Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire

Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire, set on a world fallen into a medieval dark age after the collapse of a spacefaring civilization, players guide Tahira, the 20-year-old princess of Avestan, on the most challenging night of her life as she fights to save her people from the genocidal Astral empire.

We love to support our local indie developers here at Checkpoint, even more so when the games look genuinely intriguing. So it’s great to see this debut title for Whale Hammer Games, a three-person team out of Canberra. The Tactical RPG is coming to PC, Mac and Linux on August 31.

Lets face it, I’m a sucker for a turn-based battle system. While not a particularly long title (game play expected to average 10 hours) concept and execution definitely make Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire one to add to the wishlist. I do have one small pet peeve: there is auto-play music on the game website. It’s lovely and immersive music, but not always setting appropriate.

Players will control up to 20 characters at a time in large-scale battles, but guerrilla warfare tactics are essential for survival, as the Astral Empire has a far greater number of soldiers than Tahira’s forces. Characters must utilize the environment to level the battlefield by stealthily approaching enemies, taking cover and knocking foes off cliffs and rooftops.

“With tense strategic battles, gorgeous environments, a musical score unlike any in gaming and complex characters, Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire will take the player on a captivating cinematic adventure”, said Peter Castle, Lead Writer, Whale Hammer Games. “If you love tactical turn-based combat or engaging story-telling, Tahira was made for you.”

Every skirmish is an integral part of the story. There are no filler fights, as each one has the specific purpose of advancing the plot. Battles take place in massive environments and feature multiple stages ranging from three-part defenses of towns to rescuing trapped Avestan citizens. Tahira’s followers include Baruti, an Avestan general; Claw and Hammer, a mercenary power couple attempting to repay a 20-year-old debt to Avestan; and Iba , Tahira’s loyal horse.