Fans of open-world RPGs might be interested to know about a new title. That title being Musket and Magic: Adventures on a Flat Planet. Highmount Games is the company behind the project. If that is an unfamiliar name to you, that is probably because this is going to be their first game. But if they can pull it off, it might be a name you hear more often.
This small indie game is holding some promise so far. The visuals look like the game will be absolutely beautiful. The “flat planet” mentioned in the title is never said to be Earth, but it will look a bit like it, just from a very long time ago. The 18th century to be exact. There will be a lot of inspiration taken from all over Europe, Japan, and Russia during that time. That could be in the art design or quests that are given. At this point, we just don’t know.
Speaking of things we don’t know, that’s most of the game so far. The game was just announced in August of this year and very little information has come since then. Musket and Magic is being made by a small company so naturally, the rate at which new information will become available will be quite slow.
From what I can see, this game is giving off a slight Skyrim vibe. It is an open world RPG where you will be using magic to fight your foes. It seems the game will also be playable in either 1st or 3rd person. However, as would be expected, the open world will be a rather small one, but very detailed. It is also possible that you will be able to customize your own character which is always a nice bonus.
As the title Musket and Magic would imply, you would be using both guns and magic. Only one firearm has been shown so far and it has a very cool looking trigger. As someone that knows nothing about guns in real life, that is the greatest insight I can give you. As far as Mana goes, it is directly connected to your health. So the more magic you use, the faster your health will drain. That is a mechanic that always sounds terrible to me until I actually use it and realize how helpful it is.
Another nice thing is that there won’t be any quest markers. You have to figure out where you have to go by speaking to people or reading about it in books. It might be a bit like the Exploration Mode in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Thankfully, the world of Musket and Magic will be relatively small, so no one should be wandering around hopelessly for hours on end.
What is really resonating with me at the moment is the story. It’s a bit different than anything I have heard so far. You are a character living on one side of the world on a place called The Island. The name of the island will be given at a later date. You came from The Continent (proper name will be revealed later) on the other side of the planet. In fact, everyone living on your side of the planet came from the other side. How? They dug a hole. They dug one very big hole until they reached the center. Then they had to climb their way up to the surface on the other side because that is kind of how gravity works. I mean not really, but it’s enough that I can roll with it.
Once this giant tunnel was built, merchants controlled the passage from one place to another. But sadly there was a gunpowder explosion which caused the tunnel to collapse. Now those on the Island can never return home. There aren’t really enough people on that side to dig a new tunnel and those on the Continent do not see enough of a profit to justify the inevitably costly project. Ah well. That’s life. Some small groups have attempted make their way from one side to the other, but they are never heard from again.
Though I don’t know much, I am still intrigued. No one really knows what the mechanics will actually be like, but if you enjoy a good story, then Musket and Magic has some good solid lore which often results in a good story. There is not even a set year for the release, but hopefully, more information will be coming our way soon.
