Itâs called Bedlam, and itâs a post-apocalyptic RPG with Falloutâs ramshackle vibe, XCOM-style gameplay, and gorgeously detailed animated art. Thereâs also permadeath, marauders, mutants, and cyborgs. I like all of those things!
First up, hereâs the elevator pitchâstraight from a world where elevators may well have gone extinct centuries ago:
âThe player is cast as the mysterious Mechanic, the last known member of a once-thriving guild of brilliant inventors, intrepid travelers and operators of the rolling fortresses called Dozers.â
âAs the Mechanic, you are in charge of commanding your crew in battles, managing your resources, improving your Dozer, interacting with various characters, and protecting your passengers while navigating through the post-apocalyptic wasteland known as Bedlam.â
âRemember â One chance and one crew to make it through!â
Combat will apparently be swift, brutal, and decisive, and Dozers will be able to join the fray and get their treads dirty. Also, there wonât be a turn order for units. You can pick who moves when. Hereâs what the game will look like when youâre in the field:
And hereâs what itâll look like when youâre traveling between randomly generated battelfields, amassing a crack (and probably also a bit cracked) team of mean murder people:
Now, for a select few of you this might all look a little familiar, if only in an abstract way. Thatâs because Bedlam pretty clearly takes a number of cues from gorgeous hand-drawn strategy/viking apocalypse roadtrip RPG
The Banner Saga, not to mention an entire game engine.
https://lastchance.cc/the-banner-saga-isnt-just-a-pretty-face-1500844642%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Bedlam has a pretty strong pedigree of its own, too, with a team behind it that includes the former art director of Darksiders, an action-adventure game series known for its twisted comic book art style and creative use of scythes.
Bedlamâs creators are seeking $130,000 on Kickstarter, if youâre interested in helping them realize their vision of a dust-and-ash, pulpy-as-fuck post-apocalypse.
And look, it even has a barf monster! Who doesnât love barf monsters?
If you donât love barf monsters (you heathen), maybe this will be more up your alley, because honestly Iâm not even pretending to look for excuses to post art from this game anymore. I have no idea if it will actually play well, but it sure does look wonderfully attractiveâin an everything is fucked and ruined prone-to-dying-horribly sort of way.
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