Red Ash is Go! Plus Demo and Other News

From my vacation announcement‘s comment section:

“They just announced that they’ve decided the console port will be for PS4, and they’re hinting that there’s big news this weekend.

So yeah, LBD’s going to be kicking himself all right.” –plyl172

Well, it came a few days later, so I’m not kicking myself too hard. Either way, as we enter the closing days of the Red Ash Kickstarters, quite a bit of news has surfaced.

Though the campaign’s 6,064 backers pledged $486,982 of the $800,000 goal with four days still left to go, it’s not looking too likely that goal will be reached. However, it also appears that won’t necessarily matter: an update from Comcept on Wednesday reveals that development is now fully underway with a port to not only the PlayStation 4 (as backers had previously determined), but the Xbox One as well!

Thanks to the Chinese digital entertainment company known as FUZE Entertainment Co. Ltd, the eight-hour game “The KalKanon Incident” is now officially underway, and will be developed to completion. What’s more, Comcept says they “will retain rights to creative discretion and decisions in game development,” and are pleased to find such a favorable partner in FUZE.

As for the Kickstarter itself, Comcept says that the pledges are going towards further content. What content? Unfortunately, that’s yet to be revealed:

Like we said, we’re very busy with many behind-the-scenes things over here, and we apologize if you feel left in the dark. As you can see, the things we have brewing that are keeping us occupied are BIG, and all for the purpose of getting you RED ASH in its biggest, bestest form. That’s the reason we’re less communicative than we’d like to be!

We know we’re in the final days of our campaign, but we’d like to ask fans to continue their support of RED ASH! Your money is going towards 100% content now, so please look forward to the revised “stretch goals”!

This news came hot on the heels of other updates, including a look at character models for Beck and Call by HYDE, and more importantly, a gameplay mockup!

In the video, you can see the mock-up in action, with some comments being given that would make the controls feel a bit more Mega Man Legends-like. You can play the mock-up in your browser here, or by downloading a file here. Note that the browser version is optimized for Firefox, and so Chrome and Internet Explorer may experience issues running it.

It is emphasized that this is a mock-up and a work-in-progress, with Beck as the playable character and only a small part of the town open for exploration. Some notes from Comcept:

One of our major themes for the game is “exploring an anime world,” and thus players have the freedom to do whatever they want — including kicking cans rolling in the middle of the street. There is certainly a whimsical element of enjoyment.

…for the explorers and “completionists,” expect some unexpected discoveries. We’re told that the “Red Ash version of Beck” is hiding somewhere inside the map! Can anyone find and pass the torch from the Mighty No.9 version to the Red Ash version of him?

Warnings and Disclaimers!

1. This mock-up is for you to experience the “feel” of Red Ash. There are Mighty No.9 characters as NPCs, but that is only temporary. The completed game will feature the characters from the world of Red Ash. I guess you could consider this a digital collector’s item?!

2. Red Ash is a TPS-style action adventure game, in which players are able to shoot and take down enemies. But those elements are not included in this mock-up.

3. A large part of enjoyment to Red Ash is interacting with the townsfolk and exploring the world freely. The mock-up shows more of the whimsical and playful side of exploration that take places in Red Ash.

As far as controls go, you can find a list of directions in the update here.

Finally, there is a video interview with Kenichi Yanagihara, the president of HYDE Inc.

In the interview, Yanagihara discusses what games he’s worked on (including titles for Atlus and SEGA), why they wanted to be credited for their work in Red Ash (as being credited doesn’t always happen), and his impression of Red Ash.

And I think that’s it for now. With Red Ash now a sure thing that’s under way, have your impressions changed at all? Are you more inclined to give it a look if you weren’t as interested before? Share your thoughts in the comments!

LBD "Nytetrayn"

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

For a full list of places to find him online, click here.