Project Eternity Aims to Bring Classic RPGs Back to the PC
Baldur’s Gate. Planescape: Torment. Icewind Dale. Neverwinter Nights. Fallout 1 and 2. Classic PC games, classic roleplaying games, that some would argue have yet to be equalled, never mind beaten.
That may be about to change. The people at Obsidian Entertainment have been directly involved in the creation of each of these games, and now they’re looking for our help to make yet another classic RPG for the PC through Kickstarter.
Project Eternity is Obsidian’s stab at crafting an RPG for the modern age in a distinctly old-school style. Retaining the look and feel of the classic Infinity Engine, Obsidian are aiming to present their new game in a similar style.
According to the description on the game’s Kickstarter page, the callbacks to the Infinity Engine go farther than just the look. Structurally, the game will play out in much the same way as the classic games, with an isometric point of view, real-time tactical pause, and a central hero with a stable of different companions.
The original Kickstarter goal was set at $1 million, a goal which was reached and breached within a matter of days. At time of writing, the Kickstarter fund is sitting at $1,502,867, and climbing.
As with any Kickstarter, there are some mighty impressive stretch goals, one of which has been reached: at the $1.4 million mark, a new playable race, class, and companion. There’s no word on what that race is, or what the class is, but there’s also no word on the “main” races or classes either. Obsidian are also playing things close to their chest as regards the game’s setting, outside of a map on the Kickstarter page.
Next up on the stretch goals are a Mac version of the game, at $1.6 million, with a Linux version suggested for the lofty goal of $2.2 million.
I’m struggling to contain my enthusiasm for this, seeing as it’s pretty much a dream come true for myself and a legion of gamers around the world. This is going to be something special.
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