You can purchase the game on Steam today for $2.99 and grab the first part of the first Etrom novel, in digital format, completely for free here!
Bari, Apulia, Italy, November 2nd, 2023 – AgeofGames (ex PM Studios) is proud to finally re-release their enormous 2003 hit indie game, Etrom - The Astral Essence on Steam for PC for the price of $2.99!
With a dystopian dark setting, original retro graphics, Point and Click RPG themes, a rich story expanding videogames and novels, Etrom is a big piece of Italy’s now growing, but once isolated, game development industry.
Get ready to embark on an extraordinary journey through a dystopian future where societies are divided By physical barriers, arcane rituals, endless wars, and the enigmatic Void Lands. Step into the shoes of Etrom, a former HWD (Human World Defense) operative, whose life takes a profound turn when he hears the mysterious call of the Astral Essence. In this dark, futuristic Middle Ages, you must navigate treacherous cities, explore ancient civilizations, and traverse otherworldly realms to unravel the secrets of the Astral Essence and your own existence. With a myriad of locations teeming with rituals, secret plots, and dark spells, Etrom offers a captivating world to explore for the first time, or after 20 years in the shadows.
“This is a very important day for AgeofGames! We’ve chosen to present our old glories to a new world of gamers, and have begun to receive some fantastic feedback from the various titles already released on Steam this past year” said Fabio Belsanti, CEO of AgeofGames. “Etrom is one of the biggest projects we ever embarked on back in the late 90s and early 2000s. It’s a true indie-game gem from the past that can still be very much enjoyed today. Join us, explore a retro world and discover a little indie game history with us!”
Prepare for grueling, constant battles against a diverse array of foes, from humans to monsters and otherworldly beings. Harness spectacular Astral Powers such as Meteor and Lightning Storm, and through your in-game choices, unlock incredible transformations, turning into a fearsome Demon, Draconian Guardian, or an Abyssal Knight. Master the art of piloting powerful war mechs for strategic combat against formidable adversaries.
The voice of the Gods echoes through the astral worlds, beckoning you to uncover the secrets beyond the gates of a dark reality and to follow your path of Truth and Justice.
Key Features:
-
Novel Integration: Includes the first episode of the novel written by Fabio Belsanti and CyberScrivens.
-
Multiple Endings: Shape the fate of the parallel dimension with seven possible endings.
-
Expansive World: Explore over 70 vast environments, offering hours of replayability
-
Mech Combat: Learn to pilot powerful war mechs for strategic battles.
-
Unravel Mysteries: Encounter demons, secret divinities, dragons, and intelligent entities.
-
Equipment Galore: Access over 500 types of weapons, armor, rings, magic amulets, and more.
-
Sniper Mode: Enjoy first-person sniper mode for precise targeting and deadly accuracy.
Developer’s Technical Note:
We must inform players that "Etrom - The Astral Essence: 20th Anniversary Edition" may experience bugs and system crashes on certain hardware and software configurations. In our 2023 internal playtests, conducted two decades after the game's original launch, major bugs and crashes were encountered on approximately 30% of PCs running Windows 10 and 11 operating systems.
The game, developed by AgeofGames (formerly known as PMStudios Italia), is a piece of Independent Videogame Archeology from the early 2000s. The proprietary engine, developed by a single programmer, was imperfect then and remains so today, given the rapid evolution of hardware configurations.
Furthermore, please note that you cannot save the game until the completion of the first level, which typically takes between 15 to 45 minutes. Certain antivirus systems may block the game entirely. Unfortunately, we are unable to update the engine's code to address these issues.
Despite these challenges, we are releasing "Etrom - The Astral Essence: 20th Anniversary Edition today, at a symbolic price of $2.99. We believe that the game's setting and narrative remain valid and captivating, and we have overhauled the English dialogue, thanks to the contributions of the award-winning science fiction writers of the CyberScrivens collective. We hope that new and returning players can immerse themselves in this parallel universe for a few hours, with the potential for future expansion using modern technology and development programs.