About
We are Wimbus Studios and we are making a turn-based adventure RPG we'd like to call The Island of Eternal Struggle. The game places emphasis on in-battle interaction, deep character customization, and a rich storyline - making it stand out among other games of the genre. Play as Ian, a soldier who fled an endless war, and delve into the flurry of events that follow his flight. He joins Faye the oracle, Xenon the cyborg, and Bera the warrior as they inadvertently go on a quest to change the world forever. We've put everything into delivering a fantastic and unique experience that we know that fans of this genre will fall in love with. We have the experience, tools, and the talent to deliver. So please read on - and join us on the journey to make The Island of Eternal Struggle a reality.
Want to try it yourself? The Island of Eternal Struggle: The Demo is now available on itch.io!
http://wimbusstudios.itch.io/the-island-of-eternal-struggle
What nice people are saying about us:
"The Island of Eternal Struggle is going to be a fun RPG with a semi-traditional blueprint and an off the wall story that will definitely give you entertainment." - GamingWorldUnited
"Another old-school RPG homage but this one has a wry sense of humor and some interesting, turn-based combat wrinkles that set it apart from the crowd." - Jerry Bonner, Geekadelphia
The Island of Eternal Struggle is a 2D, turn based adventure RPG based in a world gripped by the control of powerful beings caught in a war with one another. You control the fate of four would-be heroes caught in the crossfire, with the only means necessary to stop a terrible catastrophe.
- Classic turn-based RPG gameplay but with unique and exciting "action commands", enabling interactive and fast-paced combat sequences.
- Job class based character growth. 24 different jobs, including Booze Hound, Discomancer, and Otaku! Over 500 different skills and abilities.
- A unique "Soul Slot" system, allowing each character to have a different loadout of skills and unique bonuses in combat.
- 2D visual style inspired by classics of the genre.
- A lovingly crafted soundtrack, ranging from live guitar tracks to electronic synths.
- Minigames and interactive gameplay throughout the entire game. This is no grind!
- Bears on roller-blades wielding switchblades.
The Island of Eternal Struggle's combat is anything but typical! Every character skill, when used in combat, allows the player to trigger an "Action Command" prompting button inputs that enhance the ability, deliver more firepower, greater healing, etc.
In addition to this, each job class has completely different action command mechanics. Each character has six playable job classes, for a grand total of 24 total classes. Each job is available from the start of the game, and can very quickly be customized to your play style using our unique Soul Slot system.
Soul Slots allow you to choose which learned skills you'd like to use during combat. These range from active, or "usable" skills, to skills that increase stats or augment other skills. Passive abilities can even be carried from one job to another, allowing for experimentation as you progress through the game.
Soul Slots allow you to customize your combat strategy by equipping skills and abilities that you've learned. Want to have a swiss army knife of abilities? Want to use all defensive abilities? Want to go full offensive? Or something in between? It's your choice to decide! Passive abilities and certain augments are usable between job classes as well, meaning that defensive abilities learned as a "Fighter" type class can be used to beef up a magical job. It pays to experiment!
The world is at peace. The world is in control. The Council, a mysterious yet silent collective of powerful deities, rule the land. Those who believe and trust in the Council are rewarded with power and gifts from the heavens. Yet, hundreds of miles away, these very deities fight an opposing force known as the Fallen. The Fallen reject the rule of the Council, and battle them miles away from civilization. This battleground has come to be known as the Island of Eternal Struggle. Ian, a “genetically pure” soldier of the Council, was enlisted in this war at birth.
During battle, he can no longer bring himself to fight his enemies, and flings himself from the cliffs of the island. Amazingly, he survives, and for the first time a creation of the Council finds itself on the shores of civilization.
He meets with Xenon, a lone cyborg mercenary, who agrees to travel with him to help find safe haven. Xenon faces persecution, as cyborgs, robots, and all forms of AI are hunted down by those who follow the Council. During an encounter they also befriend Faye, whose congregation had been destroyed by a monster. Faye was once an Oracle, a high ranking official granted exclusive communication with the deities. However, now she has been banished from this right, and with nowhere else to turn, she joins Ian and Xenon to seek some old friends.
