Ryley

Lore & Background

Ryley Robinson is the Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief aboard the Alterra Corporation's spaceship Aurora. The Aurora crash-lands on 4546B while attempting to locate the wreck of an earlier ship, the Degasi. Ryley is among the crew to eject in escape pods, but he is knocked unconscious during atmospheric entry. By the time he wakes, he finds himself to be the sole survivor. He is contacted by the trading ship Sunbeam, which responds to the Aurora's SOS, but when the Sunbeam attempts to rescue Ryley, it is shot down by the Architects' Quarantine Enforcement Platform. Ryley investigates and discovers the weapon will continue to shoot down any ship it detects attempting to enter or exit the planet's atmosphere, to prevent the spread of the Kharaa bacterium. The control panel detects Ryley is infected with Kharaa and denies his input to disable the weapon. Ryley ventures deeper into 4546B, learning of the Architects' history through exploration of their facilities. He discovers the last living Sea Emperor Leviathan, still captive in an Architect containment facility, who can communicate telepathically. Ryley activates a teleporter inside her aquarium to allow the Leviathan's young to leave; in exchange, she provides Ryley with the recipe for an enzyme that will allow her eggs to hatch. Ryley uses the enzyme to hatch the eggs; the Leviathan young release large quantities of potent Enzyme 42 into the environment, curing Ryley and halting the bacterium's spread throughout 4546B. A cured Ryley can disable the Quarantine Enforcement Platform, construct an escape rocket based on blueprints recovered from the Aurora wreck, and leave the planet.

In Their Own Story

Ryley Robinson, the Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief, is the sole survivor of the Aurora crash on 4546B. After ejecting in an escape pod and being knocked unconscious, he wakes to find himself stranded. He is contacted by the trading ship Sunbeam, which responds to the Aurora's SOS, but it is shot down by the Architects' Quarantine Enforcement Platform. Ryley investigates and discovers the weapon will shoot down any ship attempting to enter or exit the planet's atmosphere to prevent the spread of the Kharaa bacterium. The control panel detects Ryley is infected with Kharaa and denies his input. Ryley ventures deeper into 4546B, learning of the Architects' history through exploration of their facilities. He discovers the last living Sea Emperor Leviathan, still captive in an Architect containment facility, who can communicate telepathically. Ryley activates a teleporter inside her aquarium to allow the Leviathan's young to leave; in exchange, she provides Ryley with the recipe for an enzyme that will allow her eggs to hatch. Ryley uses the enzyme to hatch the eggs; the Leviathan young release large quantities of potent Enzyme 42 into the environment, curing Ryley and halting the bacterium's spread throughout 4546B. A cured Ryley can disable the Quarantine Enforcement Platform, construct an escape rocket based on blueprints recovered from the Aurora wreck, and leave the planet. In its final telepathic communication, the Sea Emperor poetically compares itself with Ryley.

Reader's Guide

Ryley Robinson is the player character, controlled from a first-person perspective. The main objective is to explore the ocean of the alien planet and survive its dangers while completing tasks to advance the plot. Players can collect resources and blueprints, construct tools, build bases and submersibles, and interact with the planet's wildlife. The game offers four difficulty modes: In survival mode, the player manages their depleting health, hunger, thirst and oxygen. If the player dies, they respawn, but certain items are removed from their inventory. In freedom mode, gameplay is near-identical to that of survival mode, but without hunger and thirst. In hardcore mode, gameplay includes permanent death. If the player dies, they do not respawn, and its save file is instead permanently deleted. Additionally, the player does not receive warnings of low oxygen levels as in other modes. In creative mode, all depleting characteristics, such as health and thirst, are removed. All blueprints are unlocked, allowing players to craft without the need for resources. Additionally, the player starts with a stasis rifle, a Seaglide, a mobile vehicle bay, and a propulsion cannon. All items, base structures, and vehicles do not require an energy source to operate, and vehicles are immune to crush depth. The game supports VR headsets, such as the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, with the additional inputs of a keyboard and mouse or game controller.

Did You Know?

• Ryley Robinson is the Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief aboard the Alterra Corporation's spaceship Aurora.
• Ryley is cured of the Kharaa bacterium by Enzyme 42 released by the young of the Sea Emperor Leviathan.
• Ryley can construct an escape rocket based on blueprints recovered from the Aurora wreck to leave planet 4546B.
• The Sea Emperor Leviathan communicates telepathically with Ryley and poetically compares itself with him in its final message.
• Ryley is the sole survivor of the Aurora crash; all other crew members are killed.