Saviorless

Description

Saviorless is a captivating 2D platformer set in a dark fantasy world with hand-drawn artwork. Players control three protagonists with unique abilities: Antar, the curious child; Savior, the masked avatar; and Nento, the merciless hunter. Players explore treacherous landscapes, fight nightmarish monsters, and unravel a mysterious narrative, all while experiencing dynamic gameplay and an atmospheric soundtrack.

The World of Saviorless

The game is set in a beautiful realm known as the Smiling Islands, a place shrouded in enigma and peril. It is a showcase of hand-drawn art, with every frame meticulously crafted to create an atmospheric and visually striking environment. From the crumbling ruins of ancient civilizations to the twisted landscapes inhabited by nightmarish creatures, the game's world is a feast for the eyes, immersing players in a fascinating dark fantasy adventure.

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The Story

At the heart of Saviorless lies a captivating narrative that unfolds through the eyes of three distinct protagonists: Antar, a recklessly curious child determined to unravel the secrets of the Smiling Islands; Savior, Antar's fierce masked avatar tasked with battling the horrors that lurk within the realm; and Nento, a merciless hunter obsessed with control, whose ambitions may ultimately alter the course of the story.

Antar's Journey

Players begin their adventure as Antar, a young and inquisitive child driven by an unwavering desire to become a Savior, a revered protector of the Smiling Islands. Antar's journey takes them through ancient ruins, treacherous landscapes, and puzzle-filled environments, where they must evade the dangers that threaten their path while uncovering the mysteries that lie ahead.

The Savior Rises

As the story progresses, players transition into the role of the Savior, Antar's masked alter-ego. In this form, players engage in high-speed, unforgiving battles against bizarre enemies and formidable bosses that haunt the realm. Wielding powerful abilities and facing overwhelming odds, the Savior must overcome every obstacle that stands between them and their ultimate destiny.

Nento's Obsession

The third protagonist, Nento, introduces a twisted dynamic to the narrative. A merciless hunter driven by an insatiable lust for control, Nento's actions and motivations may ultimately shape the course of events in unexpected ways. Players will witness the unraveling of Nento's obsession and the lengths to which they will go to become the unexpected protagonist of this dark tale, even if it means annihilating everything and everyone in their path, including their own followers.

Gameplay Features

Saviorless offers a rich and immersive gameplay experience that combines platforming, puzzle-solving, and intense combat. Players will:

Unravel a Mystery: As they progress through the game, players will gradually uncover the secrets behind the Smiling Islands, revealing a narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Fight Nightmarish Monsters: Prepare to face hordes of bizarre and terrifying enemies, as well as formidable bosses that stand as obstacles in the path to becoming a Savior.

Collect the Pages: Throughout the game, players will encounter scattered mementos that hold pieces of the story. Collecting these pages is essential to fully unveiling the narrative's depths and intricacies.

Explore the Islands: Immerse yourself in the melancholy atmosphere and crumbling ruins that permeate the Smiling Islands, each location rich with its own stories and secrets waiting to be discovered.

Experience a Broken Narrative: Saviorless presents a unique storytelling approach, where the narrative unfolds in a nonlinear fashion, challenging players to piece together the events that keep Antar from reaching the Smiling Islands and ultimately leading to an unexpected twist of events.

Development History

Saviorless achieved a significant milestone as Cuba's first-ever independent video game to collaborate with an international publisher, gaining global visibility across consoles and online platforms. It faced numerous challenges during its seven-year development. Despite initial suppont and crouwdfunding success, the team faced setbacks due to political tensions, budget constraints, game name trademark conflict, and the loss of a key member. However, with the help of a publisher and the dedication of the team, they persevered through technical difficulties and delays to release a visually stunning game that exceeded their expectations.

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In 2016, the artist and designer Josuhe Pagliery, along with programmer Johann Armenteros, began developing the video game Savior, currently known as Saviorless, in Havana, Cuba, under the studio Empty-Head Games. Widely advertised as "the first independent Cuban video game," this project was undoubtedly the most ambitious of its kind undertaken in the country at that time.

