You saw the teaser now check out the real deal. Red Ash was officially revealed today at AX2015 by former Mega Man producer Keiji Inafune. A collaborative project by Comcept and Studio 4℃, Red Ash strives to be the spiritual successor to Mega Man Legends... and then some.
Just like the primordial days of Mighty No. 9, Red Ash is starting out as a Kickstarter, err, Kickstarters. It will be a game AND an short animated feature, apparently. Red Ash: The Indelible Legend is the game by Comcept; Red Ash The Animation: -Magicicada- is the anime by Studio 4℃.
THE GAME - Red Ash the Indelible Legend (Kickstarter | $800,00 goal)
RED ASH is an opportunity to not only fulfill Keiji Inafune's desire to create a game that pays homage to Japanese animation, but also his vision of "immersing players in a freely explorable anime world." The RED ASH team is spearheaded by Art Director Kazushi Ito and Director Masahiro Yasuma, key members of the original team that pioneered open world game design with Mega Man Legends. With the RED ASH project, they aim to build an action adventure experience with a new level of freedom, complete with the polish expected from such veteran creators.
Sharp-eyed readers may notice that this project has inherited some of the DNA from our Mighty No. 9 project--specifically, the shared character names Beck and Call. We feel that this is an important part of the project: we're taking this opportunity to create an altogether different type of game together with the support of fans and backers. We want to continue embracing this new style of game design and production, challenges and risks included. With RED ASH, we hope to channel your passion for gaming into our creative process, and fulfill both our own dreams and the dreams of our fans around the world!
As a result of the Robot World War, humanity is driven to the brink of extinction. Humanity has managed to persevere and survive, battling now feral robotic weapons at every turn in a world of nothing but wasteland and ruins...
With the advent of Lost Technology, precious legacies of a forgotten era, they have managed to rebuild their society. A wealthy class has emerged, helping to expand these newly formed cities and settlements and living in opulence as a result.
However, their livelihoods are supported by the brave fools who hunt the dangerous ruins and wastelands for Lost Technology. These people are known simply as Delvers.
RED ASH is an action adventure game with third person shooter elements. One of the main goals behind the project is to inject more modern design elements into the classic action adventure RPG formula.
The main character, Beck, is tasked with infiltrating the interior of the Mobile Citadel KalKanon, exploring it's village, castle, and hidden dungeons. His goal is to stop KalKanon before the Peacemakers make piecemeal of the whole thing!
- How are Beck and crew going to stop KalKanon? Is it even possible?
- What is the "Legendary Legacy" that is rumored to be hidden there? Can Beck get his hands on it, if it truly exists?
- Who exactly is this so-called witch that lurks in KalKanon?
Solving these questions and more are the keys to uncovering the story of KalKanon.
That being said, we also want to include a myriad of elements to set this game apart from your typical RPG--specifically, bargaining between partners, interaction with NPCs, an almost mischievous sense of freedom, and dungeons built with elements of horror.
Of course, a key part of the game will be delving into dungeons to earn money in order to have Call develop parts and upgrade Beck's abilities (in true action RPG fashion).
RED ASH is a very special project: an unprecedented collaboration between anime and gaming companies, working together to create their own unique content based on the same property and characters. These projects are based in separate, yet parallel worlds, giving creators on both sides full freedom to create whatever story or world they want.
The game project will be lead by veteran game creator Keiji Inafune and comcept, while the anime project will boast the distinct style of the critically-acclaimed Studio 4℃. Both teams will shape their own independent works with full creative freedom.
That's why for this Kickstarter project, we've decided to start with a prologue chapter we call "The KalKanon Incident." This story has always been planned as a key jumping-on point for the universe, and we hope to use this small, but dense taste of the RED ASH universe as a foundation on which to build future content. Whether it's through additional funding, revenue from "The KalKanon Incident" sales, or teaming up with a publisher, this is a story we are determined to tell, and we want all of our backers to be on the ground floor for the creation of this new game universe. We have a vision of a story and universe that we feel deserves to be told, and we need your support to make it a reality!
