An Optimistic Survival Game
Today we'd like to talk to you about the setting of Project Cosmos, and what motivated us to create it. Specifically, what inspired us to make the setting positive and hopeful, as opposed to most games in the Survival genre, which are often dark, edgy, and grim.
There is no term for this sub-genre that we know of. Maybe it could be framed as "Positive Survival"? Or "Optimistic Survival"? Regardless, we chose to focus on the values we espouse as a studio, including support, safety, and community. We saw an opportunity to make a radical change in the genre, one that supported a variety of people from different backgrounds and experiences. Instead of changing our game to a cozy or wholesome one, we flipped the script on the survival game genre.
Survival games are often about, well, survival. Players are threatened with fear, pain, and death. Resources are scarce, everyone is scraping by, and sometimes that means turning on the very people sharing the world with you, because everyone and everything is competition. We knew this wouldn't serve our end goal, because we wanted our game to be a cooperative one, where players work together rather than compete.
The setting itself isn't necessarily accommodating; Cosmos is post-apocalyptic, following a magical cataclysm that destroyed the universe. This is intentional, not only because this presents interesting and outstanding problems for players to solve, but because it takes place after the immediate and painful follow-up to a universe-ending event. This way, we can focus on the steps that come after. There were survivors, and that's where our heroes come in.
We have focused Cosmos on positive actions; rebuild, restore, and establish and maintain harmony. The magic that shattered worlds has seemingly dissipated, and what is left needs our heroes' help to grow and thrive. By ridding worlds of harmful magic, players are leaving them better than they found them.
Paralleling this is the player goal to find and help other survivors. Centuries after the destruction, heroes and their allies are now looking for others that survived, extending a helping hand, sharing what they have, and caring for those that need it.
Cosmos is a game about working together for a better tomorrow. The immediate effect our heroes can have in this setting, and the one that makes the biggest difference, is to unite with allies to tackle the problems that lie ahead. In supporting others and forming a community, players support themselves.
It is important to us to show that even in the wake of something truly awful, and in the face of uncertainty, we have hope.
Visit our Discord for the latest updates about playtest availability and news about the game.
Until next time,
Ro and co. at Sprocket