In Majestic Nights, Epiphany Games wants to take you back to an alternate 80’s where every conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard is true… and you know it.
We all know one of them. The people who sit in their room in the dead of night, their walls littered with maps and newspaper clippings, floorboards hiding caches of weapons and survival goods, and their computer’s internet browser turned to some arcane usergroup where members discuss Bigfoot while sharing tips on creating stylish yet functional tinfoil hats.
Conspiracy theorists get mocked a lot in modern culture. After all, they’re just loonies, right?
But what if they aren’t?
That’s the theme of Epiphany Games’ new isometric RPG Majestic Nights. The Australian indie studio wants to take you back in time. It’s the 80’s, and you take on the dual roles of a former black operative and a private investigator on the search for the truth. The catch? In this universe, every conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard are all true.
“We wanted to create a game that was simple to play and just let people dive into the story,” said Sam Jensen, lead designer. “The story and the world are the forefront of this game – they’re the star of the show and we want everything the game does to support that.”
With such a unique premise, there is a lot of potential in Majestic Nights. How often do you see an RPG set in the 80’s? Or a game built around conspiracy theories? Not often.
Morgan Lean, CEO of Ephiphany, had this to say about the game:
“Essentially this setting came about because I was researching secret government
projects and found there was a large amount kept secret and the reasons were not clear. I don’t want to say I’m a conspiracy theorist but during this development, I have become a conspiracy theorist.”
What kind of conspiracies will your characters look into over the course of the game? The trailer makes allusions to the moon landing, and you can be sure that if they’re willing to tackle that kettle of fish, they’ve likely got a whole lot more for us to discover as we explore the game’s episodic world.
Majestic Nights Episode 1 will be released for PC, iOS, and Android some time late this year. Future episodes are planned, and a prequel episode — Episode 0 — is expected to release for free, giving players backstory behind the events of the game.
In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled and your bug out bag handy: you never know when you might need them.