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By Antnest8
The warrior scanned the ruins for movement, but finding none, he crept out of his hiding spot near the woods and ran for the entrance. However, his tracks were cut short by an arrow, shot from the walls. “Impossible!” He thought, “I checked for any life before entering!” It was not life that faced him, however, but instead the undead.
This short Paragraph is could be a short excerpt from a fantasy novel, or it could be a recount of one of my many Dungeons and Dragons sessions. However, I think that this could be an accurate description of the gameplay we could find ourselves in Hytale! We have seen ruins and skeletons already, but have you ever asked yourself, “where did all these skeletons come from?” For that matter, why does there always seem to be ruins inhabited by undead in fantasy?
The Ancient Empire
Fantasy is a genre built from the tales and stories that were told thousands of years ago. Recently, it has taken a more defined path, but it wasn’t long ago that the images of Goblins, fairies and dragons were more of a myth shared by storytellers, rather than being a posterchild for novels.
People are obsessed with the Apocalypse, especially the Norse, which is where we got most of our fantasy from! The Norse believed in an event called Ragnarok, a time of chaos and war where the very gods themselves would fight and be killed! These ancient stories have seeped into our modern fantasy, just as the creatures have!
Almost every fantasy novel, movie or game takes place in a post-apocalyptic environment. If you need an example, take Lord of the Rings! Once there were great empires of Elves, Dwarves and Man; The empires now sit kingless, reserved or wilting. This is not the only example; every Dungeons and Dragons official play setting takes place in a post-apocalyptic environment! Forgotten Realms, Krynn, Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Dark Sun and even Eberron!
So, we love using post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, but why? It is because it creates a sense of wonder and mystery. Two of the driving forces behind fantasy! It is a lot more interesting for the Hero’s to be fighting in a ruined castle, discovering the secrets of the Baron who once ruled, rather than fighting just bears and wild beasts in the wilderness! Ancient empires are also great for introducing driving plot points such as, The Ancient Prophecy or We-Were-Killed-By-The-Great-Evil-That-Will-Later-Kill-You sort of thing. Ancient weapons and artifacts crafted by grand artisans of the old times give both value to the items, and power to the characters!
The End of Orbis
Hytale is not exempt. In fact, Hytale’s world ended before we even got to play it. From the limited information we have available about the plot, we know that there was once large empires of Humans on the world of Orbis. Now all that is left are a few ruins, and maybe a chance encounter with survivors. Gaia, the worlds goddess, is seen sleeping in a coma which could be like Oden-Sleep in Norse mythology. Above all of this, a maleficent being known as Varyn is sending his hoards into Orbis, maybe to conquer it all. Although Varyn has still yet to control Orbis, I think the damage is already done and the worshippers of Gaia are few and far between!
This is where the we come in. My Dungeon Master hunch is that we will play as survivors of the cataclysm, either by escaping into the wilds, growing up after the calamity, or possibly go through a Legend of Zelda-esc hero resurrection story. After all, Hytale is heavily influenced by Breath of the Wild![1][2][3] What ever task we are set on, the world of Orbis will be full of long lost treasures, buried secrets and ancient enemies.
The Apocalypse Part II.
Just because an apocalypse has already happened doesn’t mean another can’t! The story of the game could very well be us trying to stop Varyn from full control of Orbis, or from destroying it for that matter. Many fantasies use this setup, Breath of the Wild and Star Wars are prominent examples! Usually the destroyed empire gives the characters the right tools to defeat the great evil, maybe the same methods that had failed earlier!
Or maybe our task is to rebuild Orbis, building and restoring the structures of old, uncovering the lost artifacts!
Whatever is the end product, Hytale will be a broken world. A world ready for the heroes (or Antagonists) to enter it! Between the fallen goddess, the evil of Varyn and the loss of humanity. Orbis will be a world even the ancient Norse would be proud of!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! If you have any thoughts, or theories, post them below! I do want to give credit to Jeff Grubb’s Apocalypso: Gaming after the Fall, an essay that can be found in the Kobold’s Guide to Worldbuilding. I am still working on the larger post, maybe next week!
