This is a very special article for me. As a general rule, both in RPG Spain and in other media where I collaborate, an editor receives a key of a game and, after playing it, writes a review giving his opinion about what he has experienced playing it. Also, an editor writes other kind of articles, such as retro reviews, reports, interviews and opinion articles on different topics. This is, as a rule, the work of those of us who collaborate in this type of media.
However, this article is different. I am going to talk about a videogame called Dominus: Tales of Old, and I will do it not from the perspective of having played a demo and then write my impressions, but as someone who is lucky enough to be part of the development team as Narrative Designer and Game Writer. This is, for me, a meaningful experience that I want to share with you. So I’ll open a small window for you to observe some details about the creation of Dominus, what this project is like and why you should be excited. Here we go, rebels!
Developing Dominus: Tales of Old
Dominus is still in an early stage of development. However, it already has some very interesting gameplay mechanics implemented, as well as a solid storyline and a game atmosphere that will appeal to those looking for realism in a medieval RPG.
Dominus is a realistic, dark and visceral RPG. It tells the story of a twisted medieval society with a lust for power, where betrayal and murder, looting and violence are part of people’s daily lives. After the Prima Nocte Law was declared – also known as the «law of the right of the first night», in which a lord had the right to spend the first night with the bride of one of his vassals – a violent conflict breaks out called the Battle of the Brides, where a militia of rebels intend to oppose such abuses using the sword as a means of communication. In this battle, the rebels are mostly annihilated by the feudal armies of the lower nobility, and our protagonist is one of the few survivors.
The trigger of the game occurs right here, when he arrives at his village and finds it consumed by flames. With his home destroyed and his sister missing, our protagonist begins an adventure that will lead him to change the fate of the kingdom, creating unexpected alliances, conquering territories and hunting down those who orchestrated the burning of his home, as well as the chaos that has spread to all corners of the Duchy of Lancaster -the map where the game takes place-.
Of course, I can’t talk more about the plot, but they are working on creating a complex script in which we can intervene to change some relevant points. And as a CRPG, side quests are also being our priority, avoiding the «take go and tell» in favor of building small plots in line with the bloody and visceral world of the game. I promise you that some of them will even leave you with a bad taste in your mouth because of their crudeness.
Now, what can I tell you about the gameplay? Dominus: Tales of Old is an open world RPG. Exploration and combat are two of the fundamental elements of the game mechanics, to which a third one joins: the conquest of territories.
We start the adventure as a rebel who has lost everything, and as the story progresses, as we unravel the web of deceit and discover the culprits, the player acquires fame and an increasingly relevant social status. This will open the doors for us to become conquerors, gradually suffocating the fire of violence… or igniting it more and more, since in Dominus we will be able to make some less than honorable decisions.
To get new settlements and strengthen our position, it will often be necessary to take that territory from the enemies. And once the conquest is finished, we have the most complicated part: to keep them in operation. A system of defenses and obtaining resources has been devised as a metagame, where in each camp we must assign soldiers and other units so that, in case of attack -because we will be invaded, and a lot- this can be defended. Of course, the game will warn us that a mercenary militia is about to attack our territory and if we are not there in person to defend it, it is important that we first devote time and resources to protect it from the invaders.
Related to this, a very complete crafting system has been devised, where the player will be able to create palisades and other defenses. But the crafting does not end there, as it will be necessary to convert our camp into a home to go to replenish strength and supplies. We must create beds, tents, work tables and other things. There is nothing like home, so make sure it is not taken away from you!
Surviving in Dominus
Surviving in Dominus
The team is developing a fun combat system, agile and showing the forcefulness of the blows on flesh or armor. The third-person view may remind a bit to some «Soulslike», as the idea is that each confrontation involves a duel to the death. We will not deal as Geralt of Rivia, because here we are only a rebel who knows how to use the sword -a little-, and who must often face mercenaries or experienced soldiers. For this reason, the development team is working hard so that each combat puts us on the ropes, because facing a single enemy can be difficult, and two at once an almost certain death if we are not well prepared.
Of course, this is not a Souls game, and the different difficulty levels will make the game experience more bearable. To survive in this merciless medieval world, we can make use of different weapons. All of them are real weapons and in the description of each of them we can find practical information about how they were used in the historical context. From the classic long sword, spears and halberds, to more refined weapons such as rapiers or brutal weapons such as two-handed war hammers, among many others. We will also have ranged weapons, such as bows and light and heavy crossbows.
Stealth will also be an important part of the gameplay. Not only to get rid of a few enemies with the faint whisper of an arrow or a stab in the back; stealth will be essential to complete some missions that require delicacy. The development partners have designed new animations for both combat and stealth, achieving a very nice fluidity of movement based on real physics. The fabric of our clothes or armor will be affected by our movement, for example.
Another important aspect of Dominus is survival. In many RPGs it doesn’t matter if the protagonist spends hours outdoors, if he doesn’t eat or drink. Here, in Dominus, bad weather, cold, not eating or not drinking can make us sick and subtract points in different skills. We will move more slowly, lose reflexes or suffer other ailments if we have been poisoned by eating something bad. Work is being done to balance this playable facet so that it does not affect the fun, and at the same time it feels real.
There is still a long way to go
The development of a video game is multifaceted and consists of many layers, and all of them must be consistent with each other. Communication between the different members of the team must be daily, as everything must fit together. From the point of view of a Narrative Designer, for example, there are ideas that must be consulted with the design team, because although a piece of the plot or mission may fit well, it may involve a huge amount of work, as it may require the creation of new animations and long hours of testing and bug fixing.
But although Dominus is still under development, we at Hvmana Industries want to give you good news. A demo is being prepared and will be available soon -only on PC-, in which we will be able to play the first main missions and some secondary ones, while exploring a good portion of the map. We are sure you will like to see what we are creating.
Dominus is an unusual game. It flees from the fantasy of other RPGs like The Witcher 3 to put the focus on a realistic medieval world, where knights in shining armor are men without honor, where the gray atmosphere and overcast skies bathe the horizon with a dark and oppressive atmosphere, and the nobility is full of unscrupulous scoundrels that make bandits look like good people.
From here, personally, I am very grateful to the development team for the opportunity to participate in a project as big as this one. I hope you like the plot, the script and the narrative design, as well as all the playable possibilities that the team is designing for you.
And specially, thanks to RPG Spain, because I took my first step with you.
RPG Spain 