Update []:
Melos Han-Tani of Anagelsic Productions has revealed the release date for the indie studio's Ys & Hydlide-inspired action RPG Angeline Era.
According to the developer's announcement, the game will be released on December 8th on Steam across Windows and Mac, and will also be fully Steam Deck compatible a launch. It will cost $24.99 to buy, but as Han-Tani states will have a 20% launch discount applied for the first two weeks, bringing that price down further to $19.99.
If you want to know how Anagelsic arrived at this particular price point, the release announcement goes into some detail about the thought process behind the decision, with the main takeaway being that the developers felt that because the game is roughly 20-30 hours in length (and therefore, considerably longer than some SNES games that cost way more), it's a fair price to ask for the game.
Han-Tani does concede, however, that "perhaps the world doesn’t see it that way".
Originally announced back in 2023, Angeline Era is the latest game from the developers of Anodyne 2 and Sephonie and mixes a charmingly blocky art style with fun bumpable environments and enemies inspired by action RPG classics of old.
Here's the official description of what you can expect:
"Every level is hidden in plain sight in this nonlinear 3D Action-Adventure game!
Travel a vast country's unmarked overworld in search of the next challenging fight, humorous encounter, or mysterious landscape. YOU decide what you discover next in this world of Fae, Humans and Angels!
The Angel's mothership, Throne, lays dormant behind a fierce storm. To reach it, unlock its secrets, and usher in the future, you must explore the land of Era and survive its trap-filled ruins, primordial forests, treacherous mountains, mines, and more! Overcome intense battles and hilarious hazards in this tale of betrayal, haunting lore, and fruitless yearning."
You can also check out the latest release date trailer for the game below:
Original Story: A Steam demo was released yesterday for the next PC game from the developers Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka — the creators of Anodyne, Anodyne 2, Even the Ocean, and Sephonie.
Angeline Era is a 3D homage to classic action role-playing games like Ys & Hydlide and is scheduled to release sometime in 2025.
It sees players exploring a land of Angels and Fae, uncovering treasures, and battling enemies to seek out an ancient truth. The recently released demo features a lengthy preview of its main campaign, introducing players to the "bump-slash" combat (which is influenced by Ys), and also includes a beta version of the game's upcoming arcade mode. All of this is presented in a charmingly blocky style that seems to us to be a mix between the presentation of the classic PS1 RPG Final Fantasy VII and the 3D remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV for the Nintendo DS that were released in the mid-to-late 2000s.
The campaign half of the demo drops players onto a retro-style world map and immediately sets them loose to explore the strange land, letting them scan for secrets and dive into miniature dungeon-style areas.
The arcade half, meanwhile, has players tooling up before entering room after room of enemies to compete for high scores.
Here are some of the features of the game listed on the Steam page:
-Fast-paced combat combining buttonless Bumpslashing, ranged gunplay and jumping!
-Eclectic levels filled with moving walls, deadly volleyballs, sentient hammers
-Inspired by action throughout gaming history, from the early Ys entries to Elden Ring
-A thrilling Arcade Mode for players looking for a classic and deep challenge
-Mix and match upgradable weapons and armor for alternate playstyles
-A nonlinear world! Explore freely, and search the overworld for hidden levels and secrets
-A challenging core experience, with multiple difficulty and approachability options
-A world influenced by Irish fantasy and arcane Christian myth
-Follow the mind-bending journey of ex-G.I. Tets Kinoshta as he searches for Truth in a chaotic world
-From the creators of Anodyne 2 and Sephonie, Melos Han-Tani and Marina Kittaka!
So far, we've played roughly an hour of the demo and can't wait to play even more, though there's clearly a little bit of beautification work still to be done on certain areas of the game — particularly the UI.
If you feel like checking out the demo, you can do so now over on Steam. Just don't forget to wishlist it if you find yourself having a good time.