Do you remember Planescape: Torment? I'm taking your gamer card if you don't. Released right at the turn of the millennium (December the 12th, 1999), it quickly rose to fame as one of the most beloved western RPGs of all times thanks to its extremely deep story and solid writing. It was simply fantastic.

Thanks to inXile Entertainment the Torment franchise is going to come back, and today the studio opened the Kickstarter campaign to get the project funded. Considering that inXile was one of the first studios to demonstrate the value of Kickstarer with Wasteland 2 and the popularity of the Torment name, it's not surprising that the project is doing exceptionally well, fully raising its $900,000 goal in seven hours. At the moment of this writing we're at $900,925 thanks to 16,931 backers.

There's no doubt that Torment: Tides of Numenera is one of the fastest funded Kickstarters project of all times.

As you can probably notice from the title, the setting will move from Planescape to Numenera, created by Monte Cook, one of the three primary writers behind the original game and veteran D&D author, while several other members of the old team will also come back with the blessing of Planescape: Torrent lead designer Chris Avellone.

Here are a few bullet points about the project:

  • Torment is a single-player, isometric role-playing game.
  • You will play a single, specific character, though you will encounter optional NPC companions you may choose to include in your party.
  • The story-driven game will have a rich dialogue system and approach similar to that of Planescape: Torment.
  • The game will be developed in the Unity engine for PC (Windows), Mac, and Linuxplatforms.
  • The game will be available in English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian,Spanish.
  • The game will be distributed DRM-free. (You’ll be able to get it from Steam, and other DRM-free download options will be made available.)
  • A Deep, Thematically Satisfying Story. The philosophical underpinnings ofTorment drive the game, both mechanically and narratively. Your words, choices, and actions will be your primary weapons.
  • A World Unlike Any Other. The game has a fantastic, original setting, with awe-inspiring painterly visuals, imaginative locations, truly offbeat items, and massive feats of magic. In Numenera, however, "magic" is actually something surprisingly different.
  • A Rich, Personal Narrative. The story is thoughtful and character-driven—epic in feel but a deeply personal narrative, with nontraditional characters and companions who have their own motivations and desires that drive them throughout the game.
  • Reactivity, Choice, and Real Consequences. The game emphasizes replayability and reactivity, and your choices will make a real difference. You can play the game with a different approach and discover entirely new pathways. Most important, we won't tell you how to play. The best ending is the one you choose, flowing naturally from your actions throughout the game.
  • Torment is not a sequel to PS:T. It does not continue the stories of PS:T or its characters.
  • Torment is set in Numenera’s Ninth World, a new tabletop RPG setting created by renowned designer Monte Cook (he and Colin wrote much of the material for the Planescape tabletop setting).
  • Torment will use a new rules system that's based on the Numenera system but adapted specifically for a computer RPG.
  • We'll strive to make Torment's combat system and encounters an engaging and entertaining part of the gameplay. We'll connect them narratively to the overall story. And, continuing the Torment tradition, we'll make most if not all combat avoidable.

It's hard not to be happy about the return (even if in a slightly different guise) of one of the most acclaimed western RPGs of all times. If you're excited like I am, you can check out an introductory video below and contribute with your own pledge here.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera/widget/video.html