Wait, why is Nova Hearts participating in the Lovecraftian Days Steam event? Because the game has some Lovecraft inspirations! As surprising as it may be for Nova Hearts, Lovecraft can take different forms and directions.
What is Lovecraft?
"H.P. Lovecraft (born August 20, 1890, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.—died March 15, 1937, Providence) was an American author of fantastic and macabre short novels and stories, one of the 20th-century masters of the Gothic tale of terror. Lovecraft was interested in science from childhood, but lifelong poor health prevented him from attending college. He made his living as a ghostwriter and rewrite man and spent most of his life in seclusion and poverty. His fame as a writer increased after his death." H.P Lovecraft, The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, www.britannica.com.
The Curious Case of H. P. Lovecraft, Paul Roland
The Lovecraftian themes in the game are: a cosmic mystery, the unknown/unknowable, an otherworldy influence on humanity, everything happening in a small town, and Fate.
In Nova Hearts, Sailor Moon is a clear visual influence on the game, but more subtly Lovecraft's artworks too! We wanted to pay homage to the author by adding our own sense of Lovecraft to the game. The entry point to that is exploring the horror of non-existence and the influence of otherworldly beings when they are deprived of human intention. The game has taken a softer point-of-view to match the joyful pop feel of a queer narrative based on magical girls but retained these notions of what lies hidden and the consequences of powers wielded without conscience.
Lovecraft's artworks are an important part of the game's story. Who are these enemies and "monsters", where are they coming from, and why are they here? This mystery is part of the fantasy we wanted to create. There was never supposed to be a horror tone on things, though, it's more this underlying element to build the whole setting, that would become clear at the end to make the stakes higher. In the first chapter Nova Hearts: The Spark, these enemies look cute on paper, but when you're facing them, you discover there is something wrong. There is a deeper meaning there and the why is what you will have to discover in the full game!
Research for the "Chapter 1 Goon attack"
Final asset "Chapter 1 Goon attack"
More to discover about why the game has some Lovecraft inspirations in the full game! We can't be too explicit about it yet as we don't want to spoil anything! We can't wait for you to play Nova Hearts and discover it by yourself to understand where we're going with it!
Not convinced yet? Play the first chapter for free on our Steam page!
