Malaysian solo developer, Mas, is finally releasing post-apocalyptic RPG, Artis Impact, after four years of carefully crafting each pixel.
Launching on Steam on August 7th, Artis Impact is a turn-based adventure RPG, taking inspiration from retro-style games, that takes a surprisingly positive and cozy take on the decaying of humanity with beautiful hand-drawn pixel art style.
Players fill the shoes of a human survivor named Akane as she guides her way through a colourful but crumbling world, meeting AIs and strange fellow survivors along the way. Akane explores the pixel art cities that have nearly been reduced to nothing but debris, fight off absurd-looking enemies and uncover long forgotten secrets, with her sarcastic sidekick, Bot, who stays by her side every step of the way.
Not a single pixel of Artis Impact’s beautiful world is computer-generated; they were all hand-drawn by Mas using RPG Maker MV. Every alley, every ramen shop and every spa is jam-packed with personality, making it a visual love letter to classic RPGs.
Despite the complexity of the art style and how long it took for Mas to craft each individual pixel, the turn-based combat is pretty simple, fast-paced and equally as satisfying. Artis Impact centres around fun and fights that flow like fluid, no matter whether you’re new to RPG games or you’ve milked the genre to death. Players must upgrade their gear, level up to the max and defeat some super wacky bosses.
The game allows you to venture off on side quests that are sure to tug on your heartstrings, uncover long lost history and engage in some pointless but whimsical conversation with NPCs. A rare balance is struck by Artis Impact: it’s heartfelt without taking the whole apocalypse thing too seriously and is the perfect amount of funny without being overly cute and fluffy.
However, luckily, despite the game being set in a post-apocalyptic world, it is not all doom and gloom. To take a break from all the action and forget about the world you live in, you can spend some time decorating your home, working small jobs, taking a hot bubble bath or relaxing with some cooking – without the risk of a fire. Saving the world is simply just another past-time in this RPG.
So much love was poured into this game from one individual developer, who spent four years crafting each character, scene and bizarre moment from scratch. The welcoming, not rushing attitude this game has makes it appealing to everyone, no matter what they’re playing it for.
Mark your calendars for August 7th, so you don’t miss out on this beautiful indie RPG experience.