Young scientists from SUSU developed a computer game inspired by the literary works of Nikolai Gogol. It is based on the text of the Christmas Eve novel. This type of digital entertainment belongs to the genre of "virtual novels". Players can follow the unfolding events, and can even change how the story ends.
"In this game we follow the actions of the main protagonist Vakula, who is trying to do all he can to win over the unapproachable Oksana's heart," shared Milena Ibragimova, student of the SUSU Department of System Programming and project head. "We tried to mostly stick to the original story, but at the same time to make the gameplay more diverse."
As the game progresses, you can follow the characters, and take active part in the events from time to time: for instance, track down the devil. The dialogues between the characters are displayed as subtitles in the bottom of the screen and if some words (like "parubki" (old Ukrainian for "young lads") or "vataga" - "crowd") sound unfamiliar, you can open a special dictionary right in the game. The developers did their best to make the characters, their clothes, houses and household items straitly historically authentic. Meanwhile, visual imagery is in gothic style and is accompanied by a mysterious melody, fog effects, etc. This game is intended for teenagers from the age of 12 and was tested with the help of friends and acquaintances. Among the things that many people liked was namely the atmosphere.
"The virtual novel is part of the "Virtual Classic" project. Its main goal is to spark interest in works of classic literature in as many teenagers and young people as possible," noted Milena Ibragimova. "Using the example of the Christmas Eve novel we wished to demonstrate that reading is not boring or tiresome. If we see that people are interested in this project, we will continue to develop computer games based other works of classic literature."
In the end of the story, as you know, Vakula comes to the palace of Catherine the Great to ask for the slippers off her feet. The SUSU students decided to use this episode in the visual novel to the best effect their own way. Several variants of the main character's statement are offered. Depending on what the player chooses, Vakula can either get ahold of the slippers or not.
The team of young scientists consists of four members: a script writer, an artist, and two programmers. They had become winners in a student startup, created their own company, and are now releasing the game.
On September 1st, the virtual novel was uploaded in VK Play. All those willing can immerse themselves in the atmosphere of a Christmas Eve village and help Vakula capture the devil, fly to Saint Petersburg and have a talk with the empress.