The book weaves together data, stories, and theory to show how the middleman economy took hold, the benefits it brings, and the dangers it poses. In my book, Direct: The Rise of the Middleman Economy and the Power of Going to the Source, I explain the rise of the “middleman economy”-characterized by powerful middlemen and long supply chains. They are just the most vivid examples of a much broader transformation in how the economy works, whom it works for, and where the real power now lies. But there is much more to the rise of these giant middlemen, and the supply chains behind them, than meets the eye. Many of us have become so accustomed to relying on Amazon or Walmart that we take their size and omnipresence for granted. Walmart and Amazon are the two biggest companies in the country. We didn’t think we could do that more than we did in Ara Fell, but we hope it shines through all the same in Rise of the Third Power,” says Stegosoft Games.Direct: The Rise of the Middleman Economy and the Power of Going to the Source “What matters more than anything is making our games with love. Returning as well are various difficulty options, including the “Story” setting, which allows players the use of an auto-kill function on all enemies in order to progress quickly through battles if they choose. Also like Ara Fell, players can freely save any time throughout the game, however there are autosave points and prompts before important events. Rise of the Third Power features an exciting linear story, however there is a vast world that players can explore and discover a great deal of optional story-related content and quests. Instead of purchasing replacements, the player purchases or makes upgrades, avoiding the tedium of inventory management, while also giving the completionist something useful to hunt for. Each piece of equipment found, purchased or stolen is a permanent, unique upgrade for each character. Players can swap out party members, see the order of actions at the top of the screen, and make use of team abilities, encouraging them to use clever character combinations to exploit enemies’ weaknesses and find efficient ways to tear through battles.

Every skill is meant to be employed frequently and tactically. Similar to Ara Fell, Rise of the Third Power’s battle system features an emphasis on ability use, removing the need for a basic attack. A blend of humor, drama and tragedy await players in a 35+ hour story-focused quest as they navigate the treacherous world of Rin. Players will gain a party of up to eight unique characters throughout the game, each with their own background story, ambitions, and personalities, as they embark upon a suicide mission to prevent a war and topple the Arkadyan emperor. First revealed in 2017, Rise of the Third Power is a throwback to the SNES era of RPGs with modern conveniences and combines aspects of both Japanese and Western design.

Kickstarter rise of the third power