Studio Imugi is ditching 'oatmeal' narrative design with Bonaparte-A Mechanized Revolution

Bonaparte–A Mechanized Revolution is the upcoming steampunk-infused 4X strategy title from Studio Imugi, the Canadian studio established by former Kitfox Games and Sabotage developers back in 2021.

The indie outfit has been quietly chipping away on the project since the pandemic, securing vital funding in the form of grants from the Canadian government and Ubisoft, scaling up from three co-founders to eight employees, implementing a four-day work week, and mulling over how they can punch above their weight in a genre dominated by juggernauts like Paradox, Firaxis, and more.

Speaking to Game Developer at Gamescom 2024, creative director Jongwoo Kim explains Bonaparte will empower players by ensuring they don't "railroad" them into choices.

He feels strategy titles and tactical RPGs often ignore the wider context of decision making to force players down certain roads. Discussing the grand strategy genre, specifically, Kim notes those titles are so "zoomed out"—often spanning hundreds of years—they also struggle to humanize their characters and narratives, leaving players struggling to establish meaningful emotional connections.

To counter those perceived pitfalls, he says Bonaparte will  "really zoom in on a narrow point in history where a lot happens."

Big personalities and big ideas for Bonaparte—A Mechanized Revolution

"We're looking at the revolutionary decade from 1789 to 1799 for the initial release, and there is so much in there in terms of big personalities and big ideas," he says, noting that the real-life Napoleon Bonaparte was initially quite "ambivalent politically" making them the perfect wildcard for players to inhabit in an outlandish alternate history.

"We emphasize that you are not Napoleon. You are Bonaparte in an alternate timeline. You are not bound by Napoleon's choices. You can choose to make your radical worker's republic if you really want to go for that. Or if you want to choose to be the king's lackey, you can also do that," says Kim.

"In terms of depicting history in games, often there's a belief that history is just the names, places, and dates. That's actually the boring stuff. What's interesting is why people do something. What were the dynamics behind these factions? Why couldn't they come to peace?"

Kim says Bonaparte will look to deliver "alternate history with authenticity," but notes that players shouldn't expect a full blown historical simulation. The title will take place during a niche period and focus on a select few historical figures, letting players become deeply immersed in a moment in time rather than pulling them across multiple generations.

How does that play to their advantage in a market with a litany of expansive historical strategy titles? Kim believes Imugi's approach can win players over by eschewing "oatmeal" narrative design conventions. "It's about having more meaningful outcomes from your choices," he continues.

"I think grand strategy games with a massive scale allow us to have a lot of choices that really change games and their outcomes, [but] there's a saying in game narrative circles about oatmeal experiences. There are these bumps, but there's so small and they're everywhere so you don't really notice that each bump is actually a meaningful choice. By really zooming in on this era and focusing on key figures I think we'll have a much more defined experience."

Kim hopes it's an approach that can turn Bonaparte into a "spicy appetizer." A delectable morsel that, while not quite as hearty as oatmeal, is altogether more potent.