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[retroguy]

Support the CelesSteel franchises development on Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/retroguy

Hello gamers, we at Retrolution Games are proud to announce our very first project, 'CelesSteel', an old school side scrolling beat 'em up/hack and slash coded in Unity, intended for a PC release via Steam.

Styled in a similar vein to 80s action cartoons such as He-Man, Thundercats and Galaxy Rangers, the game centres around the order of CelesSteel, a group of heroes chosen by the star gods following an apocalypic catastrophe, to save the dying world of Gaiamor. Lead by the valiant knight Varendor and the enigmatic android MIERA, the CeleSteel will battle across desolate deserts, decaying toxic wastes and crumbling city streets through 9 thrilling levels of relentless action, taking on marauding punks, mutants and hideous monsters, as they strive to drive back the forces of darkness threatening the last vestiges of humanity.

Featuring a full 12 playable characters (more details to come) based upon the Western Zodiac, each possesses a wide selection of moves including combos, special moves, grapples and supers, and covers playstyles ranging from the lightning fast but fragile martial arts twins Jem and Eli, to the slow movement but crushing power of the heavily armoured giant Mamagi.

The game is currently in the early stages of development, but we aim to release regular updates and further information as we progress, building toward our Kickstarter campaign later this year. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these images, and feedback is appreciated - let us know what you think!!

[retroguy]

Many early 90s era games are fondly remembered for having great music, such as those produced by Yuzo Koshiro for the SOR and Shinobi series, and we've tried for a similarly emotive style with CelesSteels soundtrack, such as this piece from the Scrapyard stage, where here we see MIERA and Professor Jento taking on a trio of cyborgs. Feedback and comments welcome.

Scrapyard Music 'Junk Rock'

[eyeliner]

Nice art, looking forward to see it in motion.

[GarBenjamin]

Looks great. Definitely reminds me of something from the Genesis or arcades of the era. Great to see people making this kind of stuff the AAAs abandoned long ago.

[retroguy]

Looks great. Definitely reminds me of something from the Genesis or arcades of the era. Great to see people making this kind of stuff the AAAs abandoned long ago.

Thankyou, it's always pleasing to hear people comment on the games throwback feel as that's precisely what we're going for in terms of looks, sound and overall feel, ultimately we want people to play this game and think 'Is this based on some old cartoon? It seems kinda familiar...?'

[Think Inside The Box]

Heck yeah, I miss the good ol' side-scrolling beat 'em ups since there aren't that many good ones today. Streets of Rage and TMNT The Hyperstone Heist were one of my faves on Genesis. This one looks really good, something i would've enjoyed playing on SEGA when i was a kid. Good job looking forward for more updates.

[retroguy]

Updated with a few more samples of the games soundtrack. As always, feedback and comments are welcome.



Waterway Theme: https://soundcloud.com/luke-garner/water



Carcass City Theme: https://soundcloud.com/luke-garner/the-city



Boss Theme: https://soundcloud.com/luke-garner/the-boss

[retroguy]

Hello once more gamers, Retrolution Games are very excited to announce the games storyline, and begin revealing the cast of CelesSteel!

We'll be introducing one new character each week, so please check back from time to time (please note that these HD sprites are promotional, and do not represent the finished look of the game).

Introduction

For the past century, Gaiamor had been a peaceful world. The many struggles conflicts of the past had long since disappeared into the mists of time, and become legend.

This was until the breakout of a violent and bloody civil war in the ancient kingdom of Ra'Shah. Attracting the attentions of the billionaire tycoon Mandredd Stanning, his arms company, SCR (Stanning Conflict Resolution) began supplying both sides with the deadliest of weapons. As the conflict continued to escalate, the SCR revealed their ultimate creation, the Hexx Apocalos, a nightmarish warhead created through the darkest of science and evil sorcery.

The weapon brought death and destruction to Gaiamor on an unprecendented scale, not only was Ra'Shah utterly destroyed by the blast, the fallout spread across all of Gaiamor, carrying with it a deadly plague, those who were not killed immediately upon coming into contact with it were transformed into ravening mutants and zombies.

