Shared universes are perhaps the hottest trend right now. Each film studio, in pursuit of a long dollar, strives to push all its heroes together at the same time. As a rule, such experiments end in success - and a very decent box office. However, long before cinema, theories of the interpenetration of worlds were promoted in the field of gaming - if not by the developers themselves, then at least by fans of conspiracy theories. Gmbox presents you with the 7 most logical hypotheses that may well turn out to be true.
7. Bethesda Universe
Almost all Bethesda games supposedly take place in the same universe. William Blaskowitz from Wolfenstein is a distant ancestor of the nameless Marine from Doom, and the Nirnroot plant grows in both The Elder Scrolls and Fallout 4 (only there it is called NRT). Moreover, in the leaked documents on the space Starfield there is something like an order: to unite all three (!!!) worlds.
Moreover, regarding the timeline, there is an interesting theory: TES is the future of Fallout, and not the other way around. Over time, the radioactive wasteland gave way to such anomalies as magic, intelligent cats and equally intelligent lizards. The only problem is that Bethesda will be tortured to explain the presence of Daedric deities in the distant future of Earth.
6. Soulsborne Theory
This theory is most likely 100% true. Why? Proof of this can be a specific quest from The Ringed City - DLC for Dark Souls 3. A certain NPC asks to get him a Dark Soul, with which he could draw new world for people. You only manage to get Blood Dark Souls, and the painter has to operate with what he has. Well, in Yharnam everything is based on blood, and not on souls.
Additionally, the first Dark Souls has a strange NPC, Chester, whose equipment is more reminiscent of early steampunk than classic medieval dark fantasy. He says the following phrase: “Let me guess... You were grabbed too shadow hand and dragged me into the distant past?” In our opinion, everything fits, don’t go to a fortune teller.
5. Hitman, Kane & Lynch - a united world of cold-blooded killers
By temperament, Agent 47 and the “sweet couple” are direct opposites, two poles, ice and fire. However, in terms of cruelty and the number of murders, they are approximately the same. So it’s not surprising that IO Interactive has thought about a crossover more than once. In several parts of Hitman, the “exploits” of Kane and Lynch are described in detail in newspaper clippings, and fans will immediately recognize the completed missions.
Moreover, in the mission Birdie's Gift in Hitman Absolution, both Kane and Lynch can be found at the shooting range. There is zero interaction with them - neither kill nor talk. But these “beautiful” colorful faces are instantly recognizable, and it is not possible to confuse them with anyone else. Unfortunately, IO subsequently had serious financial problems, and now it is more about the survival of the 47th than about creating any crossovers.
4. Rockstar Shared Universe
Rockstar always wants to “be bigger,” and with the incredible success of the film studios, the company will probably eventually officially merge all of its games into one universe. Moreover, this has been happening for a long time - through small but irrefutable cross-links. Michael boasts in GTA V: “In ’88, he took a small office in Carcer City, 10 thousand bucks.” Punishment City is the setting for Manhunt.
In one of the shelters in GTA IV you can see a TV advertisement for Bulworth Academy, a private school from Bully. Well, in the original build GTA Online one could choose John Marston himself as one of his ancestors. So GTA, Manhunt, Bully and even Red Dead Redemption are already connected - Rockstar just needs to acknowledge this at the official level, and try to make something smart and creative out of it.
3. Valve United Worlds
The connection between Half-Life and Portal has already been confirmed by no less than the Illuminati. GLaDOS mentions the closed Black Mesa facility in his famous song at the end of the first Portal. At the same time, in Half-Life there is a lost ship Borealis, which was constructed not just anywhere, but in Aperture Science Laboratories itself. Scientific interaction is visible and cannot be denied.
But fans go even further. They believe that Left 4 Dead and Counter-Strike are attention! - entertaining television series in the Half-Life/Portal universe. Evil tongues claim that Valve uses the same assets and room configurations in two such different games simply to save effort, but supporters of the theory present a weighty counterargument: these are modified sets at one large film studio.
