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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330693854/hazelnut-bastille-a-16bit-indie-adventure/

Kickstarter trailer | Website | Demo | Dev Log


Concept
Hazelnut Bastille is a lush, topdown Zelda-like ARPG currently being developed for PC, Mac & Linux (as well as Nintendo Switch & Playstation 4, with enough Kickstarter support!). The game features a complex, characters-driven narrative that deals with timeless life and social issues. A real-time, highly tactical combat system is employed where the player needs to carefully read the screen and look at each room as a novel challenge. There is also a central focus on sequential and lateral thinking puzzles, which ramp up in difficulty quickly as the player is introduced to new ideas.

All of this is presented in a glorious 16-bit character, where everything from the art style and content, sound, music.... even the camera and transitions are authentic to the game experiences of 1994. In our quest for period greatness, we have even enlisted the help of one of the great composers straight out of this time, the famed Hiroki Kikuta, best known for his Secret of Mana OST at Square in '93. And the similarity isn't merely skin-deep. We have striven to deconstruct the classics of the SNES to extract all of the superior design principles behind their mechanics and level design, to understand exactly what made them so peerlessly great, even by today's terms. We hope you will come with us in our quest to bring the rigor and polish of the past back to today's gaming scene!


Story
Hazelnut Bastille is the story of a young woman who has just arrived on the shores of a savage, foreign land for the first time. She casts a haunted figure, and has come to seek the fabled knowledge of a race of long-dead ancients on the edge of the world, in hopes of finding a way to reclaim something which was lost to her. Along the way, she meets the other inhabitants of this undiscovered country: a band of castouts and pariahs from the old world, all seeking to make a new life in a place far away from their old troubles. Her story will become entangled with theirs, as they each lean on one another for their own needs, and slowly she will get to know exactly who each of these strange bedfellows are, and what they have themselves run from in their old lives.

As she gets closer to her goals, new troubles and woes reveal themselves like nested matryoshka dolls. When things seem their darkest, that is when she meets a cryptic stranger- someone who can recite her life story as soon as set eyes on her- and the real journey begins! She will set foot in halls lost to time, and gain dominion over the very forces behind the natural order, but will it be enough to find what she is looking for?


Music
Authored by Shannon Mason, Lead Composer





Legendary composer of The Secret of Mana, Hiroki Kikuta, has joined the project as guest composer for a handful of tracks that establish central themes for the game!

Gameplay

Overworld & Dungeon Diversity

Early Conceptual Character Portraits & Art

Petition for $50 physical version KS reward tier (tier may be activated when 1000 signatures is reached! Only ~400 more to go):

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/offer-50usd-physical-copies-for-hazelnut-bastille

 

[RoboFu]

Looks cool but a little too close to the lttp assets.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Looks sexy as heck. I'm waiting for a non-$100-tier physical version before I jump in.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Looks cool but a little too close to the lttp assets.

Yeah, the dev log is a very interesting read.....shows the assets being developed from scratch and how the project lead played around with different styles, and in some cases settled upon what is definitively "the best", as honed in on by many 90s era games like LTTP and Secret of Mana.

Looks sexy as heck. I'm waiting for a non-$100-tier physical version before I jump in.

Sign the petition and spread the word so that we can get to 1000 ASAP! I want my chance at a $50 special edition Switch physical copy. That will only happen if the petition limit is reach with enough time for the campaign to benefit from it and reach the $110K Nintendo Switch stretch goal.

The project lead has said that a PS4 stretch goal is just above the Switch stretch goal. I'm thinking that the $50 physical copy level will make the campaign explode higher and make the Switch & PS4 stretch goals easily met.

 

[dolabla]

Want! Want! Want!

$100 is steep, but I'm definitely down for a $50 physical edition. Signing the petition.

 

[LucidFeuer]

More like a Seiken Densetsu/Secret of Mana inspired game. But well they actually have it's composer so the misnomer is okay.

Look cool.

 

[Type_Raver]

I like everything about this!
Signed the petition, hopefully it gets to 1000.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

More like a Seiken Densetsu/Secret of Mana inspired game. But well they actually have it's composer so the misnomer is okay.

Look cool.