The game is in an episodic format. The current 800K goal covers only the first three episodes. More money=more playable episodes.
Community Info:
Official Site: www.redashgame.com
English Twitter: @RedAshGame
Japanese Twitter: @RedAshGamejp
THE ANIMATION: Red Ash -Magicicada- (Kickstarter | $150,000 goal)
“Red Ash THE ANIMATION” is envisioned as a fast-paced, entertaining film in which unique characters explore various stages.
We call it a “treasure-hunting animation.” Progressive stages of the adventure will be created by STUDIO4℃ creators, artists whom we wish to collaborate with, and young up-and-coming talents. The idea is to incorporate different worldviews by bringing together creators of diverse talents to develop each new stage of the adventure. The ultimate vision is to produce a movie involving dozens of talented creators!
We need your support to create a movie filled with gimmicks, riddles, secrets and conspiracies that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
It is an innovative entertainment concept brought to you by STUDIO4℃, the creative studio of the groundbreaking “Genius Party” anthology!
The top creators of STUDIO 4℃ are developing an unprecedented 3D animation experience!
First of all, we try to reach the initial goal to the first 5 min episode.
Every time we reach a new stretch goal, additional stage (minute) will be added to the story.
Animation production requires meticulous preparation and development. By building the story step by step, the level of excitement and quality of each stage will be well improved.
Talented creators will participate in each new stage, bringing their unique worldviews, characters, mecha designs, weapons, props, puzzle schemes and music to the project.
Talented creators will participate in each new stage, bringing their unique worldviews, characters, mecha designs, weapons, props, puzzle schemes and music to the project.
If our ultimate goal of $2,480,000 is achieved, the project will culminate in the production of a feature film. We hope everyone to watch the animation on a big screen! Also the film will be applied to international film festivals for competition.Support us to make this challenging but ultimately entertaining animation project happen!
It's not made clear in the KS, but The Animation is for a five minute short. $150,000 nabs the short but if the goal is succeeded ($2.480 million), it will turn into a full-length film.
Please refer to the Kickstarter links above for more information.
Looks very interesting but no console game?. I can't help to feel this is not the way, just wait for the profits on M9, if you need more cash, make the KS campaign, if not, pay it yourself.
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/TQ6vi0r.png
ReplyDeleteThe fact that this is currently a PC exclusive is very disappointing. I really want to back the Indelible Legend, but I don't have a gaming PC, nor can I afford one.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely be backing the animation project, but until I learn more about the game, I...don't know.
Awesome! It's nice to see Inafune effectively continuing the Classic, Zero, and now Legends series work on his own. Can't wait to see his X series game! Too bad he can't use the Mega Man characters that we all know and love. Seriously, Inafune should start a Kickstarter to purchase the Mega Man IP from Capcom. I mean, it's not like Capcom is doing anything particularly amazing with the series right now.
ReplyDeleteThat's what everyone wants, but Kickstarter isn't the place for that sort of fundraiser. GoFundMe, more like. I don't have any doubts he'd reach the goal price, but it'd probably be a hefty amount.
DeleteWhile I feel an X series successor is inevitable at this point, I really wish he'd just collab with Capcom. There's no doubt tension between the two to some extent, but it's for the greater good.
@MegaMac Perhaps you know this, Inafune once offered to finished MML3 after he quit Capcom, but they rejected the offer (details here: https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=175740945833488 )
DeleteI would say Mighty No. 9 has some X elements already... Let's see how successful is Comcept going to be...
@AABAR: That thing is so vague all he says is
Delete"but it seems they don't allow it."
and
"I want to make all my effort to keep Legends 3 alive, but I'm really not sure I can do it."
That could mean anything.
