Dungeons of the Amber Griffin Announced

Developed by Frozengem Studio, Dungeons of the Amber Griffin is an upcoming dungeon crawler inspired by the genre's classics and, by the looks of it, Legend of Grimrock. The game is said to be based on Polish folklore, and feature an extensive skill system and over 500 unique items.

The current idea is to release the game in 2023, but according to the official website, the developers intend to bring it to Kickstarter first.

Here's the announcement trailer:

And the game's description:

Get ready for an exciting journey through the world of the Mystical Kashubia. Learn the beliefs of ancient Pomeranians and deal with the monsters that have begun to roam the area. While defeating the monsters, gather information for a bestiary, based on Kashubian stories.

Bestiary

In cooperation with the Museum of Kashubian and Pomeranian Literature and Music in Wejherowo, we have created a Kashubian fantasy world, unique and unprecedented in cRPG games.

Unique character classes

Create a team of four daredevils with various skills useful in combat. Choose character classes such as, e.g. WÒJÔRZ (Warrior), DULAS (Rogue), ŻÉRCA (Priest), KÙTIN (Mage) and decide on their development.

Skill System

As you advance your team, you will decide on the direction of development, which will have a major influence on the combat mechanics. Passive skills will allow you to survive tough fights or enhance base skills such as allowing you to carry more items.

In-Game Items

Collect equipment for your team that will help you survive in the dark fantasy world. Weapons, armor, artifacts, magic scrolls, gold and necessary provisions are all available within the game world. During your journey you will learn a lot of unique items available in Kashubia, such as healing plants, poisonous mushrooms and the Kashubian runic system called Merki.

Magic

As you gain experience in the game, you will unlock new spells in the magic books. You will have battle spells at your disposal to help you fight monsters and demons. Passive spells will protect your team and enhance the effect of magic items.

Map of the World

We have created the world of Magical Kashubia based on real geographic locations. The names of the places come from the Kashubian language, which is an endangered language, but still used by the community living in the region of northern Poland.

NPC

In the world of Magical Kashubia, you will meet many interesting people with whom you will be able to talk, trade and perform smaller or larger tasks. The stories of the inhabitants are strongly supported by the actual beliefs and prejudices of Kashubians.

Real legends

The main plot of the game is related to the figure of a griffin who, according to one of Kashubian legends, hid a huge lump of amber in an unknown place in Kashubia.

Even at the beginning of the 20th century, in Kashubia, there were cases where the corpses of the deceased were dug up and their heads cut off with a special peat shovel. People believed that these were the so-called wieszczi or òpi, who – after death – rose from the grave to kill members of their family.