Today, Double Fine Productions released its newest turn based tactical strategy game, Massive Chalice, for Xbox One and PC. While priced at $19.99 at Humble Bundle for PC and the Xbox Store, the game is also available for free to Xbox Live Gold members as part of the June Games With Gold program.
In Massive Chalice you play as an immortal ruler of a nation that is embroiled in a war with a mysterious enemy over the course of hundreds of years. You command the nation’s heroes at war from a turned based third person point of view. You also manage your heroes over the long duration of the war.
And what makes this game interesting and has enticed me to download it is the nature of the long term strategy demanded in the 300 year war due to the game mechanics heroes suffering from permadeath. That is if your heroes don’t die in combat they will eventual pass away, and once they die they are gone forever. So not only does the player have to manage heroes in tactical combat but also balance your team of mortal heroes and their bloodlines to prepare the next generations of fighters in your 300 year long war.
Double Fine Productions lists the key features of the game as:
- Bloodline Genetics – MASSIVE CHALICE features an innovative Bloodline system that allows the player to marry heroes together to produce children. The Bloodline system uses a randomized genetic code for every hero. Their children can end up with the best gameplay-impacting traits inherited from their parents… or they could inherit the worst ones.
- Permadeath – The heroes in MASSIVE CHALICE age over the course of the timeline and eventually pass away. This forces the player to engage in the beauty of permadeath and always juggle an imperfect party of heroes with which to do battle!
- Bloodline Relics – If a hero has fought valiantly enough when they inevitably pass away, their weapon has a chance to become a Bloodline Relic. This powerful Relic can be passed down to any character of the same house in order to carry on the legacy of the fallen hero!
- Long View Strategy – Because the war lasts 300 years, players need to take a long view of their strategy. Decisions have to be made dozens of years in advance and long-term planning is incredibly important. That 3-year-old toddler is going to grow up to be your most reliable melee fighter sooner than you think! But how long will they stay that way?
Head over to Xbox Store or Humble Bundle to buy the game, or if you are a Xbox Live Gold member, download Massive Chalice for free during the month of June on your Xbox One.
Further reading: Games with Gold, Massive Chalice, PC, Xbox One
