Ties: Soul Link | Emotional and Brutal 2D Metroidvania

Happy Halloween! + 20K Achieved!
about 2 months ago – Thu, Oct 31, 2024 at 09:16:57 AM

🎃 Happy Halloween, everyone! 🎃

We hope you’re having a terrifying day full of thrills! Today, besides celebrating Halloween, we have some fantastic news to share: we’ve reached our 20,000€ goal! This means the Fishing Minigame is officially unlocked. Kiro will be able to fish in this fun and relaxing minigame, a small break amidst so many epic adventures and battles.

But that’s not all: we’re introducing a new stretch goal! If we reach 25,000€, we’ll unlock an exclusive boss designed by our backers. You’ll have the opportunity to participate directly in the creative process, helping us define this special enemy’s look, skills, and personality. It’ll be an epic challenge created by all of you! 👹

And lastly, this Halloween, we’d like to highlight two other incredible projects that are also on Kickstarter right now and deserve your attention:

High Times

High Times is a dating visual novel/cooking sim hybrid inspired by Scott Pilgrim, Papa's Donuteria, VA-11 Hall-A and Good Pizza Great Pizza. Step into the role of a charming mood confectioner and serve donuts that affect your customers' emotions. Sometimes they don't know what they want, so it's up to you to listen to their problems and offer them advice in the form of donuts.

Find High Times on Kickstarter here!

Legends of Castile

And if you love classic graphic adventures, you can’t miss this one that just launched its Kickstarter campaign: Legends of Castile is a new comic fantasy point-and-click adventure with full HD hand-drawn graphics, and a twist: The protagonist's biggest dream is to become a nun, and she must investigate the region's folk legends to fulfill it. Check the rewards as soon as possible, because early bird pledge levels will be available for a limited time!

Find Legends of Castile on Kickstarter here!

Thank you all for being part of this journey and for the amazing support you’re giving us! Have an unforgettable Halloween! 👻🧡

Kiro’s Chronicles #4: The Story Behind the World of TIES: Soul Link
about 2 months ago – Mon, Oct 28, 2024 at 10:15:00 AM

After talking about myself, about how TIES: Soul Link came to be and also about what lies behind the aesthetics of the game, it’s time to take a deeper look into the game’s story itself. What is TIES: Soul Link really about? What are its themes? I will try to answer that today!

First of all, there is a big component that is related to megacorporations, their endless greed and how that damages the environment and puts our world in danger. In the game, climate change leads to terrible consequences that force humanity to change course and live completely different from how we live now.

But aside from that, as I mentioned in the first diary, another topic I wanted to explore was the bond between a person and their pet. I wanted to depict how that relationship is basically the same as the one you’d have with a friend, or even stronger and deeper, because pets are like family. This love and connection are very important to me and I wanted it to be a central part of the game’s plot.

That friendship, that bond that is born between an animal and a human, though, might force Kiro to make some complicated decisions and act in rash ways. The final central piece to the game’s themes is exactly that: how far you’d be willing to go to help a friend, and what things you’d do in that situation, both good and bad. I wanted the game to have meaningful conflicts and make the players think about all these things while playing.

If you want to discover more about these themes and what awaits you in TIES: Soul Link, you’ll have to wait a bit longer! But I hope this helped you understand a bit better what the game is about and what you can expect from it. 

Now I’ll leave you with two other impressive metroidvanias currently on Kickstarter; they’re sure to catch your attention and you'll love them.

Lone Fungus: Melody of Spores

Just launched on Kickstarter, and it's sure to be a Metroidvania you'll love! Lone Fungus: Melody of Spores is a classic action-adventure game with a charming 16-bit aesthetic, set in a fascinating world rich with its own mushroom lore. With a non-linear world design, the game is first and foremost a Metroidvania, leaning heavily into the 'vania' side. Whip foes, unlock new powers and explore a world brimming with treasures and secrets, all while enjoying that nostalgic retro feel.

