The VR Adventure in Journey for Elysium Starts Tomorrow
Our award winning game Journey For Elysium releases in just 24 hours on Steam.
The VR experience inspired by Greek Mythology will be available on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR systems for €19.99/$19.99/£17.99. In addition, players can purchase Journey For Elysium with a 15% discount until November 7th.
To celebrate the release, we also have a brand new Launch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt28jyxIJiI Journey For Elysium sees players adopt the role of an unnamed hero who has passed away and finds himself trapped in the underworld. In order to reach Elysium, and subsequently obtain redemption, the mysterious traveller must use all his wits and skills in a series of increasingly elaborate twists and challenges. In this story-driven VR game, you're drawn into a deeply rich and immersive world inspired by ancient myths and, along the way, you will discover more about the protagonist's enigmatic and shrouded past.
We hope you'll join us on this underworld adventure, available on Halloween.
VR Adventure Journey for Elysium Sets Sail on October 31st
It’s with great pleasure that we announce today the release date of Journey For Elysium! Our VR Adventure will set sail on the 31st of October.
Our VR game, inspired by Greek Mythology, will be available for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive for $19.99 / €19.99 / £17.99. Players can download Journey For Elysium on Steam, Oculus Store and HTC Viveport, with a 15% discount on Steam during one week after launch.
The players adopt the role of an unnamed hero who has passed away and finds himself trapped in the underworld. In order to reach Elysium, and subsequently obtain redemption, the mysterious traveller must use all his wits and skills in a series of increasingly elaborate twists and challenges. In this story-driven VR game, you're drawn into a deeply rich and immersive world inspired by ancient mythos and, along the way, you will discover more about the protagonist's enigmatic and shrouded past.
Key features:
Art style: Enjoy the black and white art style inspired by the paintings of Gustave Doré. The high contrast art style fits best in recreating the desired atmosphere of the underworld. In addition, you will find golden highlights here and there, which will guide you further along the way.
Puzzles: Journey for Elysium brings back the excitement of classic adventures games of the 90’s and revamps them for a new era. Look for clues and solve an increasingly complex range of puzzles, challenges and tests to move the story forward.
A lot to discover: immerse yourself in a rich world, grounded between history and myth. Explore breathtaking environments and unravel surprising facts of the Classical antiquity. Connect with your senses to this VR storytelling experience.
Mechanics: Travel on the river Styx and explore the underworld with the rowing mechanic, the most important travelling method in the game. This natural way of transportation feels very comfortable and immersive. Players will also have to climb, puzzle and shoot their way through various obstacles to proceed through the story.
Journey For Elysium will be released very soon. Our team is currently hard at work polishing the game to deliver you the best possible experience.
Meanwhile, we need your help: We would like to make sure our game runs smoothly on your device. Therefore, we will give away a few beta codes to a select amount of volunteers who contact us.
The code will grant you access to a 10-minute demo on Steam. All you will have to do is to play it on your machine and fill in a second form we will send you with your code to collect your feedback. This will allow us to know how the game is performing on different setups and to improve it if needed.
Please fill in the form below to participate in the beta:
https://forms.gle/q6TbF6VcaEh9o3mk8
IMPORTANT! Inscriptions to the beta test will close in a week. Make sure to send us your form on time.
As a reward, the testers who will send us their feedback during this beta will be credited in Journey For Elysium!
*Please note that sending us this form doesn't guarantee you to be selected to Journey For Elysium beta test. We have a limited number of codes we can give. As we need a wide variety of setups in order to make the most of this beta, we will have to do a selection between candidates with the same systems.
Journey For Elysium - Dev Diary - Chapter 4: Story
Four months ago, we invited you to embark on an adventure with us through Journey For Elysium’s development. It is time now for the last chapter of our odyssey. For this final article, we’ll drop anchor on the story of Journey For Elysium.
In addition, we prepared a Dev Diary video about the same subject to go along with the article, available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGD4Y4d4-Os
THE BIRTH OF A HERO
Every project starts with an idea. For Journey For Elysium, we took most of its inspiration from Ancient Greek tragedies and modern adaptations on them. These classical stories are usually based on the gods and how they get involved in the everyday life of the mortals. We really liked this concept of all-mighty gods, messing with humans. They use them as pawns in order to bring their grand schemes to success, regardless of what it could cost for their victims. Ordinary people have no choice other than being subjected to their fate and follow the will of the gods.
