Armello

Last updated

Armello
Armello.png
Armello cover art
Developer(s) League of Geeks
Publisher(s) League of Geeks
Composer(s) Lisa Gerrard
Michael Allen
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4
  • September 1, 2015
  • Xbox One
  • August 30, 2016
  • iOS
  • March 16, 2018
  • Nintendo Switch, Android
  • September 27, 2018 [1]
Genre(s) Role-playing, digital board game
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Armello is a 2015 digital role-playing strategy board game developed by League of Geeks. Announced as an iPad title in September 2012, the game has been in development since mid-2011, with music by composers Lisa Gerrard and Michael Allen. [2] Between April and May 2014, a successful Kickstarter campaign was started to help fund a port to Microsoft Windows as well as stretch goals to bring the game to Android and Windows tablets. The game was chosen to receive additional support from governmental funding agencies Screen Australia and Film Victoria. [3]

Contents

Set in a fantasy world with anthropomorphic animals, up to four players assume the role of a hero chosen among their clan to take part in a campaign to become the next king or queen. The game features turn-based board-game mechanics that revolve around the use of dice and cards that are drawn from a deck, with each player's actions influencing the outcome.

Gameplay

Armello recreates a traditional tabletop role-playing game, based on a fantasy world populated by anthropomorphic creatures. Armello - Screenshot 02.png
Armello recreates a traditional tabletop role-playing game, based on a fantasy world populated by anthropomorphic creatures.

Armello is a digital simulation of a traditional fantasy tabletop role-playing game utilizing virtual dice and cards which allow the player to carry out specific actions. Up to four players assume the role of a Hero character that represents a specific animal clan, each with their own unique strengths, with the ultimate goal to storm the castle and become the new king or queen of the kingdom. The playing board area is divided into hexagon-shaped tiles that contain randomly generated [4] features such as dungeons to explore, quests to complete, rival heroes to battle, or settlements to capture. [2] As the game progresses, players can acquire currency to purchase additional abilities for their hero using a talent tree system specific to each character.

The game uses a turn-based system where players are allowed to perform actions such as equip items and purchase talents during another player's turn to reduce downtime. [2] Cards and dice are used to directly interact with the game world, and form the basis for the game's combat system. Players use cards they draw from a deck to cast spells, recruit followers, heal wounds, or use items that grant special abilities. Cards may also be played as "Perils" which can be laid on specific tiles to act as traps for other heroes or used immediately in combat, and other cards may be used to forge temporary alliances. Armello also features a day/night cycle where certain heroes gain advantages based on the time of day, and certain groups of enemies only appear in either the darkness or light. [2]

There are four alternative paths to victory and every hero is best suited for reaching a particular one, but every victory condition can be reached with every hero.

Plot and characters

The game takes place in the "dark fairy tale" Kingdom of Armello, a world filled with anthropomorphic animals separated into numerous clans. [5] When the current king becomes corrupted by a dark force called the Rot, representatives from these factions rise up to embark on a journey to become the new king or queen in his stead. [2] Although players can, in theory, immediately attack the King, they generally have better chances if they first undertake some quests, which involve travelling around the board and are each associated with a short narrative.

A typical combat result screen, here featuring the characters of Thane the wolf and Barnaby the rabbit. Armello - Screenshot 08.png
A typical combat result screen, here featuring the characters of Thane the wolf and Barnaby the rabbit.

The base game includes 8 playable heroes, divided into 4 clans; Thane and River (wolf), Amber and Barnaby (rabbit), Mercurio and Zosha (rat), and Sana and Brun (bear). Additional heroes, including two more clans, were added in paid DLC expansions. A fully expanded game has 24 playable characters.

Development

Armello was announced in September 2012 as the debut title from Australian independent game studio League of Geeks, originally as an iPad-exclusive title to be released the following year before experiencing delays. [3] The 15-person development includes four directors: Ty Carey, Trent Kusters, Blake Mizzi, and Jacek Tuschewski, whose total experience in the game industry includes 40 years and 50 released projects. [2] Kusters stated that he was inspired to create the game after hearing about the success Greg Kasavin had in producing Bastion with such a small team. [6] League of Geeks began work on the game after eight months of prototypes on paper, with an additional 18 months of work to arrive at the pre-alpha build. [7] An early version of the game was showcased at the Game Developers Conference in April 2013, [8] and later at the inaugural PAX Australia the following July. [9]

In December 2011 and October 2013, League of Geeks received assistance funding from the state government of Victoria. [10] [11] At the 2012 Sydney Film Festival, it was announced that Armello was one of 14 projects chosen from a pool of 89 to receive additional support from the Australian federal government funding body Screen Australia. [12]

