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- What was ethno: a developer from Slovakia is creating a game based on Russian fairy tales
What was ethno: a developer from Slovakia is creating a game based on Russian fairy tales
Slovak independent developer Martin Zaludek is working on Slavic Legends, a game about building and developing his own dungeon, the heroes of which are characters from Slavic folklore, including Baba Yaga, Brownie, Perun and others. The concept of the project is close to the popular Dungeon Keeper series, but the author transfers familiar game mechanics to the fantasy world of Slavic mythology. Izvestia was one of the first to get acquainted with the new playable version of the project.
Dungeon in Slavic
The game is a real-time strategy game in which the player has to build their own dungeon, develop its infrastructure and manage the inhabitants. It is necessary to build tunnels, extract resources, create facilities for training and recreation, organize production and protect possessions from enemy attacks. There is a statue of Perun in the center of the dungeon — if it is destroyed, the player automatically loses.
The concept resembles Dungeon Keeper, a Bullfrog series in which the player acted as the dungeon master, created his own base, hired creatures, provided for their needs and repelled the attacks of the heroes. According to open sources, the games in the series have sold over 1.2 million copies.
The author uses a similar framework, but fills it with Slavic folklore. Available characters include Baba Yaga, Brownie, Bauk, Dodola, Zubata, and Lightnose. Some of them are related to regional Slavic beliefs. Each creature has its own specialization: some are responsible for production and construction, others participate in battles or are engaged in medical treatment.
Bauk is a character in South Slavic folklore, an evil spirit, or a forest creature that frightened children. In some traditions, he is described as a predatory monster hiding in the dark. Dodola is a character in Slavic mythology associated with rain and fertility. In the rituals, Dodola is a girl who was dressed up and led around the village during rituals designed to cause rain. Zubata in Slavic folklore is associated with the water element and dangerous creatures. Svetonos is a figure of the Slavic mythological tradition associated with light. Sotek is a mischievous creature created based on the image of a Western Slavic house spirit.
— During the development of Slavic Legends, it has grown significantly relative to the original concept. Gradually, economics, creature development, battles, bosses, and other interrelated mechanics were added to the project," said project author Martin Zaludek.
At the same time, the inhabitants of the dungeon are not ordinary combat units. They need to rest, eat, and be rewarded for their work. Creatures gain experience and evolve, unlocking new abilities. The player can also directly control an individual character — literally "inhabit" him and switch from a strategic view to first-person control.
The player has traps and spells at his disposal, and additional mechanics include capturing opponents, secret rooms, neutral creatures, and bosses. Defeated enemies can be imprisoned and lured to their side, and the fallen can be used to replenish the cemetery.
In the demo, which Izvestia was among the first to review, the developer added new creature abilities and spells, additional traps, dungeon controls, and an updated interface. There is also a training mode that introduces players to the main systems of the project.
Interest in Slavic culture is growing all over the world
Slavic folklore remains a relatively free niche for the industry today, said Sergey Terekhov, Head of the Department of the Department of Gaming Industry and Esports at Synergy University. According to him, the author of the game did not limit himself to the most famous characters like Baba Yaga or Perun, but used less common images - Dodola, Zubatu, Sotek and Light—Nosed. This may indicate an attempt to work with ethnographic material, rather than simply using Slavic stylistics as a decoration.
At the same time, the expert notes a possible conflict between the mechanics of the genre, where the player assumes the role of a dungeon manager and the peculiarities of Slavic folklore. In classic games of this genre, the user usually acts as a conditional villain and divides the characters into "friends" and "strangers". In the Slavic tradition, such an opposition does not always work: brownies, goblins and water spirits are rather spirits of a certain place, with whom it is necessary to negotiate and which should be respected.
— It can be assumed that the developer understands this risk. In particular, the mechanics of capturing and re-educating enemies make the world less binary. However, it will be possible to finally evaluate the work with folklore only after the release," he explained.
At the same time, most modern games with Slavic folklore belong to the genres of RPG, horror, action, or metroidvania, while the combination of mythology and dungeon management is much less common.
Slavic culture has long ceased to be an exclusively local topic and is able to attract an audience outside of Russia and Eastern Europe, says Mikhail Pimenov, head of PR and media communications at Geltek Cyber Team. According to him, this has already been shown by The Black Book and Atomic Heart.
However, the setting itself is not considered a sufficient competitive advantage. The game should be interesting regardless of whether the user is familiar with Slavic mythology. Now, according to the expert, visually it looks more like an indie project under development than as a product for a mass audience. At the same time, combining the familiar formula of the simulator with Slavic folklore can help the game stand out from other independent projects.
Rethinking classical mechanics allows modern developers to really explore the dark side of the fairy tale, says Mikhail Lisetsky, director of the Game Festival and event producer. According to him, the game's familiar folklore archetypes get new functions: Barabashka can work as a blacksmith and create traps, and Baba Yaga can practice combat poisons.
This approach, according to the expert, allows not only to use famous characters as decorations, but also to reveal in a new way the reasons for the appearance and features of cultural archetypes. At the same time, Slavic Legends cannot be considered a reconstruction of Slavic mythology — rather, it is a game study of it.
— Such projects are important for the development of the industry: they preserve and rethink game ideas that major publishers have stopped developing. If simulators were a front-row hit in the 1990s, today they are a proven gameplay formula that even solo developers can use, filling it with experimental content," said Mikhail Lisetsky.
A full release is scheduled on Steam for the first quarter of 2027.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
