Saturnalia is a survival horror adventure in which you’ll play as a cast of characters exploring an isolated village of ancient ritual – its labyrinthine roads will change each time you lose all your characters. Developed and published by Santa Ragione, the creators of FOTONICA, MirrorMoon EP, and Wheels of Aurelia, Saturnalia will launch for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Series S | X, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Epic Games Store) on October 27.
Here is an overview of the story and characters of Saturnalia:
In the world of Saturnalia, nothing is as it seems. The Italian village of Gravoi may appear quaint and unassuming at first glance, but it holds many secrets. Similarly, there’s more to the four co-protagonists of Saturnalia than meets the eye. Although each of them is an outsider for different reasons, they all share a common cause: rooting out the darkness that haunts Gravois, even if it means bringing their demons into the light.
ANITA
The first of these is Anita Giannini, geologist extraordinaire and the very picture of the late 80s businesswoman. Unlike her fellow protagonists, she had no attachment to Gravoi before her arrival, a year before the game’s events.
Her initial purpose in the village was to conduct reconnaissance in the area on behalf of corporate mining interests eager to exploit the surrounding natural resources. However, a woman of her assurance and confidence isn’t easily deterred in professional and personal matters. So perhaps it was inevitable that she’d find herself involved in an illicit affair with none other than Damiano, the married town sacristan.
At the outset of Saturnalia, she’s discovered that she’s with child, and despite the controversy sure to arise if her affair was made public, she’s determined to keep the baby.
The conservative values of Gravoi are at odds with Anita’s unflappable character, but there are other, darker forces at work that even she can’t dismiss.
PAUL
In contrast, Paul Izem is a child of Gravoi, even if he didn’t know it for most of his life. After his birth parents died under mysterious circumstances while he was still an infant, Paul was soon adopted by a family in Iglesias, a city in southern Sardinia. Only after discovering a letter urging his adoptive parents to never let him return to Gravoi does he defy that very request and embark on a personal mission to discover the truth about what happened to his mother and father.
SERGIO
Sergio Aulas was born and raised in Gravoi but left for Manchester when he was only sixteen. At the time, his departure seemed like something to be celebrated: a chance to study abroad paid for by the generosity of Bruno Bissani, the lord and owner of the castle in Gravoi. But in truth, this wasn’t an opportunity, but an exile: discovered in bed with Bisssani by the lord’s wife, Sergio was sent to England to cover up the scandal at the urging of his father.
Thirty years later, he’s become a successful computer programmer, returning to Gravoi only to care for his iron lung-bound father. Aloof and analytical, Sergio is inherently antagonized by the traditionalist norms of his hometown, particularly as a gay man no longer compelled to hide his sexuality. But motivated by his obligation to his sick father and his lingering curiosity about the fate of his former lover—who’s since disappeared—Sergio has no choice but to reinsert himself back into the community and mystery of Gravoi.
CLAUDIA
Claudia Mirai would rather suffer in silence than ask for help. More than anyone else in Saturnalia, she despises Gravoi. As a sixteen-year-old punk, she knows she was made for more than just tending her father’s bar, and the antiquated culture of her remote hometown stifles her to the point of exasperation.
But it’s not just youthful rebellion shaping her worldview. As a child, she stumbled onto a horrific scene: her aunt, clad in her wedding dress and hanging from the centenary olive tree in the ancient Nuragic area right outside the village. The sight left Claudia with painful trauma she can never be freed from, as did the omerta (the Southern Italian code of silence) that followed when her father and the other townsfolk refused to acknowledge the death as a suicide. Since then, she’s stood in stark opposition to every institution in her community.
Alone, each of these characters can only do so much. But, together, they stand a chance to uncover the mystery of Gravoi and escape Saturnalia.
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