Catalyst | Main Site
(Introduction)
Catalyst is a massive, narrative-driven RPG taking place in a ravaged and lore-rich fantasy setting. You pick up the role of Sebu Sabersong, an eager soon-to-be graduate of the local military, along with your older sister and a close childhood friend.
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Lands of Antiquity | Traverse the expansive world of Nyzuna, home to all kinds of wonders and mysteries. 100+ beautiful landscapes, capital cities, and treacherous dungeons await!
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Choose Your Path | 10 well-designed and balanced character classes in total to play as, each offering a unique play style.
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Accolades of War | Engaging combat system, tuned to perfection with comprehensive strategy and depth! Easy to learn, difficult to master.
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Rage of Ancients | Think you got what it takes to be the best? Thrilling and theatrical boss encounters lie ahead...
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Frenzy Mode | The optional "Frenzy" encounter difficulty offers a unique, challenging twist for those craving something more.
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Immense and Deep Narrative | Be part of a carefully-crafted story as it progresses, watch your favorite characters grow and witness the rise and fall of empires.
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One Hell of a Cast | A story is only as strong as it’s characters. With an emphasis on well-written, unique & interesting character personalities, you’re sure to have a favorite!
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Fully Voice Acted | Don’t worry about lifeless, unmoving character interactions and story developments! From bosses, store clerks, to main characters; everyone is completely voiced.
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Fancy Theatrics | Enjoy a large set of in-game & on-site cinematic cut-scenes, providing a strong emotional, epic narrative for your viewing pleasure.
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Character Progression | Improve and customize your squad with new weapons, armor, runes, and powers as you see fit.
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Into the Great Beyond | The world is alive. Future content releases, feature implementations, and story-driven chapters are planned following release.
For millennia, the prime kingdoms of Nyzuna have been standing united in defense of their world and their homeland. Unimaginable horrors, known as the Aragych (or “Arra” for short) terrorize the living realm. Fueled by an insatiable hunger for destruction and disorder, they lay siege and devour world after world, plunging the cosmos into chaos...
It’s been over a hundred years since the last war, the wounds inflicted upon the lands are finally healed; peace and order is restored as a new generation takes its freedom for granted. Unaware of the darkness buried in the past, they are now living the dream that their forefathers fought and bled for..”
The surviving population is divided among four separate kingdoms, each residing behind a series of capital cities ruled by royal governments. Among them is Sebu Sabersong, a 16-year-old boy who lives with his older sister Amber and their close childhood friend Rane.
Unfortunately, this peace won’t last long...
In an insidious plot to shatter the bonds of unity, an unknown contingent of evil with no clear motive re-awakens the ancient threat, casting Nyzuna into an age of misery and suffering to levels never-before-seen.
All seems lost until a band of heroes emerge (The Iron Union) who seek to repel this war embark on a mission to locate 10 missing but extremely powerful legend-commanders who they believe could be the answer to everything. After a tragic twist of events, the Sabersong kids are thrust into war as well and spearhead the operation.
Following endless death and destruction, and the reveal of a shocking truth, it is your goal to carry the resistance’s hope on your shoulders and locate these lost veterans. Can you find them before it’s too late?
Logistics
What exact genre of game is this? Any more details? | Story-driven, turn-based cinematic RPG in the same light as something like Final Fantasy.
What platforms can I play this on? | Windows initially, though I can confirm support for Mac, iOS, and Android in the future for at least later installments/updates.
When will it come out? | While I cannot provide a specific release timetable, I will say that the development cycle has been moving smoothly & at a pleasantly fast pace. Things are going phenomenally. It could be as early as 5 months or as late as 16 months; I’m not making any promises until I know for sure.
I beat the game. Now what? | After the main game story has been completed a solid amount of post-game content will open up.
Kickstarter? Any crowdfunding? | There is a Kickstarter page set up but will be saved until we get closer to release.
Disclaimer:
The game is still in development and many elements of it are subject to change. A lot of the game play shown is particularly from the early production stages. If you are a contributor, the credits & attributions page will be finalized and published live sometime before the game launches.
I'm a very busy person and am travelling a lot; while I can find the time to get well over 35-40+ hours of development work a week into the game, it's usually within the same consecutive 3-4 days (typically weekends). So please know that communication may be slow during the other half of the week.
Content-Related
Who are the bad guys? | The primary evil force in Catalyst are the “Aragych” (also known as the Arra) malevolent aberrations, hatred & entropy manifest, fueled by an unwavering desire for chaos and disorder.
It is unclear exactly where they came from; some say they emerged the moment the universe was born, while others say they were created. Nonetheless, their relentless campaign to destroy all life in the universe has brought hell right to your very doorstep.
Factions? Races? Classes? | There’s too much information here for this section and I will gladly go over these details later. However, to sum it up: There are ten classes, 5 available off the bat and 5 unlockable later on. There are a handful of races, including Humans, Kaenids (dog-like humanoids), Etherians (elf-like creatures) and Solyns (feline-like humanoids), and some others. There are a good set of factions too, namely the Verdant Sisterhood and the Chronolith Society.
