Video game developer Calyxir and its Lead Director Gregory have shared giant new details about its upcoming Biblically-inspired game, The Abased.
Earlier this week, the company revealed the game in an announcement trailer. It showed that players will take on the role of Elyhias, an individual suffering from leprosy, as he confronts mighty giants who are threatening early human civilizations.
Seemingly inspired by by David’s defeat of Goliath, Elyhias takes on the giants armed with a slingshot.
Fandom Pulse spoke with Calyxir’s Gregory, who is the Lead Director on the project, to find out more about the game’s story, the character of Elyhias, and find out more about the game’s gameplay.
Fandom Pulse (FP): What can you tell us about the game's story? From the trailer and Steam page we'll play a leper named Elyhias as he takes on a number of giants, but what is motivating him to do so?
Gregory: Elyhias is a man marked by afflictions, the most visible being leprosy. Because of that, he is cast out of his home city and forced into exile. After years of wandering around the great desert in search of healing, he eventually arrives at the city where the events of the game begin.
There he is offered a chance at atonement and cleansing before his body fully succumbs to abasement. In exchange, he is tasked with confronting the resurgent giants that are beginning to stir across the land.
FP: Why did you decide to make Elyhias a leper to begin with?
Gregory: We wanted to portray a man who is truly abased, someone pushed to the margins of society in the world of that time. Leprosy was one of the clearest ways to represent that condition.
We are drawn to stories that begin at the very bottom, where a character must face overwhelming hardship in order to seek redemption. (One of my personal favorites in that regard is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
FP: Can you explain how his leprosy affects gameplay, it looks like you can reduce it by visiting a well. How does that mechanic work?
Gregory: Wells will indeed be a key part of the leprosy mechanic, but they are not the only element connected to it. Leprosy is the most visible sign of Elyhias’ affliction, but it also manifests as a gradual weakening of his body, which is why you can notice a slight limp in the way he moves.
The progression of the disease and the physical impairment it causes can be delayed or temporarily reduced through acts of cleansing, with wells being a key place where Elyhias can slow that decline.
That said, the goal is not to make the gameplay frustrating. The system is designed more to calibrate the experience and reflect the character’s struggle, while still keeping the combat and movement responsive and enjoyable.
FP: You're describing the game as Biblically-inspired. Obviously, there's the David and Goliath reference with Elyhias using a slingshot and taking on giants, but is there more to it than that?
Gregory: The David and Goliath motif is certainly one of the most recognizable inspirations, especially with the sling and the giants, but the influence goes beyond that. The main inspiration is really the world itself.
Instead of the typical medieval European fantasy setting, the game takes place in a semi-desert, antediluvian inspired landscape that reflects the atmosphere and cultural tone often associated with Biblical narratives.
At the same time, it’s important to note that the story does not take place in the real Biblical world. It is our own fictional setting, simply inspired by the themes, environments, and worldview found in the Bible, where life unfolds along somewhat similar lines.
There are also other narrative and visual references. Elyhias’ affliction with leprosy echoes the trials of Job. We also reference the story of Samson through the symbolic importance of hair, feature a great ziggurat inspired by the Tower of Babel, and use the rainbow as a sign of peace. In our world it represents a covenant between humans and giants, who can be seen helping a shepherd in the fields. This was our way of showing that not every giant in the game is meant to be an enemy to slay.
Oh, and the donkey is not accidental either.
FP: The Steam page says there will be other enemies other than giants, can you talk about those?
Gregory: One scene in the trailer actually shows Elyhias dealing with a small group of human opponents, so giants will not be the only challenge in the game. We cannot reveal much more about the other enemies just yet.
FP: Will there be any kind of in-game political intrigue, the lore section on Steam indicates that there are wars and disputes. How might these affect Elyhias' mission and journeys?
Gregory: The cities surrounding the great desert have their own politics and complex relationships with one another. One of the consequences of poor leadership and neglected responsibilities is the failure to properly maintain the role of the Abasers, which in turn allows the giants to resurface and their unrest to grow once again.
