TECH BYTES
WORDS MATTHEW GOODING
The latest news and updates from the Cambridge Cluster
HEAVEN’S VAULT
A new adventure game four years in the making is inviting players to uncover a lost world and decipher a forgotten language. Developed by Cambridge’s Inkle Studios, Heaven’s Vault is an open-world adventure where players assume the role of the archaeologist, Aliya Elasra. She and her robot sidekick, Six, investigate The Nebula, which is an ancient network of scattered moons. Along the way, the pair discover lost sites, freely explore ancient ruins and translate inscriptions to reveal the secrets of The Nebula’s past. Depending on the translations the player chooses, the story alters. The game has a non-linear design that allows players to approach the story in any order. This is backed up by Inkle’s narrative engine, Ink, which remembers every choice made and every path followed – or not followed – and feeds this into the main story arc, creating a unique experience for each player.
Inkle’s narrative director and co-founder, Jon Ingold, said the team at the studio has been working on Heaven’s Vault since 2014. Creating a 4,000-year-old civilisation is no small feat, after all. He added that the team drew inspiration from a wide variety of ancient societies, as well as sources as varied as the barter systems of the Polynesian islands and the intricate trade routes of the Silk Road. Visually, Heaven’s Vault is stunning, and represents Inkle’s first foray into 3D gaming. Founded in 2011 by Ingold and Joseph Humfrey, the studio has previously focused on purely story-driven titles. It received four Bafta nominations for its critically- acclaimed 2014 game, 80 Days, an interactive tale based loosely on the Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days . Inkle Studios is hoping Heaven’s Vault can enjoy a similar level of success. The game is out now for Windows PC and Playstation 4.
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