Harbingers
A downloadable game
"The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters." - Antonio Gramsci
Harbingers is a built with polymorph game about a group of people who are the vessels for apocalyptic, world-ending beings trying to fulfill their destinies to end the world for the better.
Everyone in the world is a vessel of some kind, having both their own human identity as well as that of some mythological, magical being. However, the world is controlled by The Institution and has mandated that all people be "sealed" before they manifest any magical abilities in order to prevent the end of the world. This is a bad thing.
Society has progressed to an industrial age and the World is beginning to suffocate and die. It was not meant to go on for this long and the slate needs to be wiped clean. One Harbinger is enough and all that would usually manifest, as in ages past. This time, the World has brought in up to four because the situation is so dire.
The only ones not "sealed" are agents of The Institution, roaming nomads, those who were mischievous in their youth who managed to avoid it, or those who rebelled and broke the seal. This is where you come in. As a player, you will take on the role of one of these "unsealed" Harbingers and help end this old World to make way for the new World. You feel the pain of the World and those living in it, those exploited and pushed out to the fringe, and you must stop it.
Game by Ethan Murchison (@darachbeo)
Purchase
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Community Copies
If you are interested in the game, but don't have the funds to purchase at the moment or you would like to see the whole thing before paying, these are for you! Please take a community copy and leave a review if you do. More community copies will be added each time someone leaves a tip of $2.50 or more.
Development log
- 1.1 Update85 days ago
Comments
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The use of the artwork and the font selection lend to a specific aesthetic, which is highlighted in the established setting--the current system is broken, and the current world must die so that a new, better one can be reborn from it. There's lots of interesting dynamics to play with in the created world, as many normal people may regard the player characters as villains for breaking the status quo, even if they themselves acknowledge the system is broken. The established roles and the selection of backgrounds also allow players to provide opportunities to set their characters narratively and mechanically apart from one another. I think the mechanics of Apotheosis and Sealing are also unique hurdles for players to try to overcome in gameplay. This is a really phenomenal work, and I hope the creator feels proud of what they've made, and I am proud to have it as a submission to my first ever game jam. I'd love to get a group together and play this game someday!