Firmament



Firmament is an upcoming game being created and developed by Cyan, Inc.. It is set to be a steampunk adventure with heavy emphasis on virtual-reality.

Description
The game of Firmament is a resplendent, magical, journey — a monumental voyage through four diverse and curious realms, working in concert with an ever-present, clockwork companion, and the support and instruction of a long-dead, ethereal mentor.

Story
''A gasp for air... a release of chilled breath... the crackling sounds of melting ice.''

''You wake in a glacial cavern — perfused by blue. It's crowded with metal pipes and adorned with curious, clockwork gears.''

Echoing machinery resonates in your ears as a massive metal door opens before you...

''As you enter a dark chamber, warm lights flicker to life, revealing a frigid, yet intimate stone interior, supported by riveted iron beams. In the middle of this room is an ancient table - a tea cup on one end and a frozen body slumped over the other. The corpse’s hands hold an exquisite clockwork device — held out like an offering.''

''You reach for the device, and suddenly… a small whir… a blue glow is birthed from its core as it comes to life and lifts from the outstretched palms of the rigid stranger. It hovers above you, watching.''

''An apparition appears with a message from the woman that left this gift. She planned to mentor you... ''

...but something has gone terribly wrong.

An immense, unexpected adventure now lies ahead…

Game design
Firmament is designed for and will be built from the ground up to take advantage of the VR sense of presence and a seamless interface. Stunning and enigmatic locations (with a certain callback to the steampunk roots of Myst) were conceived to allow for highly immersive and eclectic visuals for which the world-building artisans at Cyan are known.

But unlike previous games you don’t travel this world alone. Throughout this fantastic journey you are accompanied by an ever-present adjunct: a helpful clockwork companion, which provides assistance along the journey.

The adjunct doesn’t speak, but it does understand you and your hand gestures. Through your interactions both you and your adjunct evolve a vocabulary of gestures you learn together. What starts as rudimentary communication evolves into a complex symphony of actions as you solve challenges together and begin to understand the epic nature of what lies ahead.