TAGONISTSToday, I’d like to talk a little about the protagonists and antagonists of our game. Collectively, I’ve decided to call them TAGONISTS. Yes, I know it’s not a real word but here on the Wayward Isles we take a pretty relaxed view of what’s real and what isn’t. If you’re going to follow this devlog - and we sincerely hope that you will - you’ll probably need to get used to that.
The ProtagonistThe first TAGONIST we’re going to look at today is the protagonist. The protagonist (or, generally speaking, the player character) is particularly important in a game because without them there wouldn’t be much for the player to do. There would probably, in fact, be nothing whatsoever for the player to do. It may not even be possible to have a game without a protagonist. I don't know. Finer minds than mine will have to debate that one. In the meantime, meet Scyld:
ScyldScyld is a badass. His whole ass is bad and the rest of his body pretty much follows after it. He was exiled from the Wayward Isles as a young man because of a dreadful act of treachery he may or may not have committed, thus sealing his reputation as a villain. Prior to this, he had been lauded as a great hero of his people, the warrior who drove the Odd Folk back beneath the waves. Having wandered the world for forty years, he is now returning to the island of his birth to settle old scores. He’s a more mature protagonist than is generally seen in games and this will be reflected in the way he moves, talks and fights.
We’ve decided to go all-out for character with Scyld. He isn’t an empty vessel for the player to inhabit, you won’t be able to customise him or make him do things which are drastically out of line with his principles. He already has a rich backstory and a bunch of conflicting motivations.
The downside of this approach is that although the player will hopefully be able to sympathise and identify with Scyld, they won’t be able to project their own personalities fully into the role. The upside is that we can tell a much tighter and richer story which is specific to the character and that’s something we really want to do with this game.
Development sketches of Scyld
The AntagonistsI don’t think I’ll cause any controversy if I say that most good stories and games also need antagonists of one kind or another. In real life it might be nice to live without enemies and obstacles but in games they are pretty essential, even if they are simply environmental or metaphysical. Without antagonists, Pac-Man would have been a mindless grind of gluttony and Dark Souls little more than an Armoured Walking Simulator. Space Invaders, let's be honest, would have been a waste of everyone's time.
So we want to get our antagonists right and, if possible, do something a little unusual with them.
HumantagonistsThe most important antagonists of the game will be human and to overcome them the player will need to carefully manage their relationships with the inhabitants of the islands, uncovering their secrets and winning their trust. The islands are sparsely populated and we want every NPC to count somehow, to have a story to tell and a reputation with the other islanders.
Combat with other humans will be a weighty matter, subject to a number of laws and traditions. If Scyld challenges someone to combat, he must be prepared to kill them. If he kills them, he will carry their soul with him until he dies, tattooed as a fish onto his skin (using squid ink mixed with an irritant to remind him of his guilt). These victories will also greatly affect the story. Family is important to the islanders and feuds are not easily forgotten…
Although the game’s focus is more on story than combat, we want these fights, if and when you have them, to feel tense and impactful. To this end, the player will need to have honed their fighting skills on more than just the local wildlife...
The local wildlife
The Odd FolkThe Odd Folk are the most common adversaries in the game, a strange race of creatures who have been leaving the ocean in increasing numbers and settling on the land. They are sea-flesh shaped into a crude mockery of the human form, oddly articulated and incapable of speech, their mouths fixed in permanent rictus grins straight out of the uncanny valley. Their presence and purpose on the islands is a mystery but they certainly do seem to have some beef with Scyld. Although weak when alone, they have no fear for their individual lives and can be very dangerous when attacking in waves. More on them and their enigmatic leader, the Man of Joy, later...
The Odd Folk
ALSO...We have a new video up showing off Gerhard's CovertEngine. The models are placeholders but it gives a good feel for the sort of scenic scope we'll be able to achieve.
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