Passageway of the Ancients will be heading to Steam early next year!
Inspired by classic CRPGs from the late ’80s and ’90s, Passageway of the Ancients transports players to the world of Aieryon – the galaxy’s sole remaining magical planet – where they explore the city of Ithgar to solve their parents’ murder.
Check out the full teaser below for a glimpse at the game’s atmospheric environments, visceral combat, and complex lore:
Passageway of the Ancients is being developed by Passageway Games – a three-person studio in Abilene, Texas that was founded in 2014 by septuagenarians Jon Grierson and John Hendrick, who first worked together 30 years ago on a medical device project. During that project, Hendrick was impressed with Grierson’s work ethic, creativity, and technical skills. Leveraging his 50-year history with RPGs, Grierson approached Hendrick with the idea of working together again on Passageway Games. Hendrick readily agreed to provide the financing – and the rest is history!
In Passageway of the Ancients, you’ll need to not only survive ever deadlier skirmishes but also manage your party, develop and customize your character, pick locks, and solve Runic puzzles. The game’s innovative battle system employs both strategy and real-time combat – taking inspiration from historical weapons and tactics. Furthermore, the player has dual personas – a hidden “Dragonkindt,” and a public-facing race of their choosing (Dwarf, Elf, Human) – which must be leveled up at the same time.
Here’s the official description of Dragonkindt – taken from Jon Grierson’s unpublished novel, The Children of Xi-Shei:
“Dragonkindt are part angelic being, part shapeshifter, and part Dragon. These creatures were thought to be merely the phantasms of some eastern poetic genius, inspired prophet, or demented scholar.”
In the game, Dragonkindt are being ruthlessly persecuted – forcing each and every one of them to hide their true nature.
DEVELOPER QUOTE
“Passageway of the Ancients is a priceless opportunity: Two guys in their 70s get to fulfill a lifelong dream with a studio name that says it all: passageway. Beyond the intricacies of magic and medieval combat, games are all about storytelling. We intend to deliver a high-quality, exciting isometric RPG with a classic fantasy feel drawing from Tolkien and Moorecock – with roots in ’90s RPGs and all the creature comforts of modern PC games. If you’re into that sort of thing, you’ll love Passageway of the Ancients.”
– Jon Grierson (Creative & Technical Director, Passageway Games)
KEY FEATURES
Blended Combat System: Use both strategy and real-time elements – drawing on real medieval weapons and tactics. Dual-Persona Character Development: Develop your character’s two personas simultaneously – the hidden Dragonkindt, and a public-facing race of your choosing. Powerful Magical Items: Equip items carefully; they affect intelligence, will, and other character attributes. Complex Decision Trees: Manage battle spoils, solve puzzles, adjust the frequency of special activities, choose interactions, and gather clues. Fully Customizable Characters: Choose your character’s alternate persona, appearance, and gender as Dwarf, Elf, or Human.
AVAILABILITY
Passageway of the Ancients will launch in Q1 2024 on Steam. Pricing is yet to be determined.
