Seeker of Light

Seeker of Light
Genres	Action-adventure, Adventure, Role-playing
Developers	Mitsetale
Publishers	Mitsetale
Creators	Azun Fejian Zadi Philum
First release	Seeker of Light June 21, 1988
Latest release	Seeker of Light: Horizon January 11, 2017

Seeker of Light (Lithian: Riellei Delanum), abbreviated as SoL or RD, is a high-fantasy action-adventure video game series created by the Lugid game designers Azun Fejian and Zadi Philum, primarily developed and produced by Mitsetale. The series' gameplay incorporates the elements of action, adventure, puzzle-solving, and in the later games, a true open world, as seen in the two latest games Genesis and Horizon.

The series centers on Dinel, as the chief protagonist and the playable character, who appears in different incarnations in different games. In most games of the series, Dinel's main task is to save the world of Ire from the evil Nardu, the primary antagonist of the series; other settings and antagonists have appeared in some titles. Often incorporated in the plot are a set number of divine relics individually known as a Philair. Since the original was released on 1988, the series expanded to include 7 main titles, mostly on the (TBD Console), along with a number of spin-offs. It is Mitsetale's most prominent franchise, and is one of the best-selling video game franchises on Sahar, selling at an estimated total of 100 million copies across all platforms as of 2017.

Overview

Timeline of release years

1988	Seeker of Light
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993	Amidst
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998	Prophecy
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003	Starfarer
2004
2005
2006
2007	Shineset
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013	Genesis
2014
2015
2016
2017	Horizon

Gameplay

Seeker of Light titles feature a mix of puzzles, adventure, action, and exploration. These elements remain mostly constant throughout the series' history, although Shineset introduced a non-linear open world unlike the previous games. However, the open-world element remains to be not extensive until the release of Genesis in 2011. The principal feature of the series is the rewarding system, where the player is rewarded with particular items or abilities needed to either progress through the quest line or increase the player's abilities upon the completion of certain objectives, particularly upon defeating a group of enemies, a dungeon room, or a boss. The series emphasizes the hack and slash-style combat as opposed to the strategic, turn-based combat of some other games, particularly on the time of the original Seeker of Light's release.

All Seeker of Light games incorporate at least three different principal areas: the open overworld, the areas of interaction with other characters (mostly in the form of rooms and towns), and the dungeons, which often ends with either a boss battle or a puzzle. Most dungeons in Seeker of Light are underground, but later titles, particularly since Shineset, show increased diversity in location of the dungeons, as it started to drift away from the traditional underground setting of dungeons.

The games often pioneer features to eventually become industry standards. The original Seeker of Light is the first to have a save function, enabling players to stop playing and resume later.

Setting

Seeker of Light takes place predominantly in the ancient world of Ire with its kingdom known as the Irean Kingdom. In most games, the antagonist corrupted the world of Ire and enslaved sentient beings to serve it, as in Genesis and Prophecy, partially resembling a dystopia. Much of the architectural style resembles that of Ancient Halaria, although there are small hints to Lugid and Qonklese architecture.

Inspiration

The series is initially inspired by Azun Fejian's love in mythology and fantasy, as well as his childhood experience when he visited Mount Lenthir, where he explored numerous caves, villages, and cultures. Initially, Azun wanted to create a Seeker of Light novel from his experience, but the Lugid economic boom in the 1970s followed by the successful release of Otí the Tiger in 1985 opted Azun to eventually enter the gaming industry and create the first game. He sees gaming as "a revolutionizing form of entertainment, a large and untouched arable land in the middle of the forests."

Much of the later inspirations come during the development times of Seeker of Light, when Azun explores mythologies and cultures from all over the world. One of the primary origins of his inspiration is the Ancient Halarian civilization, whose Azun sees as "rich in mythology and feels advanced, yet ancient."

Characters

Dinel

Dinel is the name of the chief protagonist of the Seeker of Light series, who characteristically wear a blue tunic. In most titles, Dinel bears various hidden powers gifted by Elene to help Dinel defeat the corrupted forces of Ire. Later throughout the adventure, Dinel learns about his hidden powers and the way of using it against enemy forces and ultimately against the chief antagonist, with the initial help of a person such as Princess Merethe. In almost all titles, the player can give Dinel a name at the beginning of the adventure, and non-player characters in that game will then refer Dinel with that given name, or in certain times with his titles, such as the "Child of Elene". To the player's perspective, Dinel is a silent protagonist, as he does not speak, other than producing grunts, yells, or similar sounds. This is under the purpose of letting the audience to have a liberty on their own thoughts on the way Dinel speaks and answers.

Nardu

Nardu is one of the two gods who created the world of Ire, the other being Elene. It is the main antagonist of most Seeker of Light titles. Nardu objected the creation of mankind by Elene, and from that point Nardu's evil grows. However, as with Elene, it doesn't want a direct confrontation with each other as such would cause devastation to Ire. As a result, Elene and Nardu waged a proxy war between each other, with Ire as the main stage—as Elene flourished the mankind ans Nardu corrupted the Ire in protest of mankind's existence. While Nardu is initially formless, Nardu appears as a corrupted angel in the original Seeker of Light. However, Nardu does not directly reveal itself in Ire. Nardu often either possess someone, such as King Sakhon, to later be given with the powers of Nardu and become its "puppet".