EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/RtQk4fk.jpg)
Text by shindigs. Art by fusefuse. Edits by itsjustatank. Told me to do it by Heyoka.
Upon completing the Heart of the Swarm campaign, a lot of us were left disappointed with the narrative. Gameplay-wise, Heart of the Swarm brought novel, fun, and innovative mechanics to the conventional RTS campaign. In many ways, the campaign was a detailed improvement in many areas from Wings of Liberty. However, the mundane dialog and cliche ridden story has been the main point of critique for both reviewers and fans alike.
While Brood War did not break literary boundaries, its narrative and dialog were, for many, a compelling piece of work in comparison to StarCraft II. How did it come to this? The original StarCraft was a story with an epic scope. It dealt with the conflicts and competing interests of three unique factions, and was littered with layers of betrayal and political intrigue. Today, StarCraft II is merely a distilled love story with vengeance sloppily blended into the mix. How could Blizzard possibly recover the narrative from its current convoluted state?
After sending a very disappointed, angry, and ALL CAPS email directly to Chris Metzen, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an invite back to Blizzard HQ to preview Legacy of the Void. From our experiences, our preview team can safely say that Blizzard has once again become the storytelling genius of the past, the genius that our generation deserves. Legacy of the Void ends in the best way possible:
TIME TRAVEL!
The development team has intentionally laid out the story of both Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm to end in a glorious time travelling, wacky adventure themed, nostalgia trip finale in order to undo everything that has happened in WoL and HotS. Legacy of the Void is Raynor and Zeratul’s Excellent Adventure, emphasis on the excellent.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/JCpdQ8h.jpg)
Artist interpretation by fusefuse
While we weren’t given permission to publicly reveal the specifics of art and gameplay, we’ve made some artistic interpretations from the experiences we had.
“We have to go back Raynor... back... to the BEFORE TIME!”
As the player progresses through the campaign, the overall situation for our heroes begins to change significantly for the worse. With half the sector in ruin, and the cliched plot mechanics running dry, there’s only one thing left to do: go back in time.
In order to bend the fabric of time and space itself, Zeratul must commit the ultimate taboo: gathering MULTIPLE Mothership Cores together in order to be able to stack the Time Warp ability. After using the Time Warp ability to LITERALLY WARP THROUGH TIME, Raynor and Zeratul find themselves in a land that feels somewhat... familiar.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/4Ps5f1a.jpg)
For the first time in gaming history, newer hardware is less compatible than older hardware. Artist interpretation by fusefuse
In accordance with the cries and complaints from Brood War elitists, players follow Raynor and Zeratul through time and end up during the time period of Kerrigan’s initial surge to power. Not only have our noble heroes landed in a different time, but they’ve entered a different game engine as well. The next few levels are completed in the Brood War engine as the player relives the glory days of the late 20th century.
But that’s not all, Blizzard stays so true to their lore and vision that players who have newer computers that are incompatible with the aging 1998 StarCraft game engine will experience numerous crashes. This forces players to either:
a) Download Chaos Launcher and run StarCraft in windowed mode
b) Reinstall Windows 95
Staying true to their roots, Blizzard provides the most authentic Brood War experience as they highlight the wacky adventures of Zeratul and Raynor through time.
"Zeratul...if we do this...Sarah would have never been born!"
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yeVvnu8.jpg)
Time travel can have its historical consequences. Artist interpretation by fusefuse
After previewing a level from the Brood War time leap, we were given another level taken from historical context. During their journey, Zeratul reads of other ancient civilizations who had to face a great ancient evil. These civilizations had to put aside their differences, and unite for a common cause for the sake of their nations. In order to learn how these ancient beings overcame their trials, Zeratul and Raynor pay visit to another familiar landscape.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EG15nIj.jpg)
Artist interpretation by fusefuse
Multiplayer
In accordance with keeping the lore parallel to that which is possible in multiplayer, StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void features the same time travel mechanics in competitive play. While the development team kept reminding us that these gameplay elements were still the alpha stage, the features were promising.
Mothership Core Time Warp gains ability to rip a hole through time and space
The Time Warp ability receives a functional update in Legacy of the Void in order to keep the game new and refreshing. Instead of simply slowing units down within a sphere, the time warp ability rips a hole through the fabric of time and space where a number of imaginable, and unimaginable, possibilities occur that could sway the course of the battle.
Some of our experiences with the time warp ability were as follows:
a) The game jumps forward 15 minutes and reverts to normal speed. Both players have late-game technology.
b) Due to the rift in the time-space continuum, players are swapped and take control of other players in a completely different game instances.
c) The game reverts to previous patches. For instance, roaches suddenly cost 1 supply, Fungal Growth is once again instant cast, and additionally something something Bunker build time.
d) A wormhole is formed, where units such as the Reaver, Scout, Lurker, and Vulture emerge to join the player in combat.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DacmoUz.jpg)
The fanboy prayers are answered!
Blizzard time is reverted to Real Time
In accordance to their Time Travel theme, Blizzard finally changes the in game timer to reflect real time.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Ww9SIcB.jpg)
Unfortunately, everyone has to relearn their timings.
Conclusion
After finishing our preview of the game at Blizzard HQ, we find ourselves in complete awe at how wonderfully and beautifully orchestrated the entire plot has been tailored in order to usher in one of the most compelling uses of time travel to complete the StarCraft 2 trilogy. Be sure to check out Legacy of the Void when its released sometime...in the future.
