Rathe: The Beginning

Rathe: The Beginning is a hand-drawn 2D story RPG about a group of adventurers traveling across the continent of Shen. Their journey begins after wilderness training, when they find a strange orb and a simple errand leads to a mystery involving corruption, heroics and the secrets of crystal shards. You can expect 12 or more hours of play, depending on your class, mastery of the elements and how much you explore.

Shen and the crystal shards

A giant crystal meteor shattered, leaving nine large chunks that fell to the planet and infused it with elemental energies: Ice, Water, Fire, Bolt, Earth, Wind, Plasma, Dark and Light. Each element has strengths and weaknesses against the others. As you travel, you can find your destined friends and explore nine dungeons, which contain more than 40 monsters and bosses. Shen also has seven cities and towns where you can buy items and magic, along with hidden treasure and other secrets.

Create your hero

Choose from six classes: Fighter, Ranger, Mage, Thief, Berserker and Dancer. Each has its own stat growth, skills, and weapon and armour styles. You can also choose your persona, element and favorite food, and name your character.

Turn-based battles

Combat uses a party of heroes, with four at the front line fighting monsters, bandits, mutants and other enemies. You can swap party members during battle if you have battle-ready teammates available, including when you enter at a disadvantage or take heavy damage. Develop your heroes through the stat-oriented Skill Web and use more than 250 elemental spells and unique class skills. Mastering the elements gives you an advantage in combat, but if the four heroes at the front are defeated, the game is over.