Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond
A 2020 turn-based RPG sequel from Indonesian studios Ekuator Games and Agate, crowdfunded on Kickstarter in 2017 and published by Digital Tribe after a nearly three-year delay past its original 2017 target.
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- Established
- 2020
- Country
- Indonesia
- Type
- Turn-based single-player role-playing game
- Developer
- Ekuator Games and Agate
- Publisher
- Digital Tribe
- Predecessor
- "Celestian Tales: Old North" (2015)
- Crowdfunding
- Raised $21,857 from 912 backers on Kickstarter against a $15,000 goal (campaign ran August 21 - September 20, 2017)stated by the subject
Overview
“Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond” is a turn-based role-playing game developed by the Indonesian studios Ekuator Games and Agate, released on Steam on May 7, 2020 and published by Digital Tribe. It is the sequel to “Celestian Tales: Old North,” Ekuator’s 2015 Kickstarter-funded debut, and carries over save data letting players start at the previous game’s maximum level.
Crowdfunding and delayed development
Ekuator Games launched a Kickstarter campaign for the game on August 21, 2017, seeking $15,000 to complete what the studio said was roughly the final quarter of development after self-funding most of the game using proceeds from “Old North”; the campaign described a story following six knights serving a young heir amid palace intrigue and hundreds of politically motivated non-player characters, combined with turn-based combat and a hand-drawn, animated-pixel-art visual style (Cliqist). The campaign closed on September 20, 2017 having raised $21,857 from 912 backers, well past its goal (Kickstarter). The game had originally been targeted for release around December 2017, but that date slipped; when Agate acquired Ekuator Games in January 2019, Agate committed to funding the remaining development so Ekuator could meet its outstanding Kickstarter obligations to backers, and the game finally shipped in May 2020 (Hybrid.co.id).
Setting and design
The game is framed around a smaller-scale, character-driven conflict rather than a conventional fantasy save-the-world plot: its own storefront description says it has “no world-eating evil to slay,” instead following six knights protecting a young noble heir through court intrigue and morally ambiguous choices. Visually, it pairs hand-painted, watercolor-style environments with pixel-animated character sprites, a continuation of the art direction Ekuator used in “Old North.” It shipped as a Windows-only, DRM-free release with cloud saves and controller support, in English only (GOG.com).
Critical reception
Reviewing the finished game for RPGFan, Audra Bowling scored it 78/100, recommending it to players who like “shorter RPGs” with “mature, personal, and slower-moving narratives that focus on world-building and politics,” and praising its “gorgeous visuals, strong narrative, well-rounded gameplay” across a roughly 15-16 hour playtime built around turn-based combat, a shared experience pool, crafting and weapon-forging, and story choices with moral consequences (RPGFan). Save or Quit’s review gave a “Save for Later” verdict, similarly praising the story and characters but flagging glitchy textures and character-pathing problems in fullscreen mode that it suggested might be resolved in future patches (Save or Quit).
What this profile does not claim
No source read explains in detail why the game’s release slipped roughly two and a half years past its original December 2017 target, beyond Hybrid.co.id’s account that Agate’s January 2019 acquisition of Ekuator Games came with a commitment to fund its completion. As of the sources read, the game had not received the minimum four critic reviews needed for an aggregated Metacritic score, so this profile reports individual outlets’ verdicts rather than any consolidated critical rating. This profile does not cover the game’s post-launch patch history or sales performance, which no source read addresses.
Timeline
- 2017-08-21
- Ekuator Games launches a Kickstarter campaign seeking $15,000 to fund the remaining roughly 25% of the game's development, having already self-funded most of the work using proceeds from "Celestian Tales: Old North."
- 2017-09-20
- The Kickstarter campaign closes having raised $21,857 from 912 backers, exceeding its $15,000 goal.
- 2017 (planned)
- The game is originally targeted for release around December 2017, but the release is delayed.
- 2019-01-05
- After Agate acquires Ekuator Games, Agate commits to funding the game's remaining development so Ekuator can fulfill its outstanding Kickstarter obligations to backers.
- 2020-05-07
- The game is released on Steam, developed by Ekuator Games and Agate and published by Digital Tribe.
- 2020-05-19
- RPGFan publishes a review scoring the game 78/100, recommending it to players who like "shorter RPGs" with "mature, personal, and slower-moving narratives that focus on world-building and politics."
- 2020-06-09
- Save or Quit publishes a review giving a "Save for Later" verdict, praising the story and characters but flagging glitchy textures and character-pathing bugs in fullscreen mode.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- No source read gives an exact reason for the roughly two-and-a-half year delay between the game's original December 2017 target and its May 2020 release, beyond Hybrid.co.id's account that Agate's 2019 acquisition of Ekuator Games came with a funding commitment to complete it.
- As of the sources read, the game had not accumulated the minimum four critic reviews needed for an aggregated Metacritic score, so this profile relies on individual outlet verdicts (RPGFan's 78/100 and Save or Quit's non-numeric "Save for Later") rather than any consolidated critical score.
Sources
6 sources (3 tier 2, 1 tier 3, 2 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
The Kickstarter campaign page is used, as a first-party source, only for uncontested funding figures and dates, not for any evaluative claim. RPGFan and Save or Quit, both established English-language RPG/game review outlets, were fetched and read in full for independent critical reception. Cliqist, a smaller gaming blog, is used only as supporting detail on the campaign's development status and narrative premise, not as a load-bearing source. Hybrid.co.id, an Indonesian technology/gaming publication also used in this site's companion profile of Ekuator Games, is reused here for the game's delay past its original 2017 target and Agate's post-acquisition funding commitment, since it independently reported both facts.
- Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond Review Supports: The game's 78/100 review score, its turn-based combat and crafting systems, its roughly 15-16 hour length, its moral-choice mechanics, and confirmation that Ekuator Games and Agate developed it with Digital Tribe as publisher.
- REVIEW: Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond Supports: The game's May 7, 2020 Steam release date, its "Save for Later" verdict, its turn-based JRPG-style combat and SP skill system, and its reported bugs (glitchy textures and character-pathing issues in fullscreen mode).
- Agate Akuisisi Ekuator Games, Jamin Celestian Tales Selesai Supports: The game's delay past its original December 2017 target and Agate's commitment, upon acquiring Ekuator Games in January 2019, to fund the game's completion to meet its Kickstarter obligations.
- Kickstarter Game of the Week: Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond Supports: Supporting detail on the campaign's development status (roughly 75% complete when the Kickstarter launched) and the game's narrative premise of six knights serving a child heir amid political intrigue.
- Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond Supports: The campaign's funding goal ($15,000), amount raised ($21,857), backer count (912) and campaign dates (August 21 - September 20, 2017).
- Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond Supports: The storefront's own description of the game as Windows-only, DRM-free, with controller support and cloud saves, and its "watercolor-inspired environmental art with pixel animations" and "no world-eating evil to slay" framing, used only for uncontested platform and marketing-description facts.
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