“I spent about a year and a
half working with this small
team to build a prototype”
ABOVE Grav
cycles aren’t
defenceless – in
fact, they
usually bring
the big guns.they’re not military trained, they’re not
genetically modified Master Chiefs or
anything like that, they’re just normal
folks like you and me.”
Tragically, the human bodies left
after the process of Integration are
thrown away or destroyed, with the
person’s genetic material ‘saved’
in order to create a clone once the
technology has been perfected. “This
is the carrot hanging at the end of
the stick,” Lehto elaborates. “It’s this
prospect that’s sold to everybody at
the beginning of their Integration.”
Initially, Integration is an opt-in
programme, available only to the rich
and famous – those who can afford it.
It’s seen as an opportunity for people
to reinvent themselves and, at least
in the beginning, something that’s
quite stylish.
That robotic armature in which
humans have their brains implanted
takes on a human form, complete
with all the senses so that the brain is
stimulated and retains the feeling of
being human. “They even wear clothes
because they want to hark back to
who they used to be,” explains Lehto.But not everyone feels the same
way. These new bodies grant people
extended life, strength, speed, and a
large group of Integrated people relish
this more than being human. This
burgeoning faction begins to stratify,
forming a global military force called
the Rayonne. Members of this group
are set on a post-humanist trajectory
and no longer desire to return to
their previous flesh-and-blood lives.
“They want to continue to evolve,
and started to take on non-humanoid
forms, turning into things that are far
more monstrous than the humans
they used to be,” explains Lehto. “They
begin to lobotomise and regulate
those that they integrated, turning
them into unthinking, irretrievable
creatures.” The Rayonne soon seize
global control and begin issuing
commands for natural humans to
be integrated, by force if necessary,
which, naturally, sparks a civil war.
Some humans still agree to be
integrated, on the condition they can
become human again, but nobody
actually knows for sure if their DNA is
actually saved or not. So it’s far fromcertain they’ll ever be able to return
to their human form.War machines
During this civil war, the entire
planet is laid to waste, with vital
elements of human society destroyed.
Infrastructure is damaged beyond
repair, making it difficult to travel
between different locations. As a
result, grav cycles, flying one-person
vehicles, are developed to easily
navigate the ruined world. These are
mostly used as rescue transports or
utility vehicles to reach those in need,
but quickly they become popular
amongst ordinary people as vehicles
they can own. An entertainment show
that showcases and glorifies these
grav cycles crops up as a result,
hosted by the game’s protagonist –
an integrated human named Romer
Shoal. During the escalating conflict,
grav cycles become weaponised by
rebels in order to fight against the
Rayonne. Recognising these vehicles
as a significant threat, the Rayonne
outlaw grav cycles and declare that
only they are allowed to use them.DISINTEGRATION
More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 041