The three meet the mighty Bera in the town of Hallah. Bera is a Warrior, the last of an ancient race of humans whose civilization had nearly been wiped out by the Council. Angry, drunk, and vengeful, Bera joins the group.
These four outcasts begin to travel across the world, with the promise of answers lying in the holy city of Gloria Lux. During their travels through a mountain pass overrun by birds, an ancient ruin possessed with the ghosts of rulers of old, and a warehouse filled with malicious ravers, they begin to learn more about this world and they begin to understand the truth. The world is not at peace… The world is not in control… And they may be the only ones to bring the rule of the Council to an end.
Ian was the first living being to ever survive leaving the Island of Eternal Struggle - a mysterious faraway landmass gripped in what appears to be permanent war. Washing up on the nearby shores of the Ornery Coast, Ian's only goal is to survive, but that quickly spirals into a series of events that change the world forever.
Class Highlights:
Templar - Counterattack your enemies and defend your allies.
Forecaster - Predict weather and powerful elemental magic on your foes.
Otaku - Summon a powerful mech in combat. I think we can leave it at that.
Sister Faye is a troubled woman grappling with guilt from mistakes in her past. After a monster destroys her church and congregation, she joins the party to seek old friends in unfamiliar territory. Although frail, her wisdom is deep and she is a powerful ally in combat.
Class Highlights:
Vessel - Use a variety of magic to harm or protect.
Channeler - Literally melt your foes.
Monk - Harness the power of the elements for powerful physical attacks
Xenon is a one-of-a-kind cyborg in between mercenary gigs. His very existence is political, and the religious zealots of Gloria Lux want nothing less but to dismantle him. Although flashy, Xenon is hyper-powered hand to hand fighter with a few tricks up his sleeve.
Class highlights:
Brawler - Hypercharge your fists with powerful augments.
Alchemist - Turn the tides of combat with powerful potions and elixirs
Discomancer - Summon forth tiny robot friends to aid your allies.
Bera is the last of a proud race of humans known simply as Warriors. Careless, reckless, and a little rowdy after a few drinks, Bera is a force to be reckoned with! She joins the party with the intent of causing a little mayhem with revenge on her mind.
Class Highlights:
Beserker - Who needs control when you have brute force?
Booze Hound - Mix cocktails to heal your allies and get everyone wasted.
Valkyrie - Harness Bera's ancient past to summon her ghostly relatives.
Everyone's favorite creepy guy! Craig is the "mayor" of the Ornery Coast. At least he is if he needs to be. Also, he knows where you can hide a body.
Johnny is a wandering hobo who loves a good story! We think. Actually, no one knows much about him. Also, he's a save point.
...And the hordes of enemies you will face!
This is not a prototype or concept! We have been laying the groundwork for the game since 2011. But why so long, you may ask? Let's tell the story.
In 2011, the team was formed! We created the concept, etched out the original characters, and decided that we truly wanted to make this game.
In 2012, this concept grew from a concept into a playable prototype. All of this, while the team faced real life challenges such as full-time work, college, and the growing pains of adjusting to developing a game that's bigger than a small project. We learned a lot this year. We learned what our talents truly were, and this helped us grow as a team.
In 2013, after two years of work, we took a long hard look at what we had done and where we were, and we weren't 100% happy. We rehauled the core mechanics of the game, enhanced much of the existing sprite work, completely rewrote the plot, and renamed the game. The Island of Eternal Struggle was truly born. We also hit a technical milestone by porting our game to Monogame, which allowed for additional flexibility and portability. Another important thing happened this year...we showed off the game to our first game expo. Attending an expo completely justified all of the hard work we did. Interacting with fans of the genre, getting real life feedback, and simply hanging out with likeminded gamers was amazing. We wanted more.
Everything changed in 2014. Revitalized from the events of the previous year, we set some lofty goals beyond simply development. We took the plunge, and became an official company. Wimbus Studios, LLC was truly born. We continued to develop (and play!) the game and started having some tough talks about platforms. We knew we were still a long ways from finishing, but we knew that we wanted RPG fans to play this game...on a controller.
