An INFO DUMP approaches you:

INFO DUMP

SANDS OF SODIS is a short story, aiming to raise a question, and to manifest a world in which the player may or may not discover their personal answer. It's thus intended, at final release, to be a shorter experience.

This experience happens to be that of a JRPG. 

DESIGN-PHILOSOPHY:

Gameplay-wise, SANDS OF SODIS aims to capture the essence of the classic JRPG, enhanced with the open-endedness and deeper buildcrafting systems of it's classic western counterpart. Interlocked with the core gameplay of SODIS, however, is a punishing card game; deck-building mechanics are of foundational relevance in combat and buildcrafting.

Grounded: Flashy, exaggerated movements and visual effects have been a staple of JRPGs old and new, deriving from the stapled central themes of high-fantasy magic and mysticism set in Tolkienesque worlds. SODIS is to be the antithesis, focused on realism.

Horror: The kind that stems from realism. Many classic JRPGs, despite their high-fantasy worlds, do in fact have dark undertones and address horrific themes. The objective is to extract this quality and let it reign, drawing influence from the gameplay features of J-horror to that end.

Imitative: SODIS is an homage in some sense, aimed at faithfully replicating the 'feel' of it's influences from the past - only with a modern touch, and a conservative step upwards in mechanical scale. Still, in a better sense, it's all but a disguise.

A FULL-SCALE RPG:

Explore Falcia, a single region of large interconnected maps. Strengthen your character with the game's vast range of obtainable weapons and equipment, which grant equipment-specific skills that can be used in Grandia-esque IP combat. 

Then come the REMNANTS OF SODIS, the game's central principle; these are key items that also have uses on the map, akin to Zelda's items, but distinct in that each provides a unique deck of cards that can be expanded with usage and experience. Combine equipment upgrades with careful deck-building to establish the protagonist's build, and build your support-oriented allies in a way that complements it in order to progress. 

Fail at any of these important measures, and you will LOSE. The many dangers of the isle-kingdom will kill your party without mercy. You will LOSE due to poor choices and a misguided trust in forgiveness for them.  One such poor choice would be to neglect the inherent consequence of tapping into mind-altering powers. Awakening a REMNANT is not a measure to be taken lightly, lest your character succumbs to a DELIRIUM. This would be a fate far worse than death.

Progress also requires careful resource management. Vitality and class resources do not regenerate. Consumables must be crafted with collectible reagents, and reagents are finite and scarce. By these rules, there must be strategy in every action you take. Fail at this, and you will LOSE.

Buried in the game's code is a profiler, pushing Escher's identity in the direction of the choices you make. This system also influences access to abilities and builds: it's another core design-philosophy for all gameplay elements to work cohesively. Escher will become a reflection of the player controlling him... for better or for worse.

RELEASE SCHEDULE:

SANDS OF SODIS: PROLOGUE will be publicly available by Q4 2024, here on Itch and on Steam, with platform support for PC, Mac and Linux. A Steam Deck optimised build will be available too. 

Feel free to visit the game's Discord server, all are welcome. You can make your way there from the Homepage.