When the team behind DARKTIMES began assessing which blockchain to enhance its newest game with cutting edge Web3 player engagement features, there could only be one answer: Sui. As a multiplayer brawler with RPG features and a dark sense of humor, DARKTIMES would need Sui's low latency and scalability to deliver the most satisfying experience for its players.

The team began developing DARKTIMES in 2021 with a vision to advance the state of the art in fast-paced multiplayer gaming. Rather than a battle royale, the team opted for what it calls a brawler royale, where characters begin as peasants and build up their skills and equipment to become champions. This RPG element gives players a sense of progression and identification with their characters.

Sui's low latency and ability to host transactions per second at the highest levels makes it the perfect environment for the kind of fast-paced action of DARKTIMES. In addition to its high performance, DARKTIMES leverages Sui's account abstraction features to give its players a seamless experience, with no knowledge of Web3 required.

An immersive, action-packed world

DARKTIMES features multiple maps anchored by deep lore, offering backstory not typically found in player-vs-player combat games. The Seven Realms have evocative names such as the Coast of Bones and the Golden Plain, each with its particular native populations, legends, and hazards. 

A description of the Vymar Delta mentions the warriors from that realm: "Fighting with the trident as their distinctive weapon, the Regent’s Army also employs round shields bearing the royal emblem and the blue cap that marks them out from civilians."

DARKTIMES features the Seven Realms, individual lands within the game each with their own unique history and populace.

The backstory for each realm includes the geography, character of the people, and the current political pressures instigating the game's combat.

In the game's first season, players choose between five characters: The Old Man, The Mammoth, The Huntress, The Noble, and The Exotic. More characters will be added in future seasons. As the players progress, the skills they choose and the equipment they acquire will individualize their characters. Along with melee combat, characters can use a magic system based on the elements.

Each game session begins with the player choosing a league to fight in, ranging from a beginner level to the Immortal League. The higher the level, the greater the potential rewards. 

Integrating Sui

Leveraging the unique properties of Web3 technology, DARKTIMES uses Sui to host digital assets, including the $TIMES token, which is integrated into the DARKTIMES ecosystem, Genesis NFTs, and various in-game character cosmetic items. In the Sui environment, all of these assets are written as objects, letting players own and trade them, or having the assets themselves mutate.

Although details have not been released, the $TIMES token will serve as the game's currency. Players will need to spend tokens to compete in higher level leagues. The token may also serve as the currency for item trades between players.

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Players will also acquire Genesis NFTs, which serve as tickets to enter higher prize pool levels.

The use of NFTs for cosmetic items in the game will provide personalization, letting players customize their characters' looks. There are many potential features of these NFTs on Sui, where some items may be more rare than others, and therefore command higher prices when trading. The mutable character of NFTs on Sui would also allow a crafting system, where players could customize their items, creating an even greater sense of ownership.

Most importantly, Sui's high performance network means that players will be able to swap and acquire NFTs items in subsecond times, as they would expect in any standard video game. Most blockchains suffer from longer latency, as they weren't designed to handle the performance needs of games.

An exciting release

DARKTIMES will run an early 20-day social engagement campaign called Rune Run beginning August 30, 2024, and plans to begin Alpha testing in November. The team will also be running a live playtest at Korea Blockchain Week. Early players will get a chance to acquire Genesis NFTs and experience the game's unique lands and player versus player combat.

To keep up with the latest information about DARKTIMES, follow its X account and Telegram. The DARKTIMES YouTube channel will showcase trailers and, eventually, gameplay video and dev content. The DARKTIMES community meets on its Discord channel.

DARKTIMES will be one of the first of a new genre of games featuring all the fun and action players crave, along with new features enabled by Sui.