Village Gamer

Eon Altar is a new cooperative role-playing adventure that blends the experience of classic tabletop gaming and modern video games in a Tabletop Video Game. We had a sit-down chat with Flying Helmet Games‘ Project Director Edward Douglas a couple of weeks ago, and found the game and its mechanics to be rather intriguing. Personally, I think that Eon Altar will be a great way to bring back family game night, as it bridges the gap between those of us who played Dungeons & Dragons in high school and our digital kids. The nature of Eon Altar’s game play could also open doors for connecting with kids and encouraging conversation as quests are undertaken, feats are attempted, treasure is uncovered and beasts are defeated.

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Five friends fight through dungeons to uncover ancient secrets and compete for glory and wealth. Using personal devices to control your character’s actions, with a tablet to adventure through dungeons as a group, players undertake a cinematic journey unlike anything ever before in a tabletop setting. The handheld devices will connect using an app which will then use wireless technology to connect to the “dungeon master” component on the tablet. We learned during our talk with Edward that cinematics will be kept to a minimum during game play, and will be utilized to advance the adventure. The emphasis in Eon Altar is on fun, and the developers really want to maintain a low barrier to entry while appealing to those gamers who can’t spend all of their time gaming yet quest for a deep play experience in the titles they choose.

Through turn-based action and fast-paced combat, each player will build a legendary hero. Collect gear, earn new abilities, battle monstrous creatures, and overcome environmental challenges. At the end of each gaming session the players will emerge victorious, but only through a balance of teamwork and healthy competition. However, through many sessions each character’s story will be revealed, and the ancient secrets from the depth of the caverns will be unveiled.

“The Kingdom of Gray lies cradled by the mountains of the Western Spine, from the Gray Castle, to the town of Barrier on the eastern border of the Black Sands. In the mining village of Tarnum, a cave exists, said to descend to the foundry of Myrth the Creator God – the birthplace of man. Adventurers line up in droves, hoping to navigate the treacherous paths, the darkness, and worse, in hopes of discovering fame and fortune. Few return. Will you?”

Up to 5 Players gather for a gaming session, and as mentioned above, each player has their own smartphone handset connected to a shared tablet. On the tablet, the group experiences dungeon exploration, action combat, story reveals, exciting environments, and cinematic moments. On each of their handsets, players will manage characters and inventories, engage in individual combat and challenges, and explore world lore.

Eon Altar is independently developed by Vancouver’s Flying Helmet Games. At the helm are Project Director Edward J Douglas and Lead Developer Scott Penner, who have worked together for years on some of the industry’s biggest titles. They are joined by a small team of developers, both in Vancouver and remote, with experience at major studios such as Electronic Arts, BioWare, Ubisoft, Atari and United Front Games.

Eon Altar is in development for Next Gen and Current Tablet PCs, Tablets and Smartphone Handsets, targeting a release on iOS, Windows 8 and Android, with plans for robust cross-platform play. Flying Helmet Games has not yet announced a release date, but players can get their hands on Eon Altar at PAX East, in Boston (March 22-24), where the team will be showing off a 20 minute playable demo on the show floor, Booth 166.