Norweigan developer SnowCastle Games is working on one of my most anticipated titles for Wii U, though the game is scheduled for a Q4 2014 release date. In a recent interview, studio co-founder Bendik Stang has stated that he and his team are hoping to pursue a number of options that currently aren’t possible within the Nintendo eShop.
“At PAX Prime a few weeks ago, we met with Mr. Adelman again, and talked about our need for some extended eShop features. We would like a lot of stuff that the eShop currently does not support; like public beta testing and an in-game shop for the DLCs. He told me that they wanted to accommodate our needs, but it would take some time to get all the features in. So hopefully by the time we are ready with FoM, those features will be added to the eShop.
The idea of public beta for the game is an interesting one, as the developers are currently offering a sign up for beta for the PC/Mac/Linux versions of the game. Betas have been conducted before on Microsoft and Sony consoles, so seeing this included as a possibility for Wii U games in the future is a good one.
If you’re unfamiliar with Festival of Magic, it is an eastern-style RPG with decidedly Western-based art designs, which is something the Nordic studio wants to achieve. Players take on the role of Amon along with his side-kick Gnart and travel the land of Umbra discovering new things along the way. The game has an interesting aspect where you grow your ammo and catch and train your own monsters similar to Pokemon or Ni No Kuni. You can check out some of the early shots of the game below.