Ghostlore

Ghostlore is an action-RPG based on Southeast Asia folklore developed by Andrew Teo and Adam Teo - two indie developers from Singapore. Takes place in Southeast Asia country, Ghosthunter tasked with safeguarding the town from the malevolent Mogui. Along the way, players will embark on a captivating journey through the region's vibrant cultural tapestry, experiencing its richness and diversity firsthand.

Ghostlore was released under early access stage in April 14 2022 and reached its final release stage in May 18 2023. The game featured in PC Gamer and IGN Southeast Asia article as one of the finest indie games paying tribute to Southeast Asian folklore .

## Story

Start as a Ghosthunter in strange land full of monsters, The Ghosthunter must escape from the village full of monsters barraging from many side. In search of refuge and aid, The Ghosthunter rests in a place known as Singapore. From this point onward, The Ghosthunter's mission is to rid Seaport of malevolent spirits and creatures, banishing them from its midst.

## Gameplay

Ghostlore offers action RPG game and straightforward mechanic. Players able to traverse to world of Seaport with six different classes. Along the way players can encounter friendlies and monsters where they can be eliminated with specific attack. Most of the game involving around looting and eliminate enemies while uncover the story of Ghosthunter in Seaport.

### Class System

Ghostlore allows player to select one of 6 classes throughout the journey. The Adept is one of class focused in Martial Arts. The Exorcist is able to sense spirit and cast out from wretched world. The Feral is class where player can use blood magic to fight monsters and the ability transform into Weretiger. The Geomancer allows player to control elemental forces of Earth, Fire, Ice, and Lighting. The Hashashin is master of shadow arts and relying on speed and stealth to eliminate opponents and The Sentinel is one of last class where players can communicate with animals.

### Glyph System

The Glyph system is one of features offer in Ghostlore as special stat that players can maximize, granting bonuses and additional configuration.

## Development

Ghostlore began its development in 2018 as a prototype where players can fight monsters similar to Diablo 2. Despite lacking formal training as a software developer, Andrew Teo, one of the game's creators, possessed valuable programming skills during his position at Redeye Studio. The prototype was completed after a year and was then presented to a colleague. During its development, one of the initial monsters created was Pontianak and according to folklore and how the monster must be defeated, players must target the correct tree. Many of his colleagues responds in positive reactions and the game was named "Ghostlore" due to its portrayal of folklore from Southeast Asia.

After COVID-19 Pandemic struck Singapore, the developer focused working on the game to better state quality. According to creator of Ghostlore Andrew Teo, in order to stay sane and busy he decided to keep working on the game non stop. Andrew was contacted by Adam Teo for collaborate to work on the game together and broaden the game's scope and development. On April 14, 2022, the game was made available in the Early Access stage on the Steam platform and garnered an 81% positive reception. It was subsequently launched in its complete form on May 18, 2023. The game received special recognition during the INDIE Live Expo 2023.

## Trivia

* The game is inspired by classic action-RPG such as Diablo 2 and Titan Quest.
* Despite having the same lastname, both creator Andrew Teo and Adam Teo are unrelated.
* According to interview by Gamerant, Ghostlore set in 1994.

## Official Links

* Ghostlore Steam Page
* Ghostlore Official Website
* Ghostlore Official Twitter
* Ghostlore Official Discord

## Gallery

Ghosthunter resting in Singapore.Ghosthunter fighting monsters to protect the villageA graveyard which Ghosthunter can fight numerous monsters.A databse of Southeast Asia monsters.
## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 [1] Teo Andrew, and Teo Adam. Ghostlore Presskit. Released in 18 May 2023
2. ↑ [2] SEA.IGN.com article "Singaporean Action RPG ‘Ghostlore’ Shows Off Progress in New Gameplay Video" written by Dale Bashir
3. ↑ [3] PCGamer.com article "Ghostlore is Diablo, but with Chinese hopping vampires and Indonesian boar demons" written by Alexis Ong
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 [4] Digipen.edu.sg article "Graduate Andrew Teo Shines Spotlight on Southeast Asian Horror with Indie Game Ghostlore" written by anonymous
5. ↑ [5] Gamerant.com article "Ghostlore Interview: Developer Andrew Teo Discusses ARPG Development, Anime References, and More" written by Hank Whitson