2. Yes, and Nintendo too
In fact, the Japanese company can safely be called a pioneer in the field of connected worlds in gaming. Mario, Yoshi and Donkey Kong are all one arcade universe. The pillow-like (similar?) Kirby can be included in the same category, which should also not surprise anyone. Samus Aran and Link are a completely different matter. But they are also part of the Nintendo world.
Both the fairy elf and the space explorer can be found in Super Mario RPG. Both characters are non-interactive, but Samus still replies through her sleep that she is resting before the battle with Mother Brain, which leaves no doubt. And in Zelda: Ocarina of Time you can find Mario posters. Well, to consolidate the success: in Kirby’s Dreamland, Kirby clears out a nest of evil metroids, for which Samus Aran personally thanks him (her?) Interpenetration 100%
1. Ubiverse, or the Ubisoft universe
The French (and Canadians) have perhaps done the most work in terms of unifying their universes. Far Cry, Assassin's Creed and Watch Dogs are absolutely the same world, and there is plenty of evidence. The Abstergo company symbol can be found in Far Cry 3. Assassination Mission general director Abstergo Entertainment, found in Watch Dogs. Not only that: exactly the same events are mentioned in Assassin’s Creed Rogue.
Let's move on. The ability to control animals in Far Cry Primal is a prototype of the eagle-eyed assassins, which is why it is the protagonist of Primal (and not Bayek from Origins) who is the very first assassin in history. Fans are also trying to tie Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell into the same universe, but so far it hasn't worked out very well. However, given the general trend towards shared universes and the fact that the publisher itself has already linked Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon, it is worth believing that over time this combination will be officially added to the Assassin’s Creed/Far Cry/Watch Dogs combination.
Most of us have seen movies, read books or played games that feature interesting fictional universes that were so successful that we fell in love with them forever. I recommend that you familiarize yourself with some of them.
1. Star Wars - creator: George Lucas
Star Wars is not just six feature films. The world invented by Lucas today is developing almost on its own - hundreds of books have been written about it, which describe the farthest corners of the universe, talk about all the heroes we saw in the films, and about many others about whom there is not a word in the films . Comics, video games, and cartoons have been created based on the classic Star Wars.
2. Forgotten Realms - creator: Ed Greenwood
"Forgotten Realms" is a fantasy world designed for the tabletop role playing game"Dungeons & Dragons". The universe's greatest fame came from the novels written around the world by Robert Salvatore and the video games Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. The world is worked out almost to the smallest detail. Of course, one can find fault with many little things, such as the strange distribution of climate zones on the planet, but this is understandable - many authors worked on the project at the same time, each of whom took a small piece of the world, and only then “glued” them together.
3. Arda - creator: J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien created an original world that served as inspiration for the creation of almost all fantasy universes. It was he who came up with the names for most fantasy races - orcs, elves, hobbits - the rest of the “creators of worlds” simply remade them in their own way. Tolkien's world turned out to be alive: with its own history, features, key characters and, to some extent, geography. By the way, the world invented by Tolkien is often called Middle-earth, but this is incorrect: in fact, its name is Arda. It appeared after the god Eru created amazing creatures - the Ainur, who literally sang the world.
4. Star Trek - Creator: Gene Roddenberry
"Star Trek" is a science fiction series that was released in 1966 in the United States. It is important to remember that at that time humanity had not even made a flight to the Moon, but was only dreaming of space travel. So the timing was well chosen: “Star Trek” is the saga of the first human travelers who set out to explore deep space, meet the rest of the intelligent races inhabiting the galaxy and learn from them.
5. A Song of Ice and Fire - creator: George R.R. Martin
The prototype for this universe was the real one. human history: the world of “PLIP” is comparable to our European Middle Ages - it’s obvious feudal fragmentation, lack of gunpowder, the somewhat oppressed position of the common people and, of course, palace intrigues.
6. Marvel - creator: Stan Lee
The Marvel Universe is quite loosely based on the real world. The Earth in the Marvel Universe has all the features of the real one: the same countries, the same personalities (politicians, movie stars, etc.), the same historical events(World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, etc.) and so on. However, it also contains many other fictional elements: countries such as Wakanda, Latveria and Genosha, and organizations such as the spy agency SHIELD and its enemy HYDRA.
