Fantasizing Lockwood
Writ provided by Lady Megan of Egglesden, Ye Lockwood Product Manager Margravine; commentary verse provided by Ser Norse deGamer, HSM Trouvère-in-Chief
When I was a kid, one of my favorite television programs was The Mysterious Cities of Gold — a phenomenal anime series which combined archaeological science-fiction with South American history and mythology. It stands up today as one of the finest anime series ever created — something which children and adults can enjoy in equal measure, as it’s most assuredly not a dumbed-down story — and quite frankly I’ve never seen anything quite like it in the thirty years since it came out.
It’s one of the reasons why I’m so very excited to see the first hints of Lockwood’s Mercia RPG trickling into public view.
Home needs an RPG. Desperately. It’s the genre that’s been screaming to be exploited on the platform. If Home is going to live up to the PR tagline of becoming a game itself, then it needs to take advantage of the MMO architecture it runs on and introduce more elements which come from online RPGs. Mercia will be a gigantic step in this direction.
Have you been following the developer diary Lockwood’s made available for this upcoming game? If not, you’re missing out. Read it here. Look at it. Drink it in.
What I particularly applaud is that they’re deviating from the worn, well-archetyped motif of western European fare into something much more exotic. Don’t get me wrong — I culturally identify very heavily with western Europe, and I’m steeped in the rich mythology and histories of its disparate cultures. But let’s face it: haven’t we, as gamers, gotten a little sick and tired of the narrative shorthand used by a lot of RPGs today? Must every single RPG world be a fusion of medieval Europe, feudal Japan, badly-plagiarised Tolkien and a dollop of steampunk?
Got news for ya: there’s a whole lot more world out there, and it’s pretty damned wild.
Do yourself a favor. If you’re not familiar with the following phrases, then Google them:
- Nan Madol
- Rapa Nui
- Nazca Lines
- Machu Picchu
- Sacsayhuamán
- Menehune
- Ħaġar Qim
There’s so much more out there, but you get the point. RPGs tend to be very anthropocentric, which is a damn shame when you consider just how much world is out there. Sure, the game’s title is Old English, but look at the subtitle: “Fractured Realms”. Indeed, Lockwood’s description of a fractured world being pulled back together calls to mind the ancient “lost continent” myths of Mu and Lemuria, which again tie into the non-European slant of the game.
(Trivia fact: there are actually two submerged continents on the planet. For real. No, I’m not making this up.)
This is a bit off-topic, but I must say I prefer the PR approach Lockwood’s using with Mercia. A slow buildup, plenty of teasers, behind-the-scenes details…everything to whet the Home consumer’s appetite, help generate positive word-of-mouth advertising, and build up anticipation. We’re at a point where Home simply has so much content coming in every week that different forms of marketing are needed to make something stand out, and Lockwood’s quite adept at this.
In any event, we must now depart Mercia to discuss what’s actually available this week. Check out this awesome video:
Oh hell yes. I’m not sure how that video made it past the Sony censors, because it’s downright pornographic in its excitement level.
Let’s talk about why fantasy, as a genre, not only endures so well but flourishes in our modern age. I honestly believe it has something to do with the fact that as a species, we have overrun this planet, and interconnected our level of instantaneous long-distance communication so well that the world is simultaneously a very sterilized place and a very frightening one. We long for the excitement of a fulfilled life achieved through adventure, and at the same time seek an existence which is a much simpler equation. The fantasy genre provides all of this.
Sure, we all know that in reality, life during the dark ages was pretty crappy. Okay, really crappy. But that doesn’t stop us from romanticizing the elements of it which appeal to us, particularly as right now we’re living in a world that’s on the brink of plunging into a new dark age. So we escape into virtual worlds. We’re the first generation of humanity that can effectively do so, and that escapism is powerful.
Admit it: you’re buying the Roguish Charm Pack, aren’t you. It’s okay: I am, too. Fool Throttle previously let me run around as Horatio Hornblower, so now I get to play Ivanhoe. Yes, Ivanhoe, dammit. Kids don’t read any more.
By the way, Rachis is officially cool. I live on a Polynesian island with more chickens than people. In a fantasized version of this island, the chickens would breathe fire. Rachis breathes fire. I will buy Rachis. Yes.
And what is this mysterious Iron Fusion egg that is set to hatch on August 22nd? Why does Aslan make a cameo at the end of the video? How does the egg-smashing game work? Gaaaaaah, so much stuff to explore! Brain melting, must get icy beverage.
Damn you, Lockwood, for figuring out how to take more money out of my wallet. You’re melting the plastic off my credit card.
May 28th, 2012 by NorseGamer | 8 comments
NorseGamer is the product manager for LOOT Entertainment at Sony Pictures, as well as the founder and publisher of HomeStation Magazine. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and presently lives in Los Angeles. All opinions expressed in HSM are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sony DADC.
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Always been a fan of RPG’s Now i can have it on home? So many games, so little time… Damn you Lockwood!
Love the concept and diaries from the devs of LP.
This game looks to hold me over for a good bit.
*Cast’s an Elixer on Norsegamer*
I have been a fan of fantasy/sci-fi literature since I could read. I started with the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs like Pelucidar, John Carter of Mars and books like the Wizard of Oz, and have been reading it all of my life.
It is soooo good to see someone take up the proverbial gauntlet in Home and run with a fantasy based game and line of clothing and companions to match it, I must say IT IS ABOUT TIME!!! Home itself is a fantasy realm and as usual Lockwood has it’s finger on the pulse of it. Can’t wait for the update and also to see what Merci adds to the already rich environment of Home.
BTW a great review Norse as always!
Pellucidar might make a good video game series if someone were smart enough to do it. Now I done forgot what the article was about. But then again, when I read I forgot the story plots in novels but that was OK because i could read them again and again.
We has to wait until August? Oh noes! We wants dragons NAO!!!
Ok Norse, now you’re freaking me out! When I was a kid, I LOVED The Cities of Gold series! I watched it religiously, and it’s one of the few things I watched as a child that’s stayed with me my whole life. I just posted a link to Lockwoods Dev progress on another comments section, I didn’t even notice this article! Silly me. lol
Ahh, Machu Picchu; Like a forgotten, raided City of Gold! And Easter Island, one of the smallest places on this Earth, yet one I wish to visit the most. You’re so right when you say the RPG genre is stale, and for no good reason either. I think the problem though Norse is that most people have never gone very far from their normal up-to-date environment or even have an interest in lost/past civilizations and so therefore can’t see the difference in architecture between say, an Aztec artifact and an Egyptian one. I know that sounds ridiculous but I fear it’s sadly true.
Lost cities and cultures have been a bit of an addiction to me (I blame that cartoon lol) and I’m always excited to see new things being brought to the Home table. I hope Lockwood get the balance right here, and leave room for that space/cowboy thing coming from those other devs you mentioned before. Another good read Norse, thanks.