Savior - What We Know So Far

2D open-world action-adventure "Savior" started as a Kickstarter campaign. After the title surpassed its $48,000 funding goal thanks to the contributions of over 2,000 backers, the developers at Portland-based indie studio Starsoft set out to deliver on all they had promised.

In "Savior," you take on the role of Sam, an acrobatic young woman who has lost all of her memories. As she searches for more information about her origins and place in the world, Sam finds herself at the center of a conflict that spans the planet of Arcadia. Caught between two ancient factions, Sam gains new abilities and allies while assisting Arcadia's wearied inhabitants through a combination of combat, parkour, and diplomacy. From quests and collectibles to skill-based encounters and a character-driven narrative, "Savior" includes classic components of the action-adventure genre. Its unique combat and arstyle have already captured the attention of various gaming publications, with VentureBeat describing the latter as "gorgeous."

Though "Savior" is Starsoft's flagship game, campaign backers and prospective players still have cause for optimism. The team behind the title possesses a wealth of experience to draw from and includes industry veterans who have worked for companies like Sierra, LucasArts, and Microsoft. Starsoft even has Dan Adelman to handle the business development side of the operation — a notable advantage, as Adelman spent nearly a decade as the head of Nintendo of America's indie program.

For those who can't wait to learn more about Starsoft's first offering, here's what we've uncovered so far about "Savior."

Starsoft has not committed to a specific release date; however, it offered up a launch window for "Savior" at the Future Games Show Spring Showcase: Winter 2022. While some gamers have grown wary of vague launch targets due to the increasing number of delayed games in 2021, several details suggest Starsoft might just hit its mark.

The "Savior" Kickstarter campaign launched in September 2019 and within two days it reached almost 50% of its funding goal. By early the next month, "Savior" surpassed its target, with 2,509 backers securing three stretch goals — challenge courses, steerable dragon, and combat arena — through $66,691 in pledges. Since the successful funding of the project, Starsoft has supplied a steady stream of monthly updates on Kickstarter, covering topics ranging from locking doors to shrubbery.

Based on a post from April 25, 2021, the developers have made a promising amount of progress. "We're now just a little ways away from having a rough demo build," revealed project and art lead Weston Tracy. "It's almost solid enough for our top-tier backers, but there are still edges that are a little too rough." With the rough demo build in sight, the team has closed in on its first major milestone, which focused on "player animations, items, UI, tools and game-system programming."

Given how far "Savior" has come, you may wonder which platforms you'll have the opportunity to experience it on. While Starsoft has only confirmed PC and Nintendo Switch versions, it has shared plans to bring "Savior" to PlayStation and Xbox, though it's unclear whether it has sets its sights on current or next-gen systems.

Starsoft has released three trailers for "Savior:" an announcement trailer, a Kickstarter trailer, and a developer presentation. The trio ranges in length, providing about a minute to just under three minutes of content.

The developer presentation, which featured as part of the Future Games Show Spring Showcase, offers both the most recent and in-depth audio-visual look at what makes "Savior" so special. Narrated by Tracy, the segment introduces Sam, the planet of Arcadia, and the themes of the central storyline through a series of gameplay snippets. You get a peek at various environments, including a warehouse, subterranean area, and the remnants of a battlefield littered with bodies, before Tracy expands on the title's "battle, evade, or persuade" approach to game design.

Beyond the world and mechanics, the developer presentation provides glimpses of some of the supporting cast in "Savior." The Caretaker, known for his wisdom and beloved by his people, serves as a source of support and guidance. The mysterious Red Witch, who has a reputation for helping the hurt and lost, also has an important role to play. Wisp, an intelligent fox you see accompanying Sam in some of the scenes, appears to be set up as part companion, part guide thanks to his extensive knowledge of the area he calls home.

Reactions to the "Savior" showcase were overwhelmingly positive, with some commenters already naming the game an indie gem.

According to Tracy, the combat system in "Savior" takes inspiration from "Punch-Out!!," the boxing game that released for the NES in 1987. The team wanted to make battles as clean and realistic as possible, giving Sam and some of the NPCs the ability to strike, block, and dodge. Based on the Kickstarter campaign description, you also have to contend with some sort of stamina gauge and perfectly timed blocks let you execute a counter-attack. Most notably, the opponents you encounter all have distinct tells and patterns, which you can memorize and use to your advantage.

While aspects of the movement in "Savior" resemble other action-adventure games, Starsoft is banking on the parkour system to help its project stand out from the crowd. Players can execute a number of movement commands like wall jumps, ledge grabs, dashes, and rolls, allowing them to traverse Arcadia with "a unique and satisfying fluidity" reflected through special animations. Given the open-world setting, this could make exploration and revisiting the same areas far less tedious than the approaches used in similar titles.

"Savior" is about more than just fighting and traversal techniques — it wrestles with themes like the pitfalls of organized religion, the power of empathy and finding common ground, and the difficult but crucial process of healing old wounds. You see this on a personal level through Sam's search for identity and lost memories; it's also reflected on a much larger scale through her efforts to resolve the centuries old cold war between the Chosen and the Fallen. As you complete quests and convert NPCs to your cause, Sam's reputation grows, unlocking access to discounts, special equipment, and increasing your influence over the fate of Arcadia.