Permanent Way Games, in partnership with independent publishing platform indie.io, is delighted to announce that The Land of the Magnates will release on Steam on August 27th, 2024. The Land of the Magnates is an action-adventure game putting players in the role of Shahbaz, a prince wrongfully accused of murdering his father. Setting out to clear his name and free the Land of the Sun from the encroaching darkness, Shahbaz will experience an adventure inspired by Near Eastern myths from Constantinople to Baghdad.
Wishlist The Land of the Magnates on Steam
His journey will take him across a blighted kingdom, where joy and music were snuffed out and replaced with sorrow and silence. His greatest weapon in the struggle for justice is no blade or magical incantation, but his sitar–a magical lute whose sounds can free the land and its people from the oppressive twilight. Each string has a unique property, allowing players to chain magical attacks and discover unique combinations as they travel. The sitar will gain new magical properties with every realm freed, empowered with the magic of the elements: water, wind, earth, and fire.
Each of these elements is hidden inside a realm of its own, with a distinct identity and story. Shahbaz’ exploits carry him into the land of the ape people, across a land drained of color after the removal of love and hope, and through a clockwork metropolis filled with brass automatons. Every realm comes with unique platforming sequences, requiring death-defying stunts to complete, environmental puzzles requiring clever use of the sitar’s growing power, and a host of distinct characters rooted in Near Eastern mythology.
The Land of the Magnates draws on myths, legends, and folk tales of the region, from Byzantium to Arabia and Persia, with One Thousand and One Nights (commonly known as The Arabian Nights) compilation serving as a primary inspiration. Permanent Way Games fused these stories with deep historical and cultural research, including consultations with expert historians. The goal? Create an experience that doesn’t merely entertain, but does justice to the rich, complex cultures of the Near East, from the vibrant worlds Shahbaz visits, to the music created with the sitar.
Founded in 2006, Permanent Way Games originally operated as a domestic company in Türkiye, before expanding internationally in 2021. Staffed by veterans of the gaming industry, Permanent Way has released nearly two dozen video games on the domestic market, and a dozen internationally. It has also created the Sword and Sorrow animated movie, similarly inspired by Near Eastern culture, which received the awards for Best Animation Film at the World Film Festival in Cannes and the Sacramento Underground Film and Arts Festival in 2023.
The Land of the Magnates will be available on Steam on August 27. Follow Permanent Way Studio on Instagram for the latest updates and community support.