Saltsea Chronicles (2023) imagines a future after a climate crisis where communities thrive by staying connected to nature and each another. Set across vibrant islands, the game embraces Solarpunk ideals, showcasing sustainable living – wind turbines hum alongside lush gardens and solar panels power eco-friendly technology. This world isn’t dystopian; it’s rebuilt around connection, resilience and hope. The game’s bright colour palette and picture-book style, inspired by Risograph print techniques, reflect an optimistic future where humanity lives in harmony with nature.
Instead of a single hero, the game focuses on teamwork. Players choose a diverse team of characters working together to find their ship’s missing captain. This narrative design highlights cooperation in tackling ecological challenges. Through a unique game mechanic called ‘Issues,’ players manage relationships, emphasising the importance of collaboration in overcoming crises.
This uplifting storytelling offers a world where hope lights the way forward, showing how we might respond to – and prevent – disasters now and in the future.
Curator notes
Island imaginings
“Orkney is an archipelago of 70 islands off the North coast of Scotland. It’s low-lying, very green, windswept, and my home. Some islands have a few hundred people, one a few thousand, and others just one resident. We live on farming, inshore fishing and tourism. Coming from the islands makes me long for more stories about island life written from our perspective. Working on Saltsea Chronicles, I was eager to write islands that felt like a home to me: places that were full and real, lived in.” – Saltsea Chronicles writer Harry Josie Giles
An inclusive ensemble
“One of the things we wanted to preserve in the story was the complicated, messy humanness of being a part of a community.” – Saltsea Chronicles creative director Hannah Nicklin
By highlighting how problems can be solved collectively, rather than individually, Saltsea Chronicles offers a hopeful view of the future and humanity.
Saltsea Chronicles features a diverse cast, showcasing a world where all ages and genders are valued. Among the characters are a non-binary teen, an older person, and a same-sex couple with a newborn, highlighting the variety of people needed to rebuild. The storytelling is inspired by episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where different characters team up for adventures. The game also had a writers’ room like many TV shows, bringing together poets, young adult authors, screenwriters and theatre creators who crafted over 350,000 words for the game. Collaboration – in the game and during its development – is key to imagining positive futures.
Related works
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Collection
Not in ACMI's collection
On display until
27 April 2025
ACMI: Gallery 4
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
197176
Curatorial section
The Future & Other Fictions → Story → S1: Concept Development Narrative → Environmental Design: Saltsea Chronicles