The survivors fled the cities into the wilderness, forming into smaller communities banding together for survival, whilst the most violent and savage of them gathered into war bands and fought back, retaking control of some of the smaller cities before raiding and pillaging the other survivor communities around them. Gaiamor was reduced to a desolate wasteland, ruled by fear, violence and despair.

But all was not lost. Humanities cry for help was answered by the ancient star gods, benevolent celestial entities born of the Universes light. Turning their attentions to Gaiamor, the gods selected their champions from the remnants of humankind, blessing these individuals with superhuman powers, and tasking them to find each other and form the order of CelesSteel, humanities last hope against the encroaching darkness.

Varendor



Formerly Prime Minister of the country of Albrynn, Varendor was greatly respected for his intelligent and dedicated leadership amongst an increasingly corrupt government. He had long been concerned by rumours of SCRs unethical practices, until one day he was delivered a dossier exposing the true, evil nature of the corporation. When Varendor attempted to go public with this information and bring Mandredd Stanning to justice, he became the victim of an assassination attempt, and was laid comatose in hospital when the Hexx Apocalos was launched.

Visited by the star gods in a dream, they warned Varendor that Gaiamor was under threat from a greater evil than anyone could possibly have imagined, and humankind would need every ounce of his leadership to see them through, but he would not be alone - he would have allies who would be similarly chosen, to support him in this seemingly impossible endeavour.

Varendor awoke to find the hospital dilapidated and abandoned. Stood at the bottom of his bed was a magificent set of shining golden armour, emblazoned with the face of a Lion upon it's breast, held in it's hands was the mighty two handed sword Leoncouer. Donning the armour, Varendor swore that he would do everything in his power to save Gaiamor.

[retroguy]

This week, we introduce the CelesSteels strongman and dedicated grappler, the mighty Brawnos!



The Monument of Masculinity, the Ownage of Testosteronage, the Abdominal Showman, the Molasses of kickin' Asses, the Chief of the Beef, BRAWNOS!!!'

Formerly a pro-wrestling superstar, Brawnos was one of Rumblezone Wrestlings (RZW) top heels, the arrogant, chest beating macho man everyone loved to hate! However, away from the camera, Brawnos was known for his big hearted, gregarious nature and tireless charity work, and he was highly respected by the fans.

After having recently made a triumphant return from injury, Brawnos faced off against his long time friend and rival, Steamtrain, before the packed 'Testosterodome' Arena, in a much anticipated match for the RZW Heavyweight Title. As the bell rang, the lighting suddenly shorted out, and the entire arena was plunged into darkness. Unbeknownst to those inside, a freak storm had spread the fallout cloud from the Hexx Apocalos faster than anyone could have imagined, the entire city surrounding the arena had been engulfed, and the streets were reduced to chaos, as police and security forces were utterly overwhelmed by the rapidly spreading undead plague. As foul monsters poured into the arena through every entrance, the screaming, terrified crowd surged in a desperate attempt to escape as total panic took hold. Brawnos and Steamtrain leapt in amongst the fans and attempted to protect them from the swarming undead, but even their combined strength made little difference, Brawnos was helpless as his friend was dragged into the heaving press of bodies. Eventually the screams of the frightened and dying fell silent, and Brawnos found himself the only person still alive in the arena, fighting alone, slamming and shattering zombies left and right, refusing to give up even as hopeless odds began to overwhelm him.

This show of unyielding bravery and utter stubbornness impressed the Star God Aldebaran, who teleported Brawnos away just as he was engulfed by the rotting horde. Utterly confused, Brawnos demanded answers, and lamented that for all his strength, he had not been to save his friend or his fans. Aldebaran told Brawnos of the CelesSteel, and that he had chosen him as his representative, his champion amongst the order, and if Brawnos truly wanted to fight for those who believe in him, and show the world just who he is, then now was his opportunity. His already prodigious strength further augmented by the powers of the mighty Bull Helm Aldebaran placed upon his head, Brawnos was sent back to Gaiamor. Standing alone amongst the ruins of the Testosterodome, he picked up a crushed microphone, and roared his challenge into the wasteland

'Come on darkness! You want this world?!! You wanna challenge BRAWNOS?!!! Bring it!!! YOU MESSED WITH THE BULL, NOW YOU'RE GONNA GET THE HORNS!!!'