7. Universe of "Watches" - creator: Sergey Lukyanenko
In his novels “Watches,” Sergei Lukyanenko created a fantastic reality, a world that exists parallel to ours. All actions in novels take place in ordinary world and in the twilight zone.
If the reality around you seems completely gray and dull, then it’s time to plunge into one of the most popular imaginary universes that I want to show you today.
Tolkien created an original world that served as inspiration for the creation of almost all fantasy universes. It was he who came up with the names for most fantasy races - orcs, elves, hobbits - the rest of the “creators of worlds” simply remade them in their own way.
But the master is the master - the world he invented turned out to be alive: with its own history, features, key characters and, in some way, geography. By the way, the world invented by Tolkien is often called Middle-earth, but this is incorrect: in fact, its name is Arda. It appeared after the god Eru created amazing creatures - the Ainur, who literally sang the world.
It is worth saying here that Tolkien himself repeatedly said that the action of his novels does not take place on any other planet and not in parallel world, but on our Earth. According to the master, Middle-earth existed on our planet in the distant past. Well, he has the right. In addition, if you compare the map of the same Middle-earth with the map of Europe, you can really notice the similarities.
The most numerous race in Middle-earth are, of course, people: they inhabit most of the region. They differ from elves, essentially, in that they live for tens, not thousands of years, and, accordingly, their states change, but the elves remain practically unchanged over generations. Moreover, the soul of the elves remains forever after death in Arda in a special place called the Gardens of Mandos, and human soul leaves the world.
Magic in Tolkien's world differs from the battle magic invented later - here it is more creative act, rather than a series of clearly regulated actions and rules. A creature endowed with will can create magic - the stronger the will, the more impressive magical deeds the hero is capable of. However, magic is not the decisive argument - will is also needed, for example, to resist the power of the One Ring. In addition, over time, magic leaves Arda, and it becomes less and less. In the loose continuation of The Lord of the Rings, written by Nick Perumov, there is practically no magic left.
One way or another, the world is famous thanks to recognizable living characters, detailed elaboration and unusual story. It's no wonder he has so many admirers.
Creator - J. R. R. Tolkien
Star wars
Star Wars is not just six feature-length films. The world invented by Lucas today is developing almost on its own - hundreds of books have been written about it, which describe the most distant corners of the universe, talk about all the heroes that we saw in the films, and about many others about whom there is not a word in the films . Comics, video games, and cartoons have been created based on the classic Star Wars.
The plot-forming element is the Jedi Order - knights who defend high ideals, peace and order and wield the Force. Those who succumbed to their dark beginnings and switched to The dark side The forces were called the Sith. They are the main protagonists of the universe, and there is a constant confrontation between the two orders.
Few people know that before the events shown in the film "The Phantom Menace", the Galactic Republic enjoyed peace and order for almost 1000 years - it was a kind of golden age. However, this 1000 years is almost not described anywhere, and we can observe the development of the universe just from the events that occurred several years before The Phantom Menace.
After the fall of the Jedi Order, only one knight remained - Luke Skywalker, and this is where the sixth film ends. However, the universe continues to develop - as a result, the Republic is reborn from the rubble, the Jedi Order reappears in the political arena, then war begins again, since almost half of Luke's students went over to the Dark Side... In fact, "Star Wars" is a story that One can continue endlessly, so more and more books “based on” are being published.
The universe is not developing chaotically: a special council headed by Lucas monitored the development of history, and now the Walt Disney studio will probably take care of this. And yes, a small spoiler if you didn’t know - in one of the books it was decided to kill Chubaka.
Creator: George Lucas
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a fantasy world developed for the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The universe's greatest fame came from the novels written around the world by Robert Salvatore and the video games Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Much of the action takes place on Faerun, part of the planet's largest continent, Abeir Toril.
The world is worked out almost to the smallest detail. Of course, one can find fault with many little things, such as the strange distribution of climate zones on the planet, but this is understandable - many authors worked on the project at the same time, each of whom took a small piece of the world, and only then they were “glued” together. But that's not the point.
