Wagon Chronicles (Prototype)

Wagon Chronicles is a challenging 2D sword-and-sorcery action game for a team of one to four players, set in a world of heroes, mysteries, and linguistic spellcraft. It follows a band of itinerant would-be heroes, in the employ of a research academy, who discover a lost language of magic and become tangled in the conflict between political powers that seek to control it and conquer the whole of the Silver Lands. 

Wagon Chronicles is a game a friend and I (collectively, Owl In A Hat Games) have been working on since 2020. I started by looking at my favorite competitive games and action RPGs (For Honor, Super Smash Brothers, and Skyrim, to name a few) and asking myself, “can I make combat as deep and satisfying as this in a couch co-op RPG?” It’s a passion project fueled by a love of all things fantasy and a desire to make something unique and positive.

Key features include:

• intuitive platformer controls that work great on gamepads
• complex action that combines the best of RPGs, platformers, and fighting games
• directional blocking, dodge rolls, and parries!
• unrestricted character builds let you use weapons, magic, armor, and accessories in any combination you want
• per-skill leveling system that lets you pick perks to match your fighting style
• five unique protagonists and an original fantasy world inspired by medieval Mediterranean history and mythology
• characters and landscapes lovingly painted pixel by pixel
• home on the road: blaze a trail into the unknown in unique wagon escort missions
• (soon™) recruit merchants and other helpful characters to live in your wagon, and customize its attachments to help in battle
• play solo or in a group of up to four
• battle your friends in arena mode

All this action takes place in a colorful fantasy setting we call the Silver Lands, where the essence of magic resides in everything, and the spells cast by mortals have consequences far into the future. The plot is still very incomplete (the scenes we have so far are scripted using ink) but basically, the protagonists travel around the region in an enchanted, self-propelled wagon, helping people endangered by ancient spells while recovering artifacts and forgotten knowledge from monster-infested ruins. Our heroes will need to gather a team of talented allies and master the art of arcane combat if they want to stop the return of the disaster that befell those ancient people.

The current demo has about half an hour of content across four distinct levels, with 5+ weapons to try out and a variety of other gear, an arena mode, and other goodness. We're looking for honest feedback about what's fun and what isn't. We plan for the whole adventure to be playable in four player couch co-op with full controller support, including simultaneous inventory menuing! If you like what you see, you can follow us on Twitter (@AnOwlInAHat) and Itch.io for updates, or join our community on Discord.