Hear ye, hear ye, brave adventurers! I bring important news from the battlefield.
This year has been a very busy one for me, but since January, thanks to the money from the crowdfunding campaign, I've been able to not only finish most of what I had planned, but also add a number of new ideas to the game. I'm well on my way. There are just a few small steps left to take to make it happen.
Unfortunately, due to extra content (such as the Farkle mini-game), blind accessibility, and the preparation of the physical edition, I've been delayed and need more time. I might have made the original release date of September 6, but I'm sure the game would have contained many bugs, imperfections and you simply wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I would have liked. So I have a tough decision to make.
Release date postponed to October 4, 2022.
Some things are best not rushed. I want the game to come out in the best possible quality, and the extra few weeks will allow me to polish and fine-tune it. I believe you'll understand. As a small consolation I'm attaching some new screenshots.
The game's release date is inevitably approaching! September 6 will be around in the blink of an eye. But you can sugar-coat the wait with the demo, which is out now. It contains the entire first chapter and gives you a taste of most of the game's mechanics.
A dark fantasy adventure with true historical events in the background can begin. Europe is in the middle of religious upheaval and many preachers predict that the end of the world is near. The year is 1428 and the Hussites have just set out on their Silesian campaign. These heretics appear to be the biggest threat in the kingless country. But true evil of a completely different kind is lurking nearby and it does not intend to engage in religious disputes.
To celebrate the release of the demo, there will be two developer live streams. One will be in English and the other in Czech. Keep up to date with Steam NEXT Fest news and events.
The demo also includes accessibility features for the blind! More information in the announcement here: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1228500/announcements/detail/3120437830096202897 Enjoy the demo! I'm looking forward to seeing you on the streams.
Live developer stream of 1428: Shadows over Silesia @ Steam NEXT Fest
After three long years of development, a public demo of 1428: Shadows over Silesia has been released as part of the ongoing Steam NEXT Fest. Come celebrate together on a live stream with the developer and join the chat! You have a unique opportunity to ask anything you're interested in.
This stream will be in English. There will be one more stream on another date, and that one will be in Czech. I look forward to seeing you!
Don't forget to add the game to your Steam Wishlist! The release date is coming soon. It's set for September 6, 2022.
Live developer stream of 1428: Shadows over Silesia (in Czech) @ Steam NEXT Fest
After three long years of development, a public demo of 1428: Shadows over Silesia has been released as part of the ongoing Steam NEXT Fest. Come celebrate together on a live stream with the developer and join the chat! You have a unique opportunity to ask anything you're interested in.
This stream will be in Czech. There will be one more stream on another date, and that one will be in English: https://steamcommunity.com/games/1228500/announcements/detail/3370394584469109013
I look forward to seeing you!
Don't forget to add the game to your Steam Wishlist! The release date is coming soon. It's set for September 6, 2022.
It was bound to come at some point. It has come now! A new era of gaming for blind gamers is about to begin, and it will kick off with 1428: Shadows over Silesia. It may seem strange that a small one-man studio from the Czech Republic would come up with this, but when none of the world's leading developers was going to seize this opportunity for a long time, I decided to take up the challenge.
Today I am proud to announce that the upcoming action-adventure game 1428: Shadows over Silesia will be fully accessible to blind players. This will make it the first game ever on PC and the second overall (after The Last of Us Part II) to bring full blind support to an adventure of this scale.
We're not talking about just some of the in-game text being read or about some kind of rudimentary navigation. The game will bring all-new revolutionary elements that will allow the blind to enjoy a full experience not only of the story, dialogue and exploring the environment, but also stealth or combat, including large scale battles! Although the accessibility in TLOU2 was a tremendous success and won numerous awards, Shadows over Silesia takes everything to a whole new level never seen before.