The planet is inhabited by many classic races - there are several varieties and factions of elves, dwarves, orcs and, of course, huge amount human settlements. There are also races that are completely unlike anything else, like illithids - anthropomorphic octopuses that capture the minds of other intelligent beings and thus turn them into their slaves.
In addition to Fairun, there are several other parts of the world on the planet - Zakhara (analogous to the Middle East), Kara-Tur (analogous to India and Indochina), Maztika (analogous to the territory of American Indians like the Mayans or Incas) and Evermeet (the legendary land of the elves). Since Abeir-Toril is a large planet, and advanced technology is not highly respected in the classic fantasy genre, many continents on the planet have not yet been discovered, so there is plenty of room for your imagination to run wild. “Forgotten Realms” has been exciting the minds of fans since the early 1990s, and all these years there has been constant work on the world. Interesting fact— so far only Fairun has been described in detail by the developers.
Interestingly, in the Forgotten Realms there are practically no kingdoms as such: the main administrative unit- a city-state, among the most famous are Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep.
The gods play a very important role in this world. They are invented not only for the worship and enslavement of the masses, they are very real entities that give their adherents strength, abilities and opportunities, who love to actively interfere in the affairs of mortals. The gods are divided into “factions”: trade, love, darkness, and so on - everything you can imagine. In addition, the gods have a peculiar career ladder- from a demigod you can grow into an Elder God, who will be worshiped by millions of admirers from all over the world.
Creator: Ed Greenwood
Star Trek
"Star Trek" is a science fiction series that was released in 1966 in the United States. It is important to remember that at that time humanity had not even made a flight to the Moon, but was only dreaming of space travel. So the timing was perfect: Star Trek is the saga of the first human travelers to explore deep space, meet and learn from the rest of the intelligent races inhabiting the galaxy.
It all started when, at the beginning of the 21st century, NASA made an attempt to go into space on primitive ships. Then, in 2053, the Third Erupted on Earth. World War, after the end of which humanity came to its senses within ten years. But in 2063 the first spacecraft with warp drive (technology that allows one to exceed the speed of light), and so humanity first became acquainted with another intelligent race - the Vulcans from the planet Vulcan.
The Vulcans turned out to be much more advanced technologically, so diplomatic relations were built slowly, since the Vulcans were not too keen on sharing technology with unpredictable people who had recently carried out a massacre on their own planet.
Earthlings managed to build their own full-fledged starship, the Enterprise, only in 2151. Then the United Federation of Planets was created - a union of different intelligent races united for joint development and space exploration. It should be noted that there are a huge number of races in this universe, and not all of them are benevolent. So, there are, for example, the Klingons, who were previously skilled diplomats and peacemakers, but under the influence of politicians have slipped into warlike barbarians and, in their opinion, now profess the philosophy of real warriors.
Story " Star Trek"is described in detail up to the 24th century, and each milestone in this history is marked by global upheavals - for example, bloody warriors with other races like the Xindi, whose philosophy is extremely far from human. And, surprisingly, humanity emerged from any trouble with dignity (precisely dignity!).
It should be noted that the action in this saga is allotted minor role- it mainly talks about universal human values. Moral issues touched on in almost every episode: for example, the viewer is asked to think about the consequences of complete disappearance biological species and the like. In other words, the Star Trek universe teaches a lesson in a fascinating way about how important it is for people to remain human in any situation.
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
A Song of Ice and Fire
The prototype for this universe was real human history: the world of “PLIP” is comparable to our European Middle Ages - there is feudal fragmentation, a lack of gunpowder, a somewhat oppressed position of the common people and, of course, palace intrigues.
It should be noted that there is no detailed map of the world, just like official name for him. Westeros, for example, is only a separate continent about the size of South America, it is in Westeros that the vast majority of the events of the described era take place. There is another continent where peoples live, comparable to the peoples of our East, but practically nothing is known about the western lands.
However, Martin took the trouble to come up with a full-fledged chronicle for his world. Initially, Westeros was inhabited by the mysterious Children of the Forest, who later disappeared. Then the First People came there, ousting the Children of the Forest, who were gradually forgotten: the memory of them was preserved only in legends and fairy tales. Then they were replaced by Andal conquerors, who conquered these lands and brought with them the religion of the Seven Gods. A little later, the east of the mainland was captured by the Rhoynar, who assimilated with the Andals and became almost a single people.
