After months of teasing trailers of youths displaying amazing powers with the slug line, “You’ve been chosen,” Bioware has finally given us a bit more information with their newest trailer.

Shadow Realms is being described as a 4v1 Story-Driven Online Action RPG in which four players will team up against the (player controlled) “Shadowlord.”  This might sound a bit familiar, as it sounds very much like the gameplay for Fable Legends.  However, Shadow Realms should not be considered just a Fable knockoff as the roots for its design stretch back much further.

“Shadow Realms has its genesis in old school Dungeons & Dragons.“

 – James Ohlen [source]

James Ohlen, lead designer on games such as Buldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins, says, “When I first started designing BioWare RPGs back in the 90s, what drove me creatively was the desire to give players the experience I had while playing pen and paper games as a youth. […] these were experiences that you couldn’t find in any other game. And the great thing was that these adventures never had an end. A good Dungeon Master could keep a story going for months or even years.”

It should not be a surprise that the designers at Bioware draw a great deal of inspiration from the classic table-top game.  Games like Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins used nearly exact copies of the D&D character stats and leveling systems.  Baldur’s Gate was a game that was set within the Forgotten Realms world of Dungeons and Dragons.  Keeping this in mind, Shadow Realms just seems like the next logical step.

“It is a game that finally fulfills that fantasy of a never-ending RPG…“

 – James Ohlen [source]

The Shadow Realms site describes that the game will be constantly updated via periodic episodes in order to keep players returning to continue their campaigns.  This seems to be a bit contradictory to another statement made by Lead Designer, James Ohlen, “All the enemies, traps and challenges are squarely in the hands of another player, who controls them just like a Dungeon Master.”  What this possibly means (and I’m still seeking confirmation on this) is that the episodes will contain maps, monsters, spells, and all other things necessary for Shadowlords and Heroes alike, and 5 players will get to play in these fairly preset levels.

There are 6 classes to choose from (not counting the Shadowlord): Warrior, Assassin, Wizard, Cleric, Ranger, and Warlock.

I thought the same of Fable Legends as I do about Shadow Realms.  It feels like a scaled version of a MOBA.  It’s fun to try to think of it as a virtual table-top game, but in every way I can I think, it’s nothing but a PvP battle game.  Bioware is sure to add in its patented brand of story customization, but I honestly have my worries.

How do you feel about this announcement?  Do you feel Shadow Realms is just MOBA bloated with story and character customization, or is it the true successor of table-top RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons?  Let us know in the comments.

Bioware is currently accepting signups for Alpha testers so hurry up to ShadowRealms.com and sign up now.