To mark the occasion, a new audio trailer for the visually impaired has just been released! The very first of its kind:[previewyoutube="lxsQWzbPIIE;full"] Special site for the blind: https://blind.shadows1428.com
Brief summary of the accessibility features the game will offer
Full narration of all in-game text
Including reading pop-up hints, character properties, active quests, journal entries and inventory
Closed captions in cut-scenes
Subtitle narration for non-dubbed languages
Ability to skip forward and backward in text
Support for different screen readers
Special environment descriptions
Most locations have their own text descriptions, so even the blind can enjoy the game's dark atmosphere while receiving additional information they would otherwise miss
Advanced navigational features
Navigation to important story points, characters and even custom points that can be added on demand in an unlimited quantity
Reporting of the remaining distance to the destination
Compass narration as well as a coordinate system
Assistance with turning towards objects or characters
Sonar
A revolutionary feature that allows the blind to freely explore and navigate the game world
Sonar also includes friendly and enemy characters and determines their locations
Alerts for traps or destructible barriers
A large number of audio cues
Alerts for objects and interesting interactions. Many of these provide additional sounds to let the player know what is around them right as they first hear it
Alerts for the beginning and end of cutscenes, low health, leaving an area, and many other situations
Warnings about enemies
Signals to attack or defend
Optional simplification of some mechanics
Accessible combat, including large scale battles
Accessible stealth that maintains its atmosphere as well as difficulty
More time to complete timed events
And a great deal of other extra goodies
Successful crowdfunding campaign. Last chance to get early access.
Thanks to all the backers, we managed to raise the target amount in a crowdfunding campaign on the HitHit server! The game has thus received the funding necessary to complete development and will be released in 2022. Once again, the video game community has proven its worth! To celebrate, open a bottle of your favorite beverage and toast! You're great!
Clean your keyboards, mice, controllers, the first playable version will arrive to backers at the end of the year. In addition, it will be possible to try the demo at the Game Access Connect event at the Brno Exhibition Centre, Czech Republic. If you show up, I'll see you in person.
With three days to go, you have one last chance to get early access. Every extra amount can help us make the game better and move it forward! The bigger the financial cushion, the more we'll be able to jump in and bring more interesting features to the game that we might not have time for.
PS: Don't make anything of Hynek and Lothar's expressions in the picture. The Hungarian wine on the table doesn't smell good to them and these two are not easy to please. I am very happy!
New Official Trailer, Info and Crowdfunding Campaign
Trailer
After a one-year hiatus, I'm finally coming out with a new three-minute trailer that shows a lot of footage directly from the game and reveals what the game itself will look like.
[previewyoutube="uurhqr39Yqk;full"] The trailer reveals for the first time that the game's story is told from the perspective of the two playable characters: Hynek, a grumpy Hussite hetman who doesn't hesitate to swear or mess around with anything, and Lothar, a Hospitaller knight, a man of good education and manners who stands alongside his brethren in the front line of the Silesian defense. Each has their own motivations and views of the world around them, different equipment and abilities. Their fates will soon become intertwined. Will they face one another, weapon in hand, or forge a fragile alliance to stand shoulder to shoulder against a far worse enemy?
Crowdfunding campaign and early access
The development of the game has reached its midpoint and the originally planned scope has increased by a third. The game will be divided into thirteen chapters, with which you will spend 20-30 hours of playtime. So far, everything has been funded solely from family savings. But now I need your help to bring the project to a successful conclusion. I'm launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise the amount of money needed to complete the development.
You get a unique opportunity to not only pre-order the game and support the developement, but also to get exclusive early access to the demo, alpha and beta versions of the game. You can find the campaign and more information here (HitHit is the Czech variation of Kickstarter): https://www.hithit.com/shadows1428.
Key game features
Finally, I'll summarize all the key features:
Isometric graphics - The graphics are inspired by classic RPG games. They are isometric, stylized, and a bit fairytale-like. The action often takes place underground, in the rain, or at night, which serves to amplify the dark atmosphere and focus, which is mostly placed on the contrast of light and shadow
English and Czech voiceovers - All dialogues will be fully dubbed in both English and Czech.
Challenging riddles - The original riddles you will come across on your dangerous journey will most definitely be challenging. Classic adventure games of the 1990s were a big inspiration. You will have to take advantage of your surroundings, look for objects, obtain information, and solve puzzles or encoded messages. Some problems can be solved in multiple ways, or they can be cleverly worked around.
Sneaking in the shadows - Sometimes you'll have to blend into the shadows and sneak past enemies to avoid being detected. Following their patrol routes and habits will help you find the best path. Or you can try to quietly take them out, one by one.
Complex combat - The combat system is easy to understand but it takes practice to fully master it. Remember one thing: being outnumbered is a problem! If three or more opponents attack you at the same time, you will die! The key is to take advantage of their mistakes, wait for the right moment, and then attack. You will face not just knights, villagers, and robbers, but also various supernatural beings - and you shouldn't underestimate them.
Diverse environments - During the game, you will move around on foot as well as in the saddle. You will visit various real as well as fictitious places in medieval Silesia. You will plunder villages, doggedly defend the city walls, and explore places such as secret dungeons, abandoned mines, or forbidden parts of monasteries. For example, you can look forward to visiting Röwersdorf, Nysa, the Brzeg monastery, or the Rabesberg castle.
