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Science fiction and fantasy are two of the greatest genres of fiction. They have coexisted for thousands of years, with humanity seeking new stories to tell about the future and the unknown. While video games are a newer form of media, they are no exception to this trend and often mix up tropes. Few places make it clearer than Eve Project, recently premiered at PlayStation Showcase 2021.
The protagonist, Eve, engages a race of monstrous creatures in high-flying combat demonstrations. Details of the setting are scarce at this time, so it remains to be seen how much the supernatural plays into the source of NA: tives and Eve’s own powers. A part of Day beforeThe monstrous NA: tifs certainly look fantastic, with chainsaws on their heads and an infested space station that looks a bit like a biblical angel.
Much of the reason this game received so much attention after its new trailer is due to its strong resemblance to another sci-fantasy game: NieR: Automata. Deny has a weird framework that connects magic and technology in a way that often obscures one or the other although both are present. Deny and Eve Project are just two of the latest games in a long tradition of combining futuristic and technologically advanced elements with some sort of magical system.
The early years of science-fantasy in the game
Science fiction has been a subtle part of fantasy since Greco-Roman times, and the myths of Icarus and Talos the Bronze Giant show surprisingly avant-garde ideas like flying technology and automatons. However, some of the early renditions of famous science-fantasy video games came from a different source. Dungeons & Dragons inspired the first Final fantasy games, but drew its inspiration from a number of older works. These influences include the post-apocalyptic Dying earth fantasy novels by American author Jack Vance. A direct line can be drawn from abandoned technology in the Dying earth universe with anachronistic airships, space stations and early combat machines Final fantasy.
The works of Square Enix and RPGs in general continue to be pioneers in adding sci-fi elements to fantasy games, or vice versa. Same Ancient scrolls eventually got into action with some ruins of the ancient Dwemer race guarded by machines and deadly traps. It seemed that any attempt to add extravagant elements to fiction almost inevitably attracts both science fiction and fantasy.
The modern era of fantasy sci-fi games
The 2010s have given rise to a number of fantastic high-profile science fiction projects ahead of Eve Project. Final Fantasy 13 and 15 were both notable for attempting to merge the future or the present, respectively, with magic Final fantasy The settings. The whole Fabula Nova Cristallis The collection had a sci-fantasy feel, with the games taking place in times of their particular worlds where technology had simply become more prevalent. Meanwhile, the Deny the series was preparing for the release of NieR: Automata, which is the second game of a Drakengard serial side. Deny is based on an alternative ending to Drakengard where Caim and his dragon fell to modern Earth, leading to the entry of magic into the world.
The hallmark of recent science-fantasy video games seems to be such a tight fusion of magic and technology that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Magic exists in the Deny the universe, and the entire cast of Automatons is made up of machines with magical abilities. Other science-fantasy games such as Astral chain Where Scarlet Nexus use special spirits or psychic powers to explain their magic in otherwise futuristic settings. The proliferation of science-fantasy has reached a point where Final Fantasy 16 actually makes a conscious effort to go back to earlier days when fantasy was more dominant.
Eve Project seems to take after NieR: Automata, where the fantastic is tightly woven into the fabric of all mechanical and monstrous chaos. With the recent Tales of the Ascension after opening up with a magical interplanetary army conquering a neighboring planet, it looks like the science-fantasy trend is here to stay. Fans should expect Eve Project brings to the table.
Eve Project is currently in development.
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