Ark 22 is a freeware computer game developed in 2003-2006 by David Smithson with Mark Overmars's Game Maker development tool. The game's original soundtrack was written by Max Peake. Based heavily on the Zelda games for various Nintendo console systems, the gameplay in Ark 22 consists mainly of adventure, RPG exploration and puzzle elements. The game took almost three years to develop from start to finish, having been started in May 2003 and finished in April 2006. Ark 22 is notable mainly for its size and complexity as a Game Maker game, something which is reflected by its above-average development time.

Main Characters

Kesha: Though players are allowed to define their own player name, the default name for the player character is Kesha. A maintenance technician aboard the "Ark" R90-A22 exploration ship, Kesha is the key character in the Ark 22 story, since it is around him and his struggle with the mysterious "Intent" that the game revolves.

Governor Aian: Aian is the self-appointed leader of the north-east village, where isolation behind plains covered in dense fog have lead to a paranoid sense of safety among those members of the crew stranded there. The lighthouse at the east side of the village has been switched off and is kept under guard on Aian's orders, who maintains this situation by telling the townspeople that it doesn't work, and is structurally hazardous and therefore beyond repair.

Architect: The architect responsible for the construction of the north-east lighthouse is powerless to stop Governor Aian's guards from preventing access to the building. He is convinced the lighthouse is fully operational, if only it could be switched on. He has resigned himself to Aian's orders, but is given a new opportunity when Kesha arrives at the village.

Commander Daska: Daska, who was once Defence Engineer aboard the R90, is now in command of the north-west village, his experience and renowned battlefield skill and technical ability having earned considerable respect from most of the crew. He is the only character willing to listen to Kesha's explanation of their situation at first, and soon agrees that the crew must be united and evacuated to avoid being wiped out. Daska is often regarded by players as the first figure who generates a feeling of equality and safety, as opposed to someone who needs to be saved or otherwise helped.

Intent: The Intent is a fully adaptive form of physical consciousness which, until the crash, was imprisoned beneath the surface of the planet, to be released by the impact of the R90 on the mountains in which it crashes. The Intent is sometimes compared with the Borg from Star Trek; despite having no definite physical shape or substance it, too, performs mainly by assimilating or 'reading' objects and living things in the world around it. The positive aspects of what it finds are used as a base on which it constructs itself into new 'forms', based purely on what is most likely to allow it to survive. In this case, it is whatever best enables it to destroy what it perceives as a primary threat, i.e. the crew of the R90.

Many of its earlier forms (which conveniently provide an excuse to have weak enemies at the beginning of the game and stronger ones later on) can be seen as little more than 'tests' through which the Intent again perfects its own ability to survive. It is for these reasons that many players assume Intent to be a parallel to some Vitalist force or evolution, an idea which is supported by the title of the game's final chapter in which players face the final boss: 'Life'.

Piraeus: Piraeus initially appears to be a tall, masked figure with a sword and clothed all in black, who half warns, half threatens Kesha regarding an imminent horror he is 'fated' to unleash upon the planet. Piraeus seems to arrive and leave without any sort of indication, and to know a lot more about the Intent than anyone else, though he is only ever spoken to or seen by Kesha alone. Bit by bit, Kesha gains more information about the Intent, its structure, and where it is to strike next through brief conversations with Piraeus, though always under the unspoken warning that should they run out of time, he will have to be killed.

Story

Context

The main plot in Ark 22 is often referred to by the game itself as a story, most notably in the Game Over screen message: "Your story ends here". The game is divided into six chapters, plus a prologue which serves as a relatively peaceful introduction to the controls, and a 'final', whose only content is the battle with the final boss.

The context in which the story takes place is revealed to the player as the game progresses, and centres around a futuristic planet state known as Samosa, which has sent a fleet of exploration ships out to the edges of its system to discover and claim new grounds. (See Colonialism). These ships are known as "Arks", and the vessel on which the game begins is the twenty-second such ship in the fleet, hence the name of the game: Ark 22.

Events

Awakened by an extremely vivid dream, Kesha, a maintenance technician, decides he must warn the Controller (essentially the ship's captain) of whatever imminent danger he sensed. He eventually gains access to the Scanning Room and reveals a small planet not far from the ship's current position, when the ship is hit by an unknown projectile and forced to crash-land on the only safe area within range: the planet. It is here that the rest of the game takes place.


Players soon discover the situation of the stranded and separated crew, and leave the relative safety of the game's first village to explore the overworld. The situation develops through several confrontations between the main character and a masked figure carrying a sword, identified only as Piraeus, as well as battles with the Intent, a powerful corporeal consciousness which permeates the planet.

Eventually, though the stranded crew members are able to establish planet-wide radio coverage between all the villages, the signal reaches only a short distance out into space, making hopes of any sort of rescue slim. Later, as players prepare to face the final boss, the village radio station does receive a signal, not from Samosa, but from a Samosian battleship near enough to receive it.

Ending

The eventual outcome of the final battle, even after the player's victory, depends on certain factors accumulated during gameplay. Despite the apparent destruction of the Intent, it is to be noted that it is never directly stated. The final cinematic event in the game's narration states that there are no more "mobile" sources of Intent, suggesting that the crew are free to safely evacuate at their leisure with the Intent locked underground in a heavily weakened state. This can be interpreted as accidental lack of clarification on the developer's part, or as an 'open' ending for a possible sequel.

See also

The Legend of Zelda Series

Game Maker

Game Maker Language

Indie Gaming

External links

Game Maker

Game Maker Community: Ark 22 topic