Story-driven real-time tactical action game about the three dwarven astronauts in the Stone Universe. Developing for Win, Mac, Linux. Read more
Story-driven real-time tactical action game about the three dwarven astronauts in the Stone Universe. Developing for Win, Mac, Linux.
About this project
UPDATE #1- Gameplay, Press, Stars, Insomnia
UPDATE #2 - The first race
UPDATE #3 - More about races
UPDATE #4 - Linux support!
UPDATE #5 - Steam Greenlight, Controls, Shadow
UPDATE #6 - Avatars, Development secrets revealed
UPDATE #7 - The Independence Day
The game is about a trio of dwarves in the Universe of the Eternal Stone. Depending on player's tactics, characters can either fight or hide from their enemies. The hostile creatures have real “senses”. They can hear you, they can see you, they can even track your scent. Our world has so many mysteries, that you just NEED to be part of it all.
- Singleplayer control of one to three characters;
- Real-time tactical combat in a unique setting;
- Stealth or slasher mode - depending on player;
- Active game pause and sequence of moves (stack of commands);
- Environment interactions, natural traps.
The next GIF for example is showing, how to make combos in the combat by using your Dwarves' stack of actions, attracting a bunch of Whistlers with Shadow and kick them out the cliff with the Forcer's bombard! (Early gameplay footage! It's not even the alpha version)
The game won’t leave you indifferent for sure. Great graphics in an isometric game view, unique legend and ingame stories, and of course -
addicting gameplay. You will be able to control all three main characters, due to active pause
mode, or just one of them. You also can create the sequence of moves and abilities each
character follows one by one. And the flow of the level will depend on you: it can be fast and
furious or considered and cagey.
The environment of the world is full of surprises from nature traps to the special effects of the Stars (such as pure darkness or cold). These peculiar stones called Stars are the main source of benefits and troubles in the world. They have a mysterious power to dramatically change the world around them. The enemy creatures also have an unusual look and some surprising abilities, and we hope they’ll help you to immerse yourself in the world of the Eternal Stone.
For those of you who are not satisfied with the main project video, (which is game footage by the way), quality here is HD version of it:
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Engaging protagonists, with drastically different abilities and tempers, and a fantastic story behind them;
- Unique world of the Stone Universe, where stone replaces the void between planets and stars and hollows replace planets. The Dwarves are astronauts, drilling through the Eternal Stone to the new stars;
- Enemies with personal and collective mind, senses to “see”, ”hear”, ”smell the trace” and communicate with each other;
- Active game pause for the creation of complex tactics, an ability to choose between the stealth and slasher scenario of each level;
- Environment that presents its own dangers with acid lakes and toxic clouds. You can also meet Stars with totally unpredictable features, such as unsteady gravity, serious temperature falls or even destructive sound waves, so fast and sharp, that can cut any material in the Stone Universe
Here you can see the Shadow, who is hiding from one of the Whistlers. (Early gameplay footage)
The Ancient Deep Ocean is a mysterious portal for the dwarven people. The legends tell of ancient monsters who there, but as our trio have found out they are not just legends...
The most advanced race in the Eternal Stone universe are the dwarves. In the game we find three clans of them gathered around different color Stars – the Engineers, the Warriors and the Disciples. They all are technically developed and not particularly warlike, but they can protect themseves if needed.
Our main characters are the drillonauts, each from a different clan, who were chosen to go on the drilllike “spaceship” searching for new Stars. They are going to meet unknown ancient creatures and primitive civilizations in the undiscovered hollows of the Universe...
Not a very young dwarf, but there is life in the old dog yet! He’s an engineer, a real fan of mechanics, so in the game you’ll use him as a master of technical abilities such as making and setting traps,and building turrets and fortifications. His right arm is also mechanical, to hold the powerful bombardshotgun.
This guy loves to fight, he can't imagine anything better than a showdown. His home kingdom mostly consists of battle arenas, but his clan isn't hostile they fight simply to improve the Art of War. Smashfist is sturdy and fearless and very optimistic too. Every battle is a chance for glory and what could be better than that? He can turn incandescent and increase his power, or turn into a stoneskin creature and become immune to any damage.
He is the most mystical character of the trio. Shadow is one of the Disciples very reserved, he has secret knowledge. His skills are mostly about stealth and teleportations, called shadow shifts. His movements are invisible, enemies never know from where their death will come. And... there is also one more thing. It is possible, that Shadow can be... an owl. But we don't know yet.
Here you can see the previews of the collectible figurines you can get. Please note that these are 3D models, not the photos yet.
