New RPG Peasant smashes Kickstarter goal with $100k in just 21 hours

I, like many people, have plowed hours and hours into Baldur’s Gate 3, yet haven’t even stepped foot in the titular citadel. Faerun is a living, breathing world, where the tiniest of decisions have Butterfly Effect-style ripples, completely changing storylines and locking off others we never even knew about. Blending that limitlessness with the vibrant, magical feel of Fable, new RPG Peasant is looking to reinvent the fantasy genre all over again – and it just earned over $100,000 on Kickstarter to help it do so.

The brainchild of Finnish-based developer Harakka Studio, Peasant is “the other side of the RPG genre.” You’re not the hero, some pre-ordained mighty warrior on a quest to vanquish evil and restore world peace. Instead, you’re a lowly peasant who’s sick and tired of adventurers kicking over tables in the tavern and starting brawls. Basically, if you’ve ever wondered how the NPCs in your Dungeons and Dragons games feel, you’ll be experiencing it firsthand.

But how you do that is entirely up to you. You’ll be able to change from a range of different classes, 12 ‘tech-tree’ paths including things like Steampunk, Draconic, Mimicry, and more, all of which grant their own unique skills. Be wary of the path you choose, however, as some choices will lock off other options.

Harraka’s example is the Steampunk path, which requires you to use a slew of natural resources that, in turn, cut you off from the Druidic tree. If you commit to the Steampunk path, your items and armor will morph in tandem with it, becoming more industrial. In Peasant, it’s all about the consequences.

And I mean, all about the consequences. There’s “no railroading,” according to Harraka, you’re simply let loose to cause chaos. If, for example, you kill the only dragon hunter, more dragons will spawn. If you kick a chicken, chickens won’t like you and may start an avian revolt – every choice has meaning, and while the possibilities felt endless in Baldur’s Gate 3, they feel even more expansive in Peasant.

Your choices impact the people around you, too. Peasant has a fully functioning romance system, companion mechanics, and its own unique factions, all of whom will react different depending on your decisions. But if you make a mistake, you can’t take it back, even if you save scum like I did after Astarion dumped me. The world around you will remember, and you may just suffer for it.

There’s base building, mounts, and adorable creatures waiting for you to pet them – it all combines to hopefully make Peasant one of the most vibrant worlds we’ve ever seen. As I’ve been writing I’m finding out new things, growing more and more invested in what looks to be one of the most ambitious upcoming PC games out there.

And I’m not alone: Peasant has smashed its Kickstarter funding goal in less than 21 hours, accruing $117,803 / £91,662 (converted via Google) – and that number is going up as I type. If you’re looking to contribute and take a look at that huge list of features, the link you’re looking for is right here.

According to the Kickstarter page, the Peasant early access date is set six months from the fund’s closing date, which is Friday, August 2. It’s officially marked on my calendar, and I can’t wait.

In the meantime, however, we have a rundown of all the best fantasy games if you’re looking for something magical ahead of the Fable 4 release date. Or, if you’re still looking for a Dungeons and Dragons-style fix, we have a list of all the best games like Baldur’s Gate 3.

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