Basilisk Games News Archive. Press "back" on your browser window to return to the previous page. Beware of the undead!

November 17, 2007 - RPGWatch First Impressions!
Brian 'Dhruin' Turner of RPGWatch fame has posted his impressions of Eschalon: Book I after a week of playing around with a pre-release copy. Here's a small clip from his article:

"The first thing that strikes you is the production values – this is a beautifully crafted game that doesn’t just set a new benchmark for indie CRPGs, it would be perfectly at home on retail shelves if it wasn’t for the fact that 2D games have been long abandoned."

Get over to RPGWatch and check out the whole article!

Direct Link: http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=70&ref=0&id=126

November 7, 2007 - Purchase page updated
The Purchase page has been updated with pricing information as well as tentative information on what extras we will put on the CD version.

November 5, 2007 - Eschalon: Book I Release Date Set !
The official release date for the Windows version is November 19, 2007. The beta test has gone very well and the testers have done a great job of finding bugs and offering balance suggestions. We've fixed all the concerns raised in the previous builds and we are currently doing a final run through on the Release Candidate. As long as no major flaws are discovered (which is highly unlikely) we will have the game ready to download on November 19th!

October 8, 2007 - Beta testing application period ends
We have ended the beta test application period and want to truly thank everyone one who applied! The response was literally overwhelming and we now have several hundred applications to sift through to find just a dozen people to help us.

It may be up to a week before we send out the first group of notification emails to the selected testers. Watch your inbox!

October 1, 2007 - BETA TESTERS NEEDED!
We've reached the point where we need to bring in a few people to help us test the Windows version of Eschalon: Book I. We have posted an application that you must fill out to be considered for the beta test. More information about the test can be found on the application page.

Direct Link: http://basiliskgames.com/betatester.htm

September 11, 2007 - Tiny Update
We just wanted to give a tiny update to those of you who stop by regularly looking for news. The first beta release is in the hands of our internal test crew and it's getting torn to shreds as you read this. Actually, they are giving great feedback and the game looks as if it is wrapping up nicely.

Barring any huge problems, we will finally post some information on the semi-public beta test before the end of September. We'll be looking for a dozen people to run through the game and help us get it ready for everyone else. Stay tuned.

July 31, 2007 - Additional trailer links
The response to the "teaser" trailer has been incredible! Thanks go out again to GameBanshee for hosting the video and promoting it for us.

Since it was released, a number of people have emailed to tell us it's been posted in several other locations. If you've had trouble viewing the trailer, try one of these alternate streaming links or download it directly to your computer.

Streaming: YouTube GameTrailers Downloadable: StrategyInformer GameBanshee

July 30, 2007 - Basilisk Games newsfeed now available
For those of you who want to keep up with our news but are too busy to check our website every day, we've now added an RSS newsfeed! Just click the RSS button above to subscribe. Yeah, we know this should have been done a year ago... but better late than never, right?

July 23, 2007 - Eschalon: Book I Trailer Released!
GameBanshee is hosting the premiere of our video trailer for Eschalon: Book I. Get over there and check out!

June 20, 2007 - GameBanshee Interview
GameBanshee has just posted their interview with us regarding, what else, Eschalon: Book I. There is a new screenshot included with the article so pop over and check it out!

Direct Link: http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/eschalonbooki1.php

June 14, 2007 - An independent observation
An independent observation: one lucky forum member who has been following our progress from the start was recently invited to a "look and feel" test of the demo for Eschalon: Book I to give us his opinions. This allowed us to see how a member of our target audience felt about the game at this stage of development. Want to know what he had to say about it? Read his post here.

Direct Link: http://www.basiliskgames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=331

April 10, 2007 - Creatures within
Want to know a little more about the creatures you see in the screenshots or may have read about in a previous interview? Follow the link below and read up on the names and a brief description of just a few of the many creatures you will encounter on your journey across the world of Eschalon. Consider it a mini survival guide.

