Agent of Strange · published
Hi, Conspirators! This is Sever Studio.
Let's start with the big news: we're moving the release of our Prologue, Agent of Strange: Arrival, and this time in the right direction. The wait will be shorter than we promised: the Prologue releases on October 8.
We also recently asked you to send us your questions about the game and the studio, and you delivered. There were so many that we've split our answers into two posts. Today is part one: the studio, the world of Agent of Strange, and the Prologue itself.
Who is developing Agent of Strange? Is it the same team that made The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante?
Yes. The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante was developed by Sever, and back then we were a single team. After the release, we faced a question: what next? Part of the team wanted to continue The Life and Suffering series and founded a separate studio, Schisma, which later released The Life and Suffering of Prince Jerian. The core Sever team moved on to new projects in a new genre.
Is Agent of Strange connected to The Life and Suffering of Prince Jerian?
No. Prince Jerian is a direct continuation of The Life and Suffering universe, and it was made solely by Schisma.
Agent of Strange is an entirely new game in a new world: instead of the fantasy Arknian Empire, a mysterious European city of the early 20th century, with different characters, a different story and different gameplay.
Is Agent of Strange set in the same universe as The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante?
No. Agent of Strange is a separate universe with no connection to Sir Brante's world.
Will Agent of Strange play like The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante?
We still strive to put players in front of interesting and dramatic choices, so you can create your own story and shape your own hero.
But in form, this is a very different game. Gameplay in Agent of Strange goes far beyond making choices in scenes. It's much closer to a classic RPG: you move freely around locations, explore the City, and interact with characters and the environment. You'll also have the City Map, where you decide for yourself which mission to take on and when.
So choices and their consequences won't come once per scene. They'll await you at literally every step of your path.
Why did you choose a 2D side-scroller format with 3D graphics?
Agent of Strange was always conceived in a theatrical style. Locations should feel like stages, and NPCs like actors performing vivid, dramatic events. A "two-dimensional" front view best recreates the effect of a stage, where you both watch your hero and direct them. It also gives us plenty of room for theatrical conventions and unusual staging techniques. Keeping the camera at a distance from the characters makes it easier to project personalities and emotions onto them, engaging the player's own imagination and creativity.
The gameplay itself also wouldn't work in, say, first person. It needs a wider view and control "from the outside".
Creating many characters and environment objects, animating them and dynamically controlling the lighting was only possible in 3D. But the experience we wanted simply required a strictly fixed camera. Hence the "pseudo-2D" look.
Is the Prologue a demo or a small standalone game?
Both. Formally it's a free demo, but it's built as a full first chapter of Agent of Strange, with its own beginning and ending.
What does the Prologue include, and how long does it take to complete?
The Prologue is the very beginning of your story. In it, you'll define who your hero is, live through their backstory, try to join the Conspiracy, and take your first steps down this dangerous path.
A large part of the Prologue is character creation: right inside the gameplay, step by step, you'll build your protagonist's personality, traits and image. After that come several introductory episodes that don't yet take place in the main setting, your hometown of Brocken, but in the capital of the Republic. Your actions there will strongly influence how events unfold in the main part of the game. How exactly? You'll find out at the end of the Prologue!
One thoughtful playthrough takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. But of course, you can replay it to discover different paths and outcomes.
That's all for today! In part two, we'll talk about how the game itself works: Undercover, combat, skill checks, failure, and how replayable Agent of Strange is.
Thank you to everyone who sent in questions. If new ones came up while reading, leave them in the comments or on our Discord.
Wishlist Agent of Strange, and we'll meet again on October 8.
See you in Brocken.