At the same time, a mysterious instigator is quietly fueling the risk of a larger conflict. Beyond that, we cannot reveal much more just yet.
FP: One thing that stood out to me is that the more giants that are killed the more powerful the ones remaining become, will this be reflected in gameplay?
Gregory: This is a mechanic we have to approach very carefully so that both the narrative and gameplay remain consistent. Because of that, we cannot reveal the exact details yet, as the system may still evolve during development.
What we can say is that the traditional role of the Abasers was not to kill giants, but to remove their hair. Elyhias, however, will be able to choose between killing a giant or merely stripping it of its hair - and those decisions will have consequences.
FP: I would assume one of the more difficult challenges is making the giants unique not only in design, but also in how they act and fight, how did you all manage that?
Gregory: Creating visual and narrative uniqueness for the giants is actually not the hardest part, because there are countless sources of inspiration to draw from. The real challenge lies in designing the gameplay mechanics around them.
Our goal is to make sure both the sling and the blades have their own meaningful stages of use in combat, and that encounters do not feel like simple copy-paste fights with each giant. Because of that, refining these mechanics is one of the very first and most important areas we focus on, and we keep testing and iterating on them until the result feels right.
FP: Can you talk about the various weapons that will be at your disposal? Is there an upgrade mechanic of any sort? Different types of stones?
Gregory: When it comes to melee weapons, we prefer to leave those details for later, as Elyhias’ signature weapon is the sling.
Slings themselves come in different forms and have different parameters, and the same goes for the types of projectiles they can use. In the game we currently show stunning projectiles, scatter projectiles that can be useful against small groups of enemies or when accuracy is reduced due to Elyhias’ progressing blindness, and explosive projectiles, which can be seen in the final scene of the trailer.
There are also additional types of ammunition, but we will leave those for a later reveal.
FP: From the trailer, most of the encounters with the Giants appear to be straight-up charge-in encounters, but in the details on Steam it implies that you might be able to set ambushes and traps as you track down and hunt them. How do these encounters work?
Gregory: Too early to reveal.
FP: It looks like there are a variety of different climates and locations, can you share more details about that? How big is the world and what does traveling within it look like?
Gregory: The game takes place in the lands surrounding a great city, the one marked by the massive ziggurat, which stands at the edge of a vast desert. These are the first regions threatened by the returning giants, and where the events of the game unfold. They were once the domain of The Mighty themselves, their former kingdom many generations ago.
We aim for a strong sense of variety within that setting, while still staying grounded in semi-desert landscapes inspired by Biblical environments. As for the full scale of the world and the details of traveling through it, that is something we are not ready to reveal just yet.
FP: Is there a traditional starting area and then you advance to more difficult areas or will the game adapt to where you choose to explore first? Or is there a quest system that guides you on what missions and giants you should take on? One of the more intriguing gameplay details on the Steam page is the idea that the world reacts to imbalance, can you share more details on how that works? Is it primarily Elyphias’ soul or is it also among the peoples of the world?
Gregory: The city where the game takes place is not as ruthless toward lepers as Elyhias’ home city, from which he was coldly exiled. Still, being unclean carries real consequences, and not every place is open to him.
Some locations can only be entered after full cleansing, some after partial cleansing, and others remain completely inaccessible to the unclean. That is where the leprosy mechanic and the idea that “the world rejects the unclean” truly make a difference in how the player progresses through the world.
FP: What is your favorite part of the game?
Gregory: In the equipment scene you can notice several grasshopper-like insects resting on Elyhias. As we mentioned earlier, the third and most brutal affliction is being possessed by feral instinct. We cannot give a full explanation yet without spoilers, but if we had to describe it in one word, it would be: locust.
FP: Aside from working on The Abased, are there any games you would recommend?
Gregory: We love Gothic series, Shadow of Mordor and Fable.
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Looking forward to seeing much more!
Genesis 6 the game. The Nephilim crowd will eat this up.