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Aragami - Cel shaded indie Tenchu, control the shadows on PC/PS4, releasing Oct 4th

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Site
TIGSource Devlog
Greenlit
Download the original student prototype Path of Shadows here
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You might remember Twin Souls from the old Kickstarter thread. Unfortunately the campaign failed, and the game has evolved a lot since then, so a new thread seemed in order

You are Aragami, a spirit of vengeance summoned by Yamiko, a mysterious girl imprisoned in a guarded fortress. As you come back to life, your souls are bound together, sealing your destinies. To achieve your goal you must engage in a dark journey through land and memories to destroy her prison seals. As Aragami, you have the power of 'Shadow Control'. The darkness is your ally and the source of your strength. You have a diverse array of Shadow Powers at your disposal.As you advance you will need to sneak past guards, teleport between shadows, create your own areas of darkness and strategically assassinate your targets. Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows is a 3rd Person Indie Stealth Game that combines the essence of stealth classics like the Tenchu Saga with the modern approach of recent gems like Mark of the Ninja and Dishonored. We envision Twin Souls as the lost child between Tenchu and Portal. You must plan ahead, survey your environment, make a tactical use of your shadows (your dark portals), and use them to assassinate your enemies from unsuspecting angles.

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Old School Stealth
Your enemies are lethal and direct confrontation is not an option. Survey the scenario, plan your approach and sneak around your enemies. Be the hunter, not the hunted.

Choose Your Play-Style
Each situation has different possible approaches. Will you be the merciless emissary of death? Or maybe an undetectable ghost? Twin Souls won't force you to kill your enemies, nor will it penalize you for doing it. Both approaches to violence are valid

Shadow Powers
You have an array of Shadow Powers at your disposal. Create areas of darkness to get tactical advantage, use your Shadow Leap to move instantly between any two shadows, feed the bodies of your enemies to the shadows and leave no trace, summon a Shadow Clone to distract and confuse your enemies.

Powerful Enemies
Your foes are not helpless, they can manipulate light to create moving light sources, cast light barriers, shoot incendiary arrows, launch barrages of light from their weapons and imbue their armors with resplendent light.

Replayability
Replay each scenario to improve your performance score. Depending on your play-style you will get different outcomes, which will affect the world of Twin Souls and the story events.

Complex Storyline
Not everything in Twin Souls is as simple as it seems. The characters’ past interconnects in different timelines, and every step you take uncovers a bit more about them.

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Development videos
- Dev Diary #1 (Character design evolution, motion capture, animation)
Kill from the front (Webm)
Ledge Kill (Webm)
From behind (Webm)
More to come

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New screenshots

 
Hey guys, I'm one of the Twin Souls: PoS developers. Be free to ask me any question about the game or the development!

No, it's Tenchu. Trust the thread heading.

Looks amazing btw, day 1. Tenchu is dead, long live Tenchu.

We started working on Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows with Tenchu as the main inspiration, but it's obvious they are pretty different games. This association with Tenchu has been received with some criticism, as it's really difficult to live up to a very loved saga that has the added power of 'nostalgia' behind it.

From all the different stealth games, Tenchu features the type of stealth most akin to what we are trying to achieve with Twin Souls. The feel of becoming the 'predator'. The fast movements and verticality. The gruesome but elegant stealth kills. Surveying a scenario, planning an approach and executing it. That's the kind of stealth we want in Twin Souls, and mixed with the Japanese thematic it's easy to see where the comparisons come from.

We don't have combat. When I played Tenchu as a kid I became quite good at combat, and then the stealthy approach became useless and the game became boring. With Twin Souls I wanted to focus on the fun parts and remove the boring bits; with 3 programmers we can't build a combat system like the one in Shadow of Mordor or Batman, but we can build some pretty fun stealth mechanics.

Going on with the Tenchu comparison, there's no grappling hook in Twin Souls, but we have the Shadow Leap (a teleport) to grab to climb ledges DIshonored style. There are no ninja tools, but we have a varied array of Shadow Powers that act very simmilar (attract enemies, plant traps, long range attack, temporary invisibility, etc). Finally, we have the Shadow Creation, that we think will become a really fun and interesting feature, as it's one of the basis of the game.

By the way, here's some concept art of the 2 main characters (Aragami and Yamiko), and the 1st Boss (Hikaru), click for full size:



 
What other types of environments are you thinking of? So far every video and picture has been in that open village/temple.

As a Tenchu fan I dig this, though I don't think ninjas should wear red glowing capes.

Anyway, hype!
At least he doesn't have bright green lights on his face!
 
As a Tenchu fan I dig this, though I don't think ninjas should wear red glowing capes.

Anyway, hype!

Fun fact! Historians think ninjas used to wear red clothes to hide blood stains. The more you know..

Aragami turns dark when he's hidden, so we needed a bright color to create contrast. We decided on red as it worked really well with black and the blood. People also associates red with 'hero' features, I don't know why (Superman, Iron Man, Flash, Spiderman, Cpt America..?) but it makes the character more likable.
 
Hey guys, I'm one of the Twin Souls: PoS developers. Be free to ask me any question about the game or the development!



