"The river is a god, and they killed her" [[link]] is a hell of a way to start off a trailer, but that's how things get rolling in the new video for All Will Rise, which despite sounding like some sort of supernatural thriller is in fact a "narrative courtroom deck-builder" about ordinary people holding the wealthy and powerful to account for their actions.
"Conversations are courtroom-style strategic card battles," the Steam page says. "Charm [[link]] and persuade, or intimidate and manipulate. Play cards to influence people’s emotional energies—Hearts, Minds and Guts. Engage their emotions, or exploit their vulnerabilities to make your points. Choose your strategy carefully, potential allies could easily turn into determined enemies."
It won't be a clean fight in the safe, sterile confines of the courtroom, and tough choices will have to be made, with potentially devastating long-term consequences. "Mix with ecoterrorists and godmen, capitalist overlords and construction workers, conspiracy theorists and hacker seeresses. Boost your reputation with the city’s quarreling factions—keep the balance, or let tensions explode."
Your team will have to be carefully managed as well: Be aware of their strengths and weaknesses as you assign them to missions, respect their opinions, and don't push them too hard, lest they burn out.
I'm not generally big on deckbuilders, but the narrative elements of All Will Rise make it immediately attractive: This is clearly a game with something to say, which is a little bit unusual in the realm of videogames. I dig the visual style too, and any game that lets me play this card is worth at least a second look:
All Will Rise is currently up for wishlisting on Steam, and it's also headed to Kickstarter. The crowdfunding campaign hasn't begun yet, but you can sign up to be notified when it's live.
