Blade Prince Academy News

Hey Blade Princes,

[h3]First and foremost, our public playtest is still ongoing until December 4. Register to participate and play Blade Princes Academy here!

Fill out this survey to share your feedback![/h3]

Now that’s said, let’s move on and take a look at the concept of the game's Hub—the Academy! We wanted to capture the essence of the Academy and what the life of the Blade Princes was like there. In this devblog, we'll talk about why we chose the features that you'll find in the Academy and our process to get there!

The Academy is a pivotal place in the story, founded 15 years ago by Zian Torrus, the leader of the Black Mages. The Black Mages are a group of powerful magic-wielding beings ruling over Abjectalia, the city where they founded the Academy. They are skilled users of the black arts and scholars hungry for knowledge. They took over the city of Abjectalia to maintain some kind of order and stability despite the city's chaotic nature. That’s where the Academy finds its purpose—a place to train elite soldiers, spies and assassins with extraordinary powers. The Headmistress Malgadorae, a mysterious woman close to the Black Mages who earned their trust, is running the Academy with a strong hand.



So, it felt logical to us to make the Academy the main Hub of the game. This is where your characters are trained and where they can rest after missions. It is split into areas: the Black Mage Altar, the Main Hall, the Alchemist Lab, the Infirmary and the Park.

[h3]Black Mage Altar[/h3]
The Black Mage Altar allows you to recycle or enchant pacts that you made during missions to improve your characters' stats. You can adapt your bonuses and penalties depending on how you wish to play. Recycling pacts allows you to get resources.



[h3]Main Hall[/h3]
The Main Hall is where your characters can discuss each other and improve their relationships. Building strong bonds with your teammates is important, they are the ones you can count on in a dire situation. This panel allows you to have a recap of each of your relationships as well as the bonuses obtained via the relationships.



[h3]Alchemist Lab[/h3]
The Alchemist Lab lets you prepare potions, add new effects of resistance to negative alterations and improve them, but also expand your potion holding capacity.



[h3]Infirmary[/h3]
The Infirmary is where every Blade Prince who's been injured or is tired from successive missions can heal and rest. You can improve the quality of their rest and the number of available beds to let more and more of your Blade Princes have the rest they deserve.



[h3]Park[/h3]
The Park, like the Main Hall, is where your characters can hang out, take some fresh air and talk to each other. This lets you discover side stories and learn more about their backgrounds, personalities, concerns and desires, but also about the city of Abjectalia.



[h2]The Academy in the pace of the game[/h2]
The Academy has come a long way. Initially, the game was a mix of roguelite and real-time tactical RPG. We liked the use of the Darkest Dungeon Hub and the dungeon crawler aspect. It also fit the lore of the Blade Princes Academy. The project has undergone major changes, and we've removed the roguelite aspect while keeping this gameplay loop: Hub -> Mission -> Hub. One of the roles of the Academy is to mark a break in the rhythm of the game after missions by being a place where you manage your characters, your inventory, prepare for the next fight, but also explore the lore.

[h3]Moving on to a mission[/h3]
And when you feel ready, you can go to the mission map. To select the area you’ll explore and with which characters. Some Blade Princes may be required, depending on the mission. The map lets you see how Abjectalia was organized and how the Black Mages have been trying to watch over the city by building their palace and the Academy at its center. The eye is drawn to the different districts, each with its own color for better readability. Time to visit Abjectalia, at your own risk…



[h3]The life at the Academy[/h3]
Outside of the combat and the very pragmatic activities related to the Blade Princes’ lives, they also have desires and passions (yes, their lives do not solely revolve around fighting!). After completing a mission, you can decide to let a week pass so they can rest even more and be fully ready for the next mission. Doing so makes them spend your hard-earned money on hobbies and activities.



Don’t forget to register here to take part in the public playtest and to fill out our survey! More updates are on the horizon! Keep an eye out for upcoming news and development insights into the creation of Blade Prince Academy.

- The Blade Prince Academy Team -

Blade Princes,

Our public playtest is LIVE! The game is currently in development, which means there is a lot to show and to improve. That's where you come in!

The playtest will run from November 24 to December 4. Register now to take part in the playtest if you haven’t already!

We're dedicated to creating the best version of the game, and your input plays a major role in making this possible! Share your thoughts and ideas on Steam or our Discord.

[h3]Fill out this survey to share your feedback with us! It only takes a few minutes, but it is very important and precious for us to improve the game. Help us make the game even better![/h3]



[h3]For the playtest:[/h3]

• A Steam account is required to take part in the playtest.
  
• You won't need a Steam key to access the game.
  
• Once the playtest is live, you will have access to the game between November 24 and December 4.
  

[h3]In the playtest, you’ll be able to:[/h3]

• Explore and complete missions in the first Sectors of the game.
  
• Recruit Blade Princes, strengthen their bonds and skills.
  
• Join in strategic action-packed battles to eliminate your enemies, using real-time with pause mechanics to plan your moves and adapt your tactics!
  
• Discover the latest content and modifications based on feedback from previous playtests.
  
• Take a look at the game's direction and share your suggestions for improvement.
  
• Now, one of the most important parts: you'll find bugs, balancing adjustments and unexpected behaviors. Please report the issues you encounter to us so we can fix them.
  

We're striving to make the best version of the game and we value your input! We would love to hear your thoughts! Share your feedback and suggestions on Steam or our Discord.