We started working on Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows with Tenchu as the main inspiration, but it's obvious they are pretty different games. This association with Tenchu has been received with some criticism, as it's really difficult to live up to a very loved saga that has the added power of 'nostalgia' behind it.

From all the different stealth games, Tenchu features the type of stealth most akin to what we are trying to achieve with Twin Souls. The feel of becoming the 'predator'. The fast movements and verticality. The gruesome but elegant stealth kills. Surveying a scenario, planning an approach and executing it. That's the kind of stealth we want in Twin Souls, and mixed with the Japanese thematic it's easy to see where the comparisons come from.

We don't have combat. When I played Tenchu as a kid I became quite good at combat, and then the stealthy approach became useless and the game became boring. With Twin Souls I wanted to focus on the fun parts and remove the boring bits; with 3 programmers we can't build a combat system like the one in Shadow of Mordor or Batman, but we can build some pretty fun stealth mechanics.

Going on with the Tenchu comparison, there's no grappling hook in Twin Souls, but we have the Shadow Leap (a teleport) to grab to climb ledges DIshonored style. There are no ninja tools, but we have a varied array of Shadow Powers that act very simmilar (attract enemies, plant traps, long range attack, temporary invisibility, etc). Finally, we have the Shadow Creation, that we think will become a really fun and interesting feature, as it's one of the basis of the game.

By the way, here's some concept art of the 2 main characters (Aragami and Yamiko), and the 1st Boss (Hikaru), click for full size:




hey leon some questions:

will there be easter eggs that make reference to the old tenchu games?

what platforms are you gunning for?

will there be multiple difficulties?
 

Fusebox

Banned
Hey guys, I'm one of the Twin Souls: PoS developers. Be free to ask me any question about the game or the development!



We started working on Twin Souls: The Path of Shadows with Tenchu as the main inspiration, but it's obvious they are pretty different games.

True true but it does seem to have way more in common with Tenchu than Ass Creed or PoP. I look forward to dropping onto my unaware enemies from a great height.
 
Looks great, need more stealth games. Do you have a release window in mind yet?

As the Kickstarter didn't work we are now in a bad position financially. We spent all our money and efforts into creating what you see now, and we'll continue improving and expanding the game until the money runs out completely.

We are now looking for a publisher or funding, and that will decide or launch strategy. The full game I think would be complete around Winter this year; Spring if there are delays and we can't expand the team to counter them.

What other types of environments are you thinking of? So far every video and picture has been in that open village/temple.


At least he doesn't have bright green lights on his face!

We've planned for 13 scenarios. 3 in an open Graveyard; 3 in a Forest, Lake and Mountain; 3 in the Sacred City of Kyuryu and 3 in the Temple Gardens and Temple Interior and an Epilogue also in the Inner Temple.

Here's some concept art for some scenarios (it's the first time I post the forest concepts!):




 
hey leon some questions:

will there be easter eggs that make reference to the old tenchu games?

what platforms are you gunning for?

will there be multiple difficulties?

will there be easter eggs that make reference to the old tenchu games?

haha that's a nice question!

We are working on a contracts/challenge mode that it's mainly a mission editor linked with Steam Workshop, so everyone can create their own missions with assets from the game, place patrols, mark targets etc.. and upload the mission to the workshop. As Lince Works, we'll be creating a different packs of missions with the tool, and the 1st mission we'll be uploading will be a direct reference to the Kill the Evil Merchant mission from Tenchu 1.

I haven't thought about other references to Tenchu, but we've planned some easter eggs from Dark Souls, Journey and other games we love :)

Do you have any suggestion for a Tenchu reference?

what platforms are you gunning for?

PC, Mac, Linux (through Steam and Humble Bundle mainly), Xbox One and PlayStation 4; but the final list may change.

will there be multiple difficulties?

Sure! Probably 3 different difficulties (Easy, Normal, Hard) which affect AI parameters. There will be more constrains for community missions/challenges like forbidden Shadow Powers, Time Attacks etc; and every scenario has different achievements which depend on your playstyle (Ghost runs, Massacre runs, etc).
 
Any idea when you might have alpha/beta access to purchase/preorder on your site? Never got the chance to support it on Kickstarter

I'm surprised no publisher has picked it up yet. Hope it all works out for you guys. Twin Souls is up there with Rain World, SuperHOT, and Oblitus as my most anticipated indies
 
Hard to imagine that a guy looks like that and is incapable of fighting enemies head on.
Pretty much, a prota with yet another "Blink" type of move that is incapable of direct combat seems a bit silly XD

In the end these days "stealth" is not the important part, what matters is if it's fun enough to mess with the AI in different ways. The "blink" is a way too overpowered move for a pure stealth game.

Game looks really good, and the setting instantly reminds me of a more stylized Temchu.
 

Corpekata

Banned
This seems like a decent fit for Devolver. Someone get Fork Parker on the line.

Really glad this is coming out still, was bummed when the KS failed.
 

Gradon

Member
Everything is looking impressive! Thanks for throwing this onto my radar.
I am deeply saddened that Tenchu seems to have died, I honestly thought the series still had lots more it could've done. Will be sure to pick this up once its out.
 

