Atlantica Online: Discussing the Backstory, Part Two
Today, we here at MMORPG.com continue our series of Atlantica Online Dev Journals with Kim Tae Gon, the Producer of Atlantica Online. Today, we present a look at the game's backstory.
Open the Atlantica world map and landmarks like Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, and Bran Castle pop out at you. More recently, we have incorporated into the game the Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, which links London and Paris, as well as Stonehenge in England, and the Parthenon in Athens. These are just some of the stops that you, as a descendant of Atlantis, must make on your journey to the legendary lost continent of Atlantis. These lend the game a feeling of familiarity, which we hoped would make it easier for players to fall into playing the game.
In addition to drawing from Atlantis for the backstory of the game, we used all sorts of myths and folklore of the world as inspiration for the dungeons and quests in the game. There might be some stories that won’t be as familiar to players in the West, like that of Nuwa, who in some Chinese myths is the creator of humankind. Her story works its way into the dungeons of the Ruins of the Yellow River and the Sea Palace. On the other hand, there might be some myths that won’t be as well-known to players in Asia, like Greek mythology’s Minotaur. But by including stories from all over the world, both West and East, we hope we’re presenting an environment that might get players all over the world more interested in some of these stories, and compel them to explore and learn more about these people and places.
Part of the fun of Atlantica, we believe, is when players encounter these characters, either real or fictional, and discover how we’ve taken their stories and worked them into ours.
One such example is the Valley of the Kings dungeon, which is based off of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. In real life, this wonder of the world (the only one of the original seven that still stands) was built by the ancient pharaoh Khufu, at the expense of many Egyptian lives. He also had many of his servants killed and buried with him in the pyramid so that they would serve him in the afterlife.
In Atlantica, Khufu lost his mind and was made evil by the power of Orihaurkon, the source of energy responsible for Atlantis’s downfall. But Khufu has been resurrected, with the return of Oriharukon, and the help of mummies, sphinxes, and Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife. Now your main character must put Khufu back and buried into the bowels of the pyramid. Guiding you through this quest are other Egyptian figures like Tutankhamum, a.k.a. King Tut, and Egyptian gods Isis and Seth.
Another great story we wanted to use for Atlantica was the Greek myth of the Minotaur, the half-man and half-bull monster that was locked away in the Cretan Labyrinth, built by the great Greek builder Daedalus. When Atlantica players must tackle the Cretain Labyrinth, the final monster they must defeat is the Minotaur itself. And as they complete the various tasks to advance into the labyrinth, getting directions from the likes of Daedalus and his apprentice Talos, the relationship between the Minotaur and his mother Pasiphae is revealed.
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These are just two of the stories that we’ve used to build the bigger story of Atlantica. And you’ll discover more stories like these not just in the game’s main story arc, but also in Atlantica’s sub quests and adventures. Upcoming story lines will involve the Japanese folktales of Momotaro and Kaguyahime, as well as Beowulf, the main character of the Old English epic poem.
Plus, we’ve tried to utilize details from these stories, like the appearance of these characters, into the game. The overall effect will hopefully be to arouse players’ curiosity into the history of these stories.
Expect more stories of a fabulous and mythic nature in upcoming updates. Some of them will be set in China’s Jiuzhaigou Valley, known for a national park and scenic waterfalls and lakes, and Lijiang, a historic city in China’s Yunnan Province, which will represent from the East. And from the West, an Alcatraz dungeon will be added to the game, as well as the city of Vancouver for yet another town for a guild to take over..
We hope you continue to enjoy the new developments we have planned for the game. And we hope Atlantica players will continue to enjoy trying to figure out what other famous places, people, or legends they might soon find in Atlantica.
