With relatively little fanfare, Double Fine’s tactical strategy game Massive Chalice has appeared on Steam Early Access. It’s currently available for 25% off.
It’s certainly nice to look at. The game’s got an expressionistic fantasy style that’s not a million miles away from recent 4X fantasy Endless Legend.
You play as the Immortal Ruler of the Nation, whose job it is to basically genetically engineer your troops and heroes to the pinnacle of human ability. Bit eugenic-y, but there you go. The game’s Bloodline system lets you marry off particular heroes to merge their genetic abilities together for their offspring.
There’s a slight roguelike aspect in that any of these heroes can die, so you’re constantly required to keep a steady stock of capable warriors on standby to help battle the mysterious Cadence.
Interesting stuff. As usual all the familiar caveats for Early Access apply; over the coming months DOuble FIne promise additional difficulty modes, localisation for several regions, controller support and more. Massive Chalice was Kickstarted back in 2013 to the tune of $1.2 million.
