Unrest (video game)

Unrest is a role-playing video game created by the independent development studio Pyrodactyl Games (based in Jaipur, India). The game is notable for being one of the first commercial RPGs to take place in Ancient India.[2][3] The game was released on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms on July 23, 2014.

Unrest
Box art
Developer(s)Pyrodactyl Games
Publisher(s)Pyrodactyl Games
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
ReleaseJuly 23, 2014[1]
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Unrest is a role-playing video game. It plays in a 2-dimensional perspective, with graphics designed to look hand-drawn. A large portion of the game involves making dialogue choices to influence NPCs and progress the story.[3] NPCs all possess and react based on three values: Friendship, Respect, and Fear.[4][5]

Combat is relatively rare, always avoidable, and very risky. However, playable character death does not result in a Game Over.[6] Instead, the game proceeds to the next chapter, with the previous playable character's death influencing how the story ultimately plays out.

Plot

The game takes place in ancient India in a time of great social upheaval. It also contains some fantasy elements, such as the Naga, a race of snakelike humanoids.

The game's story is divided into eight chapters, with players taking on the role of five different characters, who each have their own back story.[7] The playable characters include a peasant girl who doesn't want to go through her arranged marriage, an elderly priest, the chief of the mercenary guild, and the sole heir of the former royal family who now lives as a street urchin.[5][8]

Development

The developers posted the game on Kickstarter. The campaign started with an initial goal of US$3,000 to finish the game. On the second day of the campaign, the goal had been met. The developers included stretch goals in the campaign which included enhancing the visuals and additional chapters. The campaign ended on June 21, 2013, with Unrest raising $36,251.[1] On August 3, 2020, Arvind Raja Yadav from Pyrodactyl Games released the source code for the game under the MIT License on GitHub.[9]

Reception

Unrest received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[10]

Hardcore Gamer gave it a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "a choice-driven RPG with little combat to speak of that touches on relevant social issues."[18] National Post gave it six out of ten and called it "a bold, powerful, and interesting game. I'm just not sure how much fun it is."[17] Common Sense Media also gave it three stars out of five and said, "There's plenty to admire about this daring, story-driven RPG experience, but it's not quite as accessible or polished as one might have hoped."[16] Paste gave it a similar score of six out of ten and said, "For a game that sets out with intent to include elements rarely embraced in games, Unrest comes across as an underwhelming mixture of a smartly constructed core without any layers to complement it."[19]

References
  1. "Character Trailer + Release Date is now 23 July, 2014". Kickstarter. May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  2. Biswas, Aman (February 23, 2014). "Unrest: An RPG Set in Ancient India". ASidCast. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. Morrison, Angus (May 1, 2014). "Arranged marriages, unconventional characters, strict social systems: this is Indian RPG Unrest". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  4. Tim (May 27, 2013). "Kickstarter Projects: Unrest (Pyrodactyl Games)". Indie Games Plus. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. Sykes, Tom (June 10, 2013). "Unrest: an RPG about uprising and famine on the streets of Ancient India". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  6. Hernandez, Patricia (May 23, 2013). "You Can't Lose In This RPG, Though You'll Likely Travel Someplace New". Kotaku. Gizmodo Media Group. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  7. Doke, Shunal (February 10, 2014). "Careers in Game Development: An Interview with Pyrodactyl Games". IGN India. Fork Media Ltd. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  8. Desai, Sameer (May 24, 2013). "Unrest: Pyrodactyl's new RPG meets Kickstarter funding goal within 24 hours". MCV India. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  9. Raja Yadav, Arvind (4 August 2020). "11 Years of Pyrodactyl". Pyrodactyl Games. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  10. "Unrest for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  11. "Review: Unrest". GamesMaster. Future plc. October 2014. p. 70.
  12. Woolsey, Cameron (July 22, 2014). "Unrest Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  13. "Review: Unrest". Hyper. No. 254. Next Media Pty Ltd. October 2014. p. 50.
  14. Kelly, Andy (August 1, 2014). "Unrest review". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  15. Welhouse, Zach (July 29, 2014). "Unrest - Staff Review". RPGamer. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  16. Sapieha, Chad (2014). "Unrest". Common Sense Media. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  17. Sapieha, Chad (September 1, 2014). "Review – Unrest is a smart but depressing game made for social and political realists". National Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  18. Thew, Geoff (July 21, 2014). "Review: Unrest". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  19. Patel, Ansh (July 23, 2014). "Unrest Review (PC)". Paste. Paste Media Group. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
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