**Note- Dean Clark, with whom this interview is conducted with, is a writer for GameTyrant.com in addition to Antreya Chronicles.**
When you look at MMORPG games out in the market today, very rarely will you encounter one that is character driven and allows the player to tailor their character without being bound by classes and equipment. This is what the team behind Antreya Chronicles, a game that is still in development, hopes to deliver.
Their mission is to create an MMO experience that will be different from current games on the market and give players the ability to create unique characters and have the freedom to follow any path they wish within the game. Set in the post-apocalyptic planet of Antreya, players will take roles and responsibilities that will help them build and protect settlements and cooperate with other players, as the world evolve in unpredictable ways.
Browsing through the game’s website got me excited because of how rich the lore is and the uniqueness of the gameplay. I was fortunate enough to conduct an interview with the lead writer for the game, Dean Clark.
Interview with Clark, Lead Writer
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your involvement with Antreya Chronicles Online.
"I am a freelance writer that has recently entered the field of video game writing. My experience has been in short stories and flash fiction. After spending time talking with various game developers, for my journalism with GameTyrant, I decided to find a team to start my writing in the video game industry. After all, I believe a good story is the second most important aspect to make a good game, following gameplay itself."
"I came in contact with Raymond van Beek, the team lead and developer at Antreya Studios, and he offered me a chance to be the writer for the MMORPG project, Antreya Chronicles Online. That was back in December 2016 and now I'm a lead on the project, brought on my co-writer Shaun Jooste, and together we are nearing the completion of the first novel regarding the series."
"There will be a game book, or companion novel if you prefer, which basically tells the story of the game through the actions of the heroes that take place of what the players will be doing."
In a nutshell, tell us what the game is about?
"As civilization once again starts to rebuild after the near-apocalyptic attacks from creatures known as Spirit Beasts. With the newfound understanding between Antreyan's and Spirit Beasts, they can now coexist. But even now, the land is not at peace. People are randomly disappearing and something is bringing evil to Antreya. Unless somebody does something, things could get worse."
Upon viewing the website for the game, I was so blown with the lore section and how rich it is. What is the process of coming up with the lore for this game? Were you given any parameters to work with?
"The only information I was given was that it was a post apocalyptic, medieval Steampunk MMORPG with Spirit Beasts and the details about their role in the game. He also mentioned the civilization being split into different factions."
"As far as the process, I chose to just follow a few inspirations and bring it together in my own way. It is a mix of Greek Mythology, The Inheritance Cycle (aka Eragon) book series, RuneScape, and Diablo 2."
Tell us about the Races and Factions in the game. How did the team come up with it?
"The factions were already part of the original game concept because which Faction you choose will determine which storyline you follow. Each faction will have a different experience that intertwines with the main story."
"The races was an almost obvious necessity for a high fantasy game, but since everything in the game has its own uniqueness to it, we didn't want to just label them Elf, Human, and Dwarf. So, in Antreya we have Reyt, Siopus, and Minoseus which each will handle things, such as environment, differently along with a different style of dialogue."
How long has the game been in development? Tell us about the team behind it.
"The game has been in development a few months before I joined the team back in December. We have people doing everything from creating concepts to building the code and are located all around the world, using Slack to stay connected and updated."
"Everybody works with great dedication, pushing some really amazing work! Tim Murosky, the 2D & 3D art lead, has even built a couple homes that players can get placed in Antreya (once we figure out the details on that) and Raymond van Beek, lead developer, is almost done with the tutorial section of the game, but we all still have a ways to go."
I know the basic setting of the game is a post-apocalyptic fantasy with medieval elements and steam punk. Can you elaborate on that? What is steampunk?
"Steampunk is an art style where items are powered, shaped, and functional using gears, locks, and other metallic or wooden design. So not all items are going to look like your typical design."
How is the story gonna flow? Do players expect a linear progression? Or is the game more of an open-world setting?
"The main quest line will be linear, but we intend to have side quests and open world elements. While there will be the main quests that need to be completed, if you wish to run off and do side quests until you have forgotten what the main quest was again, feel free to do so!"
Is the game going to be a one-time purchase? Or subscription based?
"We intend to have a free to play version and pay to play version of the game. There will not be any pay to win options however, so better sharpen those skills!"
Should we expect a release date soon and what platforms will the game be in?
"We are hoping to be on both PS4 and XB1, but it will definitely be on PC and Mac, with the first playable demo to follow our Kickstarter and/or early 2018."
Any other games planned for future development once Antreya Chronicles is out?
"This game is going to be getting a lot of TLC from Antreya Studios, but a sequel is not out of the question. We will have to see how well it does first though, of course."
Antreya Chronicles is a MMORPG that is definitely on my watch list. I am excited to see how they will deliver all the unique features in the game. I have never played or heard any MMO that will be character driven, and this feature is what makes Antreya Chronicles interesting for me. You can know more about the game, the lore, the features, and other exciting updates by checking out their Website, Facebook, Twitter, Steam, Youtube, and Twitch.
