Hey! I’m back for another Dev Blog. Writing the first post made me feel overwhelmed with all the things that I could talk about. Choosing just one is not an easy feat. But here we are. I wanted to explain a little bit about the dungeon that you guys are going to get into and suggest a new perspective to you all.
The most important thing to understand about this game is that nothing is always as it seems. You’re going into this adventure, in a way, looking for a more meaningful life. Maybe, finding the treasures of this huge and dangerous place might grant you with all the fame and money you ever dreamt of.
The dungeon is full of symbols. These are underground ruins that seem to have once housed people. It’s not a dungeon full of traps and huge blades trying to cut your head off, but a sanctuary, a sacred place that devoted people have lived in and protected with their lives.
And I guess you might ask, if it is not a dungeon with contraptions trying to kill you, why is it so dangerous? The short answer for that is… the dungeon and the ones that once lived there don’t want you to go there and take the treasures away that easily. They’ll try to make your life hard.
As you progress further down the dungeon, you’re also might realize how generous the dungeon is. You’ll find fruits, vegetables, and even meat from small critters, giving you sustenance for this deep dive into the darkness. You’re might also realize, that you will get second chances when you lose your life trying to explore it.
So, there’s a clear ambivalence in this place… does it want you to explore it or not? Do you think this place wants you to find all its secrets, but why does it make it so hard sometimes? These are questions that I invite you to figure it out. Pay attention to all the statues and symbols. Everything is connected, and everything has a meaning.
This narrative came into place once I started to question our colonizer approach to dungeon crawlers. Why do we think it's heroic to explore a sacred temple, find all the treasures that's hidden underneath all the ruins, and then activate some sort of protection or contraption that make all the dungeon just falls apart. What about the history, the wisdom, the knowledge of those who build it and once lived in there? I want you to approach it in a new perspective. Are you invited to explore it? Who lived there? What are the meaning of all of that? And more specially, is there something to learn from them?
Next blog post I’ll try to bring something more about the mechanics and practical aspects of the game. Come along and delve into this dungeon with us!
- Saulo from Behold Studios
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2871520