Greetings, Near-Mages!
We thought we would give you an update on how spells in Near-Mage will work and what they look like.
The Core Concept
Freedom to choose your own Magickal build is at the core of Near-Mage's spell system. Here's how it works:
There are six types of Magick in Near-Mage: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Blood, and Soul.
Each of these are taught by specific professors during their respective classes.
This is Professor Strigoi, who specializes in Blood Magick, pretty stoked that you've taken his class and answered all the test questions correctly on your first go:
When a class is available, you'll be able to make your choice via the class selector totem:
From Near-Spells to Real Spells
Every time you take one of these classes, you learn what is called a near-spell.
Think of near-spells as ingredients: you need at least three of them in order to craft a spell, but once you have four, five etc the number of spells you can craft and then cast grows exponentially!
Spells can be used during quests to alter the course of events, solve problems, or just to see what cool stuff happens when you cast them 😁
What's neat about this system is that it gives you freedom to choose which spells to craft first - this means that most players won't have the exact same spells crafted when tackling quests, which makes for great replayability!
Also, you can either take classes blindly, choosing not to know what spells that will yield, or go get a spell book from the library, strategizing and planning your Magickal build.
Once you've taken your first three classes, you can craft your first spell.
In the example below, the player's first three classes were Water, Wind, and Fire, and so now they can craft Whirlwind Rewind - a spell that turns back time on a subject.
Keep in mind, though, that you're just a novice - a near-mage! The results of your spell casting can be, uuuuh... Unpredictable, as you can see below, where Illy has cast the aforementioned Whirlwind Rewind on poor unsuspecting Abraham Crux 😁
Don't worry, though - we'll be generous with save slots, and the game will auto-save often, if you feel like a do-over. However, we encourage you to play the game experimentally and not regret your choices, if your intent was good.
We really care about the idea that it's Ok to not know exactly what you're doing, and the game will not penalize you for when your spell casting goes wrong, or at least weird 😉
Freedom to Not Cast Spells
You've been taking classes and crafting spells, but you never know what kind of issue you run into in the colorful, bustling world of Rakus. Maybe you don't see any use for the spells you have available during one particular quest, or maybe you're afraid using them would hurt more than help.
That's valid! And that's why each and every quest can be completed by eschewing Magick and doing a bit of investigatory work. How you solve problems is up to you!
In fact, there is only one quest during the entirety of the game where you are forced to use Magick - the very first one, that acts as an intro to the system and a tutorial. Should you choose so, you can beat the whole game by forgoing Magick and instead using your wits, memory and empathy.
Development Status
We're thrilled to let you know that, voices and translation aside, the entirety of the assets of the game are complete - that's animation, backgrounds, music, sfx, the works! - and it's also completely written!
Our programmer Chris is hard at work implementing the game - we're about 2/3 there - and we're testing our butts off. We're putting in long hours to make sure Near-Mage releases later this year, in as polished and awesome a state the three of us can achieve.
Thanks again for your interest in Near-Mage. Your support is truly appreciated!
If you know someone who would enjoy our game, tell them about it! Wishlisting and following the game helps immensely. Thanks in advance!
All the best, and look for a new update soon ✌
Liviu, Cami, Chris, and a bunch of cats