A guardian, a scholar, a warrior — who you are and what you will be on the empty road is decided by you in this text-based RPG Adventure. Embrace the wilderness and the unknown path ahead. Loneliness and danger comes with your position as protector and messenger. But also, respect, gratitude, and generous pay. Saddle your horse and explore the roads less traveled as you take on the mantle of the Roadwarden.
From the creators of The Tavern and Tales From Windy Meadow, Moral Anxiety bring you Roadwarden, a currently in development text-adventure game. For anyone familiar with Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! Roadwarden is similar in the sense that it is a visual novel with choose-your-own-adventure tropes. Throw in role-playing elements from tabletop RPGs, Roadwarden takes you on an adventure into the mysterious peninsula. Hired by a powerful merchant guild, you are tasked with expanding their influence and reach. Making contact with locals, and building relations is an important part in how the world and story evolves around you.
Unlike other RPGs where combat and experience are key components of the game. Roadwarden places dialogue and conversation as paramount. You are quickly introduced to the game’s Attitude system. Before you start a conversation, you select an Attitude which affects all future dialogue options within a conversation. While other RPGs allow you to jump around in your dialogue choices from aggressive to friendly, for example, In Roadwarden, once you’ve chosen an attitude to take, you’re locked into it. Much like real life, if you start off by getting someone’s back up, they’re not likely to help you if you suddenly decide to be nice to them.
Furthering the importance of text and talking — how you choose to present your character is dependant on the dialogue choices you make. There is no character select or class creation aspect to this RPG. Instead your in-game decisions and responses to conversations with NPCs shape your character within the world. As a player, this feels more in keeping with the role-playing aspect of the game. It allows you to further immerse yourself into the story developing before you. It helps with your sense of place in the world, and everything from your spiritual beliefs, to your abilities, are all shaped as you click through the adventure. Your experience of the world grows in a more organic way because of this.
Not wanting to draw away from the story and immersion, the developers opted to use an isometric pixel art style. Rendered in sepia tones and limited to an 8-bit scale, it acts as a wonderful accompaniment to the text alongside it. Throw this in with a score that is a mix of dark and ethereal instrumental pieces, Roadwarden instils the sense of travel, wondering and wander, and medieval gothic adventure into the player.
If anything, Roadwarden has the workings of a great and intriguing adventure story. So far what was on offer in the demo is an excellent role-playing experience and with it’s scheduled full release somewhere in 2020, one can hope the experience grows further.
Roadwarden is scheduled to be released sometime in 2020. Add to your Steam Wishlist now!