The Brink refers to the edges of all playfields in the Shadowlands. Barren, torn and twisted, it's literally the end of the world, with nothing beyond but void. Fearsome creatures roam the area, tearing at it and slowly but seeming inexorably ripping away shreds that are lost forever. These monsters are tremendously powerful and belligerent to one and all. Little is known about them, how they came to be or why they exist in this location. What is definitely clear however, is that any souls brave or foolish enough to leave the inner playfields and to venture across the transition area wherein the native flora degenerates and the fauna become increasingly hostile and exotic will inevitably face grave threats to their safety. Of course, there are certain individuals for whom this daunting challenge constitutes the very reason for going. 

This mysterious and rather daunting area is one of the locations introduced to date in Anarchy Credits : Shadowlands. The first full expansion pack for developer and publisher Funcom's award-winning science fiction persistent state title, it is said to offer a journey into a strange, twisted dimension filled with diverse environments and containing arcane mysteries of an ancient civilization. What is this unusual world really like? What other inhabitants are to be found there? What kinds of treasures lie waiting to be found, and what other dangers lurk within? There's almost certainly no one better qualified to answer these and our many other questions about the add-on than Game Director Gaute Godager. Accordingly, we were pleased indeed when he agreed to what turned out to be a truly massive and highly informative session that includes five cool new images.

Jonric: To start off, please give our readers an introductory overview of Shadowlands. How and when did the idea to do an expansion come about, and what objectives do you have for the gameplay?

Gaute Godager: The idea for the Shadowlands came about around one and a half years ago. One sunny Monday while I was walking to work, I thought, "What if the sun suddenly faded to almost nothing and the reality as we know it showed its shadowy side?" As if the evil core of our reality wanted to burst into freedom.

Something familiar turning unfamiliar can be much more frightening than something totally foreign. It is as if the basis of our knowledge goes away.