We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Matrioshka Games have hit the release button for Expedition Agartha! Out NOW on early access. It is a first-person medieval PvPvE experience that we’re hyped to share with the world.
We’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Matrioshka Games since 2021 as their creative partner, helping with their game key art, 3D character and environment modelling, animation as well as their latest cinematic trailer.
It’s been so fun watching the game come together and we’ve been eagerly awaiting this day almost as much as the Matrioshka team has.
As eager as we are for people to discover how awesome Expedition Agartha is, we are just as excited to find out more about Hunter himself, his team and what inspired the game.
Hunter, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions.
Let’s start by finding out a little bit about yourself and the team behind Expedition Agartha:
“I’m the Founder and Producer at Matrioshka games, but I also wear all the hats. I’m involved in every part of the development from Dev-ops to trailer editing.
I was born in Shanghai, moved to LA at age 5, and moved to Philly in 2016.
I’ve been developing games for 10 years now, starting as a mere hobbyist, and turning professional with my first commercial launch, Fallen Angel.
I had virtually no industry experience and my studio was built entirely from scratch starting in my college dorm room. My main support initially came from my parents, friends, and school.
Through sheer willpower and various contracts with demons, I have been able to create Matrioshka Games which is now a studio with partners and developers from all over the world.
Expedition Agartha is our second game and on a technical level should have been impossible to develop with a team of our size and experience. Our team performs miracles on the daily.
Most of the people I’ve brought onto our team I’ve met through Reddit. I haven’t even seen the faces of most of my team members. It’s quite the operation and it’s proof that anybody can develop indie games with a bit of dedication.”
Although having worked closely with Hunter, the MLC team would agree Hunter has more than just a ‘bit of dedication’!
How would you describe Expedition Agartha in 5 words
Multiplayer Medieval Hardcore Looter Survival.
What was the inspiration behind Expedition Agartha?
“I got the idea to make this game one night after a couple of rounds of dying in Tarkov and losing everything. I was rolling around in bed moaning and groaning and thinking about all the hard-earned gear I lost in a raid where I literally didn’t even fire a single bullet.
This is how we got the idea for Expedition Agartha, an extraction-based PvPvE experience with a more intimate combat experience.
I’m also extremely into inner earth lore and conspiracies. Throughout the development process, I actually have done enough research to say that the idea of Agartha and Inner Earth is real and those in power are working to hide certain archaeological secrets. Not kidding, this stuff goes deep and there is no doubt that secret knowledge across the world is being hidden from the public.”
What is the goal of the game?
“The short version: Don’t Die!
The long Version: Loot, survive, and extract. Explore inner earth, fight in deadly medieval skill based combat, and upgrade your gear to become the ultimate mercenary.
Will you find the secrets of Agartha?”
I really want to say yes… I will be using Hunter’s tips below to aid my quest! Let us know if you manage it.
What makes Expedition Agartha different from other survival games?
“The game is a little less serious than other atmospheric games of this genre. There is more room for roleplaying, there is more room for player interaction in-game instead of kill on-site.”
What in-game tips do you have for us?
“Control Tips:
- ‘Left alt’ to dodge, ‘F’ to kick
- Hold ‘left mouse’ to do a heavy attack that deals critical damage
- Raise and lower your weapons with ‘1’,’2’, and ‘3’
- Lowering your weapons will give you a speed boost
- In order to eat food, drag it from your inventory to your consumables hotbar (the four-slot one) and press the associated number key for that slot.
General Gameplay Tips:
- Kicking enemies can stagger them away for a free hit and will lower a blocking enemy’s defences
- Extraction sites are almost always on the direct opposite side of the island; Go to the large orange smoke plume to get out
- The smoke plume can be difficult to see in cloudy weather. Get to a higher elevation and scan the horizon attentively.
- Quitting or closing the game won’t let you escape the expedition. The only way to do that is to successfully find the extraction site
- Crossbows are tricky to use, but once mastered can be used to safely take out enemies at range
- Blocking just as an opponent strikes will stagger them
- If you can find a lantern, take it. It will be invaluable if you don’t extract it before nightfall.
- Expeditions last 30 minutes. If you don’t extract before the expedition ends, you die and lose your inventory.
- Before entering an expedition you can insure certain items. This ensures that if you die those items will return to your Stash once the expedition ends rather than being lost. If your corpse is looted before the end of the expedition, any items taken from it will not be returned to your Stash.
Advanced Tips:
- Lower-tier weapons with upgrades are often more powerful than higher-tier weapons without them!
- Running away can be even more effective than trying to fight to the death; just get out alive
- Ranged enemies are especially dangerous. Approach at your own risk, keeping cover between you and them as much as possible.”
How can people keep up to date with the game dev?
“Join our community discord! “
What’s been your favourite thing about creating Expedition Agartha?
“I think I’ve discovered more things I hate about game development rather than things I love. But ultimately the best part is playing the game myself and seeing everything work. It is truly a miracle that the game even works, not kidding.”
I’d like to thank Hunter again for taking the time to give us a little background on Expedition Agartha and the team behind it. If you love the sound of Expedition Agartha, head on over to Steam now to get your copy!
If you’re on the lookout for a creative partner, like Matrioshka Games, to help with the art or animation side of your game development then don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d love to hear about your project.