Ys series as well --- the dev log goes into detail about the design process and just how much all of those 90s era 16-bit games were studied. Down to selecting whether to go with 4-way motion (like the original Zelda) vs 8-way (like LTTP and most modern games).

The project lead has an architectural background, and seems to be bring an eye for detail to the development. Like, look at this layout (not showcased in the KS, but from the dev log):

I can see where having an architectural background can help when laying out something so clean & complex!

 

[legendaryskitch]

Looks pretty good but just doesn't seem to have the same charm as secret of mana which is a bummer. It looks interesting though so I'd be interested in a switch version

 

[onlyoneno1]

Looks and feels good. But a too much like the A Link To The Past. They should have at least made an effort to make it in to a thing of its own.

 

[Hendrick's]

SMH at that name.

 

[Battlechili]

This looks SOOOOO Minish Cap. I love it.
There are a surprising lack of Zelda-like games on PC.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

looks nice, will keep in mind down the road.

 

[Codes 208]

Looks cool but a little too close to the lttp assets.

Thats what i thought too. Like it looks really cool but it looks like it couldve been done as a rom hack too kinda like a more complicated zelda: parallel worlds.

I mean Ive heard the phrase "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery" but Id prefer a Zelda-inspired new ip. This looks more like a zelda clone. Even though its a damn impressive one at that

I may buy this on the switch to scratch my LttP itch though.

 

[cireza]

Looks too much like Zelda indeed. But at least, it is nice to have something more ambitious than 8 bit graphics.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

SMH at that name.

In the dev log, there's some info on the inspiration for the name:

the term Bastille has generalized to mean "fortress" now. If you get slightly less general, you get to prison-fortress, especially with the implication of wrongful imprisonment. There are several senses in which the island itself, and the citadel it houses are various kinds of prisons.

Then there is of course the historic event, the storming of the Bastille, which is the main reason we have the word in our English vocabulary. There is an analogous event to this somewhere in the pages of the story.

Hazelnut trees, while very common across varied climates, are principally known for being common in the eastern Mediterranean. They are iconic of that region even. You can find tons of them in Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon (as well as Italy). That is the rough geographic location the island in our story corresponds to. It belongs to a fictional world with fictional geographies, but land and cultures are modeled on this area.

The two words together also have a funny sort of dissonance. Most people get positive images from the word "hazelnut", and negative emotions about the Bastille (or at least heroic images). This dissonance is meant to evoke the dissonance between the setting and the tense events of the story, as well as internal dissonances in the heroine.

Also, buried in the Kickstarter comments:

The two words do have literal meanings, and a meta meaning together. The geographic area the game's world is patterned after resembles Greece and Turkey, which happens to be where a good chunk of the world's Hazelnut trees are! One of the game's central plot conflicts surrounds a great fortress, which is also a sort of prison in a sense; there is also an event in the story that directly references the event that made the real world Bastille important! Together they also have a strong dissonance, where the first word has bright connotations, and the second word clashes with that established picture, which is also meant to convey a host of dissonances that occur in the plot as well!

This looks SOOOOO Minish Cap. I love it.
There are a surprising lack of Zelda-like games on PC.

Yeah, it's damn impressive that they've captured the feel this well, particularly with the controls, by building a custom Unity-based engine & level editor. Not sure why, but it's been very hard for any PC games to truly capture the "feel" of a Zelda game, even if they are a 2-D ARPG.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

New update posted over the weekend --- there's a 15-day fan art contest with a $1000 reward tier as the top prize! $100 tier for 2nd & $60 tier for 3rd place:

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...astille-a-16bit-indie-adventure/posts/2334009​

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

The $50 tier for a limited-edition physical copy of the game will go live when the funding level hits $65,000 (only about $2000 to go) !

New reward tiers will also activate when $65,000 is reached:

• A new tier which will offer a copy of the Sheet Music Booklet signed by Hiroki Kikuta; this tier will also directly finance more Hiroki Kikuta music, so folks who would like more of that might consider this tier! (WOW, this tier ---- this tier right here.....back the shit out of this)
• A tier which will provide the chance to help us design a secret cave sequence!
• A tier where you get to help us design a structure for the game, inside and out, with the assistance of a real-world architect!
• A tier where you get the chance to design a miniboss, and we send you a box of Fresh-Baked (at the time) Hazelnut Cookies!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...astille-a-16bit-indie-adventure/posts/2336352

 

[Meesh]

That's gorgeous!!! Pc only??? Not seeing any console support...

