View source for Thea: The Awakening

{{Short description|2015 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| collapsible =
| state =
| italic title =
| title = Thea: The Awakening
| image = Thea The Awakening cover.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| developer = MuHa Games
| publisher = MuHa Games
| designer =
| programmer =
| artist =
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| series =
| engine = [[Unity (game engine)|Unity]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://muhagames.com/love-hate-relationship/|title=Love – hate relationship|work=MuHa Games|date=2015-12-14|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref>
| platforms = {{ubl|[[Microsoft Windows]]|[[PlayStation 4]]|[[Xbox One]]|[[Nintendo Switch]]}}
| released = {{Collapsible list|title={{Nobold|November 20, 2015}}|
{{plainlist|
* '''PC''' {{vgrelease|NA|November 20, 2015}}
* '''XB1, PS4''' {{vgrelease|NA|May 31, 2017}}
* '''Switch''' {{vgrelease|NA|February 1, 2019}}
}}
}}| genre = [[Strategy video game|Strategy]]
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
}}
'''''Thea: The Awakening''''' is a 2015 [[strategy video game]] developed and released by MuHa Games.  It is based on [[Slavic folklore]] and includes minigames based on several different genres.  It was followed by ''[[Thea 2: The Shattering]]''.
== Gameplay ==
''Thea: The Awakening'' combines [[minigame]]s from several different genres, including turn-based [[4X]] games, [[role-playing video game]]s, and [[digital collectible card game]]s.  Players take the role of a [[Slavic deity]] in fantasy world that is recovering from a magical apocalypse.  After establishing a village, players send out characters to explore and collect resources, which can be used for crafting useful items.<ref name=rps-review>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/thea-the-awakening-review|title=Wot I Think - Thea: The Awakening|last=Zacny|first=Rob|work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]|date=2015-12-10|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref>  Unlike traditional 4X games, players control only a single village and do not conquer others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/4x-card-game|title=Have You Played... ''Thea: The Awakening?''|last=Smith|first=Graham|work=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]|date=2016-01-26|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref>  Combat, quests, and random events are resolved using a card-based minigame.  Characters gain experience points and loot from winning combat, and injured characters can die if they are not healed.<ref name=rps-review/>  Cooperative multiplayer was added in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/au/4x-survival-rpg-thea-the-awakening-adds-co-op/|title=4X survival RPG Thea: The Awakening adds co-op|last=Sykes|first=Tom|work=[[PC Gamer]]|date=2016-06-24|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref>
== Development ==
Quest designer Mila "Yuuki" Irek cited author [[Andrzej Sapkowski]] and [[Warhammer 40,000]] as her chief influences.  ''[[The Witcher (video game series)|The Witcher]]'', a video game series based on Sapkowski's novels, had previously introduced Slavic folklore to international audiences, and Irek was interested in further exploration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2019/01/on-thea-the-strategy-rpg-indie-gem-no-one-should-miss.html|title=On Thea: the strategy/RPG indie gem no one should miss|last=S.|first=Matt|work=Digitally Downloaded|date=2019-01-19|accessdate=2022-03-31}}</ref>  The game's Slavic folklore comes mostly from research into the oral history of these myths by Polish academic [[Aleksander Brückner]].  Rather than the war between good and evil commonly found in Western folklore, these stories focus on individuals and are more morally ambiguous, which translates well into the choices presented to players in video games.  Irek said she attempted to stay true to the folklore but had to change some details to fit the medium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alphr.com/games/1008348/video-games-witcher-3-slavic-folklore/|title=How video games like The Witcher are saving Slavic folklore|last=Allison|first=Peter Ray|work=[[Alphr]]|date=2018-01-30|accessdate=2022-03-31}}</ref>  The PC version was released on November 30, 2015;<ref name=hardcore/> the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions were released on May 31, 2017;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://muhagames.com/thea-the-awakening-out-on-consoles-on-may-31st/|title=Thea: The Awakening out on consoles on May 31st!|work=MuHa Games|date=2017-05-09|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref> and the Nintendo Switch version was released on February 1, 2019.<ref name=nlife/>
== Reception ==
{{Video game reviews
| MC = PC: 73/100<ref name="MCPC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/thea-the-awakening/critic-reviews/?platform=pc|title=Thea: The Awakening for PC Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref><br />NS: 71/100<ref name="MCNS">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/thea-the-awakening/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch|title=Thea: The Awakening for Switch Reviews|work=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref>
}}
On [[Metacritic]], the PC and Switch versions received "mixed or average reviews".<ref name="MCPC" /><ref name="MCNS" /> Rob Zacny wrote in his review for ''[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]'' that he was initially excited by the game's use of multiple genres, which avoided many cliches of strategy games. However, he later felt the game was "a large collection of small ideas" that excels at nothing, and the gameplay, which he said can be addictive, is ultimately unsatisfying.<ref name=rps-review/> Mark Steighner of ''Hardcore Gamer'' rated the game 3.5/5 stars and wrote that it "starts off strong before collapsing under the weight of its systems".<ref name=hardcore>{{cite web|url=https://hardcoregamer.com/reviews/review-thea-the-awakening/183624/|title=Review: Thea: The Awakening|last=Steighner|first=Mark|work=HardcoreGamer.com|date=2015-12-22|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref> While praising the Switch version of the game for having "some really great ideas", ''[[Nintendo Life]]'' critic Dom Reseigh-Lincoln said it focuses too much on busy work and micromanagement.  Reseigh-Lincoln rated it 6/10 stars.<ref name=nlife>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/thea_the_awakening|title=Thea: The Awakening Review|last=Reseigh-Lincoln|first=Dom|work=[[Nintendo Life]]|date=2019-02-02|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref> Greg Delmage of ''RPGFan'' praised the Switch version's "incredibly addictive gameplay" and rated it 85/100.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rpgfan.com/review/thea-the-awakening/|title=Thea: The Awakening|last=Delmage|first=Greg|work=RPGFan.com|date=2020-02-05|accessdate=2022-03-30}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://muhagames.com/projects/the-awakening/}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thea 1 The Awakening}}
[[Category:2015 video games]]
[[Category:Role-playing video games]]
[[Category:Fantasy video games]]
[[Category:Turn-based strategy video games]]
[[Category:Digital collectible card games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Cooperative video games]]
[[Category:Indie games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:MuHa Games games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 4 games]]
[[Category:Video games based on Slavic mythology]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Xbox One games]]