A new trailer for hand-drawn retro JRPG Artis Impact was unveiled today at the Future Games Show. Consistent with the trailers before it, I walked away from a viewing with severe whiplash, which I’ve been taking as a sign that the game’s progress is going as planned. Imagine cozy homebuilding and heavy-metal post-apocalyptic action violently tossed in a blender and you’ve got a bit of an idea of what Artis Impact is aiming for.
A press release dropped alongside the trailer promises the game will blend “fluid combat, deep exploration, and meaningful choices to create an immersive post-apocalyptic adventure”. We can also look forward to an “expansive world” that “rewards players who take the time to explore” and a “branching narrative” that allows players “to shape Akane’s journey through meaningful choices”. Here’s the trailer:
Akane is the ivory-haired heroine of Artis Impact, by the way, and in her all-black bodysuit and knee-high boots she’s like a fish out of water in the more relaxed future-village sections of the trailer. It’s only when the distorted guitars come in and the bass drums start pumping that she looks comfortably of her world. Too bad for her that part of the game looks like the Keyblade Graveyard in Kingdom Hearts.
Artis Impact is being developed by Mas, an artist and solo indie developer out of Malaysia who’s building the game in RPG Maker. Check out the demo on Steam to witness their amazing pixel-art animation in action. The full game is scheduled to launch in summer 2025.
