14 DAY TRIAL // Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm has only been out for less than a week, but the team working on the game at Blizzard is already comparing it to one of the biggest science-fiction movies of the 20th century, the second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Chris Metzen, the franchise development director working at Blizzard, tells PC Gamer that, “Heart of the Swarm is definitely the dark, Empire Strikes Back middle chapter.”
The developer goes on to talk about the core ideas of the Starcraft franchise and about how Jim Raynor’s motivation and love for Sarah Kerrigan have put into motion a series of events that will change the core state of the game’s universe.
The finale of Wings of Liberty, the first installment in the Starcraft 2 trilogy, saw the Queen of Blades return to human form, but Zeratul suggested that a darker threat than the Zerg loomed somewhere deep in space.
Heart of the Swarm has an interesting narrative that shows how Kerrigan repays Raynor and deals with her connection to the Zerg swarm.
In the interview, Metzen offers more details on the story and its implications.
He adds, “All of this speaks of a much grander mythology that Wings just kind of began to tease, that ultimately will result in Legacy of the Void; that’s why it’s called that, the whole thing comes back around again.”
Blizzard says that it is already working on the third chapter of the Starcraft 2 saga, but is not yet talking about a possible launch date for the game.
Wings of Liberty was released during the first half of 2010, so fans might have to wait another three years to see how the overarching narrative ends.
We have a full Softpedia review for Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm.