A semi-open world, story-driven RPG about how a search for one girl’s lost memory becomes a desperate struggle to defy prophetic destiny and uncover how the after-effects of a thousands-year-old war reshaped the fates of two intertwined worlds.
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Early Access Game

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Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“I started the framework for this game in 2012 based off a scrapped game called Project Orionis. As a huge fan of the Tales series and other old 2D RPGs, I knew that my ultimate goal was to build a game that fellow RPG fans would love. Ever since starting consistent development on the current iteration of the game back in February 2016, I knew I was working on something that wasn't just "another RPGMaker game". Above & Below prominently features a linear motion battle system, something only seen in the three Tales games currently on Steam. When working with a currently untapped niche, something that sounds great on paper and inside your head may not translate the way you want it to in gameplay. My main goal with early access is developing a community around the game and working with the community to make the full release an amazing indie RPG that fans want to pick up and try out.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“Setting a hard release date is a tricky topic because who knows what's going to come up in the development process. I prefer to look at the project in steps, "Alright, here's when Build 2 is shaping up to be released. Build 3, etc.". Step by step and with the help of the community, we can work towards that final release date. That being said, I'm hoping the full development cycle of this project won't be more than three years at max.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full version will contain the full fleshed-out story, projected to be approximately 20-25 hours of gameplay of its own worth. Adding in all the sidequests, faction-specific quests, and extra content will bring the title to have a hardy 30-40 hours of content for a single playthrough. It will also be polished up according to player feedback.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Currently in the first build of the early access version, players have access to:
  • 2-3 hours of main story content
  • Full access to the towns of Shasla Village, Twin Pines, and the City of Hastil
  • Able to join the Adventurer's Guild and the Church of Calindor
  • Access to the first 3 floors of the extra dungeon, the Cave of 10,000 depths
  • Six side quests
  • First-Tier Crafting

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes, the earlier you pick up a copy of the game, the more of a discounted price you receive. The plan is to gradually raise the price as new content is shipped. Early adopters of the game, those who will help shape the game and make it even better, deserve a discount depending when they came on to the early access journey.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“I will be consistently checking the discussion forums, answering questions on the game's blog, and interacting with players, listening and discussing their thoughts and feelings on the game. I will also be taking input on future enemy designs, and will perhaps look for submissions on map layouts or dungeon designs.”
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About This Game

Synopsis:


Geraria has always been known to the people of Calindor as the land of angels, a world where the goddess they worship resides. The people of Calindor believe that one day their goddess will send her child, the Harbinger, to the world to cleanse it of the Fallen, angels who have committed wicked acts against the goddess, and who create evil monsters to destroy the humans of Calindor. What the people don't realize is, just how skewed their perception of the two worlds really is.

Join Colette, an angel fallen from the heavens above; and Arietta, a girl who fits the criteria of the Church of Calindor’s savior written of in their holy text, as they soon start to help Colette regain her lost memories, and Arietta learns that just maybe, the world really doesn’t need purged of “evil”…

Features:


  • Embark on a story deeply rooted in themes of self-empowerment, genetic modification, and the political effects of nuclear war. All while traversing the handcrafted lands of Calindor and Geraria!
  • Turn-based? What's that? Based off the original system found in Tales of Phantasia, Above and Below features a linear motion battle system! Lay the punishment down on your enemies in real-time!
  • Semi-open world means the player is allowed to explore the world how they please! (Barring exceptions due to progress on the main story.)
  • Side quests litter the game, and you’ll need a nice quest log to keep track of them all! Also experience Project Orionis, the largest side-quest in the game which runs parallel to the main story, allowing the player to learn much more backstory of the worlds as they traverse it.
  • Four factions exist for the player to delve into and join! Experience faction-specific quests and content for the Adventurer’s Guild, Church of Calindor, The Fallen, and the Knights of Geraria. Join all of them, or none. (Seriously, I’m not stopping you.) Did we mention three of them will majorly affect the game’s ending?
  • Speaking of endings, eight drastically different endings will exist for players to experience. Even those endings will vary slightly depending on smaller decisions throughout the game.
  • Gather a colorful cast of potential party members! Each has their own drives and desires that relate to the main story, and spending time with them will start up a character-specific personal quest!

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (32-bit/64-bit)
    • Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 @ 2.0 GHz equivalent
    • Memory: 512 MB RAM
    • Graphics: 640x480 or higher desktop resolution
    • Storage: 600 MB available space
    Recommended:
    • OS *: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (32-bit/64-bit)
    • Processor: Intel® Core i3 @ 2.0 GHz equivalent
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: 640x480 or higher desktop resolution
    • Storage: 800 MB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.
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