Summary
Despite its obvious dystopian themes akin toBioShock’s, Ghost Story Games' upcoming first-person shooterJudasserves up a rather unique setting that could arguably double as a bad omen.Judastakes place aboard the Mayflower, a spacefaring metropolis whose human citizens have been groomed to relentlessly abide by the city’s laws, set in place by the tyrannical machines that oppress it. Should they break those laws to any degree, the Mayflower’s citizens are trained to turn on one another and tear each other apart for the betterment of society. In many ways, it certainly sounds likeBioShock, but it’s doing its best to set itself apart.
Plenty of other games, films, and television shows have depicteddystopian themes similar to those found inJudas, but there is something about its peculiar combination of certain elements that may be a bit too telling of the ever-evolving landscape of technology and the ambitious desires of the human race. In short,Judas' dark and wild setting may hit a bit too close to home in its ability to take the fears of what could transpire in reality and virtually present them to its players.
Judas' Setting May Hit a Bit Too Close to Home
Judas' Mayflower Implies the Unknown Dangers of Space Colonization
While its overarching narrative has yet to be revealed, it’s possible to speculate on where the spacefaring city of Mayflower originated simply through consideration of its name. InAmerican history, “Mayflower” was the name of the famous ship that transported the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts. Shortly after they arrived in 1620, they established the first permanent New England colony, Plymouth Colony. In light of American colonial history and the implications that come with the name “Mayflower,” it’s possibleJudas' Mayflower was originally designed to be a temporary habitation for humanity while they explored the far reaches of space in search of another planet to colonize.
If this is true ofJudas' story, it is only one of the manygames exploring interstellar colonization, as titles likeNo Man’s SkyandStarfieldare some of the more recent titles to explore the concept on a grand scale. Furthermore, assumingJudas' Mayflower was once under human control, the fact that it is now under the control of machines implies the unknown dangers that can come with space colonization, especially as technology becomes more advanced with every passing age. In reality, the idea of reaching toward space for another home has only been further validated by historical events, makingJudas' Mayflower a potentially bad omen.
Judas' Setting Shows the Dominant Potential of Artificial Intelligence
Another idea that has been entertained in science fiction stories and films is the idea of a future where humans are at war with machines.Film franchises likeTerminatorhave risen to success by feeding on the fears and curiosities of humankind that machines would once grow smarter than people and attempt to wipe them off the face of the planet.Judas' setting is a bit different, however, as its machines seemingly prefer to keep humans alive and under their control, to the point that even the most minor infractions often result in fatal consequences. As technology begins to advance and artificial intelligence becomes more accessible in unique tools like ChatGPT and AI image generators, this makes bizarre settings likeJudas' seem not so far off.
It will be interesting to see just how farJudasleans into its setting, and whether it fully embraces the implications that it seems to carry. The thought of a city called Mayflower floating through space certainly feels like a bad omen when compared to history and today’s society, but that is all based on how closeJudas' story is to reality. AsGhost Story Gameshas confirmed thatJudaswill be released no later than March 2025, those answers may come sooner than expected.
