The Waylanders (RPG inspired by Dragon Age: Origins)

“The Hercules Tower is the sacred place of Brigantia,” Pardo says. “It’s the centre of magic in the Celtic era.” According to legend, Pardo continues, standing at the top will allow you to see all the way to Ireland – although this is little more than a tall tale. “That tower is still there and still works as a lighthouse,” Pardo says. “It's 2,000 years old.” All of a sudden, a portal is opened up between your screen and Celtic Galicia, as you begin to realize that elements of your world and its are inextricably intertwined.

“In our game, there are six basic classes,” Pardo tells me: "warrior, guardian, explorer, rogue, sorcerer, and healer.” As with traditional RPGs, these six basic archetypes branch out into different styles as the game progresses, eventuating in 30 advanced builds that combine your original class with one of the other five remaining ones.

Love that spans eons

As for your purpose in The Waylanders, “you’ll have to travel through time,” Pardo explains. “You meet your companions in the Celtic era and you have to find their reincarnations in medieval times.” The game’s main story takes place over about 40 hours, but depends on how you choose to play.

But this time travel has an intriguing impact on the world itself. “Maybe you had a girlfriend in the Celtic era,” Pardo says, “and then you meet their reincarnation in medieval times and they’re a man, and you have to decide if you [still] love them.”

Although some of your party members reincarnate, they’ve only got the same souls of your friends from over a millennium ago, Buck explains. “I think it’s important to emphasize that they’re not the exact same person,” she continues. “They hold the same soul, sure, but they’ve had an entirely different life, within a different cultural and social context until the moment you reconnect with them.”

This is what makes the time travel at the heart of The Waylanders such a sublime phenomenon. These reincarnations of fallen friends will have a similar skill set to their Celtic counterparts, and romancing them anew is an option, but you can’t just pick up where you left off with a long-decadent part of their reincarnated soul.

“However, some of your party members and allies are immortal,” Buck explains. “As far as they’re concerned, you just up and vanished, then reappeared more than a thousand years later. What on earth does that do to a relationship? What’ve they been through in the meantime, how have they changed? Are they even happy to see you? Good questions that have been fun to answer.” And when the world of The Waylanders launches in early-mid 2020, you’ll be able to see exactly how these curious situations pan out.

“Romance-wise, players will be able to cultivate one romance through the ages, romance different characters in the two eras... and more,” Buck tells me. “We currently have some characters who prefer to keep things casual, and some who want a serious relationship, as well as some who are openly polyamorous, and some who are not. So, players will have a lot of opportunities to develop an array of interesting romances and friendships throughout the game... or none, if they so choose!”

The Waylanders is scheduled for a Q1 2020 launch, but might be pushed back until summer. “First we’re gonna go on PC,” Pardo tells me. At the moment, the team is a little unsure about when console ports are due to launch, as they’re caught in limbo between the dying days of current gen and the inevitable arrival of next-gen consoles in the near future. Either way, The Waylanders is dropping soon, and it looks as if it’s going to take classic RPG formulas and catapult them into the contemporary zeitgeist.

Despite being only thirty at the start of the game, Amergin is the Master Druid for the court of King Ith. Amergin is bright, inspired, excited about life, and incredibly good at magic. He is known for his charm and his sharp wit. He believes with all his heart that the world is out of balance, and he has devoted himself to becoming part of the solution.