Starward Industries on Dante’s Ring – Interview Series

If you happened to miss out on the Golden Joystick Awards a few weeks back, then boy, have we got some exciting news for you. As it turns out, The Invincible developer Starward Industries is working on a new game—an “action-adventure RPG with disaster combat” called Dante’s Ring, which is currently slated to launch via Early Access on PC at some stage in 2025.

Of course, there’s still a tremendous amount that we don’t actually know about Dante’s Ring. Having said that, in a bid to make sense of it all, I did recently have a chat with Starward CMO, Marciej Dobrowolski, who was kind enough to fill me in on a lot of the finer details.

Nature can, in spite of all its beauty, be a cruel mistress if not treated with utmost respect, and it seems that you’ve captured the importance of that incredibly well in the molten core of Dante’s Ring’s volcanic boroughs. Tell us, what inspired you to base a concept on the powerful forces of nature?

Maciej: The idea to immerse the player in the power of nature—confronting its beauty and its cruelty—was born in the mind of our game director, Wojciech Ostrycharz after watching the documentary Fire of Love. The film tells the story of a French volcanologist couple who dedicated their lives to studying active volcanoes worldwide. It featured breathtaking, goosebump-inducing footage captured near volcanic craters. Inspired, our team began exploring the subject further and realized we didn’t have to look far for material. The volcanic activity in Iceland provided us with a wealth of information. We saw that this theme has immense potential to create an outstanding, original setting and offers a space for implementing hypnotic and emotional gameplay.

We delved into scientific books, mystical tales, documentaries by Werner Herzog, our own travel experiences, and even classic disaster films from the '80s and '90s. It’s fair to say we took a similar approach to our debut game The Invincible, where we thoroughly explored the theme of space exploration. I’d like to emphasize that what fascinated us most about volcanoes was their “otherworldliness.” They’re part of Earth’s landscape, yet their peaks feel alien—like something out of another world.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the game’s plot. Who will we be filling the boots of in this ashen world, and what will we be aiming to accomplish?

Maciej: The protagonist is a member of a research team—fascinated by nature, and somewhat detached from people—who has arrived on an island separated from the mainland to study an extinct volcanic range. However, they must face a sudden natural disaster, numerous anomalies, and work to save as many lives as possible. As the story unfolds, we learn more about his character traits and personality.

Tell us a bit more about this “anti-combat” route that you’ve opted to follow. Presumably, there won’t be any “traditional” combat scenarios or techniques to learn here?

Maciej: For us, the term “anti-combat” was a kind of key to discussing the mechanics of battling the elements, which is central to our core gameplay. The game will feature mechanics typical of shooters, but their goal is to save lives. The player’s arsenal will include for example a suppression pistol, an extinguishing shotgun, and a fire bomb launcher.

You’ve briefly mentioned things like “retro inventions”—a piece of the puzzle that we are eager to learn more about. Would you mind telling us a bit about these contraptions and how they work?

Maciej: We don’t want to reveal too much at this stage, but we can certainly say that a significant part of our vision combines a volcanic, somewhat mystical adventure, the horror of a natural disaster, and retrofuturism. The latter is closely tied to the retro gadgets available to the player. A great example would be the fanciful sleds featured in the materials we’ve already shared. What’s very important is that in the game’s development, we draw inspiration from the bold and groundbreaking inventions of volcanologists throughout the centuries. These pioneers, during their expeditions, created ingenious fireproof shields, armors, and boats designed to navigate rivers of acid. Retrofuturistic items and vehicles contribute to the game’s uniqueness, enhance the aesthetic value of the experience, and shape the overall gameplay.

And then there are these “complex moral choices” that you’ve also touched base on. Care to tell us more about these heavy-handed ultimatums and how each one will directly impact the outcome of the story?

Maciej: In our game, we explore the fantasy of being a rescuer, thrown into the brutality of a disaster with all its facets. Without giving too much away—you’ll face decisions made in the heat of the moment, in the dynamic battle against the elements, risking your life while striving to coexist with survivors amidst mounting challenges. This will have a significant impact on the gameplay. You’ll also discover an “otherworld” closely tied to volcanoes—a mythical, beyond-human, and beyond-scientific realm—as you count the days until rescue. Will it arrive on time…? Oh no! I think I got carried away there.

We would love to grab a few tips from you while we wait for that all-important launch date. Would you mind sharing some valuable words of wisdom with us?

Maciej: At the moment, we are planning for early access in 2025 and do not foresee any natural disaster obstacles on our path.

🔥 Wishlist DANTE'S RING on Steam: https://t.co/BR0cuHGAbD

When everyone else flees from the wrath of the volcano and the world disappears in ashes, you head straight into the heart of hell. Someone there is waiting for your help. pic.twitter.com/LFh55JNGvd

— Starward Industries (@StarwardInd) November 21, 2024

How can we stay up to date with Dante’s Ring? Are we able to share any crucial details, roadmaps, or social links with our readers?

Maciej: We plan to share more details on Dante’s Ring in the near future on our Steam page and Discord server, where we invite everyone to co-create the game with us during its Early Access stage. We are fully committed to listening to the community and making changes according to players suggestions, as we want the game to be the best possible gameplay experience for everyone involved. Players can also follow the news on Dante’s Ring on our social media: Facebook, X, Bluesky, Threads or Instagram. We fervently invite everyone to walk into a fiery action with us.

Would you like to add any final comments to this thread before we wrap things up over here?

Maciej: Until the Early Access release in 2025, we plan to reveal more about the game piece by piece. Rest assured, there’s still plenty ahead. We also want to tell players that their voices are very important to us, and we encourage everyone to engage with us on our social media channels.

We hope that this intense, dynamic fight and  adventure we are cooking for you —the one where you descend into the very depths of hell to save just one more life—will be an unforgettable experience. We’re counting on it evoking nostalgia for classic disaster films as players face moments like standing against a pyroclastic flow that obliterates everything in its path.

Thank you so much for your time, Maciej — you’ve been a tremendous help!

You can find more information on Starward Industries’ Dante’s Ring on X. You can also add the game to your wishlist on Steam for additional updates and pre-launch coverage here.