Tactical RPG Unsung Story from designer Yasumi Matsuno goes to Kickstarter

Yasumi Matsuno, the designer behind Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, and publisher Playdek are turning to Kickstarter to fund the development of Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians in an effort to bring the tactical role-playing game to PC.

Unsung Story, a planned series of games designed and overseen by Matsuno, was first announced at Tokyo Game Show last year. Two games are already confirmed, the first being a digital card game — simply titled Unsung Story —planned for release this year and the second, Tale of the Guardians, a more traditional, tactics-style RPG in the vein of Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Originally, the plan was to bring Unsung Story games to mobile platforms. Playdek's newly launched crowdfunding effort now aims to bring Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians to Mac and Windows PC. Versions for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita are also possible via Kickstarter stretch goals.

The developer also hopes to expand its talent pool through Kickstarter funding. Composer Hitoshi Sakamoto, who has contributed music to Final Fantasy and Tactics Ogre games, and veteran translators Alexander O. Smith and Joseph Reeder are being tapped to work on Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians.

Playdek and Matsuno are seeking $600,000 to help fund development of the game. The game has an estimated release date of July 2015.

Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians is described as "the next step in the evolution of the RPG tactics game" by its creators. The game presents players with an original fantasy world, Rasfalia, in which knights, wizards and archers battle in a decades-long war. Told from the perspective of "those who make history but are never recognized for it," Unsung Story promises a traditional hero's journey featuring ordinary soldiers who "bring about great changes by the small choices they make in life."

The game's Kickstarter page offers additional details about how the turn-based, tactical war simulation RPG will play. Players will experience the history of Rasfalia through a series of battles, reliving key historical and political events. Player characters are profession-based, with each profession having a subset of changeable classes. Tale of the Guardians' turn-based RPG action will take place on 3D battlefields and span multiple episodes.

For more on Unsung Story, read our interview with Matsuno and Playdek CEO Joel Goodman from TGS 2013.