DEVS CHRONICLE: THE MOUNTAINS OF KAMAZAD
You have already fought many battles along the Stone Shaman, spiritual guide of the Borean tribes. The time has come to discover his land, Kamazad. This new arena coming to Spellcasters Chronicles is set at the very heart of the millenary icy mountains where Titans once fought for The Source!
The colossal bodies of those fallen lay still, buried beneath ages of ice and snow, and only the Boreans found a way to survive here where the roof of the world reaches the sky, drawing their strength in The Source seeping from the Titans. As Spellcasters Chronicles’ game director, Gregorie Diaconu, recalls, “early in the project we were looking for a variety of environments for the arenas. The idea of fighting atop snow-capped mountains quickly proved appealing.” An obvious aesthetical path, but also a strong one lore wise. “The idea of making it a mountain range formed upon the bodies of ancient titans draws inspiration from our ancestral myths, in which the world itself was shaped from the bodies of primordial Gods”, details Gregorie. “It also echoes the story we want to tell about Ashkenon: a place where the Age of Gods has passed, and where mortals now fight amid the remnants of that glorious era.”
The Mountains of Kamazad and the Stone Shaman are intricately bounded, going back to the first Boreans who set foot onto this rather inhospitable land. Drawn by the raw magic emanating from the Titans’ ancient bodies, they began to change: their skin hardened like stone, crystalline growths formed across their face, and their stature grew tall and powerful. The titanic corpses became sacred places of worship, adorned with hanging bells, carved symbols, and offerings of reverence. Art director Ronan Berlese began the creative process with titbits of ideas which eventually turned into this full arena: mountains, cold, Boreans. Not much at first sight, though opening a realm of possibilities! “I wanted to convey the feeling of a pilgrimage site — the culmination of a long initiatory journey,” Ronan explains.
“It’s the roof of the world, quite literally, with a twist: fallen Titans are one with the mountains. It needed to feel both wild and isolated yet also imbued with a sense of spirituality. Cultural markings can be seen carved directly into the rock or onto the petrified Titans’ armours. It’s a sacred place for the Boreal civilization.” And for the art director and his team, a fantastic playground where environment and character design meet.
On a gameplay standpoint, Kamazad also brings a unique twist to Spellcasters Chronicles, by removing a tactical key element. “I thought that, with such cold conditions, there wouldn’t be any vegetation — which is one of our key interaction elements with the environment in the other arenas”, says Ronan. “We had to find different ways to make the fights feel dynamic.” Tackling into this specific challenge, the dev team had to reinvent a part of the basics. Yves Jean-Baptiste, associate lead level designer, explains the design thinking behind it: “Kamazad is more stripped-down on the surface than the other arenas, which helps make the action easier to read. As a trade-off, we chose to introduce routes built around a ‘high risk, high reward’ philosophy. For instance, there are alternative lanes alongside the three main ones, but they can only be used by smaller creatures, and parts of these paths can be easily destroyed. So, you might try to use them to quickly reach a tower, but beware of the fatal fall while crossing a rickety bridge!” High risk, high reward, indeed.
You can also expect Kamazad to favour a more cooperative approach within your team, with the main lanes being closer to each other than in the other arenas. And there’s more: secret areas and caves to be found under the ice! “You have to approach it as a semi-open area, with spaces that can’t be seen from the surface. That makes it even more strategic, since some exits are located close to the towers — you can quickly find yourself overwhelmed. We expect strategies to be very different from those used in the other arenas,” Yves explains. “Players will have to question some of the habits they’ve already developed. And to reinforce that effect, we’ve included a brand-new boss whose power can turn the tide of battle.”
Although they vanished long ago, the influence of the Titans can still be felt throughout the world of the Spellcasters. “And who knows?” Ronan concludes with a smirk. “Perhaps something may one day awaken them. But that’s another story to be told !”