[h3]Register now to take part in the playtest![/h3]

Have fun playing the game!

- The Blade Prince Academy Team -

Hello Blade Princes,

It's a wrap! 🎉
We were at Paris Games Week last week at Women in Games France's booth in the Jeux Made in France corner to showcase Blade Prince Academy!

Attending this event as exhibitors was an unforgettable experience. We loved meeting all of you, seeing you play Blade Prince Academy and receiving your feedback. A part of the team was here, Ilona (Art Director) and Alexandre (Lead Game Designer), to present the game and answer all your questions. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you.

Alexandre (Lead Game Designer) and Ilona (Art Director) at Paris Games Week.

We’re proud to have been granted the opportunity to show the fruit of our hard work to the world. Paris Games Week was an incredible event for connecting with fellow gamers and developers. We’re so inspired and energized by all the positive vibes surrounding the event.

Visitors playing Blade Prince Academy at Paris Games Week.

We're thrilled about the future of Blade Prince Academy, and your enthusiasm only strengthens our determination to craft the best version of the game. We can't wait to continue sharing our journey with you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support and the unforgettable memories we created together at Paris Games Week.

Join our Discord and chat with us! We’ll share more news about the game soon!

- The Blade Prince Academy Team -

[h3]Hi fellow assassins![/h3]

Time to explore the concept of the first two sectors of the game. Blade Prince Academy is a tactical RPG set in a blend of dark fantasy and cyberpunk influences and we aimed to transcribe this atmosphere while making memorable and challenging enemies and creating visually cool environments. We wanted to share some insights on how their concepts and ideas shaped the game.

[h2]Sector 1, an introduction to the universe of the game and its gameplay[/h2]

Sector 1 is the first area you will explore after witnessing what happened at the Academy. You start the adventure facing the miscreants and the misfits of the city who teamed up to disrupt the missions and security of the Academy. Making this sector accessible to new players is then necessary so that you can learn and experiment with the game mechanics. Therefore, some enemies that are too difficult have been deactivated for the beginning of the game, like the berserker and the bombers, which are quite challenging when starting the game.



Sector 1 follows the Acid Pills Gang in its first part, the ones responsible for the carnage at the Academy where the tutorial takes place. Phoebos and his team track down their leader, Acid Hair, to avenge the Blade Princes and keep the honor of the Dark Mages intact. They discover that Acid Hair and his boss are linked to the Brotherhood of Torment, an organization that serves to foreshadow the upcoming battles and the enemies we will meet in Sector 2.



The main inspiration for this sector was Borderlands for the Shallows, as it mixes a lot of technologies and landfills. The Acid Pills gang can be compared to Borderlands characters with human or animal bodies, with cyberpunk upgrades to help them destroy you! We really like Acid Hair's room in this sector, it represents his personality well. Details like the cathodic TVs you can find in the environment are a sign of the not-so-advanced technologies they have in this area.


[h2]From Sector 1 to Sector 2, going deeper into the conspiracy[/h2]

The Catacombs are the second part of the story, contrasting in atmosphere and visuals. But also on the gameplay part, there are more enemies using ranged attacks, with a greater focus on magic damage. This second sector follows the progression of the learning curve. Many curses and afflictions, like bleeding and burns, will be inflicted on the heroes. We wanted to make the fights even more challenging after discovering and getting the hang of the game mechanics. In this sector, we focus on the impact of alterations. Whereas in Sector 1, we had only one alteration, here we have three, which are very present. There are some specific enemies waiting for you, and they are much harder to defeat.

In the level design, we also have more variations of settings than in the first sector. You will also unlock new characters in this sector, you will therefore have new tools and these characters will let you make interesting choices on team composition at the start of the mission. This sector is the home of a quite challenging and complicated boss.



The story of Sector 2 revolves around the Brotherhood of Torments and its leader, Poison. The Blade Princes must fight against hordes of Cultists to uncover hidden truths about the Brotherhood, the reason why they are involved in the attack against the Academy and their eagerness to take down the Black Mages. They will have to chase Poison throughout the sector, fighting powerful cultists and demonic abominations along the way.

For the Catacombs, the intention was to do a more classic dungeon to contrast with the first sector. The inspirations were Darksiders and the classical dungeons in the D&D franchise. Cults are important in this sector, so you can see various statues and altars. We are really proud of the parts where the cults are the center of attention. For example, we have a room with a huge statue of the God of Destruction.



If you can’t wait to learn more about the world of Blade Prince Academy and want to discuss the game with us, join our Discord! Follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, Tiktok or Facebook to stay up-to-date, and you can also subscribe to our Newsletter!

We have a lot more exciting news to share with you in the coming months! Stay tuned for more content, development updates and other insights into the development of Blade Prince Academy.

- The Blade Prince Academy Team -

[h2]Hello Blade Princes,[/h2]

[h3]New challenger approaching![/h3]

One of our Kickstarter stretch goals was reached during the campaign in June. As a result, the backers were able to vote for the next hero! We've received many votes and are thrilled to share the result today.

The new Blade Princes who will join the Academy is... the Cultist 🔮



We can't wait to share more about this character and their backstory, and abilities... So stay tuned!

[h3]September demo[/h3]

The demo Strategy Fest is over and we carefully read all your feedback. Thanks for sharing it, it's extremely valuable for us. We want to make the best game possible and you're essential for that!
More playtests and demos are to come in the future.

Come hang out and chat with us on Discord!

- The Blade Prince Academy Team -