Direct link: http://www.basiliskgames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=285

April 3, 2007 - RPGCodex discussion
Somehow we forgot to update our News page with our latest interview! Although this was posted last week, head over to the RPGCodex and read up on the development of Eschalon: Book I as well as three other indie RPG titles (if you haven't already done so).

Direct link: http://www.rpgcodex.com/content.php?id=143

March 23, 2007 - Minimum system specs for Eschalon: Book I
Many people have asked about the minimum system specs to run Eschalon: Book I when the game becomes available. We have been doing some testing on various machines and have come up with some target specs here. We will continue to test and update this information as needed.

Direct link: http://www.basiliskgames.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=118

For those of you who need to hear it every so often: yes, the game is coming along splendid and is looking better every day. We're tempted to throw a release date out but it is still just a little too early!

February 14, 2007 - Mac|Life article
A quick thanks goes out to Mac|Life Magazine for a small blurb about Eschalon that they printed in their March 2007 issue (page 86). Also thanks to Jason Compton of Planewalker Games for kindly pointing the article out to us.

January 18, 2007 - Forums back online!
The forums are back, but the link to the forums has changed (we had to configure the forums in a new directory). Update all links to here. Thanks everyone!

January 17, 2007 - The forums have suffered a critical hit.
It appears our forums may have been sacked! We are trying to figure out what happened and we should have them back online soon.

December 27, 2006
Withingames.net has posted a new interview with us regarding Eschalon: Book I. They also have a new screenshot to go with the interview, which we've added here as well. Read the interview here!

December 13, 2006
Just a small website update to start the new year off fresh. Progress on the game continues unabated. Although we may be quiet for weeks at a time, rest assured we are still working night and day on this project. Mac fans: this past week we did our first test port to MacOS and it was very successful. The game runs great on MacOS X!

Thanks to everyone who has followed our progress throughout 2006 and has contributed to the project through suggestions and donations.

November 11, 2006
After a significant amount of prodding by our visitors, we've posted 3 new screenshots of Eschalon: Book I. For this round of screenshots, we've focused on the game's updated interface.

The state of the game continues to be: looking good and coming along nicely! We've still got a bit of content to create, lots of play balancing to be done, and polish to be applied. At this point it's unlikely that we'll make a 2006 release, but we're getting so much closer! For more information on the game and small updates that don't always get posted here on the front page, please check out the forums.

October 10, 2006
RPG Vault invited Basilisk Games to participate in their feature called RPG Roundtable where we got to throw our opinion into the mix as to why we think RPGs aren't made today like they used to be. Our response was posted today in Part 2. A very special thanks goes out to RPG Vault editor Richard 'Jonric' Aihoshi for the invite. It's an honor to have our opinion included with so many veteran RPG developers.

August 30, 2006
We've started a Q&A thread in the forums which has generated a lot of great questions. If you've been wanting a bit more information about the game, please take a look.

August 9, 2006
The forums are up (in rough, primordial form). Thanks go out to the clever visitors who found the "secret entrance" early and helped test the boards out over the past couple weeks.

August 8, 2006
RPG Vault has just posted their interview with us regarding Eschalon: Book I. There are three new screenshots posted with the interview, so head straight over and take a look at it. We want to send a special thanks out to RPG Vault editor Richard 'Jonric' Aihoshi for giving us this coverage.

June 21, 2006
Brand new screenshots for Eschalon: Book I have just been posted! These screenshots have completely replaced the previous ones because so much has changed that the old screenshots were simply not an accurate representation of the game anymore. Please note that even these new screenshots might evolve a bit more before release (hey, what can we say...we're perfectionists). Some of the information about the game has been updated as well.

The State of the Game and The Release Date: We get tons of email asking "how's the game coming?" and "when are you releasing it?". Here's what we can tell you: Book I is progressing very, very nicely. The "To Do" list gets smaller on a daily basis...well, on some days the list actually gets longer, but that's what making a game is all about. Overall though, we are extremely excited with how the game looks and plays at this point.