[Tuba]

Looks like some lost arcade game from 1995.

Great job

[retroguy]

Looks like some lost arcade game from 1995.

Great job

We hear that a lot, and it's always pleasing to see how many people 'get' this project, thankyou!

[retroguy]

The plot thickens as this week we meet the android MIERA, CelesSteels second in command...



Despite the peace Gaiamor had enjoyed for the past 100 years, Varendor knew that it would not last. Whilst there had been no major war for the past century, many smaller conflicts continued to flare across the world and were gradually escalating, helped in no small part by the SCR, whose growing network of fear and manipulation was playing an increasingly large role in the global landscape.

Sensing the danger, Varendor contracted Albrynns leading technology development company, Choir, to create a revolutionary AI program, which could one day change the world. They named the program JUSTICE, an entirely maths based, objective judiciary system into which would be compiled all of humanities data and knowledge on psychology, philosophy, morality, science and law to form an ultimate, unbiased authority on peace keeping and government for all of Gaiamor. Leading the development team was the eccentric Dr Miera, a brilliant professor of computer science. Preliminary tests were highly promising,  it appeared that JUSTICE may indeed prove a vital tool in ensuring a lasting peace on Gaiamor as Choir raced against time, hoping to save Ra'Shah.

But they were too late. Following the usage of the Hex Apocalos, Choir was devastated and most of it's staff killed when the fallout cloud reached Albrynn. Miera isolated herself in the facility and continued to work tirelessly on JUSTICE; it had originally been created with the intention of harmonising humanity, and now they needed its council more than ever. One night, Miera was continuing her relentless efforts to complete the program, when suddenly it was attacked by a virus the likes of which she had never seen before. Effortlessly passing through and disabling Choirs cutting edge security systems, the virus began ravaging JUSTICE. As Miera attempted to manually shut down the system and prevent any further damage to the precious program, the virus released an EMP which drove Choirs systems haywire, triggering an explosion and setting the whole facility ablaze, and Miera found herself trapped as smoke flooded the building and the flames crept closer. With no other escape options, she took a desperate measure, and uploaded her consciousness into Choirs main server as the blaze consumed the building, along with her physical body. Trapped within the program, and at the mercy of the virus, Miera's cry for help was answered by the star goddess Zuben Elgenubi, who entered the program and took control.

The goddess told Miera that the virus was of supernatural, demonic origin, and though she could not determine it's source, she identified it as an avatar of chaos and antithesis of the order within JUSTICE. It's power was such that even the goddess could not banish it from the system, however, she could provide Miera with the means to control it. Zuben presented her champion with the Scales of Justice, an ancient artefact capable of manipulating and balancing the very energies of the universe, and the Sword of Truth. Finally, with her physical form destroyed, Miera would need a new body... Zuben presented her with a towering, ethereal replacement, a mechanical statue created in Dr Miera's own likeness. Combining her own consciousness with JUSTICE, she became MIERA (Merciful Intelligent Empathetic Resolute Android), and would seek out the other members of CelesSteel, that she might guide them with her precise and logical council in the coming struggle.

[retroguy]

This week, the lovely Matisya (reluctantly) enters the fray...



Throughout Gaiamorian history, man and beast have been inextricably linked through both the light and dark energies of the universe. Many tales abound of strange beings sharing ethereal bonds with the wild, able to empathise and communicate with animals as though they were so themselves.

Matisya is one of these beings.

Born to marine biologist parents, and growing up on the beaches of Western Gaiamor, Matisya spent much of her childhood playing in the sea with her animal friends, or rescuing and nursing sick and injured creatures back to health. Moving into adulthood, she followed her parents into the field of marine biology, her exceptional swimming ability and natural affinity for the sea and its creatures allowing her to study and document them as never before.

This was until the day when an injured dolphin washed up on the beach near Matisyas home. Unable to save it, Matisya placed her hand on it's face as tears filled her eyes, when suddenly she heard the dolphins voice in her head...it spoke of poachers trapping and killing all manner of creatures far off shore, its entire pod had been slaughtered, and it had been shot and left for dead as it attempted to flee. Seeking answers, Matisya and her parents boarded their ship and headed out to sea with their research team to confront whoever was responsible.

