Behind the scenes of Primordials of Amyrion

Inspired in part by tug-of-war gameplay in StarCraft 2 mods, Primordials of Amyrion gives you the role of one of the four great Primordials — creatures of legend, each aligned with one elemental power. You are also granted a capable army and three champions.

Through macro level gameplay, you coordinate upgrades and deployment of reinforcements, as well as the precise timing of your various abilities. Played in short 1-vs-1 battles, Primordials of Amyrion is engaging, easy to learn, and, best of all, intensely exciting. So, how did it all come about?

CEO and founder of GD Entertainment, Domagoj-Ante Sulić set out with a small group of developers who share a passion for video games. Having already launched GROM — Get Rid of Minions and GeoLogic to the Apple App Store, Sulić and his team are diving into PC gaming with Primordials of Amyrion, available now as an Early Access game on Steam and the Epic Games store.

Sulić gave us an exclusive behind the scenes look into how Primordials of Amyrion was developed and why it holds a broad appeal for any strategy gamer.

Tell us about GD Entertainment, and what inspired you to develop Primordials of Amyrion.

GD ENTERTAINMENT is a Croatian game development company founded in 2018. We gathered a group of dedicated game developers and set a simple goal: to create new fun and original titles.

Our team was quite colorful with different gaming preferences, but we all knew that we wanted to make something fresh and easy to learn. We were big fans of tug-of-war games like the Starcraft mods Nexus Wars and Desert Strike.

We all liked the dynamic playability of an RTS-based game, and by luck, we were invited to a meeting with WIREGAMES. They saw the potential of RTS gameplay mixed with some MOBA elements, and that's how Primordials of Amyrion was born.

With Primordials of Amyrion just having launched as an Early Access game on Steam and the Epic Games store, how would you describe the game?

Primordials of Amyrion is a tug-of-war strategy game in which players command their army and three champions as one of the Primordials fighting for omnipotence. With macro management, players can choose which units to send into battle and build various buildings to upgrade their Champions and army. As one of the Primordials, the players have only one goal, defeat the enemy Primordial through military victory by destroying it or through Influence Victory by spreading their influence across the map.

Primordials of Amyrion is not like your traditional MOBA, nor is it like a traditional RTS game. How does it differ from them in its own unique way and what elements does it pull from each of those genres?

Spot on! Primordials of Amyrion is definitely not a MOBA or a classical RTS. You could say that the MOBA elements are several activated Champion abilities and three lanes. That would be the only MOBA-like aspect of the game. As far as RTS elements go, players may erect buildings to upgrade their troops and Champions. The main difference is in the macro aspect of the game. Players do not have direct control over troops and Champions, as they don't command them to destroy this building or kill that enemy. The battle is automated; however, players have full control of activated Champion and Primordial abilities. With the right timing, these abilities can be game-changing.

You mention macro over micro when it comes to Primordials’ gameplay.  How does that affect the player experience?

There are differences of opinion, of course, but the majority of beta testers liked that aspect of the game. Some players said they felt that it was like playing Black and White again, and in a sense, they were right. During the game, players need to manage three lanes, defend their towers, and adapt to their opponent's tactics. It is a simple matter of choosing new units to spawn or command your Champion to move to a different lane with macro management. One thing is certain, the whole match is intense, and players are always engaged in the usage of tactics, Champion abilities, and upgrades.

What are some of the key tips you and the team found most useful for a winning strategy in Primordials?

That is not such an easy question, to be honest. The great thing about the Primordials of Amyrion is the number of different strategies to win the game. It all depends on one's picks during the draft stage in which players pick their Primordial, Realm (army), and three Champions. 

Here's a good example; if a player likes to play aggressively, they will pick the Primordial Nardass and use its ability to clear enemy waves and push the lane. Defensive players will probably go for the Primordial Elborg and freeze all enemy units, making them easy targets for basically anything - archers, infantry, mounted units, you name it.  And we only covered Primordials so far; there are three champions to pick as well, each with one active and two passive abilities. Also, in Primordials of Amyrion, players choose different Realms. Aggressive players will probably go for the Woodlands of Trakay for their Dire Wolves and huge Strongbarks.

In contrast, the defensive type will go for the Kingdom of Ibrion with its strong Paladins and resilient Dwarven units. If we had one essential tip, it would be this: Never underestimate the importance of upgrades! Every unit in the game has a creature type, and all upgrades are connected to some of those types. Choose your playstyle, combine your units, and upgrade as much as possible.

Primordials of Amyrion is an exciting new twist on RTS and MOBA games that manages to be easy to learn, extremely versatile to different play styles, and intense!  Currently available as an Early Access game on Steam and the Epic Games store with the complete launch scheduled for later this year, if you’re a strategy gamer, you won’t want to miss out on this title.