Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Strangely enough, I appreciated [the] descriptive texts more than the dialogue so far, but I'm sure they're going to continue to refine it.
I found some of the dialogue disappointing as well, mostly the PC's "infodump me" lines:
1. Tell me about the cult.
2. Tell me about the criminals.
3. Tell me about the strange sounds you heard.
4. Tell me about the candy store.
Yawn! Hopefully this kind of stuff is placeholder; it deadens the otherwise brilliant atmosphere.
Note that in general the writing is more evocative, with "Good day sir"s and "Shall we"s that take me to a more formal era. I'm reminded of Arcanum. The NPC dialogue in particular is better, since I guess Cultic wasn't shy about making NPCs more colorful.

I also hope there is not too much combat in the finished game. I liked it but it should not be a "meat and potatoes" activity.

My only other complaint is having to use mouse edge scrolling to move the screen around. No keyboard scrolling yet? Shame on you Scrawled! WASD please!

I want to emphasize again that these small nitpicks do not reflect a negative view of Stygian. This demo has me more excited for an RPG release than I've been in a long, long time.
 

Darth Roxor

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Lol, with the game being Optimised for 1920 x 1080 Resolution (tm), I can't go further than downstairs from the attic, because wherever the dismal guy is heading from the bar is offscreen.

Oh well, at least I got to see the chargen.
 

Meurglys

Literate
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Strangely enough, I appreciated [the] descriptive texts more than the dialogue so far, but I'm sure they're going to continue to refine it.
I found some of the dialogue disappointing as well, mostly the PC's "infodump me" lines:
1. Tell me about the cult.
2. Tell me about the criminals.
3. Tell me about the strange sounds you heard.
4. Tell me about the candy store.
Yawn! Hopefully this kind of stuff is placeholder; it deadens the otherwise brilliant atmosphere.
Note that in general the writing is more evocative, with "Good day sir"s and "Shall we"s that take me to a more formal era. I'm reminded of Arcanum. The NPC dialogue in particular is better, since I guess Cultic wasn't shy about making NPCs more colorful.

I also hope there is not too much combat in the finished game. I liked it but it should not be a "meat and potatoes" activity.

My only other complaint is having to use mouse edge scrolling to move the screen around. No keyboard scrolling yet? Shame on you Scrawled! WASD please!

I want to emphasize again that these small nitpicks do not reflect a negative view of Stygian. This demo has me more excited for an RPG release than I've been in a long, long time.
Writing with non-native language could be hard. They maybe first wrote in Turkish, then translated to English though, I don't know.
 

Roguey

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Glad this is shaping up well, because other than a jrpg-esque thing, I have nothing else to look forward to in the foreseeable future. :dealwithit:
 

udm

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Make the Codex Great Again!
So pumped for the full release. The bros at Cultic Games really nailed atmosphere, and playing through it conjures the same feelings that one can get from mental imagery while reading an HPL story. Didn't get into combat yet (I screwed up majorly when dealing with the antique dealer :lol:), but I'll be damned if the art, sound, music and descriptive texts don't send chills down one's spine. My only complaint is the liberal use of 'fuck' in dialogues, as I don't think it was that common in the 1920s and that kind of takes me out of the setting for a bit, but I could be wrong on that.
 

Prime Junta

Guest
My only complaint is the liberal use of 'fuck' in dialogues, as I don't think it was that common in the 1920s

Technically it was about as common in 1920s working-class idiom as it is now. It just was extremely rare in print.

Your point still stands though as Lovecraft didn't use it, whatever the lascar sailors in Red Hook may have been spouting out of their filthy mouths, and the point here is Lovecraftian atmosphere rather than realistic 1920s atmosphere. OTOH Lovecraft didn't write much dialogue so we never got to find out just how those sailors curse, which means artistic license is necessary in any case. (I wasn't bothered BTW.)
 

Iznaliu

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Technically it was about as common in 1920s working-class idiom as it is now. It just was extremely rare in print.

I think unless you're Sawyer or somebody else who has a vested interest in history, stereotypes should be prioritised over total accuracy, as they convey the impression of accuracy.
 

Darth Roxor

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Thang is though, they are not supposed to be recreating any historical context, but a Lovecraftian context, and Lovecraft always had a large degree of decorum to his writing despite the ever-present cosmic horrors and degenerates.
 

Haba

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Codex 2012 MCA Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2
Lovecraft didn't have to rely on crude words to show characters as unrefined and "rough".

PixelClear.gif
“Queer haow picters kin set a body thinkin’. Take this un here near the front. Hev yew ever seed trees like thet, with big leaves a-floppin’ over an’ daown? And them men—them can’t be niggers—they dew beat all. Kinder like Injuns, I guess, even ef they be in Afriky. Some o’ these here critters looks like monkeys, or half monkeys an’ half men, but I never heerd o’ nothing like this un.” Here he pointed to a fabulous creature of the artist, which one might describe as a sort of dragon with the head of an alligator.

[...]

PixelClear.gif
“As I says, ’tis queer haow picters sets ye thinkin’. D’ye know, young Sir, I’m right sot on this un here. Arter I got the book off Eb I uster look at it a lot, especial when I’d heerd Passon Clark rant o’ Sundays in his big wig. Onct I tried suthin’ funny—here, young Sir, don’t git skeert—all I done was ter look at the picter afore I kilt the sheep for market—killin’ sheep was kinder more fun arter lookin’ at it—” The tone of the old man now sank very low, sometimes becoming so faint that his words were hardly audible. I listened to the rain, and to the rattling of the bleared, small-paned windows, and marked a rumbling of approaching thunder quite unusual for the season. Once a terrific flash and peal shook the frail house to its foundations, but the whisperer seemed not to notice it.
PixelClear.gif
“Killin’ sheep was kinder more fun—but d’ye know, ’twan’t quite satisfyin’. Queer haow a cravin’gits a holt on ye— As ye love the Almighty, young man, don’t tell nobody, but I swar ter Gawd thet picter begun ta make me hungry fer victuals I couldn’t raise nor buy—here, set still, what’s ailin’ ye?—I didn’t do nothin’, only I wondered haow ’twud be ef I did— They say meat makes blood an’ flesh, an’ gives ye new life, so I wondered ef ’twudn’t make a man live longer an’ longer ef ’twas more the same—” But the whisperer never continued. The interruption was not produced by my fright, nor by the rapidly increasing storm amidst whose fury I was presently to open my eyes on a smoky solitude of blackened ruins. It was produced by a very simple though somewhat unusual happening.

Unfortunately such artistry is long gone. And of course not feasible to expect to non-native speakers to recreate dialect that was extinct already in Lovecraft's time.
 

Diggfinger

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Belgium
Very brief impression of the demo:
  • Production values are much better than I expected, it looks and sounds and feels really good
  • Atmospheric and Cthulhu as fuck
  • Combat is TB jRPGey, nothing too fancy but OK for what it is, although IMO there's too much of it -- I slaughtered like a madhouse full of madmen for the demo and it felt a bit excessive TBH, not every screen has to have a mob in it
  • Very cool how they've worked role-playing into the mechanics -- they reward playing the role matching your selected background... although it does railroad you a bit
  • Loading screens, ugh, fucking Unity
  • Pathfinding could use some work
All in all I'm super-stoked for this, it's looking really good and I can't wait to play the whole thing.

Also, it's like meeting old friends really, having a brew with the Fungi from Yuggoth and hanging out with Nyarlathotep. Good times

Thanks, good Horror RPGs are too-few and far in between...might have to keep an eye on this one!
 

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