Heroes Of Oblivion

The story:

A group of happy-go-lucky scientists go on a trip to help their cowardly friend with his mission. The reward is too tempting, and the mission is easy. But their chosen guide, a suspicious man who calls himself 'Death', will lead them and their very minds where they never expected to go.

Follow along, and you will witness probably the darkest, funniest, and yet most life-affirming tale about what the real price of being a hero is.

Genre: sci-fi, supernatural, drama, mystery, dark comedy

Trigger warning! (Spoilers ahead!)

This game features discussions of heavy and very commonly triggering topics such as suicide, mass violence, and bullying. The game also features harsh, sometimes foul language and isn't intended for the young, impressionable, or people who dislike dark humor and morally unclear characters. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

F.A.Q.

What is the setting of the game? Characters wear retro clothes but there are mentions of computers and such?

Thank you for asking! Just like in my previous project, this is a 'Dieselpunk' setting that borrows heavily from the atmosphere of (roughly) the period between the 1910s and the 1950s. While 'The Noblest Of Creatures' borrowed mostly from the twenties, this game borrows from the forties.  And yes, vintage-looking computers do exist in all vintage-inspired aesthetics, even in steampunk. :) The overall genre is 'retro sci-fi meets supernatural', so it's not surprising.

I noticed that 'Heroes Of Oblivion' deals with many similar issues as 'TNoC'. Is this a coincidence?

No. These are 'sister projects' that deal with similar issues, differently. I'd also say they are set in the same universe, even though in a different time and place. This story attempts to answer almost the same questions as the previous one but subverts it quite drastically, sometimes literally inverting who is who... This story is 'darkness' to TNoC's 'light', and it is darker, even though it is also can be sillier and more humorous, ironically.

How serious are the trigger warnings?

Extremely serious. 

Nothing graphic (as in pictures or detailed descriptions), but the game's overall topic can be heavy, admittedly even more in the second half than the first half. (This one) The game is intended to be quite morbid by design, keep it in mind.

 Please forgive me for the lack of elaboration, but this is too much of a spoiler to reveal. 

Just treat it seriously and heed the warning I included in all parts of the game, both the description and the game itself.

Where is the music? Will there be music one day...?

Quite possibly, but not anytime soon. I did find the composition style that matches the game's tone, but I currently don't have a musician to hire. Another reason that complicates music implementation is my style of writing, which can show many rapid changes in tone in one conversation.  Admittedly, I am even more in favor of voicing over music. I sometimes can 'hear' my characters' intonation quite distinctly, as in an audio play of sorts.

How long will the overall game be?

Not too long. The first game contains around 50% of the game, not counting the routes, which are four.

Is there romance?

There are two canonical relationships which 'the player' has no effect over, and many other implied 'couples' or hints at romance.  This game (unlike the first one) is written from a third-person perspective, so the characters, including the implied protagonist, are 'they', and you have no effect over their actions apart from choosing the ending to their story. The game features characters with different orientations, even if without romance. It should be noted that these personalities are written realistically (sometimes cruelly and harshly) and not in an idealized or romantic sense. It's a dramatic work first and foremost.  Nevertheless, if you mostly ike queer content in visual novels, you will find a lot of interesting in this project (however, admittedly, NOT in this part...)

I noticed (a lot of) grammar mistakes in the game or its description. 

I am sorry!!! Not only the game is written by a non-native English speaker who did all the parts of the project alone (me, saint_atomique), but I also had very little time to edit it before the Amare fest deadline. There is a possibility of many, many mistakes and errors. The good news is that the game is a work in progress, so I will try to fix it all in time. The finished product may have serious differences compared to this early version, which was prepared as a 'showcase piece' for Amare! So, don't worry, the game will be more polished in the future! :)

©2024, saint_atomique