Features

What is the Graal?

The Graal (or Holy Grail), the subject of myths and legends, can take several forms depending on the tradition: a chalice, a cauldron, or even an emerald. All covet it for its famed magical powers. But what is it really?

In Graal Seeker, you are an adventurer from the fifth century seeking this relic for fame, fortune, or faith. You can also join Arthur's court in his fight against the Saxons and spread justice throughout the land. But is the recent Saxon invasion related to the presence of the Holy Graal on British soil, or is it merely an excuse for territorial conquest?

From Celtic origins to Christian and esoteric texts, the quest for the Graal has inspired seekers for centuries. Graal Seeker provides a truly initiatory and introspective quest that evolves with your choices and experience. So it is the player who makes the story!

Universe

Graal Seeker's universe is inspired by the Matter of Britain, which includes both historical and mythological literature associated with Great Britain, and many other well-known sources. While many stories about the Graal take place in the high middle ages, we choose to go back to the original early middle ages. 

After Roman retreat from Britain, the Britons faced Saxon invasion and Pictish raids. You will have to choose between 12 characters to achieve your quest for the Graal. Your quest may differ depending on the nation you will choose.

The nations

At this time, Britons were the main people living in England. During the Roman occupation, their traditional Celtic culture mingled with their occupiers' and they became Christians. They are struggling to protect their lands after the departure of the Roman army and restore their pagan heritage. They are a proud people with a certain appeal for honor and justice.

The Saxons were first summoned by the Britons as mercenaries to fight against the Pictish incursions. But they quickly began to enjoy the fertile lands of Britannia and now wish to conquer it. The Saxons are a nation of ruthless fighters preoccupied with the future of their people and determined to succeed whatever it takes.

The Picts are a mysterious people living in the north of Great Britain, in an area called Caledonia by the Romans. The Caledonian territory is separated from the rest of the island by Hadrian's Wall. They have never submitted to the Roman army, and they are now taking advantage of the chaos in the Briton territories to enrich themselves by raiding. The Picts are a people with a touch of madness and a love of freedom.

The classes

The knight is an elite warrior who has sworn to protect his people against all threats and help them acquire what is best for them. He is guided by the values of loyalty, courage, and honour. He wields a large number of weapons and he is built for close-combat.

The druid was raised with the mysteries of magic and science. He is the privileged guardian of the faith and the gateway to the gods. 

The bard travels from place to place to spread his knowledge and arts through poems and songs.

The archer is specialized in ranged combat. He handles the bow with great dexterity. As a member of the army, he does what he can to protect his people.

In a time of trouble, peasants take up arms sometimes to protect themselves from raids or to establish an organized thievery.

Gameplay

In Graal Seeker, you must complete three phases one after the other until you find the Graal or die.

The Exploration phase

The exploration phase allows you to choose where to go in a procedurally generated map. Would you rather tread a long, calm road or take a shortcut and face potential obstacles?

For now, it looks like this, but soon there will be roads and rivers! In this map, you can't travel from place to place at will. You have to move to a neighboring position.

Sometimes you will need to visit a specific place after accepting a quest. A quest marker will then be added. You can use your quest log to remind you of the current quests.

As a sign of commitment in your quest for the Holy Graal, your willpower may decrease or increase depending on your route. Be careful, because when your willpower reaches zero, your quest ends. Besides, a willingness to maximum makes it easier to reach the Graal.

The Event/Dialogue phase

Different events happen according to your location (such as castle, village, and forest) and your previous choices. Will the local lord welcome you? If not, how will you react?

You will have to choose between a maximum of 4 choices per event. In a same event, different choices can appear since they are linked to your previous choices, skills, profile, team and inventory. So you will probably be able to bribe a guard if you have enough money, impress a lord if you have Excalibur, or avoid a fight with Saxons if you have a Saxon in your team.

Since choices represent different actions, some icons allow you to quickly understand the action. Here is an overview of the different icons.

Remember that Graal Seeker procedurally generates content! So the same choice could lead to different results! For example, you can see a camp not far away and decide to go there. But it could be bandits or people in need. You never know until you make your decision.

The Combat

And finally, battles will bring fast combat in real-time with a tactical dimension. But be careful not to die, because there is permadeath!

How does the combat work? 

You have a team of 1 to 4 people. Most of the time you have to kill your enemy but sometimes you will have to achieve other objectives such as setting free someone or surviving multiple waves.

All fighters will automatically attack when in range, but you will have the responsibility to move your team and to select their talents. A talent is a skill that can be passive, or it may need to be activated. 

The passive ones can give you some nice advantages through the whole duration of the fight : more damage, shoot arrows farther, etc.

The active talents are handled differently. Some of them can be triggered immediately, others have a charging time before being triggered and can be interrupted by a special talent of the opponent, and some of them have a cooldown timer that prevents them from being used again immediately. During the fight you can select up to 3 talents in the talent queue of your character.

And of course you can cancel a talent anytime you want.

Perks

• Credits : you will have your name in the game's credits depending on the perk you choose. If you want to keep your name private, it's not an issue.
• Silkscreen poster : get an awesome poster (50 x 70 cm printed on ivory paper 250gr) screen printed by Johan Jaccob. Johan Jaccob is a talented screenprinter. He made some poster for Hellfest and the Queens Of The Stone Age. He's also a member of Glowsun, a stoner rock band. Check out the Graal Seeker poster : 

• Silkscreen T-Shirt : get the poster design by Johan Jaccob on a t-shirt! 

• Wood carving : exclusive wooden carved Graal by our director/programmer Ludovic Bas. Take the only Graal! 

• Easter egg : contribute a hidden text in the game. This text may reference another piece of gaming or movie culture. It can be a reference to history or mythology as well. We will include Easter eggs in some events, item names and places names. This must not be illegal, inappropriate or irrelevant. Keep in mind that the team must approve your idea.

• Event idea : an event in the game from your very own idea. This can be any encounter. This must not be illegal, inappropriate or irrelevant. Keep in mind that the team must approve your idea.

• Graal idea : an idea for a quest for the Graal! Help us write your very own story for the Graal! This must not be illegal, inappropriate or irrelevant. Keep in mind that the team must approve your idea.