Pyre's Fantasy Art Style and RPG Storytelling Bring Imagination to the Sports Genre

[RaychelSnr]

If you've played at least one of developer Supergiant Games' previous titles (2011's Bastion or 2014's Transistor), then you probably wouldn't expect them to be making a sports RPG for their third game.

Pyre promises plenty of story (presented in text boxes), some voiced-over cutscenes, and lots of Dead Can Dance-inspired music. But instead of the genre's usual fight-'til-death battles, enemy encounters involve squads of three casting spells and firing energy beams while trying to gain control of a glowing orb that you then try to transport to the opposing team's pyre.

The PAX East demo allows only one character per side to move at any given time, with the other teammates standing in a defensive position waiting for the player to press a button and switch onto them. Supergiant's creative director Greg Kasavin says that multiplayer action scenes are something they're "looking into," even though single-player is "very much [their] focus."

Pyre challenges your party to escape purgatory by rolling a wagon across its dangerous, detour-filled overworld, while defeating any competing exiles who cross your path. Basically, it's a mystical, supernatural Oregon Trail with a much bigger backstory and Quidditch competitions replacing the buffalo hunts.

Supergiant's team of 12 people has been working on Pyre since July 2014, and they plan to release the title on PC and PlayStation 4 sometime in 2017.

[tsbmolina]

This has nothing to do with sports. Not sure why this is being posted on Operation Sports?

[integer]

Maybe I am wrong and not getting it completely, but how is this a sports title.

[jyoung]

Quote: Originally Posted by integer

Maybe I am wrong and not getting it completely, but how is this a sports title.

The gameplay is basically a slower-paced version of NES Ice Hockey's overtime mode, only with energy beams to move the "puck" instead of hockey sticks. It even borrows the concept of skinny, medium, and fat player builds from that Nintendo game.

[tjung0831]

Quote: Originally Posted by jyoung

The gameplay is basically a slower-paced version of NES Ice Hockey's overtime mode, only with energy beams to move the "puck" instead of hockey sticks. It even borrows the concept of skinny, medium, and fat player builds from that Nintendo game.

Yeah....ok

[CMH]

The title was specifically inspired by sports according to the developer. I get its inclusion here.

Interesting concept. I'll look out for it.