"But it seems"..... SMdoubtfulH
@AnonymousJuly 6, 2015 at 1:10 AM
DeleteWell just before he announced Red Ash he said sort of the same thing: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/20/keiji-inafune-and-armature-39-s-mark-pacini-talk-recore-mega-man-legends-3-and-iga-39-s-bloodstained.aspx - he hinted about a "Mighty Legends" just after Mighty No 9 KS concluded: https://youtu.be/2U9whV9fwkY?t=1m22s (former Comcept staff translating there) - I don't know Japanese, just relying on translation, but I believe the people behind 100k know more, they knew about Red Ash before any of us...
Capcom will NEVER sell the Mega Man IP to anyone. If Capcom goes under, then MM goes with it. Period. (same philosophy with Konami and their IPs)
DeleteThe ONLY solution to this is, whoever wants to purchase the rights to MM, would have to buy Capcom first. Nintendo is the only logical choice, and they have the money to do so.
Not agian. Nope. Not after the fiasco that happened with the lame community manager for Mighty no 9. I'm not saying she deserved all of that hate she got, but she also wasn't very good at her job. Community managers are supposed to bring people together, and give us feedback from the devs, as well ass tell the devs are thoughts. There was no transparency with the communication, and she just treated some people unfairly because they had a difference of opinion. I don't want to be a part of that disappointment again. I also expected mn9 to have a better artsyle, and it just isn't what I expected it to be. I'm really salty about the way things are, I won't be backing this.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you with the art style thing. That one single concept screenshot really got me excited but from what I'm still seeing, the game just LOOKS dull. Not saying the game will play crappy. The early access played decently well, but I'm disappointed that it has a.....shall I say, "western" feel to it.
DeleteWhile Red Ash does look cool and interesting, and the game will no doubt scratch that ever-present Legends itch after the rug was pulled out from everyone four years ago (damn, four years?), this just leaves a strange taste in my mouth. Mighty No.9? Red Ash? These games should have been Mega Man games in every respect, but they can't be. Capcom, for whatever reason, isn't letting Keiji produce Legends 3 at Comcept, that much we know. Now we get this generic version.
ReplyDeleteKeiji and his team have to eat somehow, I understand. It's not his fault, it's certainly Capcom's...I'm just wondering how hard he's actually tried to negotiate with Capcom. After the evident success of Mighty No.9's upbringing, you'd think that would be proof enough Keiji could make Legends 3 a success. As it stands, Red Ash is just the "next best thing". Not necessarily what people wanted, and not necessarily a carbon copy (pun sorta intended), but it's very close.
But I digress. I think Red Ash will be a fun game and will be a great action/adventure title that the industry is lacking these days. It's just I feel that everyone will be thinking in the back of their minds, "Man, I wish this were Mega Man Legends 3." as they play and lament on "what could have been". It has all the components. Characters, designs, music. *sigh* best not to think about it. lol
At any rate, I pledged. Very eager to see what the game shapes up to be!
Wow... okay. He's ambitious. Ambitious is good. Still, they announced this game before MN9 has even been released. I don't even know if I'm going to like that game yet and already there's this. Not only that, an animation, too? Whatever happened to that Mighty No. 9 cartoon they had planned? I haven't heard a single bit of news about that. Was it just a pitch that failed to get the attention from networks? I'm actually really curious about that. What is it with TV shows and movies based on these games nowadays? Can't there just be a game and no other media behind it? =/ I thought that trend died in the 90s.
ReplyDeleteFor sure I'll back the game as it looks promising, but I don't know about the animation. That I'm on the fence about.
We haven't heard a peep about the MN9 cartoon since the reveal, it's true, however I want to point out the cartoon was pitched by the studio making it to comcept and all they had to do is sign off on it with no financial risk to them. In this instance it's comcept and Studio 4c collaborating from the start for a multimedia project, but even if the MN9 cartoon gets canceled it's no skin off comcept's back.
DeleteThe animation in questions sounds fun and would probably be really good with a studio like 4c behind it, but I'm far more interested in the game and can't afford to back both at a decent reward tier. Seeing a feature-length Red Ash movie would be amazing, but I doubt we'll get anywhere near that goal.
