Before 2023 ends and everybody jumps into the holiday season, we have one more dev diary for you this year!
Previously we spoke to
Ashleigh Haddad, who gave her voice to
Starborn Lorelai, and last week, we learned more about the mysterious
Lighteater Murnau, voiced by
Harry Myers.
This week we're introducing the
Firstborn Akard, with an exclusive interview with Akard’s voice actor
David Menkin!
If you are an eager follower (we love your passion and dedication!), you know how this works by now:
First, we bring the game’s character into the spotlight and follow up with the interview.
So, let’s begin, shall we?
[h3]Who is Akard?[/h3]
Like last week’s
Murnau, most of you haven’t met
Akard in the game. You might have spotted him in some of the many artworks we’ve used since announcing the game, and he was also introduced in our latest Faction Trailer, which you can watch, like and share below.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Back to the subject at hand, and to
Akard the Firstborn*.
As you might have noticed, like all other
Firstborn,
Akard has no eyes. The Firstborn live in the World of Dark, where eyes are of no use. Though they are unable to see, they have developed other senses and the Firstborn have a tight bond with the
Hymn**.
But
Akard’s bond with the Hymn is different to that of other
Firstborn: he is a “Monodika”, a
Firstborn with a special connection to the Hymn.
He spent most of his life as an Outcast, but after losing his home to the Crusade he took on a greater level of responsibility for his people: trying to lead them to a new home. -A slight similarity to Lorelai, don’t you think?
And to give you a slight spoiler here: he leads his people into the World of Light. Like
Lorelai, he leads a refugee people in search of sanctuary, a place to call home. And like
Lorelai, he is ready to fight for it.
Will he be able to find a safe place for his kin?
How does he manage to travel between the worlds? How will the beings in the World of Light react to this new “invasion”?
This, my beloved Songs of Silence fans, is something you must unravel yourself, during the campaign in the final version of the game. This time, no shortcuts with the currently running Closed beta.
*They are named
“Firstborn” because they were the first life ever created in the world of Songs of Silence.
The Firstborn (culture, cities, and constructs) are tightly bound to the waning rivers of light. Therefore, they must live in places with enough Hymn**, so usually Firstborn stay in larger cities close to Light Veins.
However, the World of Dark's light veins have been dying for hundreds of years, as they mirror the health of the hymn in a certain area. The healthier the hymn, the brighter the light vein shines, and the more the Firstborn can flourish. But the World of Dark is on the brink of ruin, due to the spread of the Silence. As a result, more light veins deplete, causing the Firstborn to wither away.
Their connection allows the Firstborn to manipulate the hymn and conjure what some people might call magic. They are even able to infuse unliving constructs with life.
** In the Days of Old, there was nothing but the divine Hymn echoing through the cosmos. It was a song that spoke of every living being, every creature great and small, the entirety of creation. A perfect symphony of life. It was from this divine energy that many gods were born, each one imbued with power beyond measure. And yet, when they came together on the Advent of Light, they waged a war unlike any other. Their battle rent the very fabric of the universe asunder. Out of this war, two new worlds emerged - one of light populated by Starborn, and one of the dark, where the Firstborn made their home.
[h3]So, who is the actor providing her voice to an important character like Akard? [/h3]
Answer: The incredible David Menkin. But let’s hear from Harry himself – both who he is and his insights into his journey as Akard.
[h3]Enjoy the full-length interview with David:[/h3]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Please feel free to share your feedback, if you enjoy our latest dev diaries all about the interesting characters in Songs of Silence, and the outstanding voices, bringing them to life.
[h3]Previous Dev Diaries you should not miss: [/h3]
- Dev Diary #1 — Cards of Faith:
- Dev Diary #2 — Art and symbolism in Songs of Silence:
- https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2195410/view/3728461191740894243
- Dev Diary #3 - Hymn and Silence:
- Dev Diary #4 - Real-time battles:
- Dev Diary #5 - Songs of Silence demo during Steam Next Fest:
- Dev Diary #6 - The music of Songs of Silence by Hitoshi Sakimoto:
- Dev Diary #7 – Ashleigh Haddad – The voice of Lorelai:
- Dev Diary #8 – Harry Myers– The voice of Murnau:
[h2]Thank you for your ongoing support and as always, stay tuned for more exciting news! [/h2]
Don’t forget to follow Songs of Silence on Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), Discord and share your thoughts and demo feedback with us and the community!
[h3]Sign-up for the Closed Beta here on Steam![/h3]
The Closed Beta is already available with fresh content for you to explore before anybody else!
The last wave of keys in 2023 will be send out tomorrow, December 22, so make sure to sign up now, otherwise, you have to wait until the first week of January 2024, to get your key and exclusive roles and accesses on our Discord.
The closed beta offers:
- The first three full campaign maps
- For the first time ever: Multiplayer
- Lots of improvements, bugfixes, fine-tuning, tweaking, and more, majorly based on your feedback from the previous Closed Beta and the Demo.
- More updates to come, including your valuable feedback, so keep it coming.
Sign-up nowhttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1wO4s21i_Ib0XzRGGJobQ6RNE5jRVAtlF1t6T2aoGGGuKBA/viewform
Or update your Songs of Silence: Beta Testing app on Steam if you already have participated. Enjoy!
[h3]Enjoy the Songs of Silence demo! [/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2195410/Songs_Of_Silence/?utm_source=steam_devdiary9
Greetings from Munich!
Lars & the Chimera Team
