Konno Tobari, an independent Japanese developer, has announced Echoes of the Flame, a turn-based combat RPG with a 2.5D visual style. The story follows two groups traveling towards the sacred peak of Coral. The title will be released for PC on Steam between November and December of this year, although initially it will only be available in Japanese.
RPG Developer Bakin: the tool behind the visual aspect 🎮
The game has been created with RPG Developer Bakin, an engine that allows combining 2D graphics with three-dimensional environments without the need for complex programming. Tobari has used this tool to design detailed scenarios and fluid combat animations. The initial version will lack texts in other languages, but the developer already plans to add support for English and Simplified Chinese in 2027. For now, you'll have to wait or learn basic Japanese to understand the dialogues.
Release in Japanese: the thrill of not understanding anything 😅
Echoes of the Flame arrives only in Japanese, meaning Western players can enjoy an immersive experience... of not understanding a single dialogue. But that's okay: that's what gestures and ambient music are for. If you survive the battles without knowing which button to press, you'll have passed the ultimate tutorial. And if English arrives in 2027, by then you might have already learned Japanese from watching anime.