Solaria: Dawn of Heroes
Lore
About Solaria
Solaria is a real-time action Diablo-like RPG with unique multi-hero-based combat. You start with several heroes and switch back and forth between them, one at a time.My Involvement
I wrote the lore for the game's world, which includes its history, geography, factions, and species. Once the high concept was approved, I wrote and planned the storyline campaign. Next, I wrote descriptions and backstories for characters, bosses, and NPCs. Finally, I collaborated with concept artists to bring characters to life.
Lore Presentation
SIDE NOTE: I am not responsible for the presentation, only for the world-building ideas presented in it.
Inspiration and Process
The Starting Point
I started with a bunch of random ideas given to me in bullet points. Among the ideas were the game's core mechanics, the genre, the audience, the tone, and the core values. My goal was to develop something out of it in 4 days. I took two days to retrospect into familiar stories, play some similar games, and do some basic research on what kind of stories would the target audience find interesting.
References Research
After writing down a bunch of ideas, I found myself drafting four basic outlines, each built upon a different theme. Every single theme was based upon a different source - from Christianity references of Heaven and Hell, to Ancient Greek and Slavic mythologies. Some referenced the old adage that absolute power corrupts absolutely, others dwelt on the idea of duality and redemption.
Choosing a Theme
One particular theme, that there is no "good" or "bad", and that everything is arbitrary, was the most interesting for me. As someone who grew up on game series like Witcher, Dragon Age, Fallout, and Diablo, I was naturally drawn to the idea of having to choose the "lesser evil". Thus, came the idea of a creator god who, in order to defeat the darkness, wants to destroy its own creations, the mortals. And the evil actually wants the mortals to live, because it feeds twisting and corrupting them. The problem is that mortals aren't eager to either die or become the minions of darkness. Stuck between two primordial powers that bring no good, mortals constantly have to choose the lesser of two evils.
Initial World Development
Then I remembered The Sin War trilogy of the Diablo universe, which expands upon the concept of Heaven versus Hell. The two rival factions, equal in power, fight each other to win the mortals to our side. I decided to stray from the idea of "equal powers locked in an eternal conflict." Simply because, well, this theme is already commonly used. Instead, I made one side significantly stronger, and the other side created humanity as a "hope." When I wrote up Sol's character, I took a little bit of reference from Inarius, the creator of humanity from the Diablo universe.
Conclusion
That said, I was worried at first. Introducing such a convoluted theme for a cute mobile game seemed rather... dark. After all, this isn't Witcher or Diablo. I feared that our target audience would prefer the simple "good vs evil". But the studio liked it, and so did I. Will the players like it? Time will tell.
