Threads of War News

[p]Two years ago, 11-year-old programmer Askold and his father—a game designer, artist, and musician—decided to remake the retro game Battle City, adding lots of variety and more modern mechanics, and turning the gameplay into a rogue-lite journey where players choose their route on the map while trying to upgrade their tank.[/p][p]They also wanted to tell a story about war—touching on themes that are rarely discussed or not discussed at all: that in war, it's not faceless units that die, but real people who had dreams, planned their lives, and were then forced to take up arms. And the game doesn’t convey this through text or cutscenes—the player can feel it through metaphors and the way the gameplay mechanics are built.[/p][p]Two years later, the game is launching on Steam. Meet Threads of War—a game about how Ukrainians embroider the fate of their country with threads of war.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][h3]👾 A reimagining of the Battle City mechanics[/h3][p]We took Battle City as a foundation, kept what was fun about it, but modernized and added exciting new mechanics—like collecting ammo, passive and active bonuses, boss battles, and more. We also created unique enemies, each with its own mechanic. As a result, you get endless variation: different enemy tank combinations create new challenges, synergy between various bonuses leads to new battle scenarios, and the location generator makes every fight unique.[/p][p][/p][h3]🧍‍♂️ Each new run is a human story[/h3][p]The game doesn’t just entertain—it reflects our view of war. Behind every tank icon is a human life—a person who lived and dreamed, worked and loved. War is made up of countless human tragedies, and the game lets players feel that through its mechanics.[/p][p][/p][h3]🎮 Rogue-lite progression[/h3][p]After each level, you decide how to move forward on the map. Some paths may offer bonuses, others the chance to buy missing shields, and some may let you avoid battle altogether. The map allows you to optimize your route to fit your playstyle. After each run, you earn experience that unlocks new active and passive bonuses.[/p][p][/p][h3]🤼 Play the game in co-op[/h3][p]The game supports a cooperative campaign for two players. After each completed level, the player who scored more points gets to choose their bonus first. This can lead to fun and competitive situations between you and your friend. At the same time, you’ll be able to support each other, snatch upgrades right under each other’s nose, and compete for points.[/p][p][/p][h3]🛠 Level editor[/h3][p]You can get creative and build your own level. You can design the layout, place ammo and bonus spawns, and set the number and types of enemies.[/p][p][/p][h3]⚔ Major counteroffensive operations of 2022[/h3][p]In the game, you’ll progress through key cities liberated by the Ukrainian army in 2022: you'll free northern Ukraine, take part in the Kharkiv offensive, and drive the enemy from the right bank of Kherson.[/p][p][/p][h3]💰 25% of profits will go to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine[/h3][p]With this game, we want to tell the world more about our war and also thank the Ukrainian army for giving us the opportunity to develop it.[/p][p][/p][h3]📝 Support the game with a review![/h3][p]If you enjoyed the game, please leave a review on Steam. This will help more people discover it.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
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[p]Recently, the website dev.ua interviewed me and my 13-year-old son about Threads of War. There we share many interesting details about the game itself as well as the story of its creation.[/p][p]If you’re interested in how I made various creative decisions in the game and how my son and I worked on it together, I recommend reading (in English): https://dev.ua/en/news/interviu-z-rozrobnykamy-threads-of-war-1753951625[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p]In the first month of the war, Ukrainians were horrified by kilometer-long columns of enemy tanks advancing on Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other cities. Various rumors spread among the people, panic raged, and tens of thousands of men and women went to military enlistment offices to join the defense of their country.[/p][p]Amid all this madness, the Ukrainian army and volunteers did everything they could to stop the enemy. [/p][p][/p][p]In those days, the song “Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow”, performed by Andriy Khlyvnyuk on Sofiyska Square of Kyiv, became a symbol of resistance. In 1914, it was the anthem of the Sich Riflemen, and in 2022 it was given a new life.[/p][p]So I decided to use it as the main theme for the first phase of the 2022 war - the liberation of Northern Ukraine.[/p][p]Like all other soundtrack melodies, it is performed in 8-bit style. In this track, alongside the main heroic theme, I composed another melody that intersects with the main one but conveys the chaos and tension of those days. In the background, I created an intense “clanking” sound of heavy military machinery.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p]In the early days of autumn 2022, Ukrainians began receiving news they could hardly believe - as a result of a rapid counteroffensive, the entire Kharkiv region was liberated in a very short time. That’s 12,000 square kilometers![/p][p]For the musical accompaniment of this counteroffensive in Threads of War, I chose the song "The Cossack Rode beyond the Danube", reworked it into an 8-bit version, and titled it "The Cossack Rode beyond the Oskil".[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]When I work on adapting Ukrainian songs, I explore their history, contexts, arrangements, and underlying ideas. To my surprise, I discovered that this Ukrainian romance has a fascinating history. It was written in the early 1700s and, about a century later, gained popularity in the Russian Empire and Western Europe. The song was translated into German and French, becoming the basis for many musical works by renowned composers.[/p][p]One of them was Beethoven, who made the melody more lyrical. In the translation by Prussian poet Tiedge, the song was titled “Schöne Minka, ich muß scheiden” and is perceived as a folk song in Germany.[/p][p]Interestingly, this melody also became the foundation for at least two other Ukrainian songs:[/p]

• [p]"Hey, falcons" [/p]
• [p]"You've deceived me".[/p]

[p]In my variation, I aimed to make the melody slightly more heroic while preserving its lyricism. For the game, tracks need to be relatively long and avoid sounding monotonous. That’s why I combined the motifs of "The Cossack Rode beyond the Danube", "Hey, falcons", a melodic fragment composed by Beethoven in his variation of the romance, and my own musical themes - all in a single track.[/p][p]- - - - -[/p][p]The game will be released very soon![/p]

[p][/p][p]We’re planning to release our game soon, but we thought it would be a good idea to share the story of our war with people from other countries as well. So, if you’re fluent in another language and would like to help with the translation - we’d be truly grateful.[/p][p]We're especially looking for translations into:[/p]

• [p]Polish[/p]
• [p]German[/p]
• [p]French[/p]

[p]But we’d also welcome help with other languages.[/p][p]There isn’t a huge amount of text. However, a strong command of the language is important, as some dialogues need to convey a stylised “archaic” tone (for instance, a Cossack describing enemy tanks in the way he sees them).[/p][p]As a thank-you, we’ll include your name in the credits and provide two game keys.[/p][p][/p][p]If you can help, please write to andrey.kostyushko @ gmail.com (remove the spaces around the @).[/p][p][/p]