Sal Terrae: in search of SALT

Ukrainian Post-Apocalyptic Mythpunk. A Post-Apocalyptic Future World: Join the protagonist and a changing cast of permanent and temporary caravan companions on a journey to Crimea in search of salt. Explore what remains of civilization 200 years after a series of global catastrophes. Discover what caused the collapse and how it unfolded, how profoundly the world has changed, and what can still be saved and rebuilt. Along the way, meet unusual and morally ambiguous characters, each with their own worldview, ideology, and hidden interests. Become entangled in personal and larger conflicts as people struggle to find direction for humanity’s future and decide what kind of civilization should rise from the ruins. The Lands of Present-Day Ukraine: The game takes place across the territory of present-day Ukraine. The surviving society has preserved and revived traditional ways of life rooted in 16th-century Ukraine, while integrating scattered artifacts of modern technology that can still be found throughout the world. Discover an authentic interpretation of Ukrainian culture of the 16th–18th centuries, transformed by two centuries of post-apocalyptic change. Neuro-Tuning: Influence Instead of Control: Neither the protagonist nor the player can directly control the caravan. Instead, the protagonist possesses a rare and limited mental ability known as Neuro-Tuning. It allows him to enter the minds of his companions, read fragments of their thoughts, influence their decisions, manipulate conflicts, and unlock hidden dialogue options. Neuro-Tuning is deliberately limited by a finite mental resource. What matters is not only how you use it, but when you decide that intervention is worth the cost. Depending on how you use this system, different routes, locations, quests, and companions may become available. The player can: - Read thoughts - Influence the thoughts and decisions of caravan members - Manipulate relationships between characters - Unlock new dialogue options Every intervention consumes Oleksa’s limited mental resources. Pushing him too far can create new problems for the entire caravan. Managing this resource becomes a key source of choice, consequence, and nonlinear gameplay. The Caravan: Your goal is to lead the caravan to Crimea in search of salt and return home alive, while pursuing Oleksa’s personal goal of finding and rescuing his kidnapped father. Along the way, you will need to protect the caravan from the dangers of the journey, navigate difficult situations, and manage your limited resources carefully enough to ensure that neither your companions nor your oxen die from hunger, thirst, disease, or other hardships of the road. Events, Quests, and Character Conditions: Every playthrough brings a different combination of local and global events. Extreme weather, rival clans, corporations, wild animals, and other forces can alter the conditions of your journey and directly affect gameplay. Every character has their own skills and tools for overcoming different obstacles. They can also suffer injuries and acquire both negative and positive conditions, all of which directly influence their abilities, interactions, and the options available to the caravan. A Folk Tale Hidden Within the Game: One of the central ideas behind Sal Terrae is that its narrative is built upon the structures and archetypes of traditional Ukrainian myths, legends, and folk tales, without directly retelling them. The overarching narrative structure of the game is based on a Ukrainian folk tale, but this connection is never explicitly revealed to the player. Instead, fragments of stories, dialogue, written texts, characters, and events gradually create parallels. Players familiar with Ukrainian mythology may begin to recognize them, while others will discover these tales and legends for the first time through the world and structure of the game. Different mythological, legendary, and folkloric structures appear throughout the journey as individual quests, character storylines, and smaller tales woven into the larger narrative. Text-Driven Gameplay: Dialogue in Sal Terrae is dynamic and branching. The way you approach conversations, the choices you make, and how and when you use Neuro-Tuning can determine the caravan’s future path, reveal hidden locations, and lead to encounters with new temporary companions. The narrative will be developed in collaboration with acclaimed Ukrainian science-fiction writer Oleksii Dekan. Campfires & Cooking: During essential stops along the journey, companions gather to rest, talk, and share stories, giving the player a deeper understanding of both the characters and the world around them. These moments also introduce a cooking system tied directly to caravan management. Prepare meals to keep your travelers fed and ready for the road. Cook fantastical interpretations of traditional Ukrainian dishes inspired by historical recipes. Music as Part of the Journey: Music is woven directly into the characters and the journey itself. Every adult companion has their own traditional musical instrument and can play it and sing short songs while traveling. The game’s musical culture draws inspiration from both Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar traditions. Because the player chooses three companions from the available roster, the music of each journey changes with the composition of the caravan. Different combinations of characters unlock different songs, performances, and musical fragments along the road. Planned instruments for the companions include: - Bandura - Kobza - Sopilka - Bubon - Tsymbaly - Drymba - Hurdy-gurdy - Ceramic ocarina Part of the soundtrack and original songs for Sal Terrae will be created by renowned Ukrainian bandurist Yurii Fedynskyi and his family. The project also plans to collaborate with other prominent Ukrainian ethno-musicians and performers to create the game’s musical landscape.