'Vij - Retold Story' is a quest game built on the basis of superposition of real video and 3d-modelled surroundings.
The game combines in itself the most recent technologies both in the aspect of video compression and sound reproduction.
As the game is based on the Gogol's story 'Vij', the complications coincide with this work almost completely, with the only exception of the possibility for the player to try and save Homa Brut from his death, which seems inevitable. However, the player should remember, that the most of his attempts to change anything might also lead to the character's death.
The game features a handy and instinctively understandable interface.
And in order to warm up the player's interest, it encompasses quite a range of original logic and arcade minigames.
Nevertheless our two main focal points were artistic and historical authenticity of what is going on in the game and the non-linear development of the plot.
Owing to this fact the player is easily plunged into the world that depicts the realiae of the 18th century Malorossia, quickly and fully equating the player and the character.
The non-linear plot allows avoiding hopeless situations.
The player no more 'works' inside the game, carefully rummage around the locations, afraid to skip something important; he or she lives in the world presented, doing the things he or she wants.
By this the games sets the player to the joyful and optimistic mood, which allows to equate oneself with the character, who does not loose the careless treatment of life and optimism till the very end.
The thorough working through the scenario of the game insured its full historical authenticity.
Everything was controlled: from the utensils of the time to the materials they were made of.
The artistic authenticity is one of the main components of the modern games, which was paid quite a lot of attention by the developers.
The main parts were played by the leading players of the Kharkiv theatres, Honoured artists of Ukraine being among them.
Their convincing performance strengthened the authenticity of all that is going on.
The locations created by a group of designers are practically indistinguishable from photos, which allows combining them with live video.
The game surroundings were modeled using the most recent 3d graphics software and powerful calculation systems (the models of some game scenes combine more than 50 million polys).
The musical compositions specially created for the game are called to detach the player from the reality and thoroughly engross him in the absorbing gameplay, fully coinciding with the game style.
The developer
Discus also did the Russian translation of
Phantasmagoria.