When describing the title's genre and influences, Kusters pitched it as "imagine Magic: The Gathering meets Final Fantasy Tactics," [13] and " Game of Thrones meets Kung Fu Panda ", [12] also mentioning that it features components of board games, trading card games, and strategy role-playing games. [13] The game was also said to appeal to fans of Redwall and The Dark Crystal , [5] as well as the animated works of Studio Ghibli, particularly Spirited Away , which was cited as a large influence on Armello's art direction and story. [14]

The team launched a 30-day Kickstarter project page beginning in April 2014 to garner an additional AUD$200,000 to help produce the game full-time, as well as lend support to a release on Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms using the Steam service. [15] A stretch goal was also added, extending possible support to Android and Windows tablets. [16] A tentative release date of March 2015 was also set. [17] On 8 May 2014, the campaign reached $305,360, successfully funding the game, as well as hitting all extended stretch goals, which included releases for the two additional platforms, more languages, in-game cards, and a winter-based map tileset. [18]

Release

Armello launched on Steam Early Access on 22 January 2015. [19] On 26 May 2015, a PlayStation 4 version was announced. [20] The full version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux and PlayStation 4 on 1 September 2015. [21] An Xbox One version, and a paid expansion which adds four new heroes, were later announced in April 2016, [22] with the Xbox version and the Usurpers expansion both released later that year on 30 August 2016.

In December 2015, League of Geeks partnered with IndieBox, a monthly subscription box service, to produce a custom-designed, physical version of Armello. This limited, individually-numbered edition included a flash-drive with a DRM-free copy of the game, the official soundtrack, an instruction manual, Steam key, and several custom-made collectible items. [23]

Downloadable content

The first package of downloadable content titled "Armello: Usurpers", adding four new heroes to the game, was released on 30 August 2016 about a year after the game's release. The content was limited to the console versions of the title and through Steam for personal computers. [24] Though they had planned on offering the content to all users since the Kickstarter, including those with DRM-free versions of the game as through GOG.com, League of Geeks found that being able to support the content on the DRM-free platform was a task beyond their resources. Co-founder Trent Kusters stated "given infinite resources and time we could undertake the task of rewriting the underlying architecture at the core of this decision, but that's straight up not feasible for a vast number of reasons that are unique to [League of Geeks], Armello, where we're standing right now and where we see Armello's future." League of Geeks allowed those consumers that had purchased the DRM-free version to request refunds of the game because of this decision. [25] [26] [27] [28]

Reception

According to Metacritic, Armello has received "generally favourable" reviews on Windows, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch [29] [31] [32] and "mixed or average" reviews on PlayStation 4 and iOS. [30] [33] GameSpot awarded the game 8 out of 10, commenting that while it could use some "fine tuning", it remains "one of the best virtual board game experiences available." [35] PlayStation LifeStyle also awarded the game 8 out of 10, saying "It's a well-balanced and good-looking experience that shows originality is still possible in a format that's centuries old." [36] IGN was less positive, presenting it with a score of 5.6 out of 10, saying "Armello makes a great first impression, but it has a bad habit of making you feel like you're playing alone." [37]

The game was nominated for the Excellence in Visual Art for the 2016 Independent Games Festival. [38]

Related Research Articles

<i>Sunless Sea</i> 2015 video game

Sunless Sea is a survival/exploration role-playing video game with roguelike elements developed by Failbetter Games. The game was released on 6 February 2015 for Windows and OS X following a successful Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund the project. The game takes place in the universe of Failbetter's browser adventure game Fallen London, in which Victorian-era London has been moved beneath the Earth's surface to the edge of the Unterzee, a vast underground ocean. On 11 October 2016, the game's first downloadable content Zubmariner was released, which allows players to explore beneath the surface of the "zee". A sequel, Sunless Skies, was announced in September 2016. It surpassed its funding goals on Kickstarter and was released on 31 January 2019.

<i>Blood Bowl</i> (2009 video game) 2009 video game

Blood Bowl is a 2009 fantasy sports video game developed by Cyanide, loosely based on gridiron football, and adapted from the board game of the same name, which is produced by Games Workshop, using the CRP ruleset. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, iOS, and Android.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GOG.com</span> Digital video game distribution platform

GOG.com is a digital distribution platform for video games and films. It is operated by GOG sp. z o.o., a wholly owned subsidiary of CD Projekt based in Warsaw, Poland. GOG.com delivers DRM-free video games through its digital platform for Microsoft Windows, macOS and Linux.

<i>The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings</i> 2011 video game

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a 2011 action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt Red, based on The Witcher series of fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. It is the sequel to the 2007 game The Witcher and the second main installment in The Witcher's video game series. It was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, OS X, and Linux.

