Have you ever heard of The Lord of the Rings? Of course you have. Between the books, movies and video games, The Lord of the Rings is one of the most recognizable franchises in the world, inspiring countless other fantasy stories. But have you heard of the ancient tale that inspired The Lord of the Rings?

The Nibelungen Saga is an ancient legend said to be thousands of years old, first created during prehistoric times in Northern Europe, and passed on from generation to generation through the ages. The Nibelungen Saga has inspired many storytellers and artists over the years, and the Games Foundation has made it their goal to bring The Nibelungen Saga to light, by turning the epic into a video game.

The story takes place after the death of King Nibelung, leaving his daughter Gudrun to inherit his throne and a vast treasure, which pays for the army that keeps her kingdom secure. But the treasure attracts the monster Fafnir, who wrecks havoc on the lands of the Nibelungen tribe, steals the treasure, and in leaving the tribe vulnerable, incites invaders along the eastern borders to take advantage of the queen's weakness.

Trusting the son of her father's trusted ally, Gudrun sends her most trusted and loyal warrior, Sigvard from the tribe of Volsungs, to defeat Fafnir and reclaim the gold. Known for his strength and cunning, Sigvard still looks to restore his father's powerful sword, Gram, to its former glory, by visiting the famous blacksmith Weyland, and seeks the magical ring Andvaranaut, which can alter his appearance and make him invisible. Only with these items, and the help of his friend Gunnar and Gudrun's cousin Hagen, can Sigvard hope to save the kingdom of Nibelungen from destruction.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gus/nibelungen-saga/widget/video.html

The Nibelungen Saga will let you play as both Sigvard, the legendary warrior, and in some parts Gudrun, the young queen. The game is described as a "fighting adventure game" that lets you explore a vast world and fight with a fast, "elegant" battle system that allows you to attack at different angles, parry blows, balance precision and timing, and dissect the limbs off of enemies and monsters.

The game will feature different enemy and monster types based off of Norse mythology, with players needs to learn special Tactics to overcome them. Players will also unlock new weapons, armor, combos and ranged attacks to become more formidable.

The game will also have a physics system that allows you to interact with your environment, like pushing objects around, dropping objects on your enemies, kicking enemies into things, and puzzles that must be overcome to continue your adventure. Players will also be encouraged to talk to everyone they meet, to learn more about the surrounding and get clues to puzzles. There are also special drinks and potions that will give players boosts when in the middle of danger.

To travel, players will board their Longship and travel around the world, needing to avoid perilous reefs and icebergs. If the project gets enough funding, the team would also like to add an open-world mode where players can explore freely with their own customizable viking character.

NIBELUNGEN SAGA - Official Trailer (2013) from Gustaf Stechmann on Vimeo.

www.nibelungensaga.com

The Games Foundation is an independent production company that helps talented indie developers and other gaming start-ups get funded for their projects, coaching them during developments, taking care of publishing and marketing, and providing services such as localization and testing. The Nibelungen Saga is being developed along with Herolore Entertainment, a small indie team. The Nibelungen Saga is the first title that they will make without a publisher.

The Nibelungen Saga has been inspired by several games during the process of development, the most prevalent being Rune: Viking Warlord and the God of War series. The Nibelungen Saga will be released DRM-free to project backers on PC, Mac and Linux platforms as a digital download, with stretch goals that, if accomplished, will also get the game released on iOS platforms, the Ouya, GameStick, Oculus Rift, PS4 and Xbox One.

You can support The Nibelungen Saga by visiting its Kickstarter Campaign Page, the The Nibelungen Saga website, or the The Nibelungen Saga Facebook page.The project is currently just a little over $2000 out of its $60,000 goal, with 56 days to go, ending on November 8th later this year.