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

That's gorgeous!!! Pc only??? Not seeing any console support...

Switch & PS4 versions of the game are definitely being developed

Due to development time & costs to manufacture and offer physical copies of these version as a kickstarter reward, their availability AT LAUNCH is set as a stretch goal ($110K for launch-day Switch edition physical copies and a little higher for PS4 version on launch day).

More details here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330693854/hazelnut-bastille-a-16bit-indie-adventure/faqs

We will bring HB to those platforms at some point regardless. So why are they stretch goals?
It takes significant money to bring a project to a consoles, and especially to fund production of physical copies. While we are already committed to developing for the Switch, we do need to secure the funding to provide for that development and production as well! Funding the Switch during the campaign will make a couple things happen:
-We will be able to start developing the work for the Switch at the earliest possible moment
-We will be able to offer Digital and Phsyical copies for the Switch as well, at the same tiers as you pledged at! You will indicate for us on the backer survey post KS what platform you would like! If we do not make the Switch Stretch goal during the campaign, we will not be able to offer these at that time!
Similar logic goes for the PS4, which is placed just higher in a Stretch goal!

 

[Meesh]

Switch & PS4 versions of the game are definitely being developed

Due to development time & costs to manufacture and offer physical copies of these version as a kickstarter reward, their availability AT LAUNCH is set as a stretch goal ($110K for launch-day Switch edition physical copies and a little higher for PS4 version on launch day).

More details here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330693854/hazelnut-bastille-a-16bit-indie-adventure/faqs

!!!! My bad, thanks. Good to see, and I like the KS reward of being an NPC, even though it's currently a little outta my price range. Really it looks like its got enough going on to separate itself from old school Zeldas while paying homage to that style of game, AlttP being dear to my heart.

 

[jufonuk]

Mans that’s a bit too on the nose in its influences.
It looks great but it really looks like lttp in style, gameplay and design

 

[DubReno]

I wont back it, but if it comes out I'll definitely be checking it out. I've wanted a proper 2D zelda style game for a while now and this looks like it'll scratch that itch.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

The $50 physical copy tier is available now, so no excuse to jump onboard now.​

Also released is a $250 tier that offers sheet music signed by Hiroki Kikuta (along with physical copy of game + all other lower rewards)!

For every 20 backers at this $250 tier, Hiroki Kikuta, the composer of Secret of Mana, will get to compose an additional track for the game......back the hell out of this.....I want moar Kikuta music.​

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

The $50 physical copy tier is available now, so no excuse to jump onboard now.​

Also released is a $250 tier that offers sheet music signed by Hiroki Kikuta (along with physical copy of game + all other lower rewards)!​

​

For every 20 backers at this $250 tier, Hiroki Kikuta, the composer of Secret of Mana, will get to compose an additional track for the game......back the hell out of this.....I want moar Kikuta music.​

I'm in at the $50 physical tier. Woooot!

 

[dirthead]

It looks good, but the title is a mistake and will impact the success and popularity of the game.

That is an absolutely horrible title for an action RPG. Someone should have stepped in and said something earlier.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

It looks good, but the title is a mistake and will impact the success and popularity of the game.

That is an absolutely horrible title for an action RPG. Someone should have stepped in and said something earlier.

It's an abstract name but check out my post about 10 posts before yours in this thread that quotes the project lead's reasoning for the title. The title apparently ties directly in to the setting of the game, among other abstract levels of interpretation.

The $65K main funding goal got breached with a vengeance today ---- those new tiers ($50 physical copy and $250 for more Kikuta Hiroki music) are having a huge impact ---- we need that Switch release day stretch goal, so share this project everywhere that you can.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Stretch Goal #1 ($75,000) reached: 2 more levels, more items and puzzle types, more promotional art, more cinematics!

Stretch Goal #2 ($85,000) reached: Translations for Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese at launch!

Stretch Goal #3 ($110,000) only $28,000 away: Nintendo Switch version of game available at launch, in physical copy form!!!!

