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Former Looking Glass Vets Announce Underworld Ascendant Kickstarter
Back in July, we told you about former Looking Glass Studios' founder Paul Neurath and his newly announced project. His studio, Otherside Entertainment, acquired the rights for their RPG Ultima Underworld, and they were starting work on a spiritual successor to the 1992 game. Today, they've announced a new name for the game, as well as a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the rest of its development.
The game's now called Underworld Ascendant. Neurath says his team will be providing new details on the game's features every week of the Kickstarter campaign, but here's the first wave of info, straight from Otherside:
- Exquisitely Realized Underworld – Plunge into The Stygian Abyss: dark, ripe with dangers, full of ancient secrets to discover. A vast subterranean fantasy world made startlingly real and alive.
- Dynamic Factions – Become embroiled in an epic plot, as rival factions vie for dominance in struggles that ebb and flow across The Stygian Abyss. Your choices will alter the outcome in subtle and dramatic ways.
- Improvisation Engine – Delight in player-authored gameplay taken to a whole new level, with a suite of technologies that empower you to solve challenges with astonishing ingenuity. Be the ‘MacGyver’ of a fantasy world.
- Hero to Call Your Own – Jump right in as a Fighter, Thief or Mage. Then as your Avatar grows, freely mix and match across any skills to develop a unique hero, tailored to your style of play.
- Pushing Boundaries – Stretch Goals will innovate on co-op play with a friend; letting you build your own corner of The Stygian Abyss; and more.
Check out the pitch video below to learn more about what Otherside's hoping to do with the game. It features footage of the old game, as well as prototype gameplay of what they've been working on with Underworld Ascension.
If you like what you see, you have until March 6 to contribute to the campaign. Their fundraising goal is $600,000. Stretch goals would add features including a new area to explore, companion creatures, editing tools, and co-op play.
Our Take
It's been more than two decades since we've last been to the Underworld. A lot of players have fond memories of the games they grew up with, and ask why a franchise disappeared. Now, Ultima Underworld fans have a chance to help back a new game developed by members of the original Ultima Underground team. Let's see what happens.
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