A slew of games were shown off during the PS5’s reveal event stream last summer. Tons of new and exciting sequels likeGod of War: RagnarokandHorizon Forbidden Westwere announced, but several brand new games were showcased as well. Square Enix would later steal this game’s spotlight with the reveal ofFinal Fantasy 16in September, but before that, the publisher had revealed a brand new IP:Project Athia. Almost certainly a working title, the mysteriousProject Athiacame alongside the PS5’s official reveal with a short teaser of the game’s world. Since then, it’s been near-silence up until recently, when the game was announced for release in early 2022.
However, while there’s been sparse information revealed by the game itself, there have been some interesting revelations followingProject Athia’s reveal. Thus far, it’s been confirmed thatProject Athiais a completely new universe for Square Enix, unrelated toFinal Fantasy. There’s also been some hints on the lead writers behind this new world, many of which are veterans from movies, television, and fantasy literature as well. The tidbits of gameplay that were shown off in the trailers seem very familiar to a certain otherFinal Fantasytitle, but the similarities are few and far between. Here’s everything currently known about the mysteriousProject Athiaat the moment.
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Luminous Studios' Secretive Triple-A Game: Project Athia
Similar in scope toFinal Fantasy 15, Square Enix’sProject Athiais an open world, action-adventure game set in a mysterious unnamed fantasy world. Sony’s briefing at CES 2021 recently announced thatProject Athiais planned to release in “January 2022,” however that could potentially be a target date. Sony recently uploaded an official version of the livestream’s trailer that removed any mention of third-party games,soProject Athiamay not necessarily release in that timeframe. It’s more info than the initial reveal trailer provided, which gives no clues as to when the game may release, not to mentionProject Athiaalmost certainly being a codename for its official title.
Luminous Productions is the development studio behind the project, a subsidiary of Square Enix formed by the development team behindFinal Fantasy 15. Named after thesame game engine used to powerFinal Fantasy 15, the Luminous Engine, the studio was first announced in 2018. Founded byFinal Fantasy 15director Hajime Tabata (who has since left Square Enix), Luminous Studio was designed to create new IP alongside Square Enix’s existing lineup of franchises. The end result of that secretive triple-A project that Luminous Studio was allegedly working on appears to beProject Athia, though it’s likely not releasing any time soon.
An Open-World From An Unknown Place, or Time
In terms of story content, there’s sparse details from the game’s first trailer, but the title does have an admittedly surprising writing team behind it.Gary Whitta, screenwriter and authorwho’s worked on notable films likeRogue OneandThe Book of Eli, announced he was lead writer for the project. According to an announcement from Whitta on Twitter, he led a team of writers from various forms of triple-A media to design the world and narrative ofProject Athia. Outside of that, the only ominous and foreboding specifics from the trailer itself detail “a world not her own, where resolve will be tested, truths will be questioned, and devotions will be doubted.”
The initial, short reveal trailer forProject Athiadid end up showing off a surprising amount of gameplay. The environments themselves seem to suggest some kind of medieval fantasy setting, filled with castles, dragons, magic, and other creatures. However, the actual player character itself (presumably “Athia”)seems to be wearing modern attire with a cloak. This leads back to the “world not her own” hint, which could indicate some kind of inter-dimensional/interplanetary travel of some kind a laStar Ocean. Alongside that,in-engine gameplay shows her making leaps and bounds, as well as summoning roots from the ground to attack/capture wolves in the wild.
An Unusual New World Full of Nature and the Unnatural
Aesthetically and gameplay-wise, there’s clearly some inspiration fromFinal Fantasy 15, even if the game itself doesn’t look too similar. Of course, both games utilize the same Luminous Engine, but even the movement mechanics seem to resemble Noctis' warp strike ability. The new magical abilities, however, are wholly unique to the gameplay inProject Athia. Environments and creatures shown throughout the teaser do seem to emulateSouls-style designs, though with plenty ofFinal Fantasy-esque flair. It seems like the game’s themes suggest the usage and perversion of nature through magic, and the large-scale creatures in the teaser seem to resemble boss fights.
It’s clear thatProject Athiaisvery much a fantasy worldwith some kind of modern twist. Presumably, the “she will rise” marketing tagline is referring to the protagonist’s journey throughout the game. Perhaps “Athia,” or whoever this unnamed female character is, will be in a fish-out-of-water scenario looking to survive in this unknown world. At some point she seems to gain magical powers and the capability to manipulate the natural world around her, to her advantage. None of this is confirmed, of course, but it’s a seemingly promising concept; a character harnessing the power of nature to battle unnatural foes in an unfamiliar world.
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