Smashfist, caught at the moment of a fight:
Forcer is having a little rest in the battlefield:
Shadow in the moment of his perfect silent attack:
All and together now. The small figurines of choice. Click to enlrage:
"Dwarves in a drill exploring a universe of stone with hollows in place of planets. World sold, backstory sufficiently told... Whale Rock Games pitch well and they have a wide-ranging pedigree, from Metro: LastLight and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call Of Pripyat to Elder Scrolls Online, Everquest and…This Is Vegas."
"A single-player game where action slasher is successfully mixed with tactical gameplay and unique story is well told through replayable levels"
"In our opinion " We are Dwarves " is looking to be a fantastic fantasy game, with a gorgeous story driven experience that will please most gamers alike. Besides, who needs wizards and warriors when you've got three awesome astronaut dwarves!"
"I couldn’t shake the image of a very short man stuffing a great red beard into a space suit. The absurdity was enough to keep me going, though I found out a bit later that my initial interpretation of “astronaut” was rather incorrect."
"Maybe the most interesting feature about We Are The Dwarves is how it portrays a living, breathing world."
Risks and challenges
The most exiting risk for us is related to the development process. We already have a working prototype of the game with the most basic mechanics, but it is still far from the end. This may cause one of the most obvious risks – creative process still goes on. This means, that not everything we imagine, can be accomplished in a planned time and from the first attempt.
Problems with polishing the game and balance question is a serious matter too. Of course, we want to fulfill player expectations, but high quality balancing may prolong the development and cause inability to finish in time. At the same time it is a challenge for us – we want to make an easy-to-learn and fast pacing game, which will match our vision of harmony in playing.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
Rewards
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Pledge $5 or more
11 backers
GRANITE LEVEL -- Thanks from the team, exclusive wallpapers set.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $10 or more
3 backers
JASPER LEVEL -- Original soundtrack from the game, wallpapers.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $15 or more
200 backers All gone!
ONYX LEVEL(!FIRST 200 PLEDGERS ONLY!) -- The Early Game DRM Free digital copy,
wallpaper,
loading screen,
soundtrack.Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $20 or more
164 backers
AGATE LEVEL -- The Game DRM Free digital copy, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $25 or more
81 backers
OBSIDIAN LEVEL -- Beta-test access, name in credits, + The Game DRM Free digital copy, backer loading screen wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $30 or more
8 backers
RHINESTONE LEVEL (X2 for everything) -- The Game DRM Free digital copy, soundtrack, wallpapers and backer loading screen.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $35 or more
7 backers
NEPHRITIS LEVEL -- Exclusive backers asset set + The Game DRM Free digital copy, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $40 or more
76 backers
TOURMALINE LEVEL -- Lifetime free updates, digital art book + The Game DRM Free digital copy, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $60 or more
12 backers
BERYL LEVEL (X2 for everything) -- The Game DRM Free digital copy, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $80 or more
9 backers
TURQUOISE LEVEL -- Portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book + The Game DRM Free digital copy, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $100 or more
8 backers
AMETHYST LEVEL (X2 for everything) -- The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $250 or more
2 backers
OPAL LEVEL -- Figurine of choice (small), + (X2 for everything) The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $500 or more
1 backer
AQUAMARINE LEVEL -- Figurine of choice (small), figurine of choice (large) + (X3 for everything) The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $1,000 or more
0 backers Limited (15 left of 15)
ALEXANDRITE LEVEL -- Exclusive dwarven hood, 3 figurines of choice (small), figurine of choice (large) + (X4 for everything) The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $2,000 or more
0 backers Limited (7 left of 7)
RUBY LEVEL -- Underground monster stuffed head, exclusive dwarven hood, 3 figurines of choice (small), 2 figurines of choice (large) + (X4 for everything) The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $5,000 or more
1 backer Limited (4 left of 5)
SAPPHIRE LEVEL -- Real steel and wood dwarven shield, underground monster stuffed head, exclusive dwarven hood, 5 figurines of choice (small), 2 figurines of choice (large) + (X4 for everything) The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, digital art book, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world -
Pledge $10,000
1 backer Limited (2 left of 3)
ADAMANT LEVEL -- Fantastic trip to our studio, real steel and wood dwarven shield, underground monster stuffed head, exclusive dwarven hood, 5 figurines of choice (small), 2 figurines of choice (large) + (X4 for everything) The Game DRM Free digital copy, portrait in Gallery of Ancestors, lore book, lifetime free updates, exclusive backers asset set, beta-test access, name in credits, digital copy, backer loading screen, wallpaper, soundtrack.
Estimated delivery:Ships anywhere in the world
Funding period
- (45 days)
