Dev Blog #2 - Humor and units in Becoming Saint
Heretics,
Our second dev blog is centered on the humorous aspects of the game and how units are part of the narrative as representation of society but also part of the gameplay with their unique synergies.
[h3]Humour in tragedy[/h3]
The player’s situation in Becoming Saint is overall tragic, given how easily you die one of the possible horrible death: hanged, burned, beheaded, or thrown off a cliff. This harsh reality actually creates an ideal context for humorous details and content, very much like the Black Knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
While Becoming Saint has the appearance of a game of conquest, your “army” is composed of the poorest and persecuted elements of society, in line with the principle of the last shall be first, and the first last. In the unit’s design and animation, even the most pompous types, like cavaliers, have been given a cardboard-like representation of their might.
And even more absurdly, your true career, of becoming a saint, starts with your death.
With these contrasts, we hope to have achieved a form of ludo-comedic consonance between tragic destiny and the paradoxical human condition.
[h3]Medieval setting, contemporary issues[/h3]
Becoming Saint is not a satire of medieval Italy; we don’t intend to tease medieval society and beliefs; the absurdity of the life and events that you lead in the game is perfectly contemporary; it concerns just as much our way of living as it does theirs; it's more at an existential level. There is quite as much paradox in contemporary life as there is in medieval times.
The main goal of the game is to live a life so impressive that you will climb the career ladder to become a saint in the shortest time possible -after, sadly, your passing-, but mainly for the kind of game it is, you should focus on survival, and you can't survive without your devoted Followers.
[h3]Tell me who you go with...[/h3]
There are 16 units that may follow you and 14 units that you may find protecting towns, each of which may have 3 to 4 different levels. Some can be female or male. Each unit attacks one of three possible features of other units (energy, faith, or courage), they can have a special form of persuasive attack against other units and may convert in synergy with different units. For example, naked fanatics and naked-foot beggars clearly should have some synergy in their conversion efforts, as you probably guessed!
What inspired us in creating these Units was our study of the lives of St. Francis and St. Chiara, which mix fanaticism with humbleness, and they consistently focus their efforts and message on the most destitute elements of society. As for the cities, Italy in the 14th century had towns exploding in a rampant and expanding new form of capitalistic and even financial production, and this too is represented by the units in the game.
[h3]...and I'll tell you who you are[/h3]
Without spoiling too much, let’s say that the units that follow you are compatible with certain political choices that you make. So for example, your relationship with property and money will determine if naked feet fanatics will follow you or not. Deciding whether to convert towns controlled by the Pope’s bishops may determine whether you are the objective of the next crusade or an ally of it.
In gameplay, your political choices influence even how effective your cursing and blessing are in the heat of the confrontation in town.
Stay tuned believers, we will soon come to you with news and holy content!
- The Becoming Saint Team -
Our second dev blog is centered on the humorous aspects of the game and how units are part of the narrative as representation of society but also part of the gameplay with their unique synergies.
[h3]Humour in tragedy[/h3]
The player’s situation in Becoming Saint is overall tragic, given how easily you die one of the possible horrible death: hanged, burned, beheaded, or thrown off a cliff. This harsh reality actually creates an ideal context for humorous details and content, very much like the Black Knight in Monty Python’s Holy Grail:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
While Becoming Saint has the appearance of a game of conquest, your “army” is composed of the poorest and persecuted elements of society, in line with the principle of the last shall be first, and the first last. In the unit’s design and animation, even the most pompous types, like cavaliers, have been given a cardboard-like representation of their might.
And even more absurdly, your true career, of becoming a saint, starts with your death.
With these contrasts, we hope to have achieved a form of ludo-comedic consonance between tragic destiny and the paradoxical human condition.
[h3]Medieval setting, contemporary issues[/h3]
Becoming Saint is not a satire of medieval Italy; we don’t intend to tease medieval society and beliefs; the absurdity of the life and events that you lead in the game is perfectly contemporary; it concerns just as much our way of living as it does theirs; it's more at an existential level. There is quite as much paradox in contemporary life as there is in medieval times.
The main goal of the game is to live a life so impressive that you will climb the career ladder to become a saint in the shortest time possible -after, sadly, your passing-, but mainly for the kind of game it is, you should focus on survival, and you can't survive without your devoted Followers.
[h3]Tell me who you go with...[/h3]
There are 16 units that may follow you and 14 units that you may find protecting towns, each of which may have 3 to 4 different levels. Some can be female or male. Each unit attacks one of three possible features of other units (energy, faith, or courage), they can have a special form of persuasive attack against other units and may convert in synergy with different units. For example, naked fanatics and naked-foot beggars clearly should have some synergy in their conversion efforts, as you probably guessed!
What inspired us in creating these Units was our study of the lives of St. Francis and St. Chiara, which mix fanaticism with humbleness, and they consistently focus their efforts and message on the most destitute elements of society. As for the cities, Italy in the 14th century had towns exploding in a rampant and expanding new form of capitalistic and even financial production, and this too is represented by the units in the game.
[h3]...and I'll tell you who you are[/h3]
Without spoiling too much, let’s say that the units that follow you are compatible with certain political choices that you make. So for example, your relationship with property and money will determine if naked feet fanatics will follow you or not. Deciding whether to convert towns controlled by the Pope’s bishops may determine whether you are the objective of the next crusade or an ally of it.
In gameplay, your political choices influence even how effective your cursing and blessing are in the heat of the confrontation in town.
Stay tuned believers, we will soon come to you with news and holy content!
- The Becoming Saint Team -