Chucklefish, the game publisher that brought the nostalgic farming game "Stardew Valley' into the mainstream gaming scene, is again planning to give fans a taste of another wistful sim title that is sure to knock some strings at fans' hearts in the form of the magic academy simulator -- "Spellbound."'
In an interview with Red Bull Games the previous week, Chucklefish's CEO Finn Brice gave fans numerous details regarding the upcoming fantasy, its progress, the overall theme, and most importantly the inspirations behind the wizard-themed school premise.
Brice shared that the new game, "Spellbound," will see players assume student character inside a magic-filled environment, which is the school. He also elaborated on the fact that magic almost always elicits a universal appeal among people inside the gaming community.
"Who doesn't want to enroll in a magic school?," Brice asked.
When it comes to how the game came into fruition, Brice explained that the idea of Spellbound has been around Chucklefish's studio for quite some time now. He also said that in the studio, it has become a tradition, in between working with a particular project to pitch ideas for possible games in the future. "Spellbound" was one of those that quickly caught the admiration of people inside the Chucklefish community, he further explained.
"Spellbound is an idea several people at Chucklefish had been kicking around for a long time," the CEO revealed.
"Between projects every member of staff at Chucklefish is given the opportunity to pitch a game, and Spellbound was one of the big pitches. The team fell in love with the concept right away and here we are," Brice disclosed.
In terms of inspiration, Brice said that this particular game draw inspiration from various famous magic-themed lores and fiction, which include the "Harry Potter"series, the "Old Kingdom" series by Garth Nix, and films made by Studio Ghibli.
"Spellbound" will see players engage with other characters in-game. Much like in the real world, players will navigate the game with the intention of building relationships, friendships, at the same time while mastering your chosen magic craft.
"All of these are just the tip of the iceberg," Brice said. He and his team from Chucklefish are still onto some great things, development-wise, in order to give users as much enjoyment as they possibly can.
Gameplay-wise, "Spellbound" will be similar to cult-classic games such as the "Zelda" franchise that will be primarily be composed of word-spell casting instead of swords or weapons.
Currently, Chucklefish has yet to announce a specific release date for the new magic simulator game. However, they say that as development progress, fans will be filled in on much more exciting details.
"Spellbound" is intended for a release on the PC platform but, due to the commercial success "Stardew Valley" experienced on the Nintendo Switch, they are not ruling out that option just yet.