Find Lone Fungus on Kickstarter here!

Soul Quest

With only 3 days left in its campaign, Soul Quest needs your support to reach 100%! Soul Quest is a fast-paced 2D Hack & Slash game featuring a vibrant pixel art world inspired by Celtic mythology. Fight through countless hordes of enemy creatures and defy the forces of the Celtic pantheon of Gods as you relentlessly pursue your ultimate goal: Take the power of Morrigan, the Celtic Goddess of Death, and retrieve the soul of your dead husband.

Find Soul Quest on Kickstarter here!

As always, thanks for your support and I hope to see you soon!

How To Add Add-ons + Kiro's Chronicles #3: The Art of TIES: Soul Link
about 2 months ago – Thu, Oct 24, 2024 at 08:59:02 AM

Hello, fellow backers!

Today, we're going to explain how to modify your pledge to add add-ons, as many of you have been asking how to add another copy of TIES: Soul Link, the Kiro plush, or the Art Book. Don’t worry, it’s very simple! Below are the steps to help you customize your pledge and get any additional items you’re interested in.

How to Add Add-ons

1. 1. Select "Manage your pledge"
   Go to the campaign page and click "Manage your pledge" to access your current pledge settings.

• 2. Select "Change your pledge"
  In the pledge management section, click "Change your pledge" to proceed to the next step.
• 3. Select "Pledge" in "Your Selection"
  Find the pledge tier you’ve selected under "Your Selection," click "Pledge," and the available add-ons will appear.
• 4. Add on any additional items you’d like and checkout
  Browse through the available add-ons, choose the additional items you’d like to add, and then proceed to checkout to confirm your updated pledge.

And now, we leave you with another entry from the development diary, where we share more details about the art of Ties: Soul Link.

Kiro’s Chronicles #3: The art of TIES: Soul Link

Welcome to another entry of Kiro’s Chronicles, where I dive deeper into the creation process behind TIES: Soul Link! Today I’d like to let you know more about the art of the game, like what inspired its artstyle or how I work on it. Let’s get to it!

I have always been a big fan of animation, and especially animation movies from Disney and Studio Ghibli. That inspired heavily the art style of TIES: Soul Link, but it’s not the only thing you can find in there, as the game has its own unique style, of course. In order to achieve this, I mixed these influences with other animation styles, like that of shows like Happy Tree Friends, which inspired the more “brutal” parts of TIES: Soul Link.

As far as the process of creating the art of the game, I draw directly using vectors in Illustrator, and then animate them with After Effects. I start off with a sketch, a basic concept of what I want to do for each area of the game and each of the cities, and then I add details that will bring life to it. I love this process and how the end results look!

I hope this sheds some more light into the process behind TIES: Soul Link. I want to thank you once more for your support, and know that I am looking forward to when you can finally see how all the different areas in the game turned out!

And finally, we'd like to leave you with 2 amazing games we've discovered on Kickstarter.

Goblin Cleanup

Goblin Cleanup is a cooperative game that was funded in just 1 hour! Prepare your crew of goblin friends for this relaxing, yet suspenseful game where you’re hired to clean up and reorganize the dungeons before the next round of adventurers come and make a mess all over again. 

Play alone or clean up in co-op mode with 3 friends!

Find Goblin Cleanup on Kickstarter here!

Which Way Up: Galaxy Games

Which Way Up: Galaxy Games has just launched its campaign, and we love its aesthetic.It is a cosmic party platformer for Nintendo Switch & Steam that takes the gravity-defying feeling from Super Mario Galaxy and cranks it up with 12 inventive mini-games (known as Galaxy Games). Knock players out of orbit in Bumper Stars, score planetary goals in Comet Collect, escape a black hole by bounding between planets in Event Horizon, and dive into lots more that will have you and your friends laughing and strategising across the galaxy!

Find Which Way Up: Galaxy Games on Kickstarter here!
 

Thank you all so much for your support, and we'll see you in the next update!

