Lithic is a combination of strategy and cRPG games, set in the unusual realities of fantasy reminiscent of the Stone Age. We take on the role of a semi-divine being and take indirect control over a primitive tribe, trying to pass on to its members the knowledge of technology, culture, magic, etc. This is the debut work of the independent studio Flintlock Games.
Set in a pre-historic fantasy universe of Lithic, players are able to explore the concept of cultural and technological evolution from primitives incapable of speech, through to forming advanced stone tool technology. Combining real time strategy gameplay with RPG elements, Lithic allows players to build the origins of society in a universe where magic abounds yet is untamed and the environment is as much the enemy as other creatures are.
In the beginning there was the Ix, a hive mind of reptilian humanoids. They expanded their territory, developing culture and religious practices. They worshipped The Creators, an ethereal race with the power to command the elements and manifest as mighty animal spirits. The Ix grew strong, arrogant that they had raised themselves so far above the other races; whilst others played in the dirt, the Ix had the ability to call on the Gods themselves. The elders of the Ix civilization came together to work a great ritual, one that would bring The Creators to the planet to rule as god-kings. The ritual was a success, but it caused the end of life as it was then known. The sheer energy released from the descent of The Creators destroyed the Ix, leaving none but a few mindless thralls wandering with no direction. Now is the time for the other races to shine, now is the age of Lithic.
In Lithic the player controls their tribe through the eyes of a Creator, a mighty being trapped on the planet by the Ix's grounding ritual. Weakened by the descent and forced into the body of a tribesman, they must guide and shape their chosen race to a point where they can assist the Creator in re-ascending to the ethereal plane.
Players have the option in Lithic to choose from 4 fantasy-esque races at the start of the game. Each race has strengths and weaknesses that create a different game for the player depending on the race they choose. Randomly generated gameplay worlds As well as a story driven narrative, players can opt to play in a sandbox randomly generated world where different challenges and exploration lie in wait for their tribes, allowing a player to create their own stories.
Each of the tribes within Lithic are illiterate, and so knowledge cannot be passed on through reading. Each character has their own tech tree, which shows the skills they have learned or been passed on by other members of the tribe. Death within Lithic is permanent and once a character dies, any knowledge they held is lost. Players find themselves adopting different strategic techniques to be able to pass on knowledge within tribe members so as not to lose skills the tribe may have been reliant on.
Tribe-members go about their day-to-day lives without the guiding hand of the Spirit. In order to represent the dynamic relationship between Tribe and Creator developers have designed an influence system, where the player expends Spirit Points in order to compel a tribe-member to complete a certain task and break their routine. These are generated through your tribe worshipping your Creator Spirit, this gives players reason to expand their tribe so that they can affect the game world more often and with greater impact.
Last updated on August 14, 2015
Lithic Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows
Developer: Flintlock Games
Age restrictions: 12+
