- Echoes of Mystralia Kickstarter roots: The franchise traces back to Borealys Games' Mages of Mystralia campaign
- Core pitch: Craft millions of spells from 4 spell types, 4 elements, and 18 runes
- Star power: Forgotten Realms creator Ed Greenwood wrote the story; Shota Nakama orchestrated the score
- Backer rewards: Silver and Golden Treasure Chests packed pins, comics, vinyl, and signed posters
- Outcome: Funds covered final polish, and the game launched in its Q2 2017 window
Echoes of Mystralia Kickstarter Overview
The Echoes of Mystralia Kickstarter trail leads back to a single documented campaign: the Mages of Mystralia project that Borealys Games ran on Kickstarter to polish and launch their debut action-adventure. Pitched as Legend of Zelda meets Harry Potter, the campaign introduced the franchise's signature spellcrafting system, the exile story of a young mage named Zia, and a fantasy kingdom written by the creator of the Forgotten Realms. For fans researching the crowdfunding origins of the Mystralia universe, that archived campaign page remains the most detailed public record of how the world was first sold to players.
| Campaign Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Developer | Borealys Games, studio's first public project |
| Game | Mages of Mystralia, single-player action-adventure |
| Pitch line | "Legend of Zelda meets Harry Potter" |
| Story writer | Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms |
| Soundtrack | Live-recorded by the Video Game Orchestra |
| Stated purpose | Fund final polish and build a core player community |
| Launch target | Q2 2017 |
Spellcrafting Freedom
- Millions of combinations
- Runes stack, nest, and augment
- Limited only by imagination
AAA Pedigree
- Veteran developers
- Years of AAA industry experience
- Polished, responsive controls
A Living World
- Deep kingdom lore
- History comic and dynamic music
- Cel-shaded fantasy visuals
The original campaign page is still archived on Kickstarter and worth a full read. It preserves the pitch videos, rune diagrams, reward charts, and community comments exactly as backers saw them during the funding window.
The Spellcrafting System Pitch
The centerpiece of the campaign was a spellcrafting system built around a spell book containing four basic spell types. Players modify those spells by attaching runes to a crafting grid, and the options expand as the book grows. The campaign highlighted four elements and eighteen runes, which combine into what Borealys described as millions of possible spells. The team noted that playtesters at conventions kept inventing combinations the developers themselves had never seen.
| Rune Type | Function | Campaign Example |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral | Adds a stacking behavior to the spell | "Move" turns an Actus fire orb into a fireball |
| Augment | Modifies connected runes and their variables | "Right" makes an ice turret rotate clockwise |
| Trigger | Nests another spell when conditions are met | "Periodic" nests a triple fireball inside an ice sculpture |
The campaign's most memorable demonstration walked through the construction of an ice turret, step by step:
Start with the Actus Orb of Fire
The base spell is a simple floating orb of flame, one of the four basic spell types in the book.
Add the Move behavior rune
Attaching "Move" sends the orb flying forward, producing a classic fireball.
Stack the Duplicate behavior rune
Behaviors stack, so adding "Duplicate" to the fireball creates a triple fireball volley.
Swap to an Ice Ego spell
Attaching "Duplicate" to an Ice Ego spell instead produces an ice sculpture usable as a decoy to escape enemies.
Nest and augment
A "Periodic" trigger rune nests the triple fireball inside the sculpture, and a "Right" augment rotates the resulting turret a full 360 degrees.
The pitch explicitly told backers they were not constrained to spells the developers designed. Runes such as "Rain," "Impact," and "Teleport" meant the community, not the studio, would define the meta. That open-ended promise was the campaign's strongest hook.
Story, Music, and the Creative Team
Players take the role of Zia, a young woman born with an innate sense of magic in a kingdom where arcane powers are banned. Forced into exile, she learns to control her powers, meets other exiled mages, and uncovers runes she can combine into entirely new spells. Bestselling author Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms setting for Dungeons and Dragons, wrote the story and fleshed out the kingdom's complete history, a setting that previously served as the basis for Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.
| Role | Contributor | Notable Background |
|---|---|---|
| Story and world lore | Ed Greenwood | Forgotten Realms creator, roughly 170 fantasy books |
| Orchestration | Shota Nakama | Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remaster |
| Live recording | Video Game Orchestra | Performed the original score in full |
| History comic | Brian Clevinger and Carey Pietsch | Acclaimed webcomic creators, 64-page softcover |
The lore ran deep enough that Borealys partnered with comic creators Brian Clevinger and Carey Pietsch to tell the kingdom's history in a 64-page comic. The campaign stressed that knowing Mystralia's past helps players catch subtle references that shape Zia's present. On the audio side, the score was recorded live by the Video Game Orchestra and orchestrated by Shota Nakama.