Unfortunately, we still have a considerable number of things to do, including testing and play balancing, before we can call the game finished. There's also all the great suggestions that you hardcore RPG fans have been sending in to us...we really do consider all your ideas and try to implement any that will help bring Eschalon closer to feeling like a classic CRPG.

So what does all this mean? Well, after a lengthy review of the state of the game, we've determined that despite our best efforts we are not going to be able to meet our previously posted "summer" release date. It is also impossible to accurately determine when we will be finished with it, so we have decided not to toss out another release date until we know we can adhere to it. Don't panic! This is not some major delay for the game; simply put, we are not going to be done with it when we thought we would and we need a little more time. We promise to keep everyone informed on the game's development so that you'll know the release date as soon as we know the release date. The best way to stay in the loop is to check in with us regularly.

What's to come: We're thinking about putting together a FAQ, so if you have any questions about the game, our studio, or indie game development in general, send 'em in! Also, you can expect more screenshots to be posted throughout the summer. The next round of screenies will show off some more of the interface such as the NPC dialog window, the alchemy mixer window, etc.

April 20, 2006
The people demand an update! Sorry for being so quiet lately, but don't you worry: the game is still in full production mode. Lately we've been improving the tools (the map editor and script engine) used to make the game maps, and before that a new lighting engine went in that not only looks nice but is used to determine ToHit and Hide In Shadows abilities based on how well you can see your enemy and vice-versa. Okay, we admit, some time has been spent playing Oblivion as well, but we swear it's for research purposes only. Anyways, expect a big Eschalon update sometime in May and thanks to everybody who stops by regularly just to check in.

March 16, 2006
Ukrainian game magazine Gamplay has written a preview article about Eschalon: Book I in their April 2006 issue. We have just seen the article which looks very nice (thanks Sergey!) but we have no idea what it says because it is written in - you guessed it - Ukrainian. If Gameplay magazine is sold in your country (I can't find it anywhere in the US) pick up a copy and let us know what it says!

March 9, 2006
No news is good news! Book I is progressing very nicely and we'll have a big update in a few weeks with new screenshots and updated game information. Stay tuned!

February 13, 2006
RPGDot has just posted their interview with us. Stop by and check it out!

Also, many people have inquired about beta testing and the spring release date. To be honest, the spring release date was set almost a year ago and has never been reevaluated. Unfortunately, based on our current status, it will most likely become a Summer 2006 release date with the Mac version appearing a few months after that. We're sorry! As gamers ourselves we know this news sucks, but there is no way we're releasing the game until it's properly ready to go.

As for beta testing: yes! Check back often because later this spring we will post a link to sign up for beta test spots.

February 5, 2006
RPG Codex recently posted their interview with us regarding Eschalon: Book 1. If you've been wanting more information on the game, head over and give it a read.

January 21, 2006
It's very important to us to always recognize websites that have given us coverage, so we want to say thanks to Inside Mac Games and GameBanshee for mentioning us on their sites!

January 16, 2006
Okay, okay!  We have just posted 3 new screenshots Eschalon: Book I. These are still considered "early alpha" so don't be surprised if things change a bit before the game is ready for release. Head over to the Games section to see them. Also, special thanks to RPGDot and RPGCodex for the coverage they've given us.

December 5, 2005
Head directly to our Games section!  We have updated the page with information on Eschalon: Book I. The game is currently in "alpha stage" and features are still being added weekly. We will be updating the features list and adding screenshots regularly to reflect these changes.

November 11, 2005
Many people have asked for more information on our first title "Eschalon: Book I". Unfortunately, we can't give any more details until the project is officially announced. Our planned November Press Release has been rescheduled for early December due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday (for us American blokes). We have a ton of great things in the works...check back very soon!

October 1, 2005
Welcome to our website!  We are feverishly working on our first title which will be announced this November and released early 2006. A huge demo will be available the day of release.

Check back often as our website grows...announcements, screenshots, and giveaways coming soon.  Free stuff rules.

"Brains!"