The Fire Nobody Started

This is a train to 21C, via 19C. Passengers will require a valid click to use this service. Passengers are advised that this train consists of 9 cars, divided by each era. Please mind the fire. This train is ready to depart, please stand clear of the fire.

1. About the game

• This is a story about the modern history from the Industrial Revolution to the Reagan era as a train, with each era depicted as a train carriage (for a total of 9).
• As players navigate each carriage, from the 1800s to the 1980s, they are prompted to communicate with representative figures from each era.
• Within this flow, our game portrays how rationalism and humanism declined through modern history, and discusses what kind of life we should lead beyond their downfall.
• Each carriage is meticulously designed to authentically present the ones from each era it represents, with artworks styled after the artistic movements of that period. 

2. System

• The game allows you to talk to NPCs by clicking on them. You can also use items on NPCs to elicit special dialogue.

3. Why we started making this.

• At the end of January, we were at a cupcake shop, enjoying some cupcakes.
• We were discussing a game idea I've been thinking about lately.
• "I don't have anything specific yet, but I'd like something to happen on a train. I want it to be conversation-driven, with deep content. I'm debating whether to set it in a fictional world or reflect reality."
• Then my friend (another member of Team Spitfire) said,
• "How about exploring modern history? You could depict history from the Industrial Revolution up to just before the modern era, all through the lens of a train."
• I thought, 'Wow, that sounds amazing.'
• The concept we could tackle was very clear: the expansion and downfall of the Western world starting from the Industrial Revolution, exposing the hypocrisies along the way. With a clear direction, the planning was swift. We completed the entire storyline in just two hours.
• Although the planning took only two hours, the underlying elements were not something conceived in a short time.
• During the rampant spread of COVID-19 and the Ukraine-Russia war, a time when the hypocrisies of the Western world became starkly apparent, we were grappling intensely with one question: "Was this world the best possible outcome?"
• Was this system the best choice humanity could have made? Was this world we're living in the best humanity could achieve?
• But the answer was clear. The world we live in is a result, and this means it was shaped by what seemed like the best available choices.
• So why hasn't the total amount of suffering in the world decreased? Why has war evolved into something unseen rather than disappearing?
• Where did this flame that humanity carries originate, and who lit it first? At the very least, those who suffer are not the ones who lit the fire. Isn't that incredibly absurd?
• So, how should we live within this absurdity?
• We can't offer a universal answer to this. Instead, we can spread this question to others and invite them to ponder it with us. And as a means to do so, we chose to create a game.

<This game is a finalist for the Art, Narrative, and Rising Star categories at the BIC Festival.>

*This game is currently only available in English and Korean. You can change the language in Options.*

*The game is currently in development, and in the demo version, you can experience about one-third of the full content.*

 Our Twitter: @Team_SpitFireKR, @486958Arrokoth