Kristala Developer Describes The Creation Of A Whole New Language For Their Feline Anagativa Race

Kristala is an upcoming dark fantasy ‘Sekiro-like’ from Astral Clocktower Studios; you’ll soon learn that two twin pillars of cats and heavy metal are significant influences on the game.

The setting of Kristala is Ailur, a fantasy world with animal-based societies. You play as a Raksakker, a young warrior from the feline Anagativa race. One of the most interesting aspects of Kristala is how much world-building has already been established for the various peoples of Ailur.

In an interview with Game Rant, studio founder Alexis Brutman spoke about their creation of a constructed language for Ailur. The studio employed the services of a linguist who created a language analogous to English. English sounds were assigned symbols, which matched Ailuran sounds, allowing developers to utilise a font pack for simple translation between the two languages.

Meow You’re Talking…

“So, we started with the written form, because [the linguist] wanted a language that looked like cats had scratched it into sand,” Brutman begins. “She made each letter an equivalent letter that had its own sound attached… So, I’m typing the word ‘cat’, the font gives me three Ailuran characters and then I can look up in my guide what sound that makes and then I have a word.”

By focusing on the sounds these symbols make, it disguises the simplicity of the constructed language, stopping it from feeling like a cipher of English. So, Ana (short for Anagativa) doesn’t correspond audially to the letters C, A and T. It’s a sound-for-sound translation, rather than a letter-for-letter one. This process has been repeated for Ailur’s other races, like the rodent-like Kotakaya.

With the inclusion of a constructed language and various deathcore vocalists in Kristala, it’s clear that audio design is a major priority for Brutman and Astral Clocktower Studios.

Kristala enters early access in May on PC. A full release on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X/S is planned.

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