Equinox: Homecoming, the MMO from Blue Scarab Games, has revealed its first new area coming to Alderwood, and it’s trippy.
The story for Equinox: Homecoming has never been shy to delve into the darker sides of mysteries: murder, monsters, and missing mothers are the driving forces of this game, and now it’s pushing us towards the Hollow Vale.
This is a new liminal space for players to explore. In the blog post, the developers explain that this new area does not only expand the world but also the story, taking us deeper into the mystery surrounding the island and its history.
“One of the team’s biggest goals with the Hollow Vale is to create disorientation without frustration. We want players to feel uncertain and curious while still understanding where they are. Michiel [Lead Level Designer] describes good design as ‘information transference,’ the art of naturally guiding players through landscapes with landmarks, silhouettes, and visual language.”
The bits of screenshots they shared showed this peculiarity in action. The place feels dark yet intriguing, almost wondrous, and tickles the curiosity. However, players have been a little skeptical about the choice of colours and the other-world space.
Star Stable Online, the main competitor of Equinox: Homecoming, has its own liminal space called Pandoria, the source of magic on Jorvik. Players quickly drew comparisons between the Hollow Vale and Pandoria, noting not only the purple/pink aura but also the clear similarity of traveling to a different plane of existence to continue training.
For now, we’ll have to wait for Chapter Five to see exactly how the Hollow Vale plays into Equinox: Homecoming‘s world and if it really does resemble Pandoria as much as players fear. But this is a fascinating direction for the game, regardless.
If you want to read more, check out the blog post here!