TIES: Soul link
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FACTSHEET

Website:
www.tiesgame.com
www.northtokyo.com

DESCRIPTION

TIES: Soul Link is a 2D Metroidvania, a video game that combines elements of action RPG and platform adventure with a strong and immersive narrative. It incorporates elements drawn from the RPG genre, such as quests to develop the story, a living world with cities where you can rest and replenish equipment, decision-making that will affect the plot, and equipable skills that will develop our protagonist during the adventure.

Players will have to enhance the protagonist’s abilities to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and advance through the various cities presented in the video game. The cities in TIES: Soul Link will have a defined linear path to follow the story, although each will offer routes or hidden areas blocked that contain secrets and collectibles, in addition to paths that will allow connections between different zones.

TIES: Soul Link is framed within the science fiction – fantasy genre with a very personal graphic section: it mixes Cartoon style with cyberpunk, Japanese, Norse, classical Greek, and Persian/African settings.

UNIVERSE

Year 2097. Four decades have passed since humanity managed to survive the effects of climate change. Humans are making their way in a new world shaped by nature and machines. The pace of life and the greed of megacorporations ended up collapsing the world, causing great catastrophes in the balance of the Earth. The machines created by humans to speed up and increase their production began to corrupt and evolve into synthetic beings that wanted to protect the Earth from any threat, including humans.

Humanity had to take refuge and learn from its mistakes. In the year 2057, humanity began to create a new form of life focused on technological progress that led to the creation of the largest city on Earth, Neon City, governed by a council of thinkers, scientists, and experts from all disciplines. During the first decade, research and technological advances made it possible to discover a special connection between some humans and animals, they called it: Soul Link.

SOUL LINK

The Soul Link is a delicate symbiotic, natural, and spiritual connection between a human being and another animal species. It is a relationship in which both beings share sensations, emotions, and the same vital essence, without losing their individuality in terms of thought. Not much is known about the Soul Link. Scientists make discoveries day by day. However, they are unaware that the key to understanding this phenomenon lies in the past.

During his journey, Kiro will acquire forgotten knowledge from the ancient world, which hides the answers to the questions of the future.

Synopsis

After an unfortunate accident, Kiro and Chloe are abruptly separated, after having been together almost since their first days of life. This causes Kiro to become completely weakened and Chloe to fall ill. Kiro will have to find the way to Chloe to save both his friend and himself. The path will not be easy, as the world that extends beyond Neon City is dangerous and wild.

The adventure will take Kiro around the world, showing him the ruins of the old world and unveiling the secrets of the Soul Link, until now unknown to humanity.

Characters

KIRO
Kiro is the protagonist of TIES: Soul Link, a white fox born in the wild. He has white fur and blue markings, a result of his connection with Chloe. Since their union, they have always stayed together, protecting her from any danger. Kiro is a bit fearful, affectionate, energetic, and protective, though he’s also a bit mischievous and tends to get distracted easily.

CHLOE
Chloe is a 9-year-old girl who is empathetic, loving, and cheerful, though she can also be somewhat shy and reserved. She is the only child of a couple of scientists studying the Soul Link. The couple encouraged the connection between Chloe and Kiro from the first day, which strengthened their relationship and made it particularly intense. As a result, Chloe learned from a very early age what friendship and love are. Her hobbies include playing video games and drawing, bringing to life her own imaginary worlds to then capture them on her tablet.

ENEMIES

The enemies in Ties are specters from past times: Machines that were left on Earth when natural disasters ravaged the land.

These machines were created by humans to accelerate and increase the production of companies before the great catastrophe, but over time they evolved into more intelligent and autonomous synthetic beings. Many adopted the form of animal species in an attempt to integrate and find their place on Earth. This logic led them to malfunction and corrupt their consciousness, turning them against the rest of the creatures to protect the Earth.

At the same time, their study of the Earth and its history led them to understand the essence of what made humans regress: Fear. Therefore, their logic was to try to harness it to be able to use it in the protection of the Earth.

Gameplay

TIES: Soul Link offers a gameplay experience focused on combat, exploration, puzzle-solving, and the development of an emotive story:

COMBAT SYSTEM & CUSTOMIZATION

The gameplay is based on the use of swords, armors, magic, and abilities. TIES: Soul Link features a slot-based skill system, allowing for extensive customization and enabling players to adopt their preferred playstyle.

• Kiro’s primary weapon is a sword, but there will be a wide variety of models that increase his attack power or grant him new abilities. These sword models can be purchased in various city shops or found as hidden secrets scattered throughout the world of TIES: Soul Link.
• Kiro can also equip armors that protect him from attacks and grant additional abilities or resistance to different types of magic.
• The equippable magic, known as “Runes”, can be swapped to create combinations that best suit the player’s style.
• Additionally, Kiro can unlock new abilities throughout his adventure in the vast world of TIES: Soul Link.

DYNAMIC DAY AND NIGHT SYSTEM

TIES: Soul Link introduces a dynamic day and night system; at night, the number and difficulty of enemies will increase, but players will also be able to find exclusive items or hidden areas that are not available during the day. This system adds an extra level of challenge and rewards nighttime exploration.

PROGRESSION, PUZZLES AND EXPLORATION

The progression through the cities will be essentially linear to follow the story, where your actions will have consequences on the plot. However, players will have the opportunity to explore and discover new blocked areas or hidden paths that connect different cities.

Solving puzzles using wit and the character’s abilities will complement the combat experience. At certain points, it will be necessary to return to previous cities to unlock new abilities and continue progressing.

CITIES AND SHOPS

Throughout the different cities, players will find shops and establishments where they can buy, sell, or upgrade equipment, recover health, or simply relax and talk with the locals to learn more about the culture of that region.

TRAILER

ABOUT NORTH TOKYO

North Tokyo is an indie game studio based in Málaga, Spain. We develop games that tell great stories, with the vision of creating unforgettable experiences in the indie world. Gamers creating games for Gamers.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Inquiries
hello@northtokyo.com

Instagram
instagram.com/northtokyogames

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Facebook
facebook.com/northtokyogames

Youtube
youtube.com/@NorthTokyoGames

Reddit
reddit.com/r/TiesSoulLink

Website
www.tiesgame.com

Steam
store.steampowered.com/app/2600730/Ties_Soul_Link

Kickstarter
kickstarter.com/projects/northtokyogames/ties-soul-link