Lore

Long ago a sentient civilization calling reached a precarious point in their existence. They have poisoned their planet and needed to fix the consequences of their actions. However, at this crucial time, the most influential part of their civilization decided to abandon their home planet and build a new society on a different planet far away. As their new home desperately needed ressources, the rich started exploiting the home planet. The remaining inhabitants were forced to take on laborious work.

The new planet was split into countries, which found other planets to exploit and the home planet slowly transformed into just another planet to make capital from.

Soon the work of overseeing the situation on the exploited planets was outsourced to a company. Now the exploitation of the home planet was treated like a business, and the people like slaves. The company promised the laborers freedom, once the new planet was finally built. However the infrastructure on the new planet was swiftly built and there was no intention of bringing the inhabitants from the home planet over. Under the disguise of the company, a dictatorial regime was established, which oppressed the laborers. Their living conditions worsened, working tirelessly to survive and feed their families, the people became walking corpses, only functioning because of the little food they gained and the sunberry. Since sunberries grow only on and are imported from the new planet, the laborers are dependent on the regime.

Before the drug-like fruit was established, a small minority of laborers escaped from the surveillance and hid in a dungeon living in small tribes. The dungeon was unwelcoming and cold. They survived off of cave insects, vegetation and stealing food from the soldiers now and then. They built their homes from scraps the soldiers left behind and hid from every being, even the cave's native creatures, who consider both the soldiers and the tribe their foes.

The tribe the game focuses on has long believed to be part of a selected few, which their deity will let prosper once again, diminishing the dictatorial regime they suffer under. However to achieve their god’s mercy they need to first offer them a great sacrifice, the serpent's flower. The only flower which still blooms on the home planet. And so, they prepared for the day, on which they would find the flower and cause a hecatomb, killing all other living beings on the home planet and taking back control of their previous home.

Hecatomb definition = “In ancient Greece or Rome, a great public sacrifice, originally of a hundred oxen; figuratively, an extensive loss of life for some cause. The word comes (in the late 16th century, via Latin) from Greek hekatombē (from hekaton ‘hundred’ + bous ‘ox’).” (Oxford Reference, “Hecatomb”)

Sunberry

• Type: Poison/Drug

• What does it do (Mechanics): stronger attack, faster rate of firing

• What does it do (Lore): It is a drug, which pushes the physical limits of the taker, it is very addictive and most NPCs in the game are addicted from it since it was introduced by the government

• How will it be taken: Press of a button, if found beforehand

• How long will the effect last: 20s - 30s

• Are there consequences: a different ending if the drug is abused, after a few times the max HP is lowered.

• How is the drug portrayed: It is found in barrels and crates, it is supposed to look like a fruit (clearer description will follow)

• How does the main character take the drug: like this (their mouth is directly under their eye)

Goal

The gameplay goal of the players is to navigate the dungeon and reach the surface. This concept has been a part of the game since its inception. Over time, the goal has become more complex, incorporating a reward and a victory alongside the objective. However, these do not have a direct inpact on the players, but on the playable character. This character is tasked with bringing the flower to the surface and is also burdened with the title of hero of their tribe. This draws a parallel to the imposed responsibility that young people face as they grow up.

Thus, the narrative goal of the game is to evoke sympathy in the players for the playable character.

Conflict

The main conflict changes depending on the perspective from which the game is viewed.

On the surface, it is a political conflict, where the tribe and the regime are at war for control over the earth. The players try to help the tribe by performing a religious gesture. However, at the end of the game, they encounter the leader of the soldiers and defeat him. The soldiers retreat, and the earth appears to be saved.

On a deeper level, the game reflects the conflict within the playable character. This character wants to help their tribe but is too afraid of dying in the process. The only thing that gives them strength is their faith, which is tested when they are one step away from their goal. At that point, they encounter a being they previously believed to be a messenger of their deity, but it turns out to be the leader of the soldiers.