Finnish developer Harakka Studio is turning the RPG genre on its head with Peasant, a game where you're not the hero, but a weary peasant fed up with adventurers' antics.
Peasant takes a refreshingly different approach to the fantasy genre. Forget the epic quest to vanquish evil, in Peasant, you're a simple villager tired of the chaos caused by roving heroes. Imagine yourself as the tavern keeper whose table is constantly overturned, or the blacksmith whose forge gets disrupted by a sudden brawl - that's the experience Peasant offers.
The game's central premise is that every decision has meaningful consequences. Your path through Peasant is shaped by your choices and actions, which can have a lasting impact on the world around you.
There are twelve unique "tech-tree" paths to choose from, each with its own set of skills and abilities. For example, the Steampunk path allows you to harness natural resources and create impressive industrial items and armour, but this commitment comes at the cost of the Druidic tree, which offers different skills and abilities.
Harakka Studio emphasises that Peasant is free from any "railroading", meaning you have complete freedom to shape your experience. Kill the sole dragon hunter, and you'll likely face an influx of dragons. Kick a chicken, and you might just start an avian rebellion.
Even your relationships with other characters are influenced by your choices. Peasant features a fully functioning romance system, companion mechanics, and various factions, all reacting to your decisions in unique ways.
The world remembers your actions. Unlike Baldur's Gate 3, where saving and reloading can erase your mistakes, in Peasant, the consequences of your choices are permanent. You'll have to live with the consequences of even the most minor actions, adding a new level of depth and realism to the experience.
Peasant promises a vibrant world full of detail and depth, from base building and mounts to adorable creatures waiting to be petted. This new RPG is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious titles in development.
The game's Kickstarter campaign has already smashed its funding goal, raising over £91,000 in just 21 hours. If you want to contribute and learn more about Peasant's impressive feature list, visit the Kickstarter page here: [link to Kickstarter page].
Early access for Peasant is set for six months after the Kickstarter campaign closes, which is scheduled for Friday, August 2nd. This means that we can expect to see Peasant in early access in February 2025.
In the meantime, explore the world of fantasy with other excellent titles, such as the upcoming Fable 4 or other games like Baldur's Gate 3.
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