The music adapts in real time to setting and player actions, adding instruments, accelerating, slowing, and modulating to match each in-game situation rather than looping static tracks.
Backer Tiers and Treasure Chest Rewards
Physical rewards came in two showcase packages, the Silver Treasure Chest and the Golden Treasure Chest, alongside digital tiers and standalone add-ons released in the campaign's final week. Extra digital copies could be added for $25 CAD ($19 US) each, and physical add-ons required adding the item value plus region-based shipping at checkout.
| Reward Item | Silver Treasure Chest | Golden Treasure Chest |
|---|---|---|
| Mystralia pin | Included | Included |
| T-shirt | Standard campaign shirt | Exclusive dev team shirt |
| 64-page comic | Softcover by Clevinger and Pietsch | Softcover by Clevinger and Pietsch |
| 11x17 poster | Full color | Limited, signed by Ed Greenwood |
| Soundtrack | Not included | Double-vinyl OST edition |
The fulfillment flow worked in four stages:
Select a pledge tier
Backers chose their tier directly from the campaign page before checkout.
Add funds for add-ons
Extra digital copies cost $25 CAD ($19 US) each; physical add-ons added item value plus shipping.
Complete the Backer Form
After the campaign closed, backers confirmed add-ons, preferred platforms, addresses, and t-shirt sizes.
Await fulfillment
Physical goods such as the vinyl OST and signed posters shipped after production.
The campaign is long closed, and pledge rewards were produced only for backers. Signed posters and vinyl pressings occasionally surface secondhand, so verify authenticity carefully and treat any "new" sealed reward claims with skepticism.
Stretch Goals, Launch, and Legacy
Borealys framed the funding as a polish pass rather than a rescue: improved animations, particle effects, and enhanced sound effects were the stated targets, with stretch goals aimed at post-launch game modes and faster staffing to deliver new features sooner. The studio also credited years of playtester feedback at major events for shaping the final experience.
| Event Appearance | Format | Campaign Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| PAX East, West, and South | Gaming expos | Hands-on spellcrafting demos |
| SXSW | Festival showcase | Strong media reaction to the rune system |
| PlayStation Experience | Platform event | Console audience exposure |
The game met its target window, launching in May 2017 on PC and PlayStation 4 (Source: Mages of Mystralia on Steam, checked 2026-08-14). For franchise fans, the campaign remains the founding document of Mystralia's community.
Franchise Deep-Dive Goals:
- Read the archived Mages of Mystralia campaign page in full
- Watch the three-part spellcrafting tutorial narrated by Dan Adelman
- Track down the 64-page Mystralia history comic
- Listen to the Video Game Orchestra recording of the OST
- Spot kingdom-history references during Zia's journey
For any future Mystralia announcements, follow Borealys Games' official channels and the archived Kickstarter page rather than third-party resellers. Official sources are the only reliable place for news about the franchise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Was there an Echoes of Mystralia Kickstarter campaign?
The documented Kickstarter in the Mystralia franchise is the Mages of Mystralia campaign by Borealys Games. Fans searching for the Echoes of Mystralia Kickstarter will find that project, which ran ahead of the game's Q2 2017 launch window and remains archived on Kickstarter as the franchise's crowdfunding origin.
Q: Who wrote the story of Mystralia?
Ed Greenwood, the bestselling author who created the Forgotten Realms setting for Dungeons and Dragons, wrote Zia's adventure and expanded the kingdom's full lore. That setting previously served as the basis for games like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights.
Q: What was included in the Golden Treasure Chest?
The top physical reward contained a Mystralia pin, an exclusive dev team t-shirt, the 64-page comic by Brian Clevinger and Carey Pietsch, a limited 11x17 poster signed by Ed Greenwood, and a double-vinyl edition of the orchestral soundtrack.
Q: Can I still get the Kickstarter rewards today?
No. The campaign closed after funding ended, and rewards such as the signed posters and vinyl OST were produced only for backers. The archived page can still be read for reference, and official Borealys channels are the place to watch for any future Mystralia projects.
This page summarizes the historical campaign record for reference. If new official Mystralia crowdfunding appears, this wiki will cover it with sources cited.