In the east, meanwhile, the Valyrian Empire gained strength, from where the Targaryens flew to Westeros riding on dragons. Thanks to the dragons, they seized power, but after 300 years the dragons degenerated and the Targaryens went mad - largely, perhaps, due to consanguineous marriages. Then they were overthrown by Robert Baratheon, who later became king. And the rest of the story is known to those who watched the series “Game of Thrones,” based on Martin’s novels, or read the novels themselves.
Religion and magic, which is typical for fantasy, do not play in Martin's world. last role. Westeros officially professes the Seven Gods - septons (as local priests are called) from the point of view of magic cannot do anything at all, and they do not have much influence on politics. In fact, it is just a formal cult.
But there is another religion, widespread precisely in the East - the cult of the fire deity R'hllor, whose priests have the power of fire magic: it is they who perform the main miracles. The fire god gives some of his adherents the opportunity to rise from the dead over and over again or see events of the past and future in the flames. Fire is opposed by Others - mysterious creatures that appeared from behind the Wall on the edge of the Seven Kingdoms - they personify ice. As the novels take place magical powers, which the inhabitants of the world have already forgotten to think about, are gradually awakening, and how it will all end is unknown.
Creator: George Martin
There is an opinion that a person is truly not free in anything except creativity; whether this is true or not is a moot point. But it’s hard to argue with the fact that most people are creators. Of course, we are not yet able to create a planet like ours, where people with free will will live, but the human imagination, nevertheless, creates amazing new worlds through books and films.
Some fictional universes turn out to be so successful and interesting that they acquire thousands of fans. We invite you to read about five such fictional worlds.
1. Star Wars
Creator - George Lucas
Star Wars is not just six full-length films. The world invented by Lucas today is developing almost on its own - hundreds of books have been written about it, which describe the farthest corners of the universe, talk about all the heroes we saw in the films, and about many others about whom there is not a word in the films . Comics, video games, and cartoons have been created based on the classic Star Wars.
George Lucas
The plot-forming element is the Jedi Order - knights who defend high ideals, peace and order and wield the Force. Those who succumbed to their dark nature and went over to the Dark Side of the Force were called Sith. They are the main protagonists of the universe, and there is a constant confrontation between the two orders.
Few people know that before the events shown in the film "The Phantom Menace", the Galactic Republic enjoyed peace and order for almost 1000 years - it was a kind of golden age. However, this 1000 years is almost not described anywhere, and we can observe the development of the universe just from the events that occurred several years before The Phantom Menace.
After the fall of the Jedi Order, only one knight remained - Luke Skywalker, and this is where the sixth film ends. However, the universe continues to develop - as a result, the Republic is reborn from the rubble, the Jedi Order reappears in the political arena, then war begins again, since almost half of Luke’s students went over to the Dark Side... In fact, “Star Wars” is a story that One can continue endlessly, so more and more books “based on” are being published.
The universe is not developing chaotically: a special council headed by Lucas monitored the development of history, and now the Walt Disney studio will probably take care of this. And yes, a small spoiler if you didn’t know - in one of the books it was decided to kill Chubaka.
2. Forgotten Realms
Creator - Ed Greenwood
The Forgotten Realms is a fantasy world developed for the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The universe's greatest fame came from the novels written around the world by Robert Salvatore and the video games Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Much of the action takes place on Faerun, part of the planet's largest continent, Abeir Toril.
Ed Greenwood
The world is worked out almost to the smallest detail. Of course, one can find fault with many little things, such as the strange distribution of climate zones on the planet, but this is understandable - many authors worked on the project at the same time, each of whom took a small piece of the world, and only then “glued” them together. But that's not the point.
The planet is inhabited by many classic races - there are several varieties and factions of elves, gnomes, orcs and, of course, a huge number of human settlements. There are also races that are completely unlike anything else, like illithids - anthropomorphic octopuses that capture the minds of other intelligent beings and thus turn them into their slaves.
