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Chucklefish Provides Insight Into Next Project Spellbound, A Game About Magical Schools
Chucklefish, the publisher of the infectiously popular farming simulation game Stardew Valley, is working hard on its next title Spellbound. Spellbound has a similar aesthetic and vibe to Stardew Valley, but this time revolves around magic schools instead of agriculture.
In an interview with Red Bull Games earlier this week, Chucklefish's founder Finn Brice provided plenty of new tidbits about what we can expect from this school of wizardry sim where you attend classes, build relationships, craft, brew potions, and learn magical spells.
“The game revolves around your path through school, the relationships you build, and your mastery of the several schools of magic at your disposal,” Brice told Red Bull Games. “Players should expect to build up their magical proficiency by undertaking school projects. This might have them growing magical crops and creatures in herbology or taking on the denizens of the forest in elemental magic.
Although Brice explains that the team was unsurprisingly influenced by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, they describe Spellbound's world as "very unlike Hogwarts." The magic in this universe is more "practical," taking inspiration from Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series, Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series, Studio Ghibli animations, and Cartoon Network's Steven Universe.
Brice explains that a lot of emphasis is put on your path through school, where you increase your magical proficiency through academic projects in classes like Herbology, where you might create magical creatures and crops. School and social life will provide many opportunities for befriending characters, delving into quests, dating, and more. Brice hints that there will be some surprising elements to dating in Spellbound, where players may be "a little shocked the first time they get dumped."
Combat is also a key feature, and the team describes this iteration as reminiscent of "Zelda-like retro action RPGs, with spellcasting taking the place of swords, bows and bombs." By combining and unlocking elements, players will be able to activate different kinds of spells which can then be used in the forest dungeon.
You can read our review of Chucklefish's previous game, Stardew Valley, by heading here.
[Source: Red Bull Games]
Our Take
I love both Harry Potter and Stardew Valley, so a hybrid of the two is really exciting to me. I've been eagerly awaiting more information about Spellbound, and this interview helps shed light on some interesting mechanics. I'm really curious about how Steven Universe influences this game and what both classes and spellcasting will be like. Sounds neat so far!
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