We thought it would be more interesting to follow the life (and afterlife) of a character whose path has been altered by a superior force and tries to take back control of his fate. However, we wanted to tell these stories in a different way, with our own spin.
We usually see in movies or games the protagonist having supernatural powers or extraordinary strength, going into the “chosen one” trope of hero who has everything going for them to succeed. Just look at Assassin’s Creed, Clash of the Titans, Dante’s Inferno, Saint Seiya, Hercules, etc... We rarely see these stories told from the victims’ point of view, especially not from the eyes of a common villager. We thought that would be a perfect starting point for our story. So our “Hero” came to life.
Moreover, we wanted to show what happens to this mortal who has been used by the gods after he eventually dies and ends up suffering in the afterworld. Our goal was for the players to feel compassion for the protagonist of our tale. They should want him to succeed and feel what he feels. We want them to root for his success, help him overcome his hurdles and achieve his goals.
Once we had defined our main character, our next step was to bring his story come to life...
TELL ME YOUR STORY
The story of Journey For Elysium was conceived in three phases. The project started as a prototype and the first step were the mechanics. We built the game with key features that we knew were going to be in the game: we knew it was going to be a VR title and we knew it would be set in the Ancient Mythological Underworld. We also wanted to have unique gameplay elements of a certain level of immersion that only VR can offer, like rowing, climbing, archery, etc… Obviously, only having gameplay features doesn’t make it a game. We needed something more to pass the state of a simple tech demo.
So our next step was to create a story. This would need to be based on the rowing mechanics, the main feature of the prototype. Knowing the game is set in the Underworld, it was only logical to locate the adventure around the river Styx. We wrote a story about two brothers and a grand betrayal. It had elements proper to Greek tragedy plays that we liked and fitted into the settings. But after a while, we figured out that having a story only to cover the rowing mechanics was not enough. We had to add more depth in the game to drive the player forward.
(Early prototype visual)
We then decided to scale up the narrative of Journey For Elysium. We put aside one of the brothers to focus only on one character. This new iteration of the story had to always keep the player motivation and gameplay in mind. The process needed to have layers to keep the players intrigued.
While playing, they would have to wonder what would happen next and why? We developed this main character, created a past and a story for him to live through. Except our protagonist has forgotten everything and would have to rediscover it by reliving his memories.
This became the core of the adventure and worked perfectly with the elements we developed previously. The goal was to be able to condense the story into a simple phrase: “I have died and I want to reach Elysium"; but because the main character has amnesia, he must put the pieces of his memories together, which creates suspense and teases the curiosity of players: What can we discover about him along the way?
We had found the story and the identity of Journey For Elysium, our next challenge was to define how to deliver that story to the players.
FIND YOUR WAY IN THE UNDERWORLD
We said it already in our previous articles, VR implies a completely new way to tell stories. In a movie or even a “normal” non-VR game, the director has access to a window, represented by the screen, to draw attention to what he wants the players/viewers to focus on. You can take away control of the camera to help emphasize important events, characters or items.
In VR on the other hand, players can wander freely in a 360 world and they only pay attention to the details they choose. We, as the developers, have no control in the player experience. And taking the camera command out of their hands could make them nauseous. You would also lose the point of having a VR experience.
We needed to find ways to guide players on the path we wanted them to follow. We have to lure their gaze to where we want. We used the golden highlights, having items or elements light up; or even by mentioning what you should be looking at in the spoken dialogs. At the same time we had to keep into account what players are doing when they get this information: if we start a line of dialog while they are in the midst of another task, they might miss it.
We can’t take full control of the players but we can’t give them too much freedom either, otherwise they could feel lost.
So we thought of checkpoints to bring them back onto the right track. By using closed doors, walled-off areas or puzzles you make them stop and pay attention to their surroundings. We don’t spoon-feed that the main character was a fisherman for example. But if you notice the nets and dried fish in the void, you can construct this info for yourself. A large part of the storytelling is done by pausing the player and letting them explore the world.
