- The end of a 4-year wait… An emotional fantasy RPG unfolding at a witch school
- Music-based magic system, story-driven structure… Preview build distribution begins
Eastshade Studios, which received acclaim for the non-combat exploration adventure ‘Eastshade’, is set to announce the release date for its next title, ‘Songs of Glimmerwick ‘, soon and is accelerating its final preparations, including providing the media with a preview build of the first 2 to 3 hours.
With its release imminent approximately four years after its announcement in 2022, ‘Glimmerwig’s Ballad’ is a hand-painted fantasy RPG featuring a unique setting where magic is used through music. It is a story-driven title depicting a year at a witch school, offering a deeply immersive experience through the combination of emotional graphics and full voice acting.
A single song is magic… A peaceful story unfolding at a witch school
‘Glimmerwick’s Ballad’ is a story-driven RPG where the player spends a year of school life after enrolling in Glimmerwick University, famous for its magic. In this world, magic is cast through music.
Players can use a flute and sheet music to cast various spells, such as conversing with trees, moving objects, and making the ground rise. Each spell is composed of ancient songs and serves as a key element in changing the world.
In addition to participating in classes, gardening, and forming friendships, you can also enjoy various extracurricular activities such as moth races, shell collecting, and forest exploration. Both main and supporting characters are fully voiced, and a year-long story unfolds, blending seasonal changes, festivals, curses, and witches’ mischief.
The core conflict of the story is also interesting. As the residents are divided over the phenomenon of the island’s magic gradually weakening and the forest declining, the player gathers clues to uncover the cause.
A hand-drawn-like worldview and emotionally rich music come together as one
The game’s visuals take a distinctly different direction from its predecessor, ‘Eastshade’. It is characterized by an art style reminiscent of children’s picture book illustrations, designed so that lead artist Jacqueline Cieza’s illustrations appear as one massive painting.
Although it appears to be a completely hand-drawn style, it was actually realized through a hybrid art pipeline that actively utilizes 3D technology. In particular, the interior space is created by combining 3D modeling and texture projection based on original artwork by Ciezzal.
Although this method requires more time and cost than typical tileset-based production, it has the advantage of simultaneously capturing organic forms and the unique textures of hand-drawn art. Users who have seen the released video are also responding positively, praising the “high level of polish akin to animation” and “visuals that are even more attractive than the previous work.”
Sound also serves as a core element of the game. Composer Phoenix Glendinning, who has been with the team since the previous title, has returned to naturally connect the music with gameplay by allowing players to cast spells by playing simple melodies. Furthermore, sound design tailored to various situations such as seasonal changes, festivals, and magical effects has been added to further enhance immersion in the world.
A masterpiece created over four years by a small three-person development team
Eastshade Studio, the developer of the game, is a small indie team consisting of three people: Lead Designer and Artist Jaclyn Ciezadlo, Technical Director Danny Weinbaum, and Programmer Jennifer Hide.
If the previous work, ‘Eastshade,’ was a Weinbaum-centered piece, this new project strongly reflects the colors of Ciezalo. The music is by composer Phoenix Glendinning, who also participated in the previous work. (Phoenix Glendinning) took on the role again.
Under the policy of focusing on development itself rather than promotional activities, the development team has minimized public communication and has communicated with fans intermittently through YouTube development logs.
Anticipation persists despite the long wait… User and media expectations rise
‘The Ballad of Glimmerwig’ has garnered attention since its release in 2022. One media outlet described it as “a work that continues the studio’s philosophy of creating spaces,” while another praised it as “an impressive world that combines the charms of Harry Potter-style young adult fantasy with life simulation RPGs.”
Although fans’ wait has been prolonged as the planned 2023 release was postponed several times following the announcement in 2022, the development team has kept expectations high by stating that they are “continuing development by pouring all their capabilities into it.”
Since then, the wait has been prolonged as the originally scheduled 2023 release has been postponed several times, but the development team has kept expectations high by stating that they are “continuing development by pouring all their capabilities into it.” Interest remains steady within the Steam community, with comments such as “I am more curious about the demo than the release date.”
Information regarding Songs of Glimmerwick
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Eastshade Studios (Seattle, USA) |
| Genre | Story-driven Witch School RPG / Life Simulation |
| Release platform | PC first, consoles to be revealed later |
| Release date | Undetermined (Release window to be revealed soon) |
| core system | Music magic, college life, gardening, NPC relationships |
| Development personnel | 3 people (Jacqueline Siegaloo, Danny Weinbaum, Jennifer Hyde) |
| composition | Phoenix Glendinning |
| Previous work | Eastshade (2019) |
| Steam Page | https://store.steampowered.com/app/1706510/ |
