Steve Uy established himself well in the comic book industry over the last decade, illustrating covers for Marvel's Uncanny X-Men and Iceman, along with DC's JSA Classified and other books, as well as providing full artwork for several issues of Marvel's Avengers: The Initiative. He also put out two of his own self-created mini-series: Feather, released in 2003 by Image Comics, and Jova's Harvest, which followed in 2005 from Arcana Studios.
But for his next project, Uy is pursuing something very different: an original iOS tactical role-playing game that promises deep, strategic combat and some 15 hours of narrative-led gameplay. And he needs your help to complete it.
World Without End is the title of the game -- it's being developed for iPhone and iPod touch first with Android and iPad versions to follow – and word of its creation first came from its Kickstarter page, which is being used to raise funds to complete the development process. As the creator, director, writer, and artist on the project, Uy is seeking $15,000 from interested gamers, which will be used to cover living expenses as he works full-time on finishing the game.
As described on the Kickstarter page, World Without End mixes elements of action-oriented role-playing games (like The Legend of Zelda) with strategic combat sequences like those of Final Fantasy Tactics, which Uy tells us remains a primary inspiration. "The battles were memorable, the customization was excellent -- complicated but manageable -- and the game had great challenge up until the end," he says, citing many notable qualities of the 1997 hit. However, unlike many traditional strategy RPG games, the fights in World Without End actually take place on the same screen without transitioning to another battlefield, plus the game eschews a typical experience points system in favor of detailed player customization.
Backers who agree to help fund the project on Kickstarter will receive specialized incentives based on the amount pledged, with Uy promising signed art prints and sketches, a physical instruction manual, the ability to help play-test the game prior to release, and even a customized timepiece, among other options. And since the original posting, he's updated the page to note that download codes for the game will be given to select backers. But receiving such items is completely dependent on the project being funded in full, and if the Kickstarter campaign fails to reach $15,000 by the evening of August 23, no money or bonus items change hands and Uy banks nothing from the attempt.
At present, the campaign sits at less than $1,500 with several dozen pledgers, with most committing between $5 and $50 apiece -- though a few have dropped $100 or more. Uy began the project in January with initial funding provided by Higgledy, an upstart animation company he had done storyboard work for last year between comic projects. He agreed to a 50-50-ownership deal with the studio and continued producing the game from home without upfront pay, as the funding went towards an outsourced group of overseas programmers that initially coded the game.
"Since I've always done the full art on my comics before, doing the full art for another medium was just a matter of how many extra hats I would need to wear, and I'm used to that after all these years," admits Uy. "I knew it would be difficult, but when the opportunity presented itself, I wanted to test if it really was possible to do a console quality game with a one-man crew."
But following months of laborious development and depleting personal funds, Uy says he now needs financial assistance from would-be players to continue working full-time on the game. That said, he seems optimistic that the project will continue on even if the Kickstarter campaign fails. "If I cannot reach the goal, I imagine I'll still keep working as much as I can on it until I hit a wall," he asserts. "I'll find a way to get this out some way -- [though] it sure would help if I had rent money in the bank!"
Even if the Kickstarter attempt falls short, the attention it has garnered thus far has no doubt altered the fate of the game. Since it launched last week, Uy ditched his outsourced programming team -- with which he describes a tumultuous working relationship – in favor of a single Canadian programmer, plus he linked up with a new composer from the United Kingdom. "Between these two guys, I haven't been out of the house in days, just getting new updates every few minutes," he notes. "I've always been called a one-man army, but this is the first time I've ever felt like I had an army under me!"
And while it's somewhat ironic timing that the Kickstarter campaign comes within days of the iPhone release of World Without End's chief inspiration, Final Fantasy Tactics, Uy makes a somewhat pointed comment towards that big studio re-release model and the need for quality original iOS offerings.
"I started this game because I could find no other games on the market that catered to the hardcore crowd -- and especially to me -- unless it was an overpriced port," asserts Uy. "Unless more full games are released on it that cater both to the hardcore and casual market, then the mobile platform will always be the 'next big thing.' If this game comes out and is received very well, then I hope the fact that it was made under these conditions galvanizes more established developers into producing at a more console-like level. I think, then, that would be the game's true success."
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