They were not prepared for what they encountered. An imposing SCR vessel sat in the centre of a pool of blood, the dead bodies of countless sea creatures floating in the water around it. Recoiling in horror, Matisyas father ordered the team to film the scene, and he demanded that the vessel allow him aboard immediately.

The SCR responded with force. Both Matisyas parents and their entire team where slaughtered,  heavy gunfire ripping the research ship to pieces as she fled for her life below deck, sobbing tears of despair and terror. The SCR soldiers boarded and trapped her in the hull, and they levelled their guns on her...

Suddenly, there was a series of loud THUNKs! as a storm of arrows pierced the soldiers vital organs, standing behind them was an Albrynnian special agent, who quickly introduced herself as Shuwahan. As Matisya followed her saviour back to the deck, they met with Shuwahans ally - it was Professor Jento, a long time friend of Matisya and her parents. The Professor and Shuwahan fought back against the soldiers and eventually overcame them, but not before their wounded captain had triggered the SCR vessels self destruct mechanism, determined to leave no witnesses - the trio narrowly escaped on Jentos Hydroglider as the blast engulfed both ships.

Determined to avenge her parents and bring Mandredd Stanning to justice, a heartbroken Matisya joined forces with Shuwahan and the Professor, operating as HQ for their covert raids on the evil corporation, gathering incriminating evidence whilst simultaneously causing the company massive damage and financial losses, much to Mandredd Stannings rage. When they finally had obtained all the proof they needed, the three personally delivered the dossier to Prime Minister Varendor, seeking his help directly in taking down the SCR. Following Varendors attempted assassination however, the trio were framed as terrorists - they were forced to split up and go into hiding, powerless to act as the SCR drove the world into ruin.

All alone now in a devastated wasteland and without her friends, Matisya sat sobbing, she had failed her parents, the animals, and all of Gaiamor, she cursed her lack of strength and courage. This drew to her the star goddess Alrisha, a gentle, loving deity moved by Matisyas suffering.  Offering Matisya the strength she longed for, the goddess placed the knowledge of mastery over multiple martial arts into her mind, as well as giving her a shining pair of razor sharp Kukri knives to further this new knowledge, the courage however, Matisya would have to find herself...

Donning the prototype 'Jet Tech' diving suit Professor Jento had built for her, which she'd never been brave enough to wear until now, Matisya prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead - her fear was strong, but somehow, with Alrishas help, she would prove her heart stronger!

[retroguy]

From beneath the deserts of Ra'Shah, rises the cunning and lethal Zakhadar...



A member of the Dehk tribe in Ra'Shah, Zakhadars life was turned upside down with the coming of the civil war. A journalist by trade, he operated as a field correspondent along with his wife, Raya, reporting from the thick of the fighting in order to reveal the fear and suffering both sides were inflicting upon one another, hoping that showing the true horror of war might help end the conflict as swiftly and peacefully as possible.

This was until the terrorist group Shek'Rahn became involved. Lead by the infamous Ba'Thosh 'The Butcher', they set about ravaging the Dehk, striking at them with one vicious, insane act of evil after another, women and children being particularly favoured targets of the group. It was when Zakhadar was reporting from a refugee hospital with Raya, that Shek'Rahn struck once more.

The terrorists released a poison gas attack on the hospital. Zak and Raya desperately tried to usher the sick and dying away from the cloud, but to no avail, people asphyxiating and dropping dead around them even as they attempted to drag them to safety. Eventually the pair themselves were overwhelmed by the gas, collapsing to the ground.
.
Against all odds, somehow Zak survived. Groggily regaining consciousness, he was greeted by a vision of horror, the dead were piled all around him where they had fallen in a desperate attempt to escape, lifeless eyes of the innocent staring emptily at him. Zak crawled over to Rayas body and held her in his arms, letting out a scream of anguish before falling unconscious once more.