<i>Mount & Blade: Warband</i> 2010 standalone video game expansion pack

Mount & Blade: Warband is the standalone expansion pack to the strategy action role-playing video game Mount & Blade. Announced in January 2009, the game was developed by the Turkish company TaleWorlds Entertainment and was published by Paradox Interactive on March 30, 2010. The game is available as a direct download from the TaleWorlds website, through the Steam digital distribution software, as a DRM-free version from GOG.com, or as a DVD with required online activation. The macOS and Linux versions were released on July 10, 2014, through Steam.

<i>Fable</i> (video game series) Video game series

Fable is a series of action role-playing video games for Xbox, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. The series was developed by Lionhead Studios until the studio was closed in 2016, and is published by Xbox Game Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentinels of the Multiverse</span> Board game

Sentinels of the Multiverse is a cooperative card game published by Greater Than Games and released at Gen Con 2011. Players control a team of comic book-style heroes battling a villain. Each player controls one or more heroes, while a villain and environment deck each run themselves. A given game includes 3 to 5 heroes, 1 villain and 1 environment, which can be mixed and matched to create a number of different scenarios. The core game comes with 10 heroes, 4 villains, and 4 environments. The board game has also been made into a video game.

<i>Divinity: Original Sin</i> 2014 video game

Divinity: Original Sin is a role-playing video game developed and published by Larian Studios. The fourth main entry in the Divinity game series, it is a prequel to the original game Divine Divinity, and to the other main games in the series. It was first released on Microsoft Windows on 30 June 2014.

<i>Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams</i> 2012 video game

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a 2012 platform game developed and published by Black Forest Games for Microsoft Windows. It is the successor to the 1987 Commodore 64 title The Great Giana Sisters and sequel to the 2009 re-imagining Giana Sisters DS. The game was funded through crowdfunding website Kickstarter, reaching its goal of $150,000.

Hammerwatch is a 2013 hack and slash and action-adventure game by Swedish studio Crackshell. It was released for Linux, Microsoft Windows and OS X in August 2013, followed by released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in December 2017. It was followed by Heroes of Hammerwatch and Hammerwatch 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game</span> 2011 fantasy strategy card game

The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is a non-collectible customizable card game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. As part of the Living Card Game (LCG) genre, it is a cooperative and strategic card game set in Middle-earth, a fantasy world featured in literary works by J. R. R. Tolkien, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Its digital adaptation, titled The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game, is published by Asmodee Digital for cross-platform play on Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, being the "first ever digital LCG".

<i>Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime</i> 2015 video game

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a space shooter video game developed by Asteroid Base for Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Linux, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The project is part of the ID@Xbox program. The game's title is a reference to the Bruce Cockburn song "Lovers in a Dangerous Time".

<i>The Book of Unwritten Tales 2</i> 2015 video game

The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a comedy point-and-click adventure video game created by the German developer King Art Games. The game, a sequel to The Book of Unwritten Tales, was published by Nordic Games on 20 February 2015 for Linux, Microsoft Windows and OS X. Console ports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One were released in September 2015. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released exclusively as digital downloads. The Wii U version was released on 7 June 2016 in Europe and North America. A Nintendo Switch version was announced, and released on 5 February 2019.

<i>Hand of Fate</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Hand of Fate is an action role-playing roguelike deck-building game developed and published by Australian studio Defiant Development for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, released via early access on 7 July 2014, and then in the full release on 17 February 2015. A PlayStation Vita version was announced but ultimately cancelled due to development issues.

<i>Chroma Squad</i> 2015 video game

Chroma Squad is a tactical role-playing video game developed by the Brazilian development team at Behold Studios. The game is influenced by tokusatsu TV shows, particularly the Super Sentai and Power Rangers franchises. The game's development was funded via Kickstarter.

<i>Deliver Us the Moon</i> 2018 video game

Deliver Us the Moon is an adventure-puzzle game video game developed by Dutch game development studio KeokeN Interactive. It was first self-published as Deliver Us the Moon: Fortuna for Windows on September 28, 2018. The game later saw an expanded release on October 10, 2019, with Wired Productions serving as the publisher for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions on April 24, 2020. The game was released for Google Stadia on June 1, 2022. The game was also released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 23, 2022. It is also coming Soon to Nintendo Switch. Deliver Us the Moon was marketed as a science fiction thriller set in an apocalyptic near future; the game follows a lone astronaut who is sent to the moon on a mission to avert humanity's fate towards extinction after Earth's natural resources have been depleted. The original and re-released Windows versions released in September 2018 and October 2019, respectively. The Windows and PlayStation 5 versions were met with mixed reviews, while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions were met with more positive reviews by video game publications.

<i>Everspace</i> 2017 video game

Everspace is a 3D space shooter with roguelike elements developed and published by German studio Rockfish Games. It was released in 2017. A sequel, Everspace 2 was released in 2023.

