Gehenna's Gate
| The following information has not been confirmed by Volition and is therefore not canon for the FreeSpace universe. Also, it may contain spoilers regarding Series Resurrecta campaigns. |
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General Info
Author: Mobius
Missions: 8
Release: October 16th, 2020
Mods included: Shadows of the Great War
Part of: Series Resurrecta
Development
Just like the other SerRes campaigns, Gehenna's Gate or GehG started as an independent and unofficial Inferno endeavor by its author, Mobius. Progress on this campaign started on August 28th, 2009, and the project entered a limbo phase for several years, until the author decided to resurrect the campaign and release it. Several work in progress screenshots of this campaign can be tracked back to very old content on INFASA's official profile on ModDB.
GehG was ultimately released on October 16th, 2020, as part of the SotGW collection, just like The Spirit of Ptah which was even older.
Approximately one week after the release of GehG, old plans dating back to March 2007 and concerning an INFA campaign concept named Spider's Reach were rediscovered. The campaign concept, created by Woomeister, focused on the GTD Bastion and the PVD Unity as they took care of remaining Shivan forces after the Great War, including an Arachnas installation. This is probably what eventually spawned what would have later become Gehenna's Gate in August 2009, though the differences between the two plots are considerable.
Story
The Lucifer has been destroyed and the war seems over, except it really isn't. Challenged by major difficulties, in the form of a devastated homeworld (Vasudans) and a lost home planet (Terrans), both species try to eliminate the few remaining Shivan forces in Delta Serpentis, Ikeya and Ross 128. At first, the Shivans seem disoriented and all but incapable of efficient counterattacks, but at some point, they regain momentum and threaten the Alliance once again. As a pilot of the 144th Ghost Dolphins serving onboard the GTD Veritas, an Orion class destroyer, help the Alliance in the effort of securing Terran and Vasudan space from the Shivan threat, once and for all.
As per SerRes' style, Gehenna's Gate features fictions before each mission. Shown texts are in part related to the campaign, but also try to answer some of the big questions about the FreeSpace Universe. A set of fictions called Tales of a Reporter, feared to be lost but later - and surprisingly - recovered, was turned into species.tbl entries, unlocked progressively during the campaign itself.
Notes
Just like The Spirit of Ptah, this campaign is centered on a system that takes account of the player's accomplishments during his playthrough, and the overall performance has certain consequences on the final outcome. The final mission, in fact, has two possible endings, and the chances of getting either are in part due to the achievement of key objectives during the campaign itself.
Gehenna's Gate loading screens cite the inscriptions on the Gates of Hell, as described by Italian poet Dante Alighieri in his Inferno - Canto III.
Player comments
"A phenomenal experience detailing the final days of the Great War. Gameplay, story, music and atmosphere are all presented eloquently. Gehenna's Gate is a must play." - Colt
"This campaign really redefines the dread of the unknowable Shivans and their intentions for me." - Kitsune
Related Links
Campaign Walkthrough
Official SerRes - Shadows of the Great War release thread | Hard-Light Productions