When Zak next awoke, he found himself secured to an operating table. Dehki special forces had found him the only survivor of the attack and transferred him to the research facility, where they had discovered that Zaks body had somehow assimilated the poison gas, and mutated. Catching sight of himself in a metal panel, Zak was horrified by what he had become, prominent veins beneath his skin glowing with corrosive green ichor, his eyes had become burning red pits of fury, centred with glowing irises of baleful malevolence. As Zak cried in rage, the special forces supplied him with files on every known member of Shek'Rahn, and tattooed his face with the black scorpion, an ancient Dehki symbol of vengeance, before releasing their new weapon upon the terrorists.

Soon, word began to spread of a terrible demon hunting down and killing members of Shek'Rahn, Zakhadar unleashing his own brand of psychological warfare upon them. As bodies of multiple high ranking leaders were found, each more mangled, mutilated and tortured than the last, the terrorist attacks against the Dehki were brought to a complete halt as Shek'Rahn fled, believing they had somehow awakened an ancient curse. But Zakhadar would not relent, he pursued them into the depths of the Ra'Sharian desert, ripping apart every camp and settlement he could find, before eventually cornering Ba'Thosh in a mountain cave. The pair clashed in a vicious, brutal battle, with Zakhadar eventually taking the upper hand and crippling the madman, before injecting him with a sample of his own, acidic blood, and leaving him to die slowly.

Zakhadar didn't even care when he saw the Hexx Apocalos roaring through the sky, the war had scarred his mind and heart so deeply...he wandered the scorching desert alone, awaiting his fate. Then one night, he saw a star shining in the sky, brighter than any he had ever seen before. Speaking to whatever flicker of light remained in Zakhadars soul, he followed the star, before the sand gave way beneath him, and he fell.

He landed in a long forgotten shrine, belonging to the darkest and most mysterious of the star gods, Antares. Antares told Zakhadar that he had been watching with great interest, and had been impressed by Zaks sheer ruthlessness in destroying Shek'Rahn, but the true enemy was still out there. Zakhadar was uninterested however, he was dead inside, he had lost his wife and become a monster, there was nothing left to fight for. Aldebaran told him that he was wrong, the second chance Zak secretly longed for was still possible, but first he must find a way back from the dark path he was travelling. Zak was gifted with a suit of chitinous insectoid armour topped with a monstrous, menacing stinger, that would better able him to control the acidity level of his blood, and utilise it as a deadly weapon in the coming battle. Told that his destiny lay with the CelesSteel, Zakhadar set forth from the desert to find both the others, and perhaps even salvation...

[loempiavreter]

Is the project still active? This looks awesome as f***. Is there an official website?

[retroguy]

Is the project still active? This looks awesome as f***. Is there an official website?

Thankyou for your enthusiasm, and yes, the project is still well underway, but has had to slow these past few months due to other team commitments.

We're hoping to have a few more announcements regarding the project this year, including a tie in comic, stay tuned!

[retroguy]

Update, the game is still developing steadily, but we're taking out time with it, CelesSteel is intended to be more than just an indy title, we're approaching this to try and introduce an entirely new franchise into the gaming world, and building it all steadily toward this goal, hence the lack of any footage up to this point - we want everything to be tight and ready before we make our proper reveal of the game. The comic is due to be released later this year to better introduce the characters, hence we're continuing to refine the storyline and our writing rather than publishing character backgrounds individually. Bear with us, and we shall continue to move CelesSteel forward...

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these new character designs - the mighty Mamagi, guardian of the CelesSteel, the brilliant Professor Jento, Tregas, the fiery spirited warrior, and the cunning twins, Jem and Eli!



Stay tuned!

[retroguy]

CelesSteel is now on Patreon, please do come along and lend us your support - progress has been slow up to this point due to resource management, but with additional funding, we'll be able to get this project moving along far quicker, so if you're liking the looks of what we have so far, come give us a hand!

https://www.patreon.com/retroguy

[Drasnus]

This looks great, I've played Streets of Rage 2 to death and you definitely captured that lush style (must be all the purple).

[retroguy]

This looks great, I've played Streets of Rage 2 to death and you definitely captured that lush style (must be all the purple).

Thankyou!

We've had a great deal of positive feedback on the characters and visuals, everything was designed to look bright and colourful, and evoke the 80s/90s style we're going for.