AZURE DOMAIN™

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The world is dying. A shroud of heavy, toxic clouds blankets the lands, choking and killing everything underneath. In a last ditch effort to save themselves, mankind has taken to the skies. Atop floating platforms built with the latest technology, and with increased advancements in the field of air travel and transportation, humanity managed to escape its doom.

But all was not well. The once-powerful nation of Solbourne, that had united the people under the auspices of the Sun Goddess, had broken into pieces. The new nations now fight amongst each other for precious resources, and Solbourne itself has succumbed to the corrupt rule of the Solar Ecclesiarchy, almost completely usurping the mantle from the Priestess. With little hope left, the reigning Solar Priestess, Tali’dah et Sol, is secretly launching a campaign to bring the nations back into the fold. Tapping into her loyal followers, she seeks to spread a message of peace even as the world burns. But she has made little progress, and Sol, the Sun Goddess herself, is nowhere to be found. Amidst the war and chaos of this shattered world, a new evil is brewing that threatens to erase humanity once and for all. An extermination 200 years in the making, a being known only as Ginuun is harnessing the extradimensional powers of the fabled Outsiders, entities that transcend life and death, to carry out global extinction. His targets are the floating platforms that are humanity’s lifeline, and one such platform in the far corner of the world, New Horizons, will be the first to meet that fate.

Thus begins our story…

The game’s primary focus will be a single player campaign spanning the world of Azure Domain. Initially, the levels will progress in a linear fashion, then after a certain threshold in the story, a world map will open up to the player (think Super Mario Bros. 3) and the player can tackle missions and side missions as they see fit. Additionally, there will be enemy encounters on the map involving pirate squadrons, militant factions, and, later in the game, Outsiders. Completing story missions will open new sections of the map, as well as new areas. Players can revisit areas they have completed to tackle side missions and enemy encounters. Another aspect of the game is Threat Level. This is a sort of difficulty mechanic for side missions and enemy encounters. These aspects of the game adjust to the player’s Threat Level. A higher threat level will pit stronger enemies against the player, as well as adjust the types of enemies in the mission. Completing side missions will raise the threat level, whereas failing them will lower it.

In combat, the player will have to think both short-term tactical and long-term strategic. A large portion of the combat will be enemy fighters, fast and agile, keeping the player on their toes. They will also have to attack a variety of highly dangerous targets, such as airships and the defenses of a city-platform. As they bob, weave and dive in the air, they will also have to manage their wingmen, directing them to protect or attack a selected target, escort the player, use abilities and more; all to manage their battlefield presence. If poorly managed the player may become overwhelmed. Lower difficulty levels mean their wingmen will better manage themselves and let less skilled players focus on what’s in front of them. Higher difficulty levels mean the player will have to be more diligent with their wingmen and their abilities, as they will be less independent. When in a fight, the player’s skill will be tested as they perform high-speed maneuvers dodging missiles and gunship fire to attack a target, requiring quick thinking and fast reflexes. Between missions, the player will be able to take control of Marcus himself and will be free to walk around and explore their home base in Solbourne. Later you’ll have the option to visit other small hub areas in other city states, interacting with people providing information about the lore, unlock or buy modules, weapons and even aircraft; all these interactions help to move the plot forward. He’ll be able to grow his relationship between his wingmen and Tali’dha by speaking with them during these segments.

The flow and pace of the game is important and the player’s level of engagement is carefully controlled in an attempt to prevent “burn-out”. During missions things are intense and require high levels of focus and thought, but between missions the player is encouraged to relax, explore the environment and have conversations with the NPCs. This lets the player wind down, lowering their required focus, but keeping their engagement by giving them interesting characters, good dialogue, beautiful scenery and great music. The intention is to present the story and gameplay as we envisioned, but remain mindful of the fact that this is for a player, not for us. We want to provide a story that will keep them invested, provide a game that is fun to play without undue frustration, and hopefully give the player an experience they’ll always remember.