Wow, what a busy last 10 days it’s been since launch! Here’s some updates!
Articles and coverage
Director Tanya Kan has been part of some lovely interviews talking about the unique approach to cyberpunk with Katelyn Kivel from Game Rant. You can read an article about our spin on the cyberpunk genre here, specifically about Solace State's coming-of-age tale here, and the full interview transcript here!
Additionally, we received this lovely full game review from The Pixel Post that deep-dives into the art and politics in video games. Writer Fanny Dufour says: “The story of friendship and camaraderie told by Vivid Foundry is both a more interesting and more daring choice than what is offered by the majority of titles that define themselves as cyberpunk. And, in the midst of the almost permanent anguish, the way Solace State manages to tell the tragedy while showing compassion is a breath of fresh air, a little parenthesis where, for a few hours, we also manage to believe that another way of doing things is possible.” (Google translated from French.) You can read the full article here!
We appreciate that The Pixel Post called our game “optimistic hackivism” and wish that we had the foresight for that kind of descriptiveness in our marketing line, haha!
Edwin from Rock Paper Shotgun gave us a shout-out about what he’s playing this weekend, here!
Game Devs of Color Expo sale and talks
Delighted that we’re part of Game Devs of Color Expo again this year! For the happy occasion, Solace State has been extended on sale until Sept 28. (Unfortunately we can only extend the sale until Sept 28 because the max number of days for a sale is 2 weeks from launch.)
The expo itself runs until Sept 30 and you can find the full schedule of talks and special events by developers of color here!
Director Tanya Kan and Generalist Developer Seamus Ly will be doing a talk entitled “Queer Advocacy in Indie Game Design: A Solace State Retrospective” on Wed Sept 27 at 4:30pm ET / 1:30pm PT (link here).
Director Tanya Kan and Nana Moon (Keylocker, Virgo Versus The Zodiac) and Sherveen Uduwana (Midautumn) will be doing a talk called “Transformative Roles and Culture in Queer Fantasy and Sci-Fi Games” on Sat Sept 30 at 12:25pm ET / 9:25pm PT (link here).
A personal message about launch from Director Tanya Kan
Can't believe this game that's 8 years in the making is out in the world! However, it might have gotten absolutely buried in the games news cycle of the week of Sept 14. So here's some things about the game that I haven't talked about yet that I'm really proud of:
One thing we should highlight more is that an activist's coming-of-age tale set in a near-future, cyberpunk world! It mixes literature with scifi with realism. It reads like a novel. It's political but it's also hopeful. It's got a diverse cast to show that sustained movements requires unity with many backgrounds.
This is an incredibly personal project to me, Tanya Kan. I befriended activists, filmmakers, lawyers, scholars, and more who make it their life's work to fight against oppression. It's through this fictional, poetic game that I pay homage to their stories.
I'm really proud of writing the majority of it. I've drafted scenes over and over until the game reflects the core messages of healing through advocacy and care, of witnessing atrocities and coming out the other side with something to fight for, and people to share hope with.
I'm delighted that I stayed true to myself with a poetic, literary tone. It's a meaningful way for me to convey the intense heartbreak from being dismantled from a birthplace and wanting to find friendship and community. It's drawn from my personal story of loss and alienation.
I went against convention on a lot. This includes a deconstructivist take on cyberpunk: Not just cause it's cool, but that marginalized folks striving for change is at the core of "punk". The architectural density is not about fear of the unknown but is just how people live: Sometimes hurting others, sometimes uplifting others and healing unevenly.
There are so few games - so few entertainment media - that dare portray an East Asian woman protagonist as a frontline activist in a sustained movement. This was a deliberate choice, with overtly Asian & AAPI traumas. We're not your model minority. We're not your cyberpunk doll.
Solace State went against visual novel convention, too. I experimented so much! What I landed on is a visual novel powered by movements that feels like camera drones... which are used IRL by both the establishment & by protesters. So this is a protest game through and through.
I'm so thankful many folks really got what we're going for. In 2018, Austin Walker (Waypoint) perceived Solace State as the struggle against hegemony. Katherine Cross (Verge) wrote about how the game reflects rebellion and its psychological costs. We are really onto something special.
Though I'm the only one working full-time on this - on direction, art, design, admin, funding, writing, marketing - Solace State could not have happened without many very talented folks who have done their absolute damn best to bring this game to life. I’m so thankful to everyone who shared their expertise and gave good faith to bring this all together.
I think we’ve got such an awesome game, even if Solace State takes time to sit down with and reflect on. And we think we haven't found our audience yet.
This is where want to ask you to support us if you're excited about our message about a radical journey of optimistic advocacy.
If you know streamers and Youtubers and journalists who're excited by magical realism meets intersectional hackivism or cover politics and art, we'd love to get connected! If you like the game, please review it! If you don't have money to buy the game, no problem! We still welcome you to share in our excitement! Please share this widely with your friends who're into this too! We want to share the joy and curiosity of this game with more folks!