Hidden coins - You will have the opportunity to search for two kinds of hidden coins. Only the best of the best will be able to collect them all. Not only will you fill your wallet with them and unlock unique achievements, but you can also occasionally use them to progress through the story.
Hear Ye Hear Ye! News about the game has just arrived!
It's been a while, so I'm here with new information and most importantly, I've got a bunch of new screenshots for you. You can find them all nicely on the Steam store page. I've also created a short, separate gameplay edit from the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClUK59i1YL0 Last time, I provided a quick overview of the game's main features, and today I'd like to elaborate on these a little more.
Inspiration and setting
The entire game was strongly inspired by Andrzej Sapkowski's Hussite trilogy and the events in the game even partially take place in the same time period and place - during the spring campaign of 1428. Just like the famous author, I'm trying to tell real history and combine it with a fictitious story with fantasy elements.
Silesia is suffused with magic. Specifically, you will encounter wizards under false identities, possessed devil worshipers, sexual demons, and beasts from hell, as well as creatures well-known from European mythology. The game is linear and you will go through the whole story chapter by chapter, both on foot and on the back of a horse. You will visit a variety of real as well as fictitious places. Among others: Röwersdorf, Nysa, the Brzeg monastery, or the Rabesberg castle. You will plunder villages, doggedly defend streets of towns, or explore places such as secret dungeons, abandoned mines, and forbidden parts of monasteries.
The story is a serious one and it's intended exclusively for mature audiences. However, humor and cynical lines are sprinkled in here and there, and attentive players will pick up on a good number of pop culture references to famous movies, TV shows, or books.
Graphics and game mechanics
The game graphics are inspired by classic RPG games (although there are no RPG elements here). The graphics are isometric, stylized, and a bit fairytale-like. The action often takes place underground, in the rain, or at night, which amplifies the whole atmosphere and focus, which is placed mostly on light and shadow.
Gameplay is built on three main pillars - exploring, riddles, and combat/stealth. You will have to take advantage of your environment, search for objects, obtain information, and solve riddles or enciphered messages. Some challenges can be solved in multiple ways or can be cleverly worked around. I will give two quick examples:
In a dungeon, you will either solve a riddle on the wall - the solution will refer you to moving statues which open a door with no lock. Or, in an opportune moment, you can surprise and defeat skeletons patrolling nearby and get past the door through a hole in a collapsed wall. If you discover both of these options, the choice of how to proceed is yours.
In another place, you will be passing through a narrow corridor where you discover a trap. You will realize that it must be deactivated in order for you to get past it, but several enemies will cluster around you right then and there. You will go back and activate the trap at the exact moment your enemies are walking through it. They all die in spasms.
The combat system is easy to understand. It only uses two buttons, after all - one for attacking and the other for defense. Still, it will take practice to fully master it. Being outnumbered is a problem! If three or more opponents jump at you at one time, you will die! The key is to take advantage of their mistakes, wait for the right moment, and then attack. You will face not just knights, villagers, or highwaymen, but also various supernatural beings - and you shouldn't underestimate them.
In certain parts, direct confrontation is not the way to go. You will sometimes become invisible and creep through shadows past your enemies in order to avoid being seen. Monitoring their patrol routes and habits might help you find the ideal path. Or you can try to eliminate them quietly, one by one.
Czech dubbing
I was able to establish cooperation with the dubbing in-group Fénix ProDabing and therefore I can happily announce that the game will include not only Czech subtitles, but also complete Czech dubbing! In relation to this, a Czech-dubbed announcement teaser trailer is being released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlzxgMJXEIM Fénix ProDabing is an interest group which mainly focuses on non-commercial amateur dubbing and voiceovers with a wide fan and supporter base - more information (only in Czech language) at https://www.fenixprodabing.cz.
Future plans
At some point in the second quarter of next year, a second (story) trailer will follow, along with a press release which will shed light on other, so far undiscussed aspects of gameplay and especially the story. I will also announce the expected (approximate) release date.
At the end of October, a playable demo will be available exclusively at the Gamerpie festival in Brno, Czech Republic. The game will be a part of the so-called "Gamer's Path" in which Bohemia Interactive will participate with its game Vigor, Spitihněv with the retro action Hrot, as well as Silicomrades with Outside the Fox, among others. More information (also only in Czech) at https://www.gamerpie.wtf.
