Too Human: The Mythos of Baldur

Underneath all of the guns, cybernetic enhancements and future-tech, there is a god. A Norse god named Baldur, to be precise. Though Too Human deals with themes steeped in technology and its impact on man, the tale begins thousands of years ago in myth and legend. Using such references as leaping off points is nothing new in the videogame world -- one need only look to God of War for a well-known example of adapting myth to game -- but few have attempted to combine such contrasting worlds without sacrificing details from either. It begins with Baldur.

Silicon Knights was drawn to the idea of the untold stories in Norse mythology, particularly with Baldur. The tale is an important one of a beloved character, but carries with it a certain amount of mystique. Said KenMcCulloch, Director of Content at Silicon Knights, "Baldur is one of the most pivotal characters in the Norse pantheon -- his presence literally changes the world for all of the gods, yet his role isn't fully described. We found this rather alluring, since we could write more of our story into the mythology rather than letting the mythology dictate what we wanted to say."

With its hero nailed down, the team began to bring him to life. After going through "countless" variations and presentations of Baldur, Silicon Knights settled on the design that has become the face of Too Human. The idea was, "…to make him as heroic, as human, and as charismatic as possible. He needed to be friendly and approachable, yet tough and commanding. He needed to demand respect, evoke empathy and yet physically put the boots to pretty much anyone."

It's easy to see where these concepts came from. Read up on the Norse mythology and you'll find that Baldur is described in quite a positive light. He's the fairest, smartest, and most adored of all the Aesir. In short, he's the perfect hero to base a videogame on…almost. Though he's something of an Adonis, some retellings of the myth paint Baldur as a god without a strong record on the battlefield. This inexperience as a warrior is reflected in Too Human.

McCulloch explained this point, "One should remember that there are two main groups of gods in Norse Myth: There are the Vanir, who represent fertility and growth; and the other is the Aesir, who represent the need for battle and strength. Baldur clearly belongs to the Aesir group. One could say that he [Baldur] is more of a lover than a warrior in the myths, especially since there are few tales describing his exploits, but one can't exclude him as a warrior -- it's in his blood! It's probably more correct to say that at the time of the myths Baldur had no notable deeds as a warrior."

Then there's the whole issue of his myth being of a tragic nature. We'll steer clear of those events in the hopes of not spoiling anything for the game. Silicon Knights is sticking to the myth as closely as possible."To our knowledge," says McCulloch, "we've only really changed one thing as far as Baldur is concerned, and even that is debatable. Everything is accurate to the mythology, although I'm sure that a few mythology scholars might disagree. However, judgment can only really be leveled at us when the trilogy is completed."