In the far more optimistic 90s, there was an entire genre dedicated to John Grisham film adaptations.
They were often schlocky, generic thrillers that always resulted in a big courtroom battle. But they were also an opportunity for filmmakers to slum it a bit. To test out the waters in filmmaking styles they weren't accustomed to, and often make an easy profit on a mid-range budget. When Francis Ford Coppola fell on hard financial times, he bounced back with The Rainmaker, starring then newbie Matt Damon and Danny DeVito as down-but-not-out lawyers looking to make amends to their shitty pasts.
This was the essence of a Grisham thriller. Each is a story of losers or those who've fallen outside the graces of a broken system. Some of them are looking for a way back in, while others want to tear it down so we can rebuild something better. Their methods aren't strictly legal, but they're always in the service of the greater good.
All Will Rise, which is in development and at the tail end of its Kickstarter campaign, plays like a mix between a Grisham thriller, Disco Elysium, and Phoenix Wright. It is as much a thematic throwback as it is a bold attempt to breathe new life into familiar game mechanics. The demo, which premiered at the Steam Next Fest and is still available for testing, gives us a glimpse into the ragtag legal crew out to defend their community against immoral corporations ravaging the natural world.
Our heroes are a team of environmentalists who, when we first encounter them, fight a faceless corporation that is poisoning their river. Immediately, we catch a glimpse of the intricate game mechanics at play. Courtroom battles unfold as combinations of deck-building strategies and fast-paced dialogue, where you charm, persuade, intimidate, and manipulate your way through your opponents' defenses.
For example, an early mission has you arguing for the health of the local river, but it isn't enough to appeal just for the environment. Therefore, you apply logic that the river itself is akin to a God, and therefore deserving of rights that the corporations now violate. Does it entirely make sense? Probably not. But you can easily imagine the music soaring in a climactic scene as the lead actors deliver their emotional plea to the jury.
Between trials, you decide how radicalized you want the team to become. To build a case, you have to find a way to bend or break the law in ways that undermine the opposition. Idealists will argue that justice has to be honest, while others see the battle already so corrupt that goodness will only hinder results. The result is a conflicting and instantly captivating tug-of-war that forces the player to question their own ethics in the face of the worst outcomes.
This kind of race against time will be familiar to fans of the Grisham thriller. There's the mismatched core group of true believers, who work with no money but endless passion for the cause. The villains are wealthy suits with little care for things like fair play or justice. All it needs is a chase sequence, where our heroes have to get away with an important piece of evidence before the hitmen silence them for good.
It's very familiar in style, but that's certainly not a bad thing. Instead, it's remarkable how much I've missed something that understands the assignment with this kind of purity of vision.
The three-hour demo gives an inkling of what's to come, and it's one of the most impressive concepts I've seen all year. The team behind All Will Rise comprises industry veterans, including designers behind such fantastic titles as Sable, 80 Days, and Horizon Forbidden West. You can see their years of expertise in how clean and intuitive the UI's feel, and how even the most esoteric concepts flow naturally in the gameplay.
All Will Rise is an indie project that's still in development. There's no release date yet, but the Kickstarter says the core of the game is ready. Based on the demo, it already has a distinct visual style that is coherent and immensely compelling. The writing is sharp and lively, and the gameplay loop is rock solid.
Play it before the film adaptation.