 

[God Enel]

That music!!! Straight bringing up childhood memories. When is it releasing? Im gonna buy this no matter what

 

[petran79]

2500$ pledge:
'' Become an NPC''

lol

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

That music!!! Straight bringing up childhood memories. When is it releasing? Im gonna buy this no matter what

Seems like 2020 is the best estimate at this point ---- if you love the music, then consider forking over $250 to help get more Hiroki Kikuta tracks on the OST!!!!

2500$ pledge:
'' Become an NPC''

lol

Yeah, this one seems pricey at first but apparently it is much more than just a one-off NPC that is modeled after you and stands around in some single location. For this tier, you actually get to be a main NPC cast character, complete with character portrait in-game (maybe even hand-drawn like the character pics shown in the OP?), backstory that you get to help influence, side-questline & dialogue that you get to help shape etc. It is actually a pretty fantastic tier, though with a hefty price tag.....

 

[God Enel]

Are there any similar good games to this on steam?

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Are there any similar good games to this on steam?

Only one I can think of is Hyper Light Drifter, but that is pretty minimalist & much different art style than the traditional 16-bit era action-RPGs

 

[petran79]

Yeah, this one seems pricey at first but apparently it is much more than just a one-off NPC that is modeled after you and stands around in some single location. For this tier, you actually get to be a main NPC cast character, complete with character portrait in-game (maybe even hand-drawn like the character pics shown in the OP?), backstory that you get to help influence, side-questline & dialogue that you get to help shape etc. It is actually a pretty fantastic tier, though with a hefty price tag.....

It certainly is interesting, but I was also referring to the known meme!

 

[Fuz]

Meh.

 

[dolabla]

Just backed the $50 physical. Super pumped for this. Even though I don't have a Switch (I sold it a couple of months ago), definitely gonna go for the Switch version as I'm sure I'll probably have another one sometimes next year (especially if they release the new Switch like rumored). It just feels too perfect for this game.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Just backed the $50 physical. Super pumped for this. Even though I don't have a Switch (I sold it a couple of months ago), definitely gonna go for the Switch version as I'm sure I'll probably have another one sometimes next year (especially if they release the new Switch like rumored). It just feels too perfect for this game.

Yeah, Switch edition of this game will probably be the definitive version --- less than $20K left until physical release of Switch edition available at launch becomes a reality! With 17 days left, this looks like a sure thing

 

[Laserschwert]

Any one else bothered by this not being at 16:9 aspect ratio? I understand that they want to emulate the 16x16 tiles concept of classic titles, but with pixel art this gorgeous I would have hoped they'd give it as much screen estate as possible.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Any one else bothered by this not being at 16:9 aspect ratio? I understand that they want to emulate the 16x16 tiles concept of classic titles, but with pixel art this gorgeous I would have hoped they'd give it as much screen estate as possible.

I think the dev mentions in his dev log about this.............that the screen size selected was chosen to optimize the on-screen encounters and not show too much of the screen. Games like Axiom Verge have been legitimately criticized for showing too much of the screen, taking away some of the mystery that the player has about what enemies they'll need to deal with. There's probably more to it, but I'd need to delve into the dev log (link in the OP) to understand it better.

The campaign has just surpassed $100K and is less than $9K away from reaching the release-day Nintendo Switch version stretch goal.

Back this now, and if you have already, up your pledges and get us past that Switch stretch goal TODAY!!!!

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

The stretch goal for release-day (physical) Nintendo Switch edition ($110K) has been reached!​

​

Next stretch goals in sight:​

​

Two more Hiroki Kikuta music tracks at $135K​

Mini-games and Arena-Rush mode at $150K​

New Game+ Mode at $165K​

Release-Day PS4 Version at $180K​

Quest Randomizer (!!!!!!!!!!!!) at $200K​

​

 

[dolabla]

Heck yes!

Is the PS4 for sure getting a physical release?

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Heck yes!

Is the PS4 for sure getting a physical release?

I think so, though if stretch goal isn't reached, then those who want PS4 physical copy as their main reward will need to wait for awhile after release for it.

There's a digital copy included with the $100 physical tier, and the physical & digital rewards can be different systems. So you could get the Switch physical edition and then get the PS4 digital edition for your rewards.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Less than $1000 left until we get two new tracks composed by Hiroki Kikuta!

