Lost Lore

Curated by Julia H'Doubler June 2, 2024

Lost Lore is a showcase of independently created games featuring lesser known mythologies from around the world. There is an abundance of popular media inspired by ancient Greek and Roman mythology, yet only a handful featuring myths from other world cultures, even less in game form. The intention behind this show was to bring these ancient myths into a modern context through the medium of games as well as feature cultures that are not as often celebrated in this artform. Players from the featured cultures could celebrate their heritage through these games, and those more unfamiliar with them could come out of the show knowing a bit more about these fascinating stories.

Out of Sight

Apiven Studios Out of Sight is an urban fantasy story-driven 2D adventure game inspired by Slavic mythology. Play as archaeology student Nela as she uncovers the truth behind the strange occurrences in a decaying mining town. yDespite being a slower-paced game based on finding clues and solving puzzles, this game kept players’ interest with its illustrative artstyle and interesting story.

Dreamtime Combat

Skinner Space Dreamtime Combat is an action platformer based on Australian aboriginal mythology. Play as a hostile eaglehawk and end the Dreamtime era by destroying totems and killing the gods. This was the perfect game to be projected onto the stage– the intricate pixel animations and exciting boss battles made it the perfect game for onlookers to engage in despite being a singleplayer game. Players fought against the culture hero Baiame and the almighty rain god Rainbow Serpent, unique figures from an often overlooked mythology.

Rama’s Quest

Road Trip Games Rama’s Quest is a time survival roguelite game rooted in Hindu mythology. Play as the prince Rama as he invokes divine powers from the pantheon gods to fight against endless waves of Rakshasha demons. Rama’s Quest and Asgard’s Fall, another game featured in the show, had similar gameplay to Vampire Survivors, with endless waves of enemies and power-ups to try to fend them off for as long as possible. The easy-to-learn nature of the game combined with its endless replayability made for the perfect mechanism to subtly teach players about Hindu mythology while still providing a fun experience.

Asgard’s Fall

Soul Potion Games Asgard’s Fall is an arena shooter roguelite inspired by Norse mythology. Players fight through hordes of creatures as they build a massive skill tree step by step. Similar to Rama’s Quest, Asgard’s Fall is heavily inspired by Vampire Survivors with its own thematic twist. However, this game has a much more in-depth skill tree to flesh out and features several different regions and levels to play in, allowing players to progress through the different regions of Norse mythology, eventually reaching Asgard and defeating the gods themselves.

Inuit Uppirijatuqangit

Talia Metuq & Pinnguaq Inuit Uppirijatuqangit is a hidden object game in which players explore four unique areas in and around an Inuit community and learn about Inuit stories and superstitions as they explore. Players collect myths in the ‘inventory,’ allowing them to go back and read through which they have already found and see which are still undiscovered. Perhaps the most obscure mythology featured in the show, players greatly enjoyed searching through whimsical landscapes for the often comical stories distinct to the Inuit people.