BioWare's Latest Franchise is Not Quite What We Expected

[IanDavis]

BioWare's Latest Franchise is Not Quite What We Expected

4v1 online co-op and episodic storytelling? That's different.

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Earlier this month, BioWare [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136575-BioWare-Releases-New-Youve-Been-Chosen-Live-Action-Teaser]teased[/a] a brand new franchise by saying "you've been chosen". We now know what it's talking about. Entitled [a href=https://www.shadowrealms.com/blog/game-overview]Shadow Realms[/a], it'll have an evolving episodic story set in a modern urban fantasy world. Oh, and it's entirely based around online multiplayer.

That's right, Shadow Realms focuses exclusively on 4v1 co-op multiplayer. Four players play as heroes who awaken in the modern world with magical powers. They'll team up to battle the Shadowlord, who sets traps, controls minions, and can alter the battlefield. You'll level up playing either role, and unlock various abilities that you can mix and match in a free-form progression system.

That sounds like the basis of a solid co-op action game, but this is BioWare here, what about the story? Apparently, Shadow Realms will feature an episodic storyline of sorts. BioWare says that it will feature a "constantly evolving story as new cliff-hanger episodes are released regularly with intriguing characters and impactful choices". That particular wording reminds me of Guild Wars 2's Living Story and Telltale's staggered release dates, but we'll have to wait and see exactly how it plays out.

So, that's one more iron in the fire for BioWare, who also has [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/conferences/e32014/11657-Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Demo-Your-Stories-are-Thedas-Stories]Dragon Age Inquisition[/a] and a new Mass Effect game in the works. While BioWare might be known for its engaging single player games, this isn't untraveled territory for the developer. Heck, I thought that Mass Effect 3's multiplayer was only going to be an afterthought, but I ended up spending far more time online than I did in any of my many playthroughs. Should be interesting to see how this shakes out.

Source: [a href=https://www.shadowrealms.com/blog/game-overview]Bioware[/a]

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[Sanunes]

I have several problems with this title already and its from what they have announced. The first is that its 4v1 co-op only which means I can see it having major issues with player numbers (like the PC version of Titanfall) add in the fact its PC only and the number of available players dwindles further.

What I am curious to know is if this is the "New IP" the Mass Effect team is working on, which it doesn't to me for it doesn't have the feeling of a team that has working on major titles before or is it the project that they announced they were working on with Failbetter, which makes more sense to me for seems like it has element from both companies current games.

 

[Elader]

Sounds like a Left 4 Dead meets a Telltale game as told by Bioware.

I can go for that.

 

[Agayek]

So this is an online multiplayer game primarily focused on telling a narrative?

Has Bioware, like, missed the last five years? When has that ever worked?

 

[Fappy]

That looks super generic, honestly. Not impressed so far.

 

[Epic_Bubble]

So apart from Evolve, Crawl, Hidden , fable thing, dungeon master, etc , etc how this "exciting" new IP any different? (Oh and don't forget what started this trend, Dungeons and Dragons....) So much for something new.

Oh wow a story.... better throw my money at it. I am sorry but when your new IP is something that every single other developer both Indie and Triple A alike are doing, especially from a Triple A developer then it really shows they are out for nothing but money. I expect this title to feature heavy DLC packages.


This is the market for the "hey guys lets play with your friends on youtube" mentality. FPS grey is over its time for the CO-OP with Enemy CO OP time.

 

[templar1138a]

God dammit, Bioware. The premise for the game sounds awesome. There need to be more fantasy games set in time periods OTHER than medieval and I'm sure the story would be great, but why the hell does it have to be multiplayer? I have to take a big enough grain of salt as it is to enjoy TOR, and that's because it doesn't force me to team up with those idiotic shits who populate the internet at large other players.

 

[MysticSlayer]

And with this news most of my excitement for the game has vanished.

OK, I'm being a little harsh. The teaser trailers were making me hope for a new RPG series set in the world, which looked to be a fantastic setting for a Bioware RPG and their stories. An online multiplayer game that's trying to tell an episodic story just doesn't seem like it is going to turn out too well. Of course, I hope that it is a great game, but I have lower expectations for it than if this turned out to be Bioware's new RPG series to coincide with Mass Effect and Dragon Age releases.

 

[CriticalMiss]

BioWare says that it will feature a "constantly evolving story as new cliff-hanger episodes are released regularly with intriguing characters and impactful choices

Impactful? So at least five colours for the endings? More coloured endings than all of the other 4v1 online multiplayer games anyway. Take that Fable Legends!

 

[The Great JT]

Well if nothing else it sounds interesting. I keep my eye on you, Bioware.

 

[Grimh]

Oh then I don't care.
Good luck to them though, they want to try something different and I can't begrudge them for doing that.
Still it's a shame since I think pretty much the only other game playing around with this kind of concept is The Secret World, I want more of it because I find it interesting. I think a Bioware/CD Projekt style RPG could be pretty cool in this kind of setting.

 

[Aerosteam]

Uh huh. "Gameplay".

And fuck, I can already see myself getting sick by the overuse of the word "shadow" in the franchise.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

Freakin' New Bioware.

Glad I jumped ship and have stopped giving a s**t about anything they make anymore. Only Obsidian and CDProjektRed for all of my RPG needs.

 

[grey_space]

online multyplayer only no single player? I'll pass

This. Fuck off Bioware. Your last foray into online worldbuilding wasn't exactly the most successful in the world was it?

Which is a shame because a single player Urban Fantasy RPG would interest me a great deal.

Why oh why does everything have to be multiplayer?

 

[Klonoa Prower]

The concept sounds interesting, but you can bet that the execution is going to be terrible.

 

[Bergthor86]

I am a huge BioWare fan, I can even stand going through all the grinding in SWTOR to experience the story in a singleplayer fashion, but a game that is only multiplayer? If I had four friends who were all as big into RPGs as I am so I could count on them sitting down to play this with me regularly, this might be something I'd look into. But as it stands, I'm very sceptical.

Well, at least there's still BioWare Edmonton (the 'real' BioWare)'s new IP to look forward to.

 

[Vivi22]

So, that's one more iron in the fire for BioWare, who also has [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/conferences/e32014/11657-Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Demo-Your-Stories-are-Thedas-Stories]Dragon Age Inquisition[/a] and a new Mass Effect game in the works.

Considering there's three separate development teams named Bioware (only one being the team that made the games the company is known for), it's not really another iron in the fire for them. It's a third team working on it's own game while the two other teams separately work on the games you mentioned as well.

I really hate this naming scheme EA came up with because it seems specifically designed to fool people into thinking the same team that made KOTOR and the Mass Effect series is making other games that they really have almost nothing to do with. Even worse is that most people, media outlets included, don't seem to notice. This game is being made by the team that made The Old Republic for the record, while the Montreal team, which as far as I know has never actually completed a game on their own, is making the new Mass Effect.