Fantasy co-op shooter Nine Parchments promises spellcasting mayhem when it releases on PS4 next week

2 1
Fantasy co-op shooter Nine Parchments promises spellcasting mayhem when it releases on PS4 next week

Trine creator dives into the mechanics of its new four-player magicfest ahead of 13th December launch

Hey folks! It’s been a long time since we revealed our co-op spellcasting game Nine Parchments on the PS4 blog, here’s a quick re-intro!

We like to call Nine Parchments a ‘blast’em’up game with magic mayhem’, because it combines action and RPG elements together and plays like a twin-stick shooter… except with spells. It’s mostly meant to be played in co-op with friends, or with strangers online, whichever you prefer angering when you’ve fireballed them accidentally for the tenth time. (Friendly fire is always on!)

You play as wizarding students that decide to go looking for the Nine Parchments, a bunch of powerful spells that are lost as a result of an explosion at the Astral Academy. Your task is to find the parchments and grow your magical powers, while facing powerful and very dangerous creatures looking to end your journey right from the get-go.

TITLE

Nine Parchments is set in the same gorgeous fantasy world as our Trine series, so get ready to explore some beautiful sceneries while out there adventuring!

Spells & elements

The spells cast by the runaway wizard students fall into seven categories – six elemental types, and non-elemental spells. All elemental spells are paired with their opposite elements. Fire with ice, life with death, and lightning with steam. Paired elements are vulnerable to each other, meaning that ice spells are the most effective way to injure fire-enchanted targets, and vice versa.

As for how these spells are applied, there are numerous variations. The most often used variations are the channeled beam spells, with all six elements represented. The beam spells can also be combined, any element with any element, to create more powerful effects.

Spells can also be shot as projectiles of many shapes and sizes, varying from modest Small Fireballs to entire Curtains of Lightning, and some may even be thrown across the air and slammed on top of an unsuspecting enemy (or friend).

And some spells are placed on the ground, to work their magic from below the feet of any creatures caught in its influence.

TITLE
Every few levels, you’ll discover a new spell to add to your spell pool, up to a maximum of nine spells total. These are randomized on every playthrough!

Experience, skill trees & characters

Killing foes and discovering hidden chests in the levels yields experience for your character. For every level you get, you are able to spend a skill point to grow your powers. There are three skill trees for each character so you’re able to spend your skill points in various ways depending on your desired play style.

Should you want to try some different builds, you may re-spec your character’s skill points at the start of a new game.

Magical loot – hats and staves

There are two kinds of loot in Nine Parchments…

Hats

If you’re paying close attention to your surroundings during your journey, you may discover hidden chests from your surroundings! While some are sadly empty, others may contain fashionable wizard gear – Hats!

TITLE

Hats don’t affect your gameplay, but they allow you to show off your impeccable sense of fashion to your fellow students!

Staves

Staves are entirely different however, and can be discovered throughout the levels. They are the key to unlocking all the playable characters in Nine Parchments, by allowing you to access sealed off areas in levels, where you may attempt a rescue, special ritual or a number of other dangerous missions. Staves also possess magical qualities and unique effects that can have a very powerful impact on your play!

TITLE
The fire wizard, Marvek, is trapped in a cavern overcome by a deadly blizzard. To free him from his icy prison, you must keep the fire going while fighting off dangers.

The technical features

Nine Parchments will run at 1080 and 60fps on the PS4 and supports up to 4 players in local and online co-op. You can also play in single-player mode.

TITLE

We have an active Facebook page and Twitter for Nine Parchments if you’d like to follow the latest news!

Hope to see you soon on the adventure!

Join the Conversation

Add a Comment

But don't be a jerk!

Please be kind, considerate, and constructive. Report inappropriate comments to us_playstation_blog_moderation@sony.com

2 Comments

1 Author Reply


    Loading More Comments

    Leave a Reply

    Please enter your date of birth.

    Date of birth fields