The project caught the attention of a U.S. foundation called Innovadores Foundation, which facilitated access to a crowdfunding campaign on the IndieGogo platform. Surprisingly, the campaign was a success; the game became trending on the second day, and within just six days, the requested funds to start the project's development were obtained. As a result, much of the specialized press became interested in Saviorless, gaining greater visibility and public recognition.

The initial development process was somewhat complex due to the team's high degree of inexperience, but it resulted in a playable demo presented to the public in August 2017 at the VR Gallery in Chicago. Though far from excellent, the result at least helped define many of the visual and gameplay foundations that would be further explored later. Shortly after this event, relations between the U.S. and Cuba deteriorated following the closure of the Embassy in Havana due to sonic attacks, thus ending any possibility of participation in festivals or events held in the United States. Around the same time, the programmer left the project for personal reasons, leaving the project's survival in limbo.

The entry of the new programmer David Darias revitalized the dynamics of Saviorless, initiating a very productive process of experimentation that occupied the team for several years. During this time, at least three completely different demos were developed, concluding with a final demo that met all expectations at the time. It's worth noting that developing a video game in Cuba presented challenges beyond those traditionally faced by developers worldwide, such as daily power outages, lack of technical equipment, the impossibility of remote work, very limited internet access (at the time, one had to go to a public park to connect to a Wi-Fi network), and the inability to access any form of international financing or promotion, in addition to the fact that the IndieGogo campaign fund had long been exhausted.

As a final blow, a studio of industry veterans in Portland, United States, upon seeing that we didn't have the name "Savior" trademarked – an impossibility for us from Cuba – and completely ignoring the overwhelming online presence of the game, decided to register the name "Savior" for their game, forcing our team to change the name to "Saviorless" and accept that much of the promotion we had already done was in vain.

Under these difficult circumstances, it became evident to the team that without the help of a publisher, it would likely be very difficult to finance Saviorless and get it published. Fortunately, it was then that we had an interview with the French publisher Plugin Digital, who, after being interested in the demo, decided to work with Saviorless. The start of work with the publisher was a boost for the production of Saviorless and an economic relief for the team; work times improved, and expectations for the game grew significantly as well. With gameplay and mechanics defined, it became much easier to focus on Saviorless' visual aspect, which constitutes one of its greatest attractions and also one of its greatest challenges. Although it was originally agreed that the game would last around two hours, the team ended up developing a prototype three times that duration. The cost of this decision, again based on inexperience, was a full year of delay compared to the agreed delivery times. Finally, in June 2023, this long process, which has already exceeded eight years of work, was completed.

A Focus on Visuals

Saviorless is a 2D dark fantasy platformer that blends classic 16-bit gaming aesthetics with a bold visual style. At its core is a striking contrast between realism and the iconic. The characters and creatures are rendered in an exaggerated, almost grotesque manner with realistic anatomical structures - yet sit within a vividly cartoonish world of thick black outlines and flat, pure colors. This bizarre juxtaposition lends the game an unsettling, symbolic quality reminiscent of 19th-century symbolist art.

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Videos

Launch Trailer — YouTube

Release Anouncement Trailer — YouTube

Music - Trailers

Date Reveal Trailer Music

Date Reveal Trailer SFX

Launch Trailer Music

Launch Trailer SFX

Music - World

The Smiling Islands Await

Into the Wastelands

Nento's Rage

Chasing the Sun

Screenshots

Logo & Icon

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Saviorless Credits

Josuhe H. Pagliery: Creator, Artist, Game and Level Designer, Writer
David Darias: Technical Designer, Programmer, Level Builder

Additional Team

German Carrasco: Soundtrack Composer, Sound Designer
Tony Nodarse: Animation, Freelancer
Ruben Cruces: Additional Level Design

Contact

Inquiries: contact@saviorless.com
Twitter: twitter.com/saviorlessgame
Facebook: facebook.com/saviorthegame
Web: saviorless.com

Description

The World of Saviorless

The Story

Antar's Journey

The Savior Rises

Nento's Obsession

Gameplay Features

Development History

A Focus on Visuals

Videos

Music - Trailers

Music - World

Screenshots

Logo & Icon

Press Coverage

Saviorless Credits

Additional Team

Contact