Talk Your Way Past a Dragon in Dragon Soul: Awakening’s Free Teaser

(Auszug aus der Pressemitteilung)

Solo studio Spiritguide Games has released ShadowStarter, a free playable teaser for Dragon Soul: Awakening, its psychological narrative RPG now live on Kickstarter. The 30-minute standalone encounter is available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and creators are welcome to record and stream it.

Words are your only weapon.

Kidnapped by Shadow, a black dragon who can’t be killed, players have one way out: talk. Inspired by Monkey Island’s insult sword fighting and Undertale, combat is a fast-paced conversation in which you read your opponent and break through their emotional Mask before their Patience runs out.

Are you a dragon, or just crazy? An office worker stuck in a 9-to-5 loop suddenly hears a dragon speak. Soon the Dragon Realm opens, the legend of the Nine Dragon Souls surfaces, and an unseen apocalypse begins — unless it’s all in your head. Between battles, players spend eleven months in Sahkuru, a city inspired by Berlin, building Soul Bonds with 13 characters, including 5 romance options.

The Kickstarter Campaign

The campaign aims to raise €52,000 by Tuesday, November 24. Rewards start at €20 for a Steam key, with higher tiers adding the soundtrack, artbook, beta access, a Tiah plushie or the chance to design an NPC, among others. Funds will go to human-made art, music, programming and polish.

Key features

• Dialogue-based boss battles where words are your weapons
• A psychological urban fantasy with fourth-wall-breaking surprises
• A life sim across eleven months in Sahkuru, a city inspired by Berlin
• 13 Soul Bonds tied to zodiac archetypes, with 5 romance options
• Three timelines and multiple endings
• Original soundtrack by solo developer Hannah Azok