Indie RPG Y2K Coming to PS4, PS Vita

Hey, PlayStation.Blog readers! I’m Andrew Allanson, from AckkStudios. I’m here to tell you about a 3D, turn-based, Japanese-style RPG that we are developing for PS4 and PS Vita. The game is called Y2K.

Y2K is being developed by Brian & Andrew Allanson with Jose Alfaro, Ian Bailey, and Brigid Allanson. We unite under the name of AckkStudios LLC! Ackk is partnering with Ysbryd Games to ensure polish and funding for the game.

So, what’s all this Y2K stuff about?

For those of you too young to remember, Y2K refers to the year 2000 problem. Basically, it was a coding bug that was projected to create havoc in computers and computer networks around the world at the beginning of the year 2000… a lot of people thought the world was going to end because of this. It was pretty crazy.

With that in mind, here are more specifics about the premise: When an erratically-behaving elevator claims the life of a young woman, unemployed recent college graduate Alex Eggleston takes to a primitive 1990s message-board to find answers about the death of this stranger. His quest for answers leads to more questions as his research points him to a mysterious van the internet has dubbed the “Death Cab.”

This vehicular oddity roams the game’s city and countryside. Who is driving it? And despite mysterious happenings surrounding the vehicle, why does no one seem recognize its threat? On Alex Eggleston’s journey, he reunites with childhood friends, encounters a girl who can traverse the Soul Space to reside in new realities, and a multidimensional Android who sets the events of the game in motion.

The “Mother series” and Haruki Murakami provides inspiration for the quirky characters and the thought-provoking script. These elements come together in a dramatic and mysterious story rife with emotional depth to bring the player on a journey.

Because it is an RPG, Y2K is very story-heavy with a 400-paged script. And to tell that story, we’ve enlisted the help of some awesome voice actors. Our awesome cast includes, Chris Niosi, Andrew Fayette, Michaela Laws, Melanie Ehrlich, Brittany Lauda, Anthony Sardinha, and Clifford Chapin, just to name a few.

Now, I want to talk about some of the unique gameplay elements you’ll find in Y2K! The first element I’ll be talking about today is enemy encounters. The enemies can be seen on the map. Making contact an enemy triggers the battle. However, once you kill this enemy, they are gone forever. We want to encourage players to find and hunt down as many enemies as possible.

So, what happens if you have killed all the enemies and you’re still not strong enough for the boss? Well, get on a pay phone (in the game) and dial #333. This will take you inside the Mind Dungeon, which is a place that solely exists for grinding, as well as finding chests that contain new moves that are hidden and cannot be acquired through leveling up naturally.

However, you can’t just jump into the Mind Dungeon. Defeating enemies and talking to NPCs can unlock keys for the mind dungeon, which allow you to proceed. So if you want to max out your characters, you’ll really have to hunt down every key and NPC.

Combat in Y2K is turn-based. However, the player has control over how quickly the battle moves along. Using the R2 button, the player can increase how quickly the battle plays out in real time. However, speeding comes with its own risks! Dodging moves and executing combo attacks require the player to input commands in real time, and these speed up as you increase the battle tempo!

Once the player has taken damage, a meter begins to fill. Once this meter is filled, the player can slow battle down to more accurately dodge enemy attacks and pull off combo with ease. In addition to standard magic/skill/melee attacks, there are also traps in battle. One example of a trap is: Upon getting hit with fire magic, swap position of party member with a stuffed Panda. So using this strategy against a fire monster MUCH stronger than you might be necessary if you are under-leveled.

In addition to equipping standard items, you can also bring world items you find in the dungeon into battle. If you’re carrying a ladder, or a box, or a bomb for a puzzle and get ambushed by a group of enemies, you can use the items to fight them off. Some enemies might even require you to find a bomb or a powerful, giant sword to take them down, as you couldn’t possibly be strong enough to fight them at this point in the game.

We’re going to be showing off an early build of Y2K at PlayStation Experience. We would love it if you stopped by and check out what we’ve been working on!

I hope to see you at the PlayStation Experience to check out the Y2K demo. We’re hoping to release Y2K late 2015, or early 2016.