Kherson-based video game developer Oleksiy Marchenko, who now lives in Australia, is working on a dark 2.5D action game called «Black Raven», set in the fictional 14th-century Zaporizhzhia. The project has already been embroiled in a scandal over its Russian localization.
Kherson-based video game developer Oleksiy Marchenko, who now lives in Australia, is working on a dark 2.5D action game called «Black Raven», set in the fictional 14th-century Zaporizhzhia. The project has already been embroiled in a scandal over its Russian localization.
The project’s Steam page notes that it’s a third-person adventure game inspired by Slavic mythology. The game takes place in a fictional 14th-century Ukraine, where players are thrust into the dark heart of a plague epidemic amidst the vast plains and forests of Eastern Europe.
«This dark story begins when Ivan, a simple peasant, returns home to find his family destroyed by invaders and sinister creatures from folklore. Consumed with a thirst for revenge, he takes on the role of the Black Raven to hunt down those who ruined his life,» the developer describes the project.
According to him, «Black Raven» is «a cultural and historical fusion of Ukraine, Poland, Russia, and Belarus.» The game will offer a dark, emotional story, interesting 2.5D graphics, and a sword-focused combat system.
Ukrainian players received the project in a mixed manner. Many liked the idea and visuals of the game, while others pointed out the Russian motifs and complete localization in the project.
«If this is a Ukrainian game, why the f*ck did you add the Katsap voice acting?» asked one player on the Steam forum.
Oleksiy Marchenko responded that his game is «deeply rooted in Ukrainian history, culture, and pain,» and the Ukrainian language is «key and will always be at the center of the project.»
«But I also deliberately added Russian and Polish localization to bring the story to a wider audience, including those who also understand what shared suffering is, even if they don’t speak Ukrainian. I categorically do not support the invasion and completely disagree with what the Russian Federation did. But I also do not intend to restrict access to the game based on language. I am not going to gatekeep language through politics. Language is just a tool, not an ideology,» the developer wrote.
He later wrote that his words and intentions were distorted, and he is abandoning the idea of adding Russian, Polish, and Belarusian. Currently, the Black Raven page only lists support for full Ukrainian and English localizations.
Alexey Marchenko also commented on the possibility of selling «Black Raven» in the Russian region.
«I’m not sure, but I’ll probably put a warning at the beginning of the game (for Russian-speaking players) because I’ll be donating some of the proceeds to help Ukrainian soldiers… This will make it illegal for Russians to buy the game, as sponsoring your own enemy will be a state crime/treason. I think it’ll be funny,» the developer noted .
He said that Black Raven originally had a more generally Slavic theme, but at some point Marchenko decided to focus on the Ukrainian aspect. The developer added that he is still considering adding Russian localization in future updates, as this would encourage Russians to buy the game and unwittingly donate to the Defense Forces, to whose support a portion of the sales proceeds will be directed.
Currently, Black Raven has a demo version that you can try on Steam. Oleksiy Marchenko is also preparing a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the game’s development.