Also, if just three more people back the $250 tier (signed sheet music by Kikuta + physical & digital copy of game), we will reach the 20-backer amount needed to unlock ANOTHER new track by Hiroki Kikuta!!!!!

Two days to go and about $15K left until we unlock the Minigames & Arena Mode tiers.....very doable if we all up our pledges and spread the word during this home stretch!

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

1. HOLY $#@! ---- The latest update has announced DAWNTHORN, a prequel to Hazelnut Bastille that is set in the Zelda NES 8-bit style. The full 12-15 hour game will be available FREE TO ALL BACKERS from $5 on up!!! Release is scheduled on Steam for this Spring:
   
   
   
   Dawnthorn! There is another Hazelnut Game, And Backers get it for Free!
   
   Dawnthorn is announced! But what is it?
   Dawnthorn is a standalone prequel to Hazelnut Bastille, set in the same universe as Hazelnut, but in an 8bit character! It is almost like the game that would have come before Hazelnut, during the NES generation!
   
   Dawnthorn is built in the same engine as Hazelnut, and features many of the same enemies and items, but as totally different 8bit versions! It also features a lot of content completely unique to itself, and an entirely different overworld and dungeon list! The overworld will be overbrimming with secrets to find!
   
   The story focuses on the adventures of the hero who wieled the eponymous sword before the events of Hazelnut, a hero everyone remembers but no one can quite name...
   
   Dawnthorn is projected to be a full length game at around 12-15 hours to complete, and is likely going to be available Spring of 2019! It should come to Windows / Mac / Linux to start, and possibly the Switch and PS4 if it does well enough at initial release!
   
   Best of all, Backers of Hazelnut will get Dawnthorn as a digital copy for no extra cost, if they have backed at 5 USD or more! This also includes the 50 USD tier!
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Umc5PkOSk8
   .
   
   But Why is Dawnthorn?
   

   • Dawnthorn is a project that we worked on during our down hours working on Hazelnut, in secret
   • It is built in the same engine, and it is a way for us to stress test this engine for a full release, but in a project that requires less work to prepare; this will allow us to make the Hazelnut Release as smooth as possible later!
   • We will have the experience of releasing Dawnthorn to Steam, so we will be veterans at it for Hazelnut's release!
   • Any bugs or engine issues or input issues we catch during the Dawnthorn release can be fixed in the Hazelnut engine so they are already accounted for
   • The project may make a bit of money, which will further help us make Hazelnut as good as it can be, which means everyone wins!
   • The NES is COOL
   • Dawnthorn was the project that Hazelnut was originally conceived to be, before it grew to be what it is today! Going back and making Dawnthorn as it was meant to be became a fun side project!

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Minigames & Arena Rush stretch goal of $150K has been reached!!!

Dawn of the FINAL DAY: Just 24 hours left to reach NG+ stretch goal at $165K!!!!! PS4 stretch goal at $180K still a possibility?

 

[meirl]

Why not Xbox?

 

[dolabla]

I just got that 8 bit prequel email. That is a surprising/amazing announcement. And free for us backers? I'll take it. I hope it gets a Switch release. And hopefully physical. Would be cool if they could just include it on physical backer copies of Hazelnut Bastille.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

Two hours to go, and $9000 away from the $180K launch-day (or close to launch) PS4 stretch goal!

Last chance to get in early on this game and get the 8-bit prequel, Dawnthorn, for free when it comes out in mid 2019​

 

[dirthead]

It's an abstract name but check out my post about 10 posts before yours in this thread that quotes the project lead's reasoning for the title. The title apparently ties directly in to the setting of the game, among other abstract levels of interpretation.

The $65K main funding goal got breached with a vengeance today ---- those new tiers ($50 physical copy and $250 for more Kikuta Hiroki music) are having a huge impact ---- we need that Switch release day stretch goal, so share this project everywhere that you can.

The reason doesn't change the fact that the title is absolutely terrible. George Lucas had a reason for naming it The Phantom Menace.

 

[Fluffernutter Pancake]

10 minutes to go --- last call to join the Hazelnut Bastille kickstarter w/ freebie Dawnthorn game included​