Sources:
1. https://hytale.com/media#conceptArt-32
2.
3.
This short Paragraph is could be a short excerpt from a fantasy novel, or it could be a recount of one of my many Dungeons and Dragons sessions. However, I think that this could be an accurate description of the gameplay we could find ourselves in Hytale! We have seen ruins and skeletons already, but have you ever asked yourself, “where did all these skeletons come from?” For that matter, why does there always seem to be ruins inhabited by undead in fantasy?
The Ancient Empire
Fantasy is a genre built from the tales and stories that were told thousands of years ago. Recently, it has taken a more defined path, but it wasn’t long ago that the images of Goblins, fairies and dragons were more of a myth shared by storytellers, rather than being a posterchild for novels.
People are obsessed with the Apocalypse, especially the Norse, which is where we got most of our fantasy from! The Norse believed in an event called Ragnarok, a time of chaos and war where the very gods themselves would fight and be killed! These ancient stories have seeped into our modern fantasy, just as the creatures have!
Almost every fantasy novel, movie or game takes place in a post-apocalyptic environment. If you need an example, take Lord of the Rings! Once there were great empires of Elves, Dwarves and Man; The empires now sit kingless, reserved or wilting. This is not the only example; every Dungeons and Dragons official play setting takes place in a post-apocalyptic environment! Forgotten Realms, Krynn, Greyhawk, Ravenloft, Dark Sun and even Eberron!
So, we love using post-apocalyptic worldbuilding, but why? It is because it creates a sense of wonder and mystery. Two of the driving forces behind fantasy! It is a lot more interesting for the Hero’s to be fighting in a ruined castle, discovering the secrets of the Baron who once ruled, rather than fighting just bears and wild beasts in the wilderness! Ancient empires are also great for introducing driving plot points such as, The Ancient Prophecy or We-Were-Killed-By-The-Great-Evil-That-Will-Later-Kill-You sort of thing. Ancient weapons and artifacts crafted by grand artisans of the old times give both value to the items, and power to the characters!
The End of Orbis
Hytale is not exempt. In fact, Hytale’s world ended before we even got to play it. From the limited information we have available about the plot, we know that there was once large empires of Humans on the world of Orbis. Now all that is left are a few ruins, and maybe a chance encounter with survivors. Gaia, the worlds goddess, is seen sleeping in a coma which could be like Oden-Sleep in Norse mythology. Above all of this, a maleficent being known as Varyn is sending his hoards into Orbis, maybe to conquer it all. Although Varyn has still yet to control Orbis, I think the damage is already done and the worshippers of Gaia are few and far between!
This is where the we come in. My Dungeon Master hunch is that we will play as survivors of the cataclysm, either by escaping into the wilds, growing up after the calamity, or possibly go through a Legend of Zelda-esc hero resurrection story. After all, Hytale is heavily influenced by Breath of the Wild![1][2][3] What ever task we are set on, the world of Orbis will be full of long lost treasures, buried secrets and ancient enemies.
The Apocalypse Part II.
Just because an apocalypse has already happened doesn’t mean another can’t! The story of the game could very well be us trying to stop Varyn from full control of Orbis, or from destroying it for that matter. Many fantasies use this setup, Breath of the Wild and Star Wars are prominent examples! Usually the destroyed empire gives the characters the right tools to defeat the great evil, maybe the same methods that had failed earlier!
Or maybe our task is to rebuild Orbis, building and restoring the structures of old, uncovering the lost artifacts!
Whatever is the end product, Hytale will be a broken world. A world ready for the heroes (or Antagonists) to enter it! Between the fallen goddess, the evil of Varyn and the loss of humanity. Orbis will be a world even the ancient Norse would be proud of!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! If you have any thoughts, or theories, post them below! I do want to give credit to Jeff Grubb’s Apocalypso: Gaming after the Fall, an essay that can be found in the Kobold’s Guide to Worldbuilding. I am still working on the larger post, maybe next week!
Sources:
1. https://hytale.com/media#conceptArt-32
2.