As the main character forgot about his past, we had the idea of using the recovering of his memories as main checkpoints. This solution fitted perfectly: to move the story along, players must unlock a memory. And between these checkpoints, players can experience freedom. Instead of simply showing a memory, we involve the players in recreating it. You essentially become the detective in your own crime story, looking for clues and key items to move the story forward.
Journey For Elysium Playable at Tokyo Game Show 2019
We're inching ever closer to the release of Journey For Elysium and there are only a few chances left to experience it live in advance.
If you're at Tokyo Game Show, be sure to drop by our booth: 📍 Indie Games Area, 9-A37
So far, everyone that has played the demo has been LOVING it! We've even had people clap for the big finale when the gate opens.
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2019, is held between Thursday, September 12th 2019 and Sunday, September 15th 2019, in Makuhari Messe in Tokyo. Entrance for general public will be open on Saturday, September 14th 2019 and Sunday, September 15th 2019, between 9h and 17h.
If you're not in Tokyo right now, you can still be a part of the experience, simply follow us on social media (links below) or Join our Discord: Discord.io/CronosInteractive
Journey For Elysium - Dev Diary - Chapter 3: Art
Last time our paths crossed, we explored the mechanics of Journey For Elysium. This time we’ll be taking a closer look at the art and visual design in the article below.
Accompanying this article, is our third Dev Diary video about the Art of Journey For Elysium in which the artists and game designer have their say:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OJEMnTR9xE
The Art of Making Art
When we started development on Journey For Elysium, we chose a semi-realistic art style; on one hand VR is very immersive and we needed to adhere to realism so players could momentarily forget they were in a video game. But on the other hand, we also wanted to implement a unique style that would stand out.
We were fascinated by the illustrations of Dante’s Inferno by Gustave Doré. We figured his black and white etchings with high contrast lighting would be a very good fit for the game’s universe, so we decided to make it our main source of inspiration. Our initial try-outs exceeded the team’s expectations; it gave the Underworld the otherworldly feel we were looking for. Thus, the idea of making Journey For Elysium a black and white game came to be.
Although, we soon felt like something was missing. We started thinking of an element to add that would stand out from the black and white graphics, which is why we introduced the golden highlights into the game. It contrasts well with the lack of colour and would be useful to indicate the key objects for the player to interact with. We needed a reason beyond just adding a colour. Thus the idea was born to use these golden accents only on objects that would guide the players through the adventure.
One interesting challenge for us was that we wanted every level to have a unique theme. Most games would do this through the colours: a water temple would use a lot of blue, a forest temple would have mostly green hues and so on. In our black and white world, it would be up to the environment artists to still give each level a distinct atmosphere. Whether that is through lighting, the presence of fog or by introducing visual elements that really stand out, like towering statues.
Having set up the general environment of Journey For Elysium, our next step was to fill this world.
Making The World Come Alive
Journey for Elysium is set in the ancient mythological underworld, inspired by Ancient culture. More specifically, we wanted the game to be set in the Etruscan era, which precedes the Greek and Roman cultures most of us remember from our history lessons. Not a lot is known about it, which works in our benefit because it gave us a lot of creative freedom.
To design the world of Journey For Elysium, we went and looked at the architecture, both for those giant constructs but also for the smaller hovels. We wanted to reproduce what it felt like to be alive (or rather, dead) in those ancient times.
Whenever we get to working on a new asset, we first research what those should look like. The references from Ancient times is so rich, it gives a very enjoyable playground where to pick very beautiful pieces of art or craft. When the myths and legends of old are involved, we turn to encyclopedias and other useful sources. When it comes to designing props, like a helmet, we look at images and illustrations from that era in search of inspiration. Starting from these references, we give birth to new creations that will fit into the game.
We wanted to create a VR game that would really immerse people into its world. The tall temples and statues found in that era seemed like a perfect fit. Furthermore, scale is something VR can handle better than any other medium, but it makes developing the game trickier than a non-VR game.
You can’t lie in VR : as players are directly in contact with the universe, they can measure objects and buildings with their own size. Items not properly scaled could easily feel off-putting. Especially for our project where we are still aiming for realism (even if you are in the Underworld).