Tizoc

Member
Any chance you could fit this game for a Vita release?
When is the expected release date of this game?
 
Pretty much, a prota with yet another "Blink" type of move that is incapable of direct combat seems a bit silly XD

In the end these days "stealth" is not the important part, what matters is if it's fun enough to mess with the AI in different ways. The "blink" is a way too overpowered move for a pure stealth game.

Game looks really good, and the setting instantly reminds me of a more stylized Temchu.
What? Yeah, it is. I'm all for Dishonored and messing with enemies' heads like in Batman, but the best stealth has you outnumbered and outgunned, ghosting or striking from the shadows. Carefully planning and learning patrols. The waiting game is not an act of frustration but a necessity. Rather than lining up headshots, you need to observe and study. Skill comes not from the ability to outgun your enemies, but how to outthink and outmaneuver them. That's what makes stealth so empowering and fun

So yeah, stealth is the important part. That's why I'm excited about this. It's a return to pure stealth rather than "stealth as an option" that seems to be the trend nowadays
 

Amir0x

Banned
I sorta want this, but my dream is to have a Tenchu-like game with the return of the level editor.

That is what turned me into a Tenchu fan, when I played the first Tenchu game to have a level editor and I basically turned into an obsession level creator fan making the most complex series of trap levels ever to grace the series.

DO IT FOR JUSTICE!

I'll keep an eye on this
 
I sorta want this, but my dream is to have a Tenchu-like game with the return of the level editor.

That is what turned me into a Tenchu fan, when I played the first Tenchu game to have a level editor and I basically turned into an obsession level creator fan making the most complex series of trap levels ever to grace the series.

DO IT FOR JUSTICE!

I'll keep an eye on this
The devs are working on a level editor for this, so you might get your wish
 

Aikidoka

Member
Looks pretty interesting. Hope the A.I. is pretty dynamic - a problem I find with stealth games is the sheer predictability of the routes of guards. and I hope the enemy behavior doesn't reset itself.

The most embarrassing example is Skyrim, where you can stealth kill an enemy right next to someone and hear "must have been my imagination" as they are literally standing on the guy they were having a conversation with seconds before.
 

Screaming Meat

Unconfirmed Member
What? Yeah, it is. I'm all for Dishonored and messing with enemies' heads like in Batman, but the best stealth has you outnumbered and outgunned, ghosting or striking from the shadows. Carefully planning and learning patrols. The waiting game is not an act of frustration but a necessity. Rather than lining up headshots, you need to observe and study. Skill comes not from the ability to outgun your enemies, but how to outthink and outmaneuver them. That's what makes stealth so empowering and fun

So yeah, stealth is the important part. That's why I'm excited about this. It's a return to pure stealth rather than "stealth as an option" that seems to be the trend nowadays

post-23470-Jeremiah-Johnson-HD-gif-Imgur-2LEp.gif
 

bounchfx

Member
This is my first time hearing of this and I'm already super hyper. I loved tenchu in the ps1 days and this looks like it's shaping up nicely (visually at least). Can't wait to see more!
 
I welcome with open arms a new stealth title that has echoes of Tenchu.

Unfortunately, that doesn't look very much like Tenchu and I don't even know what to say about the portal power and teleporting up cliffs.

How about making a stealth game that's not polluted with crappy powers? Just you and your ninja skills, nothing more. Shifting, teleporting, etc makes stealth completely redundant...

Sigh. One day we'll get a traditional steath title. One day.
 
What? Yeah, it is. I'm all for Dishonored and messing with enemies' heads like in Batman, but the best stealth has you outnumbered and outgunned, ghosting or striking from the shadows. Carefully planning and learning patrols. The waiting game is not an act of frustration but a necessity. Rather than lining up headshots, you need to observe and study. Skill comes not from the ability to outgun your enemies, but how to outthink and outmaneuver them. That's what makes stealth so empowering and fun

So yeah, stealth is the important part. That's why I'm excited about this. It's a return to pure stealth rather than "stealth as an option" that seems to be the trend nowadays
The point of the post flew over your head completely in olympical proportions or maybe it pulled a ghost run on your critical thinking level XD

What you described above is what i called "pure stealth" and it is also what i like. But we are not getting those types of game much these days or at the least, developers seem to consider that they don't sell well enough to the bigger audiences.

post-23470-Jeremiah-Johnson-HD-gif-Imgur-2LEp.gif


Edit: Miles typed something related to my post:

I welcome with open arms a new stealth title that has echoes of Tenchu.

Unfortunately, that doesn't look very much like Tenchu and I don't even know what to say about the portal power and teleporting up cliffs.

How about making a stealth game that's not polluted with crappy powers? Just you and your ninja skills, nothing more. Shifting, teleporting, etc makes stealth completely redundant...

Sigh. One day we'll get a traditional steath title. One day.
 

SeanTSC

Member
Looks fantastic. I wish more developers would try a "ce-shaded" style on the new consoles. Plenty of horse power to make something look absolutely amazing with it.

I also love Stealth games, I'm totally in for this.
 
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