Saltsea Chronicles embodies the messiness of living in community

Throughout historic intervals of exploration, naturalists assembled cupboards of curiosities. These explorers amassed an amalgamation of organic artifacts — like shells, preserved bugs, and stuffed birds — together with different gadgets or sketches from their travels, and positioned them in picket cupboards.

The propensity to gather, maybe at the price to the authentic inhabitants of a sure land, has lengthy dominated video video games. Heroes like Link from The Legend of Zelda or trainers in Pokémon assist themselves to the spoils of the land in pursuit of a singular aim. Saltsea Chronicles, a brand new narrative journey from the makers of Mutazione, takes a radically completely different strategy. Instead of plundering lands and folks, the participant directs a collective of individuals who fastidiously strategy every island’s distinctive tradition. This crew doesn’t hoard any sources, however as a substitute fills out an almanac of stickers to memorialize the journey. It’s a small contact, but it surely’s a defining instance of the sort of intentionality dropped at Saltsea Chronicles. It makes for an extremely considerate and bold narrative expertise, even when the recreation jumps a bit hurriedly between characters and the distinctive social questions their experiences immediate.

Saltsea Chronicles opens with 5 associates nestled round a fireplace. I click on by dialog choices the place I’m given the selection to listen to a narrative about the “past” or the “future.” I click on the latter, and I’m regaled with an illustrated legend that speaks of a world the place “hoarders” took an excessive amount of and gave too little. These hoarders constructed glittering skyscrapers that made the seas jealous and rise because of this. Now, all that’s left is a smattering of islands in a physique of water known as Saltsea. The group buzzes with anticipation over an upcoming sea journey of their very own, however they hit a stumbling block: Their captain, a silver-haired individual named Maja, disappears in the night time. It’s as much as the group to look the sea and discover their good friend.

Image: Die Gute Fabrik

Saltsea Chronicles emulates an strategy and construction typical to tv. Developer Die Gute Fabrik used a writers’ room to create the recreation, and a few of its most dramatic moments echo the cleaning soap opera-esque storytelling of the studio’s debut recreation, Mutazione. Each of its twelve episodes follows the similar common construction: Hang out on the boat, observe a crew assembly throughout which characters resolve the place to journey, after which nominate themselves to discover an island.

During every episode, I’m able to choose two characters to discover a singular island, the place they will find out about its historical past and inhabitants. After I discover as the two crewmates, the duo returns with data. At that time, I learn one other crew dialog and choose dialogue choices, making selections like the place to journey subsequent or whether or not or to not settle for a brand new crew member. Each island is stunningly rendered to emulate risograph print methods related to storybooks.

Personal tales and the battle that arises between characters grow to be the car for the writers to discover weighty political and social questions. The Grace, a serene island populated by counselors who assist folks grieve, explores ideas of restorative justice by a personality named Tukk. This individual, because it seems, murdered three folks. Upon seeing Tukk, a crew member named Molpe bursts in rage. She later presses a neighborhood chief named Afen about the determination to guard this individual. Afen doesn’t deny the ache this individual precipitated and says, “But harm comes from harm. If you don’t stop to heal it when you see it… It will only continue, passed on. One violence to another.”

Image: Die Gute Fabrik

The builders additionally discover questions of tourism and exploitation on the lush volcanic island of Youlouca. We meet Bobbi, a neighborhood tour information who bristles at our arrival and complains of the guests, known as “incomers,” who’re creating noise on the island with an excavation venture. Swarms of scientists have descended upon Youlouca to steer an excavation of historical know-how, and but, nobody cares to find out about the cultural heritage of the island. Over the course of a number of journeys to the island, a crewmate named Neshko will get to know locals and newcomers alike, and study to have interaction the native tradition in a approach that honors the heritage of the island.

As a reviewer who discovered the bigger social themes of the recreation intriguing, it typically felt like island-hopping and character-swapping left sure concepts or social critiques feeling undercooked in a single playthrough. Each character has their very own needs, wants, and needs that present exploration of a special theme and story. If you inhabit completely different characters — which the recreation will power you to do — then you definitely see the world filtered from every of their views. At factors, this led to deliciously provocative moments in the recreation, the place the participant actually has to occupy the perspective of somebody who precipitated the community hurt and should hear others air their grievances. However, it additionally led to conditions the place every character’s particular curiosity won’t line up with the recreation’s quite a few themes, so that you get a scenario the place you’re offered with an ethical query however no actual reflection on it.

Image: Die Gute Fabrik

Prior to beginning Saltsea, the recreation assures you that no reply is incorrect. However, that doesn’t imply you received’t must make powerful selections as its characters. Luckily, I by no means felt like I used to be penalized for a “bad” determination. In an fascinating design determination, nevertheless, I didn’t all the time know for whom I used to be choosing dialog. The recreation highlights which character is talking, however once I was offered with choices, it wasn’t all the time clear which character I used to be inhabiting as I made my determination. There have been occasions once I by chance compelled a personality to behave like a dick, as a result of I combined up which character I used to be controlling, or whose dialogue choices I used to be choosing. It may very well be a frustration level for some gamers, but it surely additionally served as a reminder that typically we battle to search out the proper phrases.

At sure factors, I couldn’t assist however really feel like this recreation was making an attempt to perform a little an excessive amount of. Dealing with themes of local weather change, generational trauma, community, and loss is loads to pack into one recreation. It additionally offered an formidable quantity of character views for gamers to navigate. Still, life at this time with all its woes additionally looks like a bit an excessive amount of, and I respect a group that unflinchingly sails into the headwinds of the weighty points which have include life in 2023.

Saltsea Chronicles was launched on Oct. 12 on Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows PC. The recreation was reviewed on PC utilizing a pre-release obtain code. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These don’t affect editorial content material, although Vox Media could earn commissions for merchandise bought through affiliate hyperlinks. You can discover further details about Polygon’s ethics coverage right here.