Tahira Echoes of the Astral Empire

''Once, it is said, humanity roamed the stars with impunity. That time is long past. On what was once a partially terraformed outpost world, the descendants of the long-dead colony struggle to eke out an existence on a planet that is growing ever more inhospitable.''

Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire is an episodic turn-based tactics RPG set on a world that has fallen into a medieval dark age after the collapse of space faring civilization. It is currently under development by Whale Hammer Games and was created by three Developers: Tom Cox, Peter Castle and Peter Simpson. The game is to consist of multiple episodes. The studio intends to have the game fully playable by July of 2015 and ready for release by January of 2016. The project was fully funded at Kickstarter.

Overview You are Princess Tahira of Avestan, a small kingdom to the west of humanity’s last great city, Babylon. The death of your brother has left you as the sole, unwilling heir to the Throne. After your anxiety over this burden sparked an argument with your father, you left Avestan to explore the lands that lie to the south. A year later, a message arrives warning of a vast army intent on returning to the stars, crushing all who stand in its way, and begging you to return home.

In Tahira the story and combat are intrinsically tied together. Every battle you fight has different objectives, which are informed by the story. In one, you fight desperately to hold a town long enough for its citizens to flee. In another you ambush an enemy squadron, trying to rout them before they can make use of their superior numbers.

When you’re not fighting you’ll have the chance to walk around your surrounds, engage with your travelling companions, and learn more about the different cultures you’ll encounter as you travel on the road.

Features


 * A character-driven story centred upon Tahira, an unwilling princess forced into a leadership role she never expected.
 * A rich cast of colourful characters, from a bitter, drunk merchant to a swaggering mercenary power-couple.
 * Painstakingly rotoscoped animations, with the frame-by-frame technique creating a realistic, hand-drawn appearance.
 * A journey across hand-painted environments, which showcase the bittersweet beauty of a dying world.
 * Challenging strategic combat, which demands that the player both plan ahead and adapt to a changing battlefield.
 * A modern twist on classic turn-based tactics where units tire and grow more vulnerable throughout the fight, and your units can skip the turn queue and act instantly.
 * A wide range of scenarios, ranging from scrappy fights between a couple of soldiers to epic sieges where the player must manage multiple fronts.
 * Upgrade your forces, choosing from a range of improvements to suit a variety of play-styles.
 * Learn the history of both the current denizens of a former frontier world, and the ancient space-faring people who first explored it.
 * An atmospheric soundtrack composed by Max LL that incorporates the sounds and textures of Central Asia and the Middle East.