Join Our Exclusive Giveaway!
2 months ago – Tue, Oct 22, 2024 at 08:02:59 AM

We want to thank you for all the incredible support we’ve received during these campaign days, and what better way to do it than with a very special GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to see your pet immortalized in TIES: Soul Link? This is your unique opportunity to make it happen! We are offering one of you the chance to have you and your pet included as NPCs in the world of TIES: Soul Link, with a custom design inspired by your style and personality. Whether it’s a dog, a cat, or even your parrot, all pets are welcome!

How to participate:
It’s simple:

• Follow us on our social media.
• Retweet / Share on stories and like our post on Twitter/X or Instagram.
• Reply with the hashtag #TiesSoulLink along with a photo of your pet on Twitter/X or comment something cute about your pet on Instagram.

Giveaway on Twitter/X: https://x.com/NorthTokyoGames/status/1847281828878495818

Giveaway on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBRNF7hCjOv/

What if I don’t have a pet?
No problem! You can send us a photo of a friend’s or family member’s pet, or even the one you had when you were five years old.

Don’t miss out on this amazing chance to see your beloved pet inside TIES: Soul Link!

And if you'd like to support us even more, please help us by sharing our Kickstarter campaign with your friends and followers. Every share helps us reach new backers and grow our community!

Lastly, we would like to recommend other amazing projects on Kickstarter that deserve your attention:

Forgotten Waters

In its final 24 hours! Don’t miss your last chance to back this beautiful and captivating game.

Forgotten Waters is a farming and resource management life-sim game set in a mysterious underwater world.  Farm, explore, and befriend the underwater citizens.

Find Forgotten Waters on Kickstarter here!

Unlighted

Find Unlighted on Kickstarter here!



 

Kiro’s Chronicles #2: The inspirations behind TIES: Soul Link
2 months ago – Wed, Oct 16, 2024 at 08:30:07 AM

In a new entry of the series about the creation and development process of TIES: Soul Link, today I wanted to talk about other works and things that inspired the world of the game. There are plenty of them between movies, games and other forms of media, as well as other cultures, but all of them have contributed in giving me ideas and with the creation of this universe.

As far as games are concerned, there are many that have influenced the story, the gameplay, the artstyle… of TIES: Soul Link. For example, there are plenty of Metroidvania games that are part of TIES: Soul Link’s DNA, like Hollow Knight, the Ori series, Guacamelee!... There are also plenty of RPG games that have influenced me, like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout, The Witcher 3… But of course, there are other games outside this genres, like GRIS.

But TIES: Soul Link also draws inspiration from many movies and shows of different kinds and genres, in both live action and animation form. This makes for a lot of variety: I was amazed at the worlds of Blade Runner or Star Wars, but also by animation movies like Wreck-it Ralph, Up, Inside Out… or things like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. And for the more brutal parts of TIES: Soul Link, I also looked at animation shows like Happy Tree Friends and Rick & Morty.

Leaving media aside, I also wanted to capture different cultures and a big variety of landscapes in the game using what I discovered during my travels, mostly due to work. That’s why some of the cities in TIES: Soul Link are inspired by the places I’ve had the pleasure to visit, such as Japan, Egypt, Dubai or Greece.

I hope you liked this second installment of Kiro’s Chronicles and you liked the things I drew inspiration from as much as I love them! I hope you recognize some parts of them in the game. Once again, thank you for your support, and please let me know which ones out of all these you like yourself! 

And now, I'll leave you with another beautiful Kickstarter campaign, which I'm sure you'll also love:

TetherGeist

TetherGeist is a 2D Precision Platformer about a young adventurer who uses her powers of spirit flight to make the treacherous journey to a mystical temple. Gameplay is tough but satisfying, mixing precision with obstacles that make you think. You can blaze through the linear game, or stray from the path to explore more of the immersive world and heartfelt story. 

Find TetherGeist on Kickstarter here!