![]() Taylor assures me that he’s incredibly grateful for the opportunity to interact with those who have so “faithfully followed project”, but Kickstarter isn’t the be all and end all of their lofty ambitions. The game is undoubtedly Taylor and Becca’s “dream project”, but it would be wrong to assume that their dream and their Kickstarter funding go hand-in-hand. “It’s the old meeting the new, experiencing both as for the first time and loving them anew for what they are.” In making Arcadian Atlas, the two developers draw upon of games of old-Taylor cites a heavy influence from tactical RPGs like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Suikoden-while also injecting bits and pieces of their own lives into the game. Taylor adds that it “isn’t easy holding onto relationships, especially those that are so close.” Often times, “we take them for granted, and we forget what we first valued-exchanging tradition and security for fresh and exciting things though we lose something in that exchange.” “It’s a microcosm for family” and about “reclaiming a tiny fraction of what it means to be a kid again.” In the story of Arcadian Atlas, the main characters wrestle with the dichotomy of unconditional love and hatred, and struggle to hold onto relationships when violence and bloodshed threatens to rip the world apart. Arcadian Atlas is a game Becca and Taylor would have played together as kids, paired with the wisdom of their experiences as adults. ![]() Becca Bair: Co-founder of Twin Otter Studiosįor Taylor, it’s incredibly difficult to “quantify” the significance of Arcadian Atlas, because it means so much more to him than just some tactical RPG. With more than a few projects already under their belt, they started working furiously on Arcadian Atlas, and launched its Kickstarter campaign on April 5 th, 2016. After their marked success working together, they made things official with a logo and a company name, branding themselves Twin Otter Studios. The two of them performed well at various game jams and, over the years, developed a five hour indie RPG, Genesis. After spending several years plying their craft in the game biz, they decided to consolidate their talents and try their hand at making games together. Since their formative years, both have moved away from home and have had experiences that they “wouldn’t trade for all the world.” They went on to find work in the industry they were immersed in as children-Taylor as a writer and Becca as a freelance artist. With the nearest city being an hour and a half away, they bonded over makeshift games, “grabbing magic markers to change our LEGO characters into Cloud Strife and Tifa, and whittling boats from knives that we’d man with river rocks we’d drawn Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral on.” Not only are the two of them best friends, they also happen to be siblings who share an unadulterated passion for video games. Taylor and his best friend, Becca Bair, grew up far from the American urban sprawl, out in rural Texas. What followed was a closer look at the significance of Arcadian Atlas and his bond with his partner-in-crime at Twin Otter Studios, Becca Bair-all of which I found to be refreshingly genuine and also quite touching. ![]() I was pleasantly surprised when I read through Taylor Bair’s reply after having previously reached out to him for a few comments on the upcoming SRPG Arcadian Atla s. He explained to me in very blunt terms that he was sick of spitting out the same monotonous answers for interviews over and over again, and being a writer himself, he had opted instead to send me a heartfelt piece that he described as “rather unorthodox”.
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