Story Setting & Location? | Catalyst I takes place on Nyzuna (the main planet) entirely in Kryptika, which is one of 5 continents on that world. The story itself takes place rather late put into perspective of the global story as a whole -- More will be revealed later on, but it is somewhat important to know there’s a profound amount of story which takes place prior. Fertile soil for sequels/prequels perhaps?
What about future projects? Sequels? | My primary focus right now is Catalyst I, however I do actually have the general plot structure for an entire trilogy featuring the same cast of characters & picking up where this one will leave. Outside of story, I do have big ambitions in regards to the game tech itself. Even though I’m pushing my current engine to it’s very limits, I always knew it was a starting point & have intended on moving onto bigger and better things, namely Unreal or Unity.
Partners in Crime..
Sebu Sabersong | Confident but somewhat stubborn, Sebu is a young and headstrong Solyn. Wildly passionate and full of life, he will go to any length or do whatever it takes to make his impact on the world a positive one. He’s not particularly talented in any designated field, but he has unwavering potential and an unmatched ability to master said potential. Sebu has a very strong bond with his older sister Amber.
Amber Sabersong | Well known for her fighting skills and leadership traits, Amber is naturally gifted in almost every aspect of combat and graduated the military academy at the top of her class. She’s very strong, both emotionally and physically, and has unmatched finesse, but rarely comes across like it due to her warm and caring personality. She has a very strong connection with her little brother, and always looks out for him as well as their childhood friend Rane.
Chapter Summaries (general, non-spoiler)
Chapter [1] The Beginning | “Today is your big day! Take care of a few minor complications before the ceremony begins. Your eagerness and excitement have no bounds!”
Chapter [2] Tragedy | “Something goes very, very wrong during the ceremony and no one’s sure exactly what -- The event is postponed and all military forces are dispatched, little do they know the unthinkable is upon them.”
Chapter [3] Departure | “The Aragych have returned once more, casting a new age of misery on the land. In response, The Iron Union emerges and a desperate operation is launched to locate 10 Legendary war veterans from ages past.”
Chapter [4] Intrepid | “With the world’s hope resting on your shoulders, you and your band of heroes set off in a valiant effort to find the first 5 legends. In a world now ravaged by war, you must steel yourselves for whatever challenges block your path”
Chapter [5] Infiltration | “Trouble is brewing within the human capital, the High Marshal has fallen mysteriously ill -- Suspecting an Aragych influence, you meet up with his son and devise a resolution along with some already-located IU Legends.
Chapter [6] Threshold | “A hotly contested central landmass, Valley of the Awakened, is declared a safe zone and you’re sent to it accordingly. Establish more Iron Union territory and visit Kessus, the Solyn capital.
Chapter [7] Guile | “You venture forth into the lower continent, bravely persevering into the great unknown -- It is here when a once-thought ally reveals their true intentions..”
Chapter [8] Collision | ”Due to further Aragych involvement, the manipulated Etherian King wages a unilateral war against Surizond and the Dawnpaw Brotherhood.”
Chapter [9] Ascendance | “This is the home stretch -- With only a few IU Legends remaining, you push forward with everything you can muster in a triumphant rush. The only real question is, how many of them were you able to convince?”
Chapter [10] The Final Confrontation | ”Now is the time to strike the Aragych head on! The remaining Nyzuna military forces & the IU Legends unite together and make their final stand against this ancient evil. Face off against Tempest, the main antagonist & end boss”
Two Siblings, One Mission..
No adventure is complete without a team to bring along!
Here are the other 3 primary characters...
Sevrah Winters | Met shortly after the Iron Departure, Sevrah is an adept and competent young fighter. He is the last surviving member of the Solace Elite Squad following the Arra invasion. After proving himself, he was given a permanent spot in Sebu’s party, persevering with them and eventually becoming a close ally.
Cascade Brizinski | Outgoing and a bit of a show off, Cascade met the main trio through their academy training and fit right in. He's noticeably egotistical and often gets into small feuds with people. He also has romantic interests with Amberly.
Narrative Flow
Rane Varachi | Typically preferring to work in the classroom over combat, Rane is less of a fighter and more of a tactician. He has been Sebu’s close friend ever since they were kids and shared many moments of their youth together. The time when Seb punched a bully senseless to the time when he cried over the loss of a dead pet as a child, Rane was there for all of it.
A good story needs a good villain..
Meet Tempest; a once mighty vessel of heroism, the Iron Union's lead champion, the very definition of Legendary..
His whole story is a bit lengthy and in order to avoid spoilers, here's a Summary: Following an anguished youth, Tempest’s only solace was the love of his life, Nariah. After she leaves him for Hijake (a big-time rival) due to his superior family lines and Tempest’s Iron Union responsibilities, he commits many atrocities in a frenzy of anger, leading to an eternal imprisonment..
That is, until an ancient evil makes a dark bargain with him, releasing Tempest from his bonds & promising revenge on Hijake’s bloodline. Together, they enshroud the world in chaos, and ignite the largest Aragych invasion yet. (This is where the game starts off)
That is a very slimmed down version of his story, there's plenty of further highly important details that are incorporated with his character arc - While progressing through the game, the player will learn new pieces of information that tie together his motives & gradually make sense into a shocking revelation.
A good villain is interesting, has motives & a reason for doing things - Being "evil" for evils sake is dull and uninteresting.
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