Summary
Indie soulslikeKristalais launching in early access this spring, Astral Clocktower Studios has announced. The unique soulslike with cats that appears to mix elements of everything fromSekirotoAssassin’s Creedwill be coming to both PC and consoles following its preview period.
Kristalawas one of the indiegames that smashed their Kickstarter funding goals in 2023. Its summer crowdfunding campaign saw it raise over $110,000 from nearly 1,700 backers, thus hitting its pledge target 11 times over. While $10,000 is a minuscule amount of money to develop any contemporary game, let alone a large-scale fantasy ARPG of this sort,Kristalawas, by all accounts, already getting made irrespective of its crowdfunding success; Astral Clocktower Studios merely used Kickstarter to generate funds for some additional features offered as stretch goals, including a New Game Plus mode and character creator.
Kristala Is Coming To Steam Early Access in May 2024
Seven months following its crowdfunding campaign, the Pennsylvania-based studio narrowed down the game’s preview release window, revealing thatKristalawilllaunch in Steam Early Accessthis May. The initial version of the RPG will include one of the six territories that are planned to be featured in the finished product, that of the Nisarga clan. Completing this area by beating its final boss will unlock access to the Shard Guardian realm, which kind of sounds likeKristala’s version of theGauntlet of Strength fromSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
A mode for testing the player’s combat prowess with waves of enemies is far from the only similarity thatKristalashares withSekiro; the upcoming title promises to blend soulslike combat with stealth, RPG elements, and an interconnected world that rewards exploration. Even its setting appears reminiscent ofFromSoftware’s worlds, as the game takes place in a cursed land full of terrifying creatures whose origins will become clearer as the player progresses through the story.
The humanoid feline protagonist that players will be able to customize to their heart’s content will also be as nimble as can be expected from a giant cat, with Astral Clocktower Studios promising thatKristalawill feature a responsive parkour system.
Kristala Targeting Late 2024 Release on PC and Consoles
Kristala’s original Kickstarter campaign saw Astral Clocktower Studios estimate that the game would be completed around August 2024. The developer has now pushed back that release window to late 2024 as part of today’s announcement. While the early access launch will be limited to Steam, the full version of the game will also release on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.
