Dev Blog #2: Our Approach to a Darker Narrative

[p]If you play a lot of horse-focused games, you’ve noticed that many of them are aimed at a much younger audience of children and tweens - or feature ranch revitalization story lines. We’re taking a different approach to our narrative for Equinox: Homecoming. In this dev blog, we sit down with Iryna from the Narrative team to chat about our story inspirations and how finding hope in the dark is the heart of our game.[/p][p][/p][p] “There's a massive craving from the players' side for something more mature, dark, thrilling and meaningful. Something players can relate to.” - Iryna Melnychenko, Narrative Director[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]What would it look like if an independent horse game could focus on mature themes? For us it means telling a story about a supernatural murder mystery, reckoning with the disappearance of a parent you broke off contact with, and being dragged back to a place you swore to leave behind forever…[/p][p][/p][h3]Narrative and Themes[/h3][p]In Equinox: Homecoming, you play as Alex Evans, a young adult returning to their* hometown island years after running away from home and cutting all contact with their mother Kendra. Kendra has vanished without a trace and shortly afterwards Jenny, one of your former classmates, is found dead in the woods.[/p][p]*You can customize your character’s appearance, including Alex’s gender. Our story doesn’t inherently gender the main character, leaving players room to roleplay any gender identity. A masculine voice option was released in our latest patch![/p][p][/p][p]Difficult relationships with parents aren’t an inherently mature subject… but reflecting on those relationships and reevaluating the past with the wisdom only age can grant is something we believe resonates a lot with players.[/p][p][/p][p]In the first chapter of our game, players will get some insight into what circumstances led Alex to suddenly leave Alderwood Island a few years before you start the story. Their mother’s sudden disappearance has reluctantly drawn them back to the one place they promised themselves to never return to.[/p][p][/p][p]“Coming of age is probably the darkest period of a person's life. You're already out of the safety of your parental house, but you're also not mature enough to deal with all the ordeals life can bring you. This is a period when you blindly move forward, trying to figure out who you are, what you are capable of, and what your limits are.” - Iryna
[/p][p]We wanted to tell a story that’s grounded in lived experiences – reckoning with the realities of an extremely controlling parent and reflecting on their actions once we have the maturity and distance to see them for what they are. All while allowing for a plot centered around the kind of mystery and excitement rarely encountered in everyday life. Upon returning to Alderwood, Alex is confronted with strange occurrences and sights that lead them to question what is and isn’t possible. [/p][p][/p][h3]Finding Hope and Friends in the Dark[/h3][p]We aren’t sure what age rating our content will be yet - we think it'll fall somewhere around PEGI 16 or 18 - but we can promise it won’t be explicit or overtly violent. This means we don’t plan on making any compromises to our narrative, cutscenes, or mechanics to make the game for a childish audience. This lets us tackle these darker, more mature subjects with the gravity they deserve instead of conforming to family friendly themes and language.[/p][p][/p][p]It's important for us to mention that mature themes doesn’t mean this is a grim dark game, though! Friendship, community, and finding lights in the darkness are just as essential to our story as the creepier elements. We believe that hope and optimism very much belong in mature stories as well. We don't lean too far into bleakness. [/p][p]“You can be in a nice place and enjoy great weather, but still have something sinister going on around you. It’s a real world thing: we don’t have to make up much… because we all live in this.” - Iryna[/p][p][/p]