"The Kickstarter will be used to fund a Prototype, to show the world how much potential the project has." This is from 100,000 strong, which by the sounds of it means that this is not going to be the full game and more along the lines of the Legends 3 Prototype where it sets up the full game.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a prototype, but a prologue chapter... from the sounds of it it's just the first game in a planned series. From the page, they say they simply cannot fund the entire vision for the series through Kickstarter, so this is just for the prologue which "has always been planned as a key jumping-on point for the universe".
DeleteIf RED ASH is Legend's spiritual successor, then this Kickstarter is basically to fund Mega Man Legends 1, with the other games coming along later through either additional campaigns, funds from the sales of "The KalKanon Incident", or publisher deals, as I understand it. Sounds much larger than a comparison to the MML3 Prototype would imply!
"from the sounds of it it's just the first game in a planned series."
DeleteOh god, no, no, no. Reading that was painful. I don't want this to be another repeat of Legends in the way that it never got finished.
- Dr. Jerk.
@Dr. Jerk: Watch it end on a cliffhanger and there becomes a disagreement with Comcept and the anime studio half regarding direction and rights and it never gets resolved. HAHAHAHAHAHAhaaaaaaaaa
Delete- Dr. Douchebag
I don't think there's anything to worry about concerning the series never seeing its end. We can assume this will go the same way as MN9 with comcept retaining all rights to the property so entries in the series would be reliant on them first and foremost. I doubt Studio 4c has any claims of ownership over the Red Ash IP, but if they do I suspect it would only apply to it in anime form, or their specific touches on the concept. Not only is the anime Kickstarter created by comcept, and not only do the two campaigns not share any money, but 4c's has a "copyright comcept Inc., all rights reserved" notice under the promo art for the game and related comcept properties.
DeleteSo really, the only way I see this series not finishing is if it truly is not financially feasible for comcept to see it through, not because of any rights issues and needing the holders of said rights to agree to it.
Legends didn't get continued because it was not financially successful for Capcom. The same could happen with Red Ash and Comcept.
Delete- Dr. Jerk.
Speculations my friends, speculations... It could very well not continue due to a deal gone bad.
Deletenot funding another community driven kickstarter. MN9 was a fiasco
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteFor the curious, I removed my comments because they were unusually volatile, crude, and knee-jerky, even for me.
DeleteDon't worry 'bout it. I'll come up with something a bit more witty down below, no doubt.
There was no need to apologize. I feel you.
DeleteThis isn't what anyone wanted, really. He knows full well that everyone wanted Legends 3. He's expressed several times wanting to do it, yet it's always "we'll have to see how it goes" or something to that extent. It's been several years, and now we get Red Ash. It just rubs me the wrong way. I honestly don't believe he's tried too hard to strike a deal with Capcom. There's probably more to it than that, but still.
You have every reason to feel the way you feel/felt. I can almost guarantee that he is riding on the emotions stirred up from the Legends 3 fiasco in hopes to gain interest in this by default. A lot of people have been using the word, "substitute". I suppose that's accurate enough, but I feel the Legends series is unique and special on its own and doesn't need something else attempting to duplicate or replace it. He should have done something entirely different from this and continued trying to secure a future for an actual Mega Man Legends 3 instead.
"I honestly don't believe he's tried too hard to strike a deal with Capcom. There's probably more to it than that, but still."
DeleteNah, I think that it's just that Capcom thinks that Inafune is too hard to keep under their direct control. Because of his repeated run-ins with Capcom corporate staff over creative differences in the past, it seems that Capcom basically gave up on him and refused to work with him anymore. The way I see it, Inafune is now doing *exactly* what he would have done if Capcom hadn't decided that releasing more versions of Street Fighter IV or HD remakes of Resident Evil games were a better idea than making new games. The catch is that he's just not allowed to include Mega Man in his games. So yes, "substitute" is the best word to describe what's going on here, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I'm sure that Inafune is trying his hardest to capture what made Mega Man special in spite of the fact that he can't call his character "Mega Man".
