Fallen Earth dev blog explains game's post-apocalyptic religious zealotry

Fallen Earth is a massively multiplayer online game currently in development where, in the wake of nuclear and viral armageddon, humanity's survivors are left to fend for themselves in the wasteland. The scenario painted by Fallen Earth's lore is that the world's established religions have largely burned away or decayed along with most of the human race. What's left are sects whose experiences and hardships in watching the world die are reflected in their belief systems, extreme views that come in various flavors of post-apocalyptic zealotry. As Fallen Earth subscribers, the players will align themselves with certain belief systems when creating their characters, affecting their outlook on the aftermath.

In a WarCry exclusive, Fallen Earth writer Grace Hagood explains the game's religious and pseudo-religious elements, and some of the fanaticism embodied by these groups. She writes, "Let's face it: religion is a touchy subject. A lot of game designers would rather steer clear of including religion in their work. However, a game like Fallen Earth, set in a future based on extrapolations of current society, can't ignore the reality of religious extremism. What we can do, though, is use our particular (and sometimes peculiar) filters to present religious fanaticism in a post-apocalyptic framework."

Hagood gives some background on the types of individuals players may interact with in Fallen Earth, or go out of their way to avoid. She writes, "One of our print ads features a woman hiding from some dark strangers, and the tagline reads 'I'm low on bullets, out of gas, and some freaks are trying to steal my ride to worship as a god'."

That's a great intro to this latest installment of the "Villains We Love to Hate" developer journal, which introduces the Judges. They are survivalists who started out on a Judeo-Christian bent, but over time came to interpret sacred texts in a rather twisted way, empowering them to become 'God's chosen', sent to cleanse sin from the world. From what we've read of Fallen Earth, the Judges will be quite busy enforcing their own brand of order in a chaotic new world. You can read all about the Judges and the various factions, cults, and sects of Fallen Earth in WarCry's third installment of "Villains We Love to Hate" written by Grace Hagood.