In addition to Fairun, there are several other parts of the world on the planet - Zakhara (analogous to the Middle East), Kara-Tur (analogous to India and Indochina), Maztika (analogous to the territory of American Indians like the Mayans or Incas) and Evermeet (the legendary land of the elves). Since Abeir-Toril is a large planet, and developed technologies are not very highly regarded in the classic fantasy genre, many continents on the planet have not yet been discovered, so there is plenty of room for the imagination to run wild. “Forgotten Realms” has been exciting the minds of fans since the early 1990s, and all these years there has been constant work on the world. An interesting fact: so far only Fairun has been described in detail by the developers.
It is interesting that in the Forgotten Realms there are practically no kingdoms as such: the main administrative unit is the city-state, among the most famous are Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep.
The gods play a very important role in this world. They are invented not only for the worship and enslavement of the masses, they are very real entities that give their adherents strength, abilities and opportunities, who love to actively interfere in the affairs of mortals. The gods are divided into “factions”: trade, love, darkness, and so on - everything you can imagine. In addition, the gods have a kind of career ladder - from a demigod you can grow to the Elder God, who will be worshiped by millions of admirers from all over the world.
3. Arda
Creator - J. R. R. Tolkien
Tolkien created an original world that served as inspiration for the creation of almost all fantasy universes. It was he who came up with the names for most fantasy races - orcs, elves, hobbits - the rest of the “creators of worlds” simply remade them in their own way.
J. R. R. Tolkien
But the master is the master - the world he invented turned out to be alive: with its own history, features, key characters and, to some extent, geography. By the way, the world invented by Tolkien is often called Middle-earth, but this is incorrect: in fact, its name is Arda. It appeared after the god Eru created amazing creatures - the Ainur, who literally sang the world.
It is worth saying here that Tolkien himself repeatedly said that the action of his novels does not take place on any other planet or in a parallel world, but on our Earth. According to the master, Middle-earth existed on our planet in the distant past. Well, he has the right. In addition, if you compare the map of the same Middle-earth with the map of Europe, you can really notice the similarities.
The most numerous race in Middle-earth are, of course, people: they inhabit most of the region. They differ from elves, essentially, in that they live for tens, not thousands of years, and, accordingly, their states change, but the elves remain practically unchanged over generations. Moreover, the soul of the elves remains forever after death in Arda in a special place called the Gardens of Mandos, while the human soul leaves the world.
Magic in Tolkien's world differs from the later combat magic - here it is more of a creative act, rather than a series of clearly regulated actions and rules. A creature endowed with will can create magic - the stronger the will, the more impressive magical deeds the hero is capable of. However, magic is not the decisive argument - will is also needed, for example, to resist the power of the One Ring. In addition, over time, magic leaves Arda, and it becomes less and less. In the loose continuation of The Lord of the Rings, written by Nick Perumov, there is practically no magic left.
One way or another, the world is famous thanks to recognizable living characters, detailed work and an unusual story. It's no wonder he has so many admirers.
4. Star Trek
Creator - Gene Roddenberry
"Star Trek" is a science fiction series that was released in 1966 in the United States. It is important to remember that at that time humanity had not even made a flight to the Moon, but was only dreaming of space travel. So the timing was well chosen: “Star Trek” is the saga of the first human travelers who set out to explore deep space, meet the rest of the intelligent races inhabiting the galaxy and learn from them.
Gene Roddenberry
It all started when, at the beginning of the 21st century, NASA made an attempt to go into space on primitive ships. Then, in 2053, the Third World War broke out on Earth, after which humanity recovered within ten years. But in 2063, the first spaceship with warp drive (a technology that allows one to exceed the speed of light) launched, and so humanity first became acquainted with another intelligent race - the Vulcans from the planet Vulcan.
The Vulcans turned out to be much more advanced technologically, so diplomatic relations were built slowly, since the Vulcans were not too keen on sharing technology with unpredictable people who had recently carried out a massacre on their own planet.