<i>Forced: Showdown</i> 2016 action role-playing video game

Forced: Showdown is a top-down single-player bullet-hell brawler developed by Danish indie game developer BetaDwarf. The game was released in March 2016 for Windows, OS X and Linux through Steam as well as GOG.com. The game revolves around Contestants fighting for wealth and glory in an ever-changing galactic game show. The gameplay mixes roguelike aspects with a trading-card game. It consists of selecting a champion, enhancing and empowering him and his abilities to battle through hordes of minions and dodging their attacks to survive.

<i>Convoy</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Convoy is a video game released on April 21, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux, and as Convoy: A Tactical Roguelike on April 8, 2020 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One under a revised format. The game features pixel art graphics and roguelike squad based tactical combat. In Convoy, the player must scour the wastelands of a desert planet in a defensively outfitted semi-trailer truck for parts to a crashed spaceship. The plot is experienced through interactive text based dialogue, where the player picks responses to written scenarios. The outcome of these scenarios sometimes turns in to tactical combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League of Geeks</span>

League of Geeks is a video game development company founded in 2011. Based in Melbourne, Australia, the studio was most known for developing Armello, a digital board game in 2015. The studio's games include Jumplight Odyssey and Solium Infernum.

References

  1. ↑ League of Geeks (27 September 2018). "Armello is now available on Nintendo Switch & Android!". Kickstarter . Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Armello - Bringing Tabletop Adventures to Life by League of Geeks". Kickstarter. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 IGN AU Staff (19 September 2012). "League of Geeks Announces Armello". IGN . Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Purchese, Robert (9 April 2014). "Attractive digital board game Armello on Kickstarter". Eurogamer . Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Armello / Game". Armello.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Wallace, Kimberley (27 March 2013). "The Dice Are Rolling in Armello's Favor". Game Informer . Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Lien, Tracy (2 April 2013). "Armello pre-alpha sneak peek shows a board game brought to life". Polygon . Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Lien, Tracy (3 April 2013). "Armello GDC 2013 Screenshots". Polygon. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "League of Geeks Presskit". Armello.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Games Development". Film Victoria.gov. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Games Development". Film Victoria.gov. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Screen Australia announces support for 14 interactive projects". Screen Australia.gov. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  13. 1 2 North, Dale (8 April 2014). "Preview: Armello combines board games, trading card games, strategy RPG play". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Moss, Richard (24 July 2013). "Armello (iOS) hands-on preview". MacLife . Archived from the original on 12 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Koch, Cameron (8 April 2014). "Darkness Gathers In New Trailer - Armello - iOS". Game Informer. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  16. ↑ Mahardy, Mike (8 April 2014). "League of Geeks Launches Kickstarter for Armello". IGN. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  17. ↑ Cowan, Danny (8 April 2014). "Digital board game Armello blends furry critters with strategy RPG mechanics". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  18. ↑ League of Geeks (8 May 2014). "I want to say we made it, but really... YOU made it!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  19. ↑ Sliwinski, Alexander. "Armello enters Game of Early Access Thrones". Engadget .
  20. ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (26 May 2015). "'Game of Thrones-esque' digital boardgame Armello is heading to PS4 in September". Polygon . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  21. ↑ Sirani, Jordan (27 July 2015). "Armello Coming September to PC, PS4". IGN . Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  22. ↑ Prell, Sam (20 April 2016). "Armello mixes furries, Game of Thrones, and board games, and it's coming to Xbox One". GamesRadar . Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "Redwall meets Risk with the Armello IndieBox - Geek.com". Geek.com. 5 February 2016. Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  24. ↑ Matulef, Jeffery (9 August 2016). "Armello is coming to Xbox One this month". Eurogamer . Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  25. ↑ Perrault, Patrick (8 September 2016). "GOG Is Now Offering Refunds For Armello".
  26. ↑ Paget, Mat. "Steam-Only DLC for PC Game Causes GOG to Offer Refunds a Year After Launch".
  27. ↑ McKeand, Kirk (8 September 2016). "GOG offer refunds on year-old game, Armello, because DLC is only for the Steam version".
  28. ↑ "GOG is offering refunds on the "DRM Free Edition" of Armello". PC Gamer . 8 September 2016.
  29. 1 2 "Armello for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  30. 1 2 "Armello for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  31. 1 2 "Armello for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  32. 1 2 "Armello for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  33. 1 2 "Armello for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  34. ↑ Dotson, Carter (16 March 2018). "'Armello' Review – Kill the King, He'll Rule no More". TouchArcade . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  35. ↑ Janine Hawkins. Armello Review - Fit for a king, gamespot.com, 6 October 2015.
  36. ↑ "Armello Review - For Narnia! (PS4) - PlayStation LifeStyle". 9 September 2015.
  37. ↑ Kaiser, Rowan (9 September 2015). "Armello Review".
  38. ↑ Nunneley, Stephany (6 January 2016). "Her Story, Undertale, Darkest Dungeon receive multiple 2016 IGF Award nominations". VG247 . Retrieved 6 January 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.