When I wasn’t looking,Cosplay Club, the new game by Behold Studios, the devs behindKnights of Pen and PaperandChroma Squad, hasentered Early Access.
I was wondering how I missed the announcement, but apparently, the heads-up was only given on December 11.Cosplay Clubis a single-player, turn-based RPG where you get powers from the costumes you craft. In that sense, it reminds me ofCostume Quest, but there seems to be a lot more customization here. You’re able to craft your own Magical Girl costume, and you gain new parts that expand the customization.
Cosplay Clubtakes place in theChroma Squaduniverse, where the eponymous squad saved the world. Truly, the two games share a similar narrative foundation, as both are about costumes and imagination leading to real empowerment.
I was a backer ofChroma Squad’sKickstarterback in the day. The end product didn’t really wind up impressing me, but I don’t regret supporting it. The developer showed a lot of tenacity, especially when Saban Brands threatened legal action against them.Chroma Squadis based on Japanese tokusatsu productions (specificallySuper Sentai), which Saban Brands didn’t invent. They just repackaged it. However, because they owned the rights toPower Rangershere in North America, they had grounds for a lawsuit (probably, I’m not a lawyer). Whether it would succeed or not, Behold Studios just decided to play ball and got a licensing agreement. That’s probably why they’re not doing a direct sequel toChroma Squad.
I have had theCosplay Clubdemo sitting in my library for quite a while now, but never did get around to playing it. I’ll probably skip ahead and just buy the game. The developer says that the current state of the game is “playable and feature-rich” but also notes that it only includes “an initial portion of the story.”
Cosplay Clubis now available on PC via Steam Early Access. Behold Studios predicts it will remain there for 9-12 months before its full release.