Earthlings managed to build their own full-fledged starship, the Enterprise, only in 2151. Then the United Federation of Planets was created - a union of different intelligent races united for joint development and space exploration. It should be noted that there are a huge number of races in this universe, and not all of them are benevolent. So, there are, for example, the Klingons, who were previously skilled diplomats and peacemakers, but under the influence of politicians have slipped into warlike barbarians and, in their opinion, now profess the philosophy of real warriors.
The history of Star Trek is written in detail up to the 24th century, and each milestone in this history is marked by global upheavals - for example, bloody warriors with other races like the Xindi, whose philosophy is extremely far from human. And, surprisingly, humanity emerged from any trouble with dignity (precisely dignity!).
It should be noted that the action in this saga plays a secondary role - it mainly tells about universal human values. Moral issues are raised in almost every episode: for example, the viewer is asked to think about the consequences of the complete disappearance of a biological species and the like. In other words, the Star Trek universe teaches a lesson in a fascinating way about how important it is for people to remain human in any situation.
5. A Song of Ice and Fire
Creator - George Martin
The prototype for this universe was real human history: the world of “PLIP” is comparable to our European Middle Ages - there is feudal fragmentation, a lack of gunpowder, a somewhat oppressed position of the common people and, of course, palace intrigues.
George Martin
It should be noted that there is no detailed map of the world, nor an official name for it. Westeros, for example, is only a separate continent approximately the size of South America; it is in Westeros that the vast majority of the events of the described era take place. There is another continent where peoples live, comparable to the peoples of our East, but practically nothing is known about the western lands.
However, Martin took the trouble to come up with a full-fledged chronicle for his world. Initially, Westeros was inhabited by the mysterious Children of the Forest, who later disappeared. Then the First People came there, ousting the Children of the Forest, who were gradually forgotten: the memory of them was preserved only in legends and fairy tales. Then they were replaced by Andal conquerors, who conquered these lands and brought with them the religion of the Seven Gods. A little later, the east of the mainland was captured by the Rhoynar, who assimilated with the Andals and became almost a single people.
In the east, meanwhile, the Valyrian Empire gained strength, from where the Targaryens flew to Westeros riding on dragons. Thanks to the dragons, they seized power, but after 300 years the dragons degenerated and the Targaryens went mad - largely, perhaps, due to consanguineous marriages. Then they were overthrown by Robert Baratheon, who later became king. And the rest of the story is known to those who watched the series “Game of Thrones,” based on Martin’s novels, or read the novels themselves.
Religion and magic, which is typical for fantasy, play an important role in Martin’s world. Westeros officially professes the Seven Gods - septons (as local priests are called) from the point of view of magic cannot do anything at all, and they do not have much influence on politics. In fact, it is just a formal cult.
But there is another religion, widespread precisely in the East - the cult of the fire deity R'hllor, whose priests have the power of fire magic: it is they who perform the main miracles. The fire god gives some of his adherents the opportunity to rise from the dead over and over again or see events of the past and future in the flames. Fire is opposed by Others - mysterious creatures that appeared from behind the Wall on the edge of the Seven Kingdoms - they personify ice. As the novels progress, magical powers, which the inhabitants of the world have already forgotten to think about, gradually awaken, and how it will all end is unknown. It remains to wait for the release of the sixth and seventh volumes.
: https://www.publy.ru/post/6238
Today we will present the top most popular fantasy universes. The rating is, of course, subjective. In addition, we did not consider such a direction as fantasy.
"Star wars"
What is
Universe Star Wars needs no introduction. Before us is a whole epic, including seven full-length films, cartoons, comics and countless video games. The plot centers on the struggle between Light and Darkness, the Jedi and the Sith.
Why is it popular?
Popularity of the series Star Wars“It seems to us something self-evident. Success, meanwhile, was the result of a number of factors. There is the ever-popular theme of the struggle between good and evil, charismatic characters, and fascinating lightsaber battles (where would we be without them). But, perhaps, this universe would never have achieved such success if it were not for the professionalism of George Lucas, who directed most of the films Star series Wars. He created a unique atmosphere of the spectacle, paying attention to details that another director would have passed by.
