Mesoamerica is having a hell of a year in 2024. With the release of Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail and Diablo IV’s Vessel of Hatred, the culture of pre-Hispanic Latin America has been entirely on display. With vibrant beauty and unique aesthetic, seeing the embrace of Latin America in games has been a breath of fresh air. Often not the cornerstone of AAA development when it comes to mythology, during the Path of Exile 2 media event, the cultural reimagining of indigenous Latin America took the front seat with the Vaal – as it did in the trailer for the game.
During a group interview with Game Director Jonathan Rogers, we asked about the new focus on the Vaal, a culture inspired by Mesoamerica in the gameplay we saw. “One of the acts is set in the Vaal civilization… [and they have] new tasks, new monsters and [more].”
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This isn’t the first time Grinding Gear Games has taken on Latin America. Vaal ruins and temples are present throughout the first game and the Incursion League, which focused on Spanish Conquistadors, with Aztec and larger Mesoamerican culture as the backdrop. In Path of Exile 2, the highlights of the Ascension Trials all embraced Mesoamerican mythology as the primary focus with noticeable iconography, specifically the winged jaguar creatures, the Trialmaster, and the Chaos God on display. Rogers added more to his answer when I mentioned the inspirations I saw.
The core of the media event was focused on showing off areas we hadn’t seen before, and chief among that was gameplay from Act 3, which centers primarily on the Vaal Civilization. “That’s why they ended up being a lot of [Mesoamerican] stuff there. Effectively, when looking at being inspired by different things in the game, we do a lot of referencing.”
“[We] try to make things as interesting and as accurate to the source material as possible,” he continued, “I like the fact you noticed that the creatures were inspired that way because there were a lot of specific references. For example, the Vaal has a chaos god, who is a three-faced God. And so all the creatures in that Ascension Trial have that three-face motif, but they’re based on mythical creatures from Mesoamerica.”
The three-faced god concept and the trial master’s character design directly represent a famous Aztec mask that features three faces and is adorned with chalchihuitl. It’s a detail that looks beyond the hieroglyphs and temple iconography and reaches a tad below the surface into representations of Aztec art in the game, showing a clear appreciation of the inspiration. In a game inspired by horror, there are depictions of sacrifice in the concept art. Still, the attention to detail in the overall character and creature designs shows a much broader palette of research than just Apocalyptico (which no one should use as research material, FYI).
But Mesoamerica isn’t the only culture represented in the game. Rogers added, “It’s quite interesting. For each of the acts, we try to look at that and take inspiration from different areas [of the world]. So obviously, in Act 1, we have a traditional Gothic-styled inspiration.”
Rogers continued, “In Act 2, you’ve got the Maraketh. Many people probably assume it’s from Middle Eastern [inspired], but it’s actually more Indian-inspired. People from India [who we’ve shown it to] actually recognize quite a lot of the stuff from that area. Then, in Act 4, you have the Karui, which is based on New Zealand and Pacific Island cultures… I think our content guys enjoy research and taking inspiration from such rich cultures.”
Rogers also noted that the game will feature a more robust campaign and story than ever before. With fully voiced scenes and a substantial amount of lore available, Rogers is confident that the game will expand on each of POE’s civilizations more than ever.
But embracing Mesoamerica and other cultures also means that the team’s unique brand of darkness is adapting its grit to a vibrant aesthetic. Turning a lush jungle into something horrific is a task that takes a deep hand, and the beauty of Path of Exile 2 is unmatched. Whether it’s giant orbs of blood dropping onto the map in an Ascension Trial or a body being sliced on a wall by a laser, the intricacies of the horror in the environments stand out. It is maintained throughout the area, inspired by Mesoamerica.
When asked about balancing the game’s horror elements and themes with cultures known for brighter and more vibrant aesthetics, Rogers explained that it’s all in the lighting. “You can make a bright area feel dark, like our jungle. The lighting has a lot of contrast, so it feels very similar in tone. Bright in some places but dark in others, it has a dark tone. The other thing is just making sure that we’re staying true to some of the horror elements and dark imagery to any [art].”
He continued, “This was also interesting for the Pacific Island stuff with the Karui. We’ve had to find a way to make it feel interesting and still [horror-inspired] in that way. Hopefully, when you see Act Four, you will also appreciate some of that [cultural inspiration].”
With travel and exploration a key component of Path of Exile 2’s story, it only makes sense that the Vaal is on the list. However, with Roger’s assertion that each Act will feature different cultural inspirations, the excitement of boss variety has been taken to a new level. With 50 bosses and 400 monsters available at the Early Access launch, Path of Exile 2 is already offering a world of exploration for its players, and that’s just what we know so far.
Path of Exile 2 releases in early access on December 6, 2024.
