Maybe you have played Jet Set Radio one too many times, or your Skies of Arcadia disc got lost when you moved into your new apartment. Panzer Dragoon just isn’t cutting the mustard anymore, and you need a new game to play on your Dreamcast. Alas, it is 2012, and no one is making Dreamcast games anymore. No one, but the guys at WaterMelon, and they have a Kickstarter going to prove it!
“Pier Solar HD sounds like it might be a remake with that ‘HD’ tacked on there!” Well, you would be technically correct, but it is not exactly like you might think. Pier Solar was created as a completely original RPG for the Sega Genesis…10 years after the last Genesis game was released. WaterMelon created the game from the ground up, and released it on a physical cart you could use in your old console. As the “biggest 16-bit RPG ever,” people seemed to enjoy it, and now they are going back and sharpening everything up for a HD release on Dreamcast, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, and Linux.
The proper old school RPG story:
Pier Solar is a 16-bit RPG that tells the story of Hoston, a young botanist who is on a quest to save his father from a mysterious illness. Along with his two best friends Alina and Edessot, the three friends embark on a quest seeking a rare herb to cure the illness of Hoston’s father. Little do they know, it is the beginning of a winding journey that unravels his father’s past and the mystery of Pier Solar and the Great Architects.
Here are the bullet points:
- The Biggest 16-bit RPG Ever! We released Pier Solar on a custom 64MEG cartridge (the average SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis game size is 12MEG), making it the biggest 16-bit RPG ever! This allowed us to push the 16-bit medium to a precedent setting level, with state-of-the-art aesthetics and things like full-screen cutscenes, background scaling and 3D modes.
- A 100% Original RPG! Pier Solar was developed from the ground up. An original world, storyline, soundtrack, characters, enemies, and battle style. No ports, translations or copying from any other game – it’s all fresh! The first original 16-bit RPG to do this in over a decade!
- A Massive World to Explore! Pier Solar has 50+ hours of gameplay, over 300 locations, nearly 500 unique treasure chests, and over 800 NPCs!
- Epic Battle Tactics! We developed an innovative battle system that puts you in control of up to five characters and includes in-depth strategic moves such as counter-attacks and a special strategy called Gather, which stores energy to unleash even more powerful moves and spells!
- Translated in 5 Languages! Pier Solar is translated in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
- An Original Soundtrack! A beautiful soundtrack written just for Pier Solar that embodies everything great about a classic retro soundtrack!
- There Are Surprises! We also packed-in many other surprises and secrets like hidden areas and mini-games!
Right now the Kickstarter has about seven days to go and they need just $6,000 to complete their goal. If you are a fan of an era where RPG tropes where not yet tropes, then it might be worth your while to check this out.
Thanks to @chiazcar for pointing this out.