Star Trek
What is
"Star Trek" is a whole fantasy world, which includes six television series (including one animated), twelve movies, countless books, and video games. Star Trek has spawned a real subculture in the United States.
Why is it popular?
The Star Trek universe is rich in colorful worlds and charismatic characters (Spock alone is worth it). Andorians, Borg, Vulcans, Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans - these are just some of the races that a Star Trek fan will get to know. Among the main reasons for the popularity of the world Star Trek– its main theme, namely, space exploration. Man has always been attracted by the unknown...
Warhammer 40,000
What is
The idea of Warhammer was implemented in 1983 by employees of Games Workshop, a company that creates board games in the Wargame genre. Strictly speaking, the action takes place in two universes: Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000. The first is stylized as a dark Middle Ages, while the second looks like a sci-fi dystopia. The idea of Warhammer 40,000 arose later than fantasy - only in 1987, but techno-fantasy quickly outstripped its founder Warhammer in popularity. Now Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 are associated not only with board games, but also a huge number of books and computer games. Recently, by the way, the new video game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III was announced.
Why is it popular?
This universe is unique in its own way. From the outside it looks like some kind of parody of all science fiction worlds. Judge for yourself: orcs that fly on asteroids, space marines (humans) who in the distant future are armed with chainsaws, a medieval inquisition raging on colonized planets - these are just some of the things that fans of Warhammer 40,000 will talk about. This is a world where advanced technologies that make it possible to fly between planets border on the principles of centuries gone by. However, with all this, the “forty thousandth” is taken seriously by many people.
What is
StarCraft is shining example how one video game can influence entire generations. The first part was published back in 1998, on for many years predetermining the look of RTS (real-time strategy). The developer was Blizzard Entertainment, the creator of such hits as Warcraft and Diablo. A world opens before the StarCraft player in which the forces of people, zerg (hordes of bloodthirsty insects), and protoss (a wise, highly developed race) clash. The second part of the game, StarCraft II, was released in 2010. In essence, it was the same game, but in a new graphical “package”.
Why is it popular?
The StarCraft universe has become popular not so much because of, but because of the verified and perfectly honed mechanics of the game. This allowed StarCraft to become not just a bestseller, but also a serious e-sports discipline. The game is especially popular in Asian countries: China and South Korea. Competitions are held there every year with the participation of famous cybersportsmen and very generous gifts. For example, in StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Finals 2015, the champion received a reward of 100 thousand US dollars.
"Dune"
What is
“The Chronicles of Dune” - this is the name given to the series of science fiction novels American writer Frank Herbert. It includes such works as Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse of Dune. Together they cover a period of 5,000 years. So we have before us one of the largest and most extended science fiction universes. In 1984, the film Dune, directed by David Lynch, was released, which, although it failed at the box office, became one of the landmark films for fans of such films.
Why is it popular?
The world of Dune is extremely rich, despite the fact that the key planet here is the desert Arrakis (aka Dune). There is evil, nobility, and intrigue that puts the fate of the whole world at stake. There are also giant underground worms that can reach a mile in length! Both the book and the film (for all the ambiguity of the latter) were able to create a wonderful, mesmerizing atmosphere. Interest in the series was fueled by numerous computer games, including Dune and Dune 2. The latter is considered no less than the forerunner of all modern strategies in real time.
What is
The Halo universe is the basis for a whole series of games, including Halo Wars, Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved and many others. Here, a struggle unfolds between two antagonists: the United Nations Space Command (a kind of world government of the future) and the Covenant, a theocratic union of alien races. There are other sides too. The alien alliance is united by the worship of the Forerunners (an ancient, highly developed race) and the belief that giant Halos - megastructures and weapons of mass destruction - will provide them with a way to salvation. The aliens are led by a caste of religious leaders called Prophets.
Why is it popular?
Of course, now Halo is a whole sci-fi world. However, the success of the series would not have been possible without the first part of the series. The first game, the first-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved, was released in 2001 on the Xbox console. Critics gave the game very high marks, and it itself became one of the best in the history of the console. On May 6, 2010, by a special vote for the gaming edition of the Guinness Book of Records, best episodes video games of all time. The first place went to the games of the Halo universe.