Fuck Masahiro Yasuma, even though I never seen him, really don't know him I just don't like the cut of his jib. In fact FUCK the whole damn team, am I right? HIGH FIVE! (sarcasm)
ReplyDeleteHm... Not really sure what to think or feel about this. I still want Mega Man Legends 3 and this is in no way a replacement for it, but nor is similar games like Solatorobo. It is a new game, and I think I will wait for gameplay footage to decide. But can't help but think of the Legends series when seeing this. Although Azure Striker Gunvolt is similar to MMZ and MMZX in gameplay, the characters and story aren't, being good on its own. While Re-DASH looks interesting, it is not even a little bit subtle, obviously taking way to much from MML, which isn't exactly a bad thing (after all, it is an intentional homage or spiritual sequel to the series), but only reminds me that MML3 will not be released in the next decades, specially when seeing the main characters being near identical to a red Rock, a Roll, and a Teisel.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess I'll take the Nostalgic Critic's answer from that Avatar movie review and modify it a bit... (not saying that ReDash is bad, just using it to compare)
(SPOILERS BELOW)
Red Ash isn't a faithful adaptation (due to copyright and Capcom) nor a standalone game (cause it takes a lot from DASH). But it could never be those because there's only one Mega Man Legends (excluding buggy (PC) or improved (PSP) ports). It was that rare anomaly that, chances are, can never be recreated (due to Capcom not wanting to do it). And there's no reason to change it. It's like trying to make an opera by Mozart better -- you can't do it. Every note is where it needs to be. I'm sure there'll be different adaptations in the future the same way people did with Mega Man Battle Network, but the point is the original characters are still timeless characters. And nothing anyone can do can change that. If anything, the adaptation makes us appreciate the original material even more. So you can do whatever you want to the franchise. Because no matter what, nothing can take away or make any better what's already perfect.
Something like that.
Glad to see some others noticed that Red Ash is suspiciously close to RE:DASH, and I think you are close, it doesn't seem exactly right, but I can't place it, probably just my own hopes, dreams, etc etc about this making it seem a bit off
DeleteWOW this is a direct ripoff of Legends, I stand corrected.
ReplyDeleteThe "two Kickstarters" was the first thing I noticed.
ReplyDelete... I think my body just became more exhausted. Well, here's hoping they'll handle it better than last at any rate.
- Dr. Jerk.
Sorry, but this isn't the "rebirth" or "successor" to Legends. I didn't play Legends all those years ago because Inafune made it, I played it because it was a new take on Mega Man. Unfortunately no clone he can create post-Capcom will be Mega Man to me.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me the strongest supporters of this are either people who got introduced to Mega Man via Legends or are some kind of strange Inafune loyalists.
I'm neither (my first Mega Man game was X1... for DOS), and I'm really excited for this game. I don't love Legends because Inafune made it, or because it's Mega Man. I love it because of the way the gameplay feels, the atmosphere of exploring those ruins, and the fact that it's got a lot of heart. Just based on the Kickstarter video, it seems like Red Ash will have all of those things. Besides, let's be honest, apart from Mega Man and Roll's names and color schemes, and the fact that there were a few arm cannons in it, the Legends series was Mega Man in name only. Not getting a conclusion to the Legends story is a bummer, but I'm excited to play That Kind of Game again, because nothing else has ever felt the same way for me.
DeleteTHIS. Thank you so much Anonymous No #2.
DeleteI never played Legends, as I didn't have the appropriate system, so...I'm looking forward to Red Ash. I just hope it gets a console release so I can actually play it.
Ok. 1 - Knock it off with the whole "Inafune Should Buy Mega Man" Crap. It's a terrible Idea. And 2 - Inafune is seriously rushing things here. Mighty No.9 hasn't even been released yet..both the Game And the Anime (the latter which we haven't heard about in months).
ReplyDeleteI'd be wise for Inafking to put this project on hold until After Mighty No.9 becomes a huge success. Than and Only then can Inafune concentrate on giving the Other Mega Man series spiritual successors
"Knock it off with the whole "Inafune Should Buy Mega Man" Crap."
