14 DAY TRIAL // After re-acquiring the rights to Children of the Nile and bringing the game to Steam, with a slew of enhancements and fixes, developer Tilted Mill is now saying that it is preparing to launch a new title, called Hinterland. The game is billed by the company as being a "fantasy strategy sim RPG," and will see a release later in the summer for the PC.
The player will take on the role of the leader of one village which is "populated by simple townsfolk struggling to survive and prosper in the wild back country of a medieval fantasy world," as Tilted Mill puts it. The sim part of the game will see players create adventurer parties and venture out into the wilderness to conquer foes, destroy monsters, collect treasures, weapons and magic items. The village can only survive if it is supplied with raw materials and with food, but it can also provide more offensive power to the player once it is fully developed.
Hinterland will also feature "tactical party-based combat and role-playing, where every split-second decision matters, as well as the strategic planning, building and 'life simulation' gameplay our team is known for."
The game sounds a bit like the old title Majesty, which also made you the leader of a medieval fantasy kingdom, the only difference being that the latter game did not put you in charge of your heroes and of their adventuring parties. Tilted Mill has a long experience in creating city builders, but little to none in creating adventures and combat scenarios, which seem to bear a strong role playing influence.
A spokesperson for Tilted Mill also said that "Hinterland is about ordinary people struggling to overcome their hostile and mysterious environment and building a better life for themselves in a world of fantasy and folklore. There are no mighty armies clashing here, just small parties of three or four adventurers, with you at their head, where acquiring your first real sword is a big deal!"