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One of the most interesting and mythologized figures around the turn of the 20th century is Russian mystic Rasputin. He’s found his way into games like Shin Megami Tensei and Fate/Grand Order before, but his story and history will play a major role in the upcoming CRPG, The Thaumaturge, developed by Fool’s Theory.
Grigori Rasputin, in the real world, made a name for himself in the early years of the 20th century as a charismatic religious pilgrim. By 1905, he had convinced people that he could spiritually heal hemophilia and that he could read people’s minds. He’d also find himself to be a controversial figure in his life, accused of religious heresy, having influence over the Tsar, and having an affair with the Tsarina. He’d go on to survive multiple assassination attempts against him. This kind of larger-than-life presence that made him infamous in his day has made him a major figure in popular culture in the century since his death.
Setting The Thaumaturge in 1905 Warsaw, Fool’s Theory was well aware that Grigori Rasputin would be something of a rising star in occultist circles. The heavy amount of research that went into his inclusion is clear; while they maintain who he was and his age in 1905, design director Karolina Kuzia-Rokosz told us the team originally chose a much earlier date, where Rasputin was very much involved. In other words, he’s been a central figure in the game’s development since day one, well before the team ultimately settled on 1905.
We conducted thorough research on on him. Maintaining his original age of around 36 years old, we adhered to events that happened to him during that time or events that could plausibly occur if he encountered a young Thaumaturge from Warsaw back then.
This opens up some very interesting options for The Thaumaturge to explore, as 1905 is a very significant year in Rasputin’s life. In November of that year, he would be introduced to Tsar Nicholas II with the hope that he’d be able to heal Nicholas’ son, Alexei Nikolaevich, a task where he quickly established himself as a miracle worker. This is a story ripe for a game telling the story of the hidden magical world in Warsaw of the same year.
As the player inhabits the role of the titular Thaumaturge Wiktor Szulski, the magical presence that has become so ingrained in Rasputin’s mythology will likely be a central focus to his interactions with the story in one way or another. Setting the narrative mere months before Rasputin’s fateful meeting with Nicholas II leaves a lot of room for Wiktor to play an important role in how Rasputin’s legend unfolds.
As aforementioned, 1905 wasn’t always the setting for The Thaumaturge, but Rasputin was always considered one of the more prominent historical figures in the game. Kuzia-Rokosz explained that, initially, the game was going to take place twenty years earlier, featuring a teenage Rasputin. Historians don’t know much about Rasputin’s early years, which would’ve given Fool’s Theory a lot of creative freedom with the character, but ultimately 1905 was a more promising year for the game. With The Thaumaturge’s supernatural elements, 1905 also has the benefit of allowing Fool’s Theory to play with history, but not alter it.
I must admit that, initially, we chose a different year than 1905 for the events to unfold. After some time and continuous research, we adjusted the game’s timeline slightly forward, as it became evident that the late summer of 1905 provided the perfect backdrop for our vision … We initially chose a different time frame, about twenty years earlier. During that period, Rasputin was a significant part of our story, and we considered his timeline carefully.
It should be said that Rasputin isn’t likely the main reason for this change, as the summer of 1905 featured some major events in Polish history–namely the Łódź insurrection in June of that year, which itself was a piece in the larger kickoff of the Russian revolution. But Rasputin was always intended to be a large part of Thaumaturge’s story, so the year’s significance to his own life is worth mentioning as as one element of the game’s story. Rasputin isn’t the only major historical figure that Wiktor is going to meet, not unlike some of the earliest Assassin’s Creed games. Though Kuzia-Rokosz was tight-lipped as to who those other figures may be, the list of possibilities is exciting.
We introduce both major and minor characters who lived in the city during that time or possibly visited it. I prefer to keep their identities secret for now to avoid spoilers. In addition to them, we also mention personas likely more familiar to the Polish audience.
Players will have to wait until the game releases in February 2024 to discover who those other historical figures may be.
The Thaumaturge
The Thaumaturge is a story-driven RPG set in 1905 Warsaw, Poland. Players take on the role of Wiktor, who can see entities called Salutors that normal humans cannot. It features isometric gameplay, turn-based combat, morally ambiguous choices, unique character development features, investigation mechanics, and much, much more.
- Released
- February 20, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Fool’s Theory
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