DeleteSure... Because we would all like to see Mega Man remain property of a company that has limited the Mega Man IP to game re-releases and assorted trinkets. I mean, it would be absurd to place it in the hands of someone who actually cares about properly maintaining the Mega Man brand and releasing new games...
It doesn't mean Inafune would handle it any better than Capcom has. I'd rather Nintendo or Sony have it.
Delete- Dr. Jerk.
To be fair, there's no guarantee Nintendo and Sony would handle it any better as they (to my knowledge) never had any direct involvement in the development of any Mega Man games. So how well they handle it would be anyone's guess. Passing a series off to another company who has no experience with it has resulted in games like Metroid: Other M, Sonic Boom, and Duke Nukem Forever which are generally accepted to be weak entries in their respective series. There are examples of games that have done well under another company's direction (the Fallout series comes to mind), but usually it's because the acquiring company makes huge changes to series so it's more like the games that they are used to developing (as was the case with Bethesda and Fallout 3). So like I said, it's anyone's guess how good a Nintendo or Sony developed Mega Man game would be.
DeleteI'd like to see Nintendo have it, not for any reason concerning Capcom or Inafune, but simply because I'd like to see what they could do with the series.
DeleteI'm a pretty big fan of the way they do things with their software, amiibo aside.
He needs to man-up Beck a bit. Dude looks like a lady.
ReplyDeleteI hope this barely gets funded. Not as an insult to the project, but to keep the project honest. We saw what happened when MN9 was funded 4x. I'd love to see something that is a labor of love not a cash-grab. I'm starting to wonder if Inafune is able to produce well outside the confines of Capcom.
ReplyDelete-ud
Given the initial goal is even lower than MN9's, and the first stretch goal is seemingly a lot of bang for the buck (800k for a 3D action adventure RPG/TPS vs. 900k for a 2.5D action platformer, another 500k for two more episodes that make up half the game's events vs. another 300k for an additional two stages + bosses), I get the impression that RED ASH does not need the money as much as MN9 apparently did, for any number of reasons, and I also get the impression comcept fully expects the fundraiser to not make nearly as much as MN9 did, and has adjusted goals accordingly.
DeleteFor instance, from the sounds of the page, the first stretch goal will give us an entire second half to the game for the whole, intended story, and everything after will be gameplay enhancements, like making Tyger playable. It's too early to say, but it seems to me like the stretch goals might be focused more on just making a solid game first rather than dealing with stuff like console ports, video documentaries, and etc. like MN9 had, but again I could be proven wrong.
According to Kicktraq, RED ASH is currently on track to make around 2.4 million total, and looking at our first stretch goal and with a little speculation, I think that could get us the full game's story plus one or maybe two additional stretch goals, which could make for quite a product. Pretty much all of what I have said is just speculation and guesswork, of course, but at this moment I think we're going to end up seeing the game funded well enough to give us a meaty experience, and that's to say nothing of the prospect of post-campaign backing through PayPal.
I also advise you and anyone reading this to take a look at the official twitter account (https://twitter.com/RedAshGame/with_replies) as they're posting some interesting stuff and acknowledging some concerns people are having. Of particular note, they say they'll be talking about the particulars of The KalKanon Incident soon, including projected play time. I know there are a lot of strong feelings surrounding this campaign, but the best thing anyone can do at this moment is wait and see.
I am following the official Red Ash twitter acct. I feel bad for the PR person because they are going to bear the brunt of all of the (including my) hard nosed questions about this project and Inafune's "strategy."
Delete-ud
Beck is cute and I love his jacket, man. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteYuck. No, thanks.
ReplyDeleterobot world war ? mighty no 9 in the backstory?
ReplyDeleteMaybe, Legends was hypothesized to be a Distant Future to the Robot Timeline(So Classic to ZX), so a similar thing with REDash wouldn't be odd
DeleteI have a mission that I’m just now working on, and I have been at the look out for such information anime cosplay costumes
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