[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]
Arcen Games is pleased to announce the launch of A Valley
Without Wind 2,
now available on
Steam for PC and Mac. To celebrate the release, the game
will be offered at 25% off until Monday, February 25th.
Valley 2 combines an old school platform adventure with a robust
turn-based strategy portion. Though the game is a sequel to our
2012 release A Valley Without Wind, it's more of a spiritual
successor. We took everything that we learned while making the
first game (plus many new ideas) and focused it all into a new,
tightened experience -- giving the graphics an update to
boot.
For a variety of reasons, we've also chosen to give Valley 2 to
all those who purchased the first game for free, and those
purchasing Valley 2 will also get a copy of the original. The
titles are, and will remain, bundled together on Steam and
elsewhere.
The official
Valley 2 launch trailer,
featuring the game's standout track "Stand and Fight" by composer
Pablo Vega, is out now as well. For more info and discussion on the
A Valley Without Wind 2, we encourage new players and other
interested parties to stop by the
game's bustling forums.
About Valley 2
A modern take on the 16-bit era, A Valley Without Wind 2 blends
a variety of mechanics across multiple genres, seamlessly bringing
together the best qualities of old-school platform-shooters and
turn-based strategy games. You choose how and where to explore via
the world map, how to upgrade your character via mage classes,
feats, and perks that you unlock, and how to battle the forces of
evil every step of the way.
Your character is a mage who has infiltrated the inner circle of
the evil Demonaica, and you now share the power of immortality that
he uses to terrorize the land. Using this power against him, it's
time to lead an uprising and ultimately bring him and his henchmen
back to mortality so that they can be dispatched.
Gameplay alternates between two modes that complement each
other: brief, tightly-designed platforming segments where your
character customization and equipment can be tuned to meet the
tactical needs of the current stage; and quick strategic turns on
the world map where you order your troops to fight, scavenge,
build, recruit, farm, and use special powers. Demonaica and his
armies pursue your forces directly on the world map, while his five
henchmen have been sent to recapture you in the platforming
segments.
Your immortality came at great personal cost, but it makes you
the one last hope of saving the world from darkness.
Key Features:
Platforming and Turn-Based Strategy Coupled
Together:
Flip back and forth between your own adventure, and the progress
of the resistance you're in charge of. Freely adjust difficulty
levels for both to tailor the experience to your own personal
playstyle. Both sides of the game can be quite easy or incredibly
hard.
More Tactile Combat:
The physics of movement and attacks have been completely redone
from the first title, with more traditional gamepad and keyboard
support. Spells have mass and can block each other, leading to many
interesting tactical situations in the platforming segments.
Vastly Improved Visuals:
Fully redone artwork by Heavy Cat Studios, including 125 all-new
monsters, 200 spells, and lots more.
Focused Gameplay Arc:
Unlike the endless sandbox-style first game, this complete
re-imagining has a distinct beginning, middle, and end.
Procedurally Generated Worlds:
Each world is a unique challenge, leading to excellent replay
value once you do beat the game!
Co-Op Multiplayer:
Bring along as many friends as you like on your journey,
depending on your connection speed. 2-8 players recommended on most
Internet connections; many more on LAN.
See Just How Deep An Arcen-style Rabbit-Hole Goes:
After dozens of hours you still haven't seen it all: 50 mage
classes in 5 tiers, 200 spells, 125 enemies, 14 biomes, 100+ types
of world map tiles, 64 character customization perks, 100ks of
procedural equipment possibilities.
Extra Challenges For Expert Players:
String together flawless kills to earn "concentration" and
become even stronger. Beat the game on harder difficulties to earn
rare achievements.
Get The Original Game For Free!
The original game was unique and experimental, and it comes
included absolutely free when you buy the sequel.
About Arcen Games
Arcen Games entered the PC indie scene in 2009 with their cult
classic AI War: Fleet Command, which was named the 40th
best-reviewed PC game of the year by MetaCritic. Their second year
was a busy one, seeing the release of The Zenith Remnant, the first
full expansion for AI War; Tidalis, an innovative block-based
puzzle with casual appeal and hardcore depth; and Children of
Neinzul, a micro-expansion for AI War with all profits benefiting
the Child's Play charity, of which Arcen is a platinum sponsor.
AI War's third and largest expansion Light of the Spire marked
Arcen's first release of 2011, with the rest of the company's focus
being devoted to their most massive project yet: A Valley Without
Wind, which released in 2012. The end of 2012/start of 2013 has
been another busy time for the team, with AI War's fourth expansion
Ancient Shadows launching, A Valley Without Wind 2 hitting 1.0, and
their recently announced top-down survival game Shattered Haven
scheduled for release in the coming weeks.
Originally a one-man shop, Arcen Games has grown to have half a
dozen part-time or fulltime contributors to its various titles. For
all the latest news, media coverage, and some of our other musings,
follow us on our developer and individual game pages on
Reddit,
Google+,
Facebook, and
Twitter; as well as Arcen lead Chris Park's
Games By Design blog.
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