This means we constantly need to check our work to make sure it feels right. You could say “yeah, so does any other game development studio”, but in the case of a VR game, the process is more complex : as soon as we finish a draft, we update the new build, we put on the VR headset, jump into the game, try it out, make some small edits and start the whole routine again. Sometimes, the difference between two iterations might be just a few pixels, but the result is uncanny.
The Art of Suggestion
Even if we’ll delve more into the story that unfolds in Journey For Elysium in our next chapter, we’d like to mention the character design choices we made in this article.
At some points of Journey For Elysium, players unlock memories that will reveal the past of the character they control. These memories are modelled by clusters of lights put together in the shape of a human or an animal, but without being very determined.
This is made in such a way that players would understand it represents a living being even though they are not made of blood and flesh, nor with clothes, face, fur or details. The goal was to come up with a simple and general process that could be applied for any memory without having to design every single one of them. It was a real challenge to convey emotion through these, but in the end, we felt happy with what we achieved: their posture and body language in conjunction with the narration suffice to identify them.
In the end, we even realised that this method of telling the story worked better than if the characters were depicted in a more realistic way. Less detailed human models do not necessarily take away from the experience, on the contrary: one benefit of this approach is that people can easily project what a character should look like unto these shapes.
The Final Touch
Our creative process started with the story, that’s the backbone of every single decision we made. When we needed to start working on art for Journey For Elysium, we went over the story again and again for creative ideas to spawn. Locations, characters, items to interact with, the visual design of puzzles and how they would implement naturally into the world we’re creating.
These new ideas are sometimes as simple as a sketch on a napkin but other times an artist will make a more detailed rendering so the team can give feedback. In some instances, we even turn to our community and ask them for feedback. Like we did a few months ago to help us define the design of a key in the game :
Our team is full of generalists who can pretty much handle any task. But each person has their own strengths, be it character design, environment art, lighting and atmosphere. We always keep talking to each other, making prototypes to playtest and keep iterating on our work. The budget needs to be taken into account at all times though, not every single idea can be implemented. The scope and remaining time need to be considered as we need to release the game one day after all. It’s a process of elimination and it’s sometimes necessary to put certain elements on the chopping block.
Luckily we can often rework assets for other scenes. We will typically create item sets; a few variations of wooden planks and beams for example which can then be re-used to create scaffolds, ladders and other objects.
We hope the world we created for Journey For Elysium will enthrall you. We can only show some images and screenshots of the game for now. But once you put on a VR headset and plunge into the Underworld, you will experience a completely different level of immersion. Wait until you’re in front of the giant gate and you’ll see what we are talking about!
If you want to experience the art of Journey For Elysium for yourselves, we will be showcasing the game at Gamescom next week on the consumer showfloor. Come find us at the Mantis Games booth (Hall 10.1, stand F40).
We’ll be back next month with the last episode of our Dev Diary. This final chapter will explore the Story in Journey For Elysium.
Thank you again for accompanying us on this journey, fellow travellers!
Journey For Elysium - Gameplay Trailer
DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF THE DEAD IN JOURNEY FOR ELYSIUM'S NEW GAMEPLAY TRAILER
Discover a gripping atmosphere which sets the tone for a terrifying journey into the underworld. Prepare to immerse yourself in a monochromatic black and white environment exposing the game’s dark and unique art style drenched with ancient mythology legends and traditions.
The Journey For Elysium Gameplay Trailer can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEtsZV1t4NQ
Journey For Elysium - Dev Diary - Chapter 2: Mechanics
Greetings fellow travellers,
We continue our adventure through Journey For Elysium‘s development. In this new chapter, we’ll dive into the game’s primary mechanics. You will discover its key features, how they work and how we built them.
Find out everything about Journey For Elysium’s mechanics in the detailed article by Clicking Here
We also have a video interview to accompany the article, which you can check out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axWjGsQiQLE
Journey For Elysium - Dev Diary - Chapter 1: Origins
Greetings fellow travellers,
We invite you to embark with us on our adventure through Journey For Elysium’s creation. We’ll be sharing articles and Dev Diary videos as we continue developing the game.
Chapter one, written by our Game Designer Gilles Vandenoostende, will tell you everything about the genesis of Journey For Elysium.