In 2015, we officially became Sony developers! Having a relationship with Sony, a relationship with our fans, and a game that we are in love with has led us here. We continue to work on this game daily, and are now committed to staying transparent through social media and through our newly created dev blog. So here we are. This is our story.
Our dream was to release The Island of Eternal Struggle on consoles, and the Playstation platform soon became the perfect fit for us. Your support through Kickstarter will provide us with the funds, resources, and support needed to release the game that we've always wanted to make, and will allow us to bring you on this journey with us!
So how are we spending this?
The majority of funds will go towards development tools, hardware, licenses, and business related costs. We've also lumped in a contingency fund to protect us from unexpected expenses. The remainder will go towards reward fulfillment, taxes, and Amazon/KS fees.
The team didn't want to create specific stretch goals for a variety of reasons, but the most important reason being that we want to work with you - our community and backers - to provide us with the feedback and give us direction! We want to travel and we want to expand the game's universe, and additional funds will guarantee that the vision can go beyond what even we've imagined.
Any additional money beyond our original goal will be invested back into the game throughout many different areas. First and foremost - we want to make the game as great as it can possibly be. Extra funds will go towards expanding the breadth of the game, including extra side quests and additional content! We'd also love to invest in an orchestral soundtrack for some of our favorite in-game moments.
Funds beyond this will allow us to invest in traveling to other cities to show off the game. We want nothing better than for you to experience the game, and these funds will help us make that happen - even before the game is launched. That's huge for us, and allows us to meet other developers and gamers alike in other communities.
We are Wimbus Studios! Wimbus Studios is a three person team based out of the greater Philadelphia area. The team met in college and later regrouped to begin work on this project! This is our first major game release, and although making a game certainly comes with risks, we have come a long way and have proved so far that we have the gusto!
This isn't just about making a game for us. This is about making an experience, and having fun along the way! Our style is eccentric. We're going to make a game with heart that makes you laugh along the way!
Mike
Mike has worked behind the scenes tackling almost every field in the audio industry. As a multi-iinstrumentalist and an engineer, he's able to do the work of many. When he's not out performing, we think he's busy contacting aliens with synthesizers. Check out his solo album "In Review".
Becky
Becky has been drawing since she could pick up a pencil, taking inspiration from all things animated. She worked in the animation industry for a couple years, doing design work for shows such as Sesame Street's "Abby's Flying Fairy School" and Space Racers before deciding to pursue an education in Computer Science. She can be found watching various animated shows, reading comics or books, and playing videogames.
Steve
Steve is the programmer/mad scientist of the operation, and has been writing code for games for over ten years on various side projects. Most recently his work has found it's way on to Xbox Live Indie Games (Meds, 2010). Since then, he has spent time tinkering on small projects before becoming completely dedicated to The Island of Eternal Struggle. Steve also works full time as a Business Analyst, which helps him bring an analytical skill set to the team.
Want to learn more about us?
Web: http://www.wimbusstudios.com
Dev Blog: http://wimbusstudios.com/blog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WimbusStudios
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wimbus-Studios/241214449318135
Presskit: http://www.wimbusstudios.com/Presskit/index.php
Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/wimbusstudios
Vine: https://vine.co/u/1009674260425637888
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/m_williamsmusic
Risks and challenges
We understand that there is a great deal of responsibility that comes with accepting our backers' hard earned money. We take it very seriously and appreciate every dollar. We've gone through great lengths to try and minimize many of the risks that often plague projects. For one, the planning stages and story are completely finished. This process has established a pathway for us of clearly defined goals that'll lead us to the final product. The gameplay mechanics are fully playble in game along with the first five hours done. We aren't naive to the fact that there are always risks. Small setbacks and hiccups are a part of most projects. However, our number one priority all along the way is to communicate.
To our backers - we promise transparency. By backing us, you are becoming a part of our team! You will be with us celebrating milestones and you will know exactly what is happening when we encounter setbacks as well. Through Twitter, Facebook, our development blog, and through here on Kickstarter, you will hear all about how The Island of Eternal Struggle is shaping out to a new classic RPG.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterQuestions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Support
Funding period
- (30 days)