HAVANA: Cuba’s premier independent video game made its international debut this week after its creators surmounted numerous challenges including economic struggles, internet connectivity issues, and navigating through sanctions. The game, titled Saviorless, is a 2D adventure featuring hand-drawn illustrations that immerses players into a dark fantasy realm where they must battle monsters and solve puzzles to uncover the secrets of the “Islands of Smiles.”
In a reflection of their game’s characters, creators Josuhe Pagliery and David Darias faced a plethora of obstacles in bringing their vision to life in the face of adversity on the Communist island of Cuba.
“The inception of this project occurred during a pivotal moment,” shared Pagliery, a 43-year-old graphic artist who first conceived the idea in 2016, during a period when Cuba and the United States were experiencing a thaw in relations under the leadership of Barack Obama.
The project received assistance from an American foundation as well as crowdfunding, with Pagliery even making a trip to the United States where media coverage highlighted his ambition to create an independent Cuban video game.
Simultaneously, in Cuba, where access to the internet was previously limited to public locations at high costs, the availability of mobile internet began in 2018 at more affordable rates.
However, following this positive development came a series of setbacks that threatened to derail the project entirely, labeling it as a “perfect storm” by Pagliery.
Sanctioned Challenges
Political tensions escalated once more during the presidency of Donald Trump, who reinforced economic sanctions against Cuba. The main programmer assigned to develop the game relocated, and the country faced its most severe economic crisis in decades in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to shortages and power outages.
“The project was defined by instability throughout its evolution,” noted Darias, a former professor at the University of Havana who currently works independently as a programmer from home.
Financial limitations, disagreements over the game’s title, uncertainties, and technological hurdles posed significant barriers in a nation that has been under a US embargo since 1962.
Their software often struggled to function on slow internet connections, necessitating the use of VPNs to access banned programs due to sanctions, and power outages complicated the backup process.
“The most challenging moments occurred when not only did we lose our current work, but also that of the entire week when a power outage interrupted our backup process,” shared Darias.
After four years of tireless efforts, dwindling finances, and countless unanswered inquiries to international publishers, the two friends opted to release a “free demo as a testament to our dedication,” according to Pagliery.
Realizing the Dream
It was then that Dear Villagers, a game publisher based in southern France, discovered the Cuban developers’ work and chose to support them in achieving their aspirations, as stated by company founder Francis Ingrand to AFP.
“We have always been drawn to original projects, and we were captivated by the artistic flair of the game,” he remarked, commending the resilience of the developers who “accomplished something extraordinary.”
Within the gaming community on the island, the project gained a reputation as a “legend” due to the protracted journey towards its completion, according to Luis Antonio Noa, a 27-year-old who operates a gaming-focused YouTube channel.
His channel partner, Carlos Oscar Anaya, 29, mentioned that Cuban gamers predominantly engage with free, pirated, or locally-produced educational games, making Saviorless stand out with its darker narrative and emphasis on entertainment, alongside its striking graphics and music.
There is now optimism that the game will enjoy wide visibility and place Cuba on the global video game landscape, remarked Anaya. – AFP
