We are approaching nearly 2 months since Reverse: 1999 launched globally, plunging us into its time-unraveling adventure with Vertin and friends.
As time intertwined with fate, we got an opportunity to talk with Bluepoch Games, the developers of Reverse: 1999, about the many interesting details of Vertin and the game.
English Voice
One aspect of Reverse: 1999 that was widely praised at launch was the English voice acting, particularly on how natural they sound especially with the characters’ distinct accents. Since many of the characters were mostly Europeans and Americans, we were wondering if English dialogue has always been part of the writing from the get-go.
To that, Bluepoch Games noted that they chose English because the language perfectly suits the world setting of Reverse: 1999. “We believe that good English voice acting can make the game more immersive, distinctive, and attractive.”
As for accents, Bluepoch said that they are heavily based on characters’ personalities and identities and that they hope players would feel that they are real people in our daily lives. “The accents are definitely an important part of the character design.”
“Therefore, the character design needs to be supported by a variety of historical facts or background stories. All of our characters have rich story settings, and some are even based on classic legends such as A Knight.”
Vertin the Timekeeper
Normally in most gacha games, the main character is a blank slate character for role-play reasons, however, Reverse: 1999 has a well-established protagonist in the form of Vertin.
As Reverse: 1999 moved away from the norm of gacha games, we asked the developers if there were any worries that players may not accept an established player character like Vertin during development. There were indeed worries as the developers responded.
“As the main character of Reverse: 1999, Vertin has a distinctive background and personality design.”
“We used to worry that this could affect players’ immersion in the game. However, after careful discussions, we believe that her independent, unique personality is essential to the completeness of the story. It will positively impact the entire narrative, fostering a deeper connection between players and the storyline. Therefore, we decided to maintain Vertin’s design, and we sincerely hope that players will appreciate this brave Timekeeper as they immerse themselves in our stories.”
Diverse Characters of Reverse: 1999
One part of Reverse: 1999 that many fans tend to bring up is the diverse cast of characters, especially the unexpected non-human characters such as APPLe, a literal levitating apple with a gentleman’s attitude, or Pickles, a border collie dog.
When it comes to the inspiration and why Bluepoch Games chose non-humanoid characters instead of having all humans, the developers noted that they want something different and exciting for Reverse: 1999, saying, “According to our background setting, the arcanists have different lineages. For example, Ms. Radio is The Awakened, aliEn T is The Beyond, and we also have arcanists like Druvis Ⅲ and Sotheby.”
“We value these ideas so much that we make the game’s characters look diverse.”
Future Stories in Asia and Beyond
As of the current version, the story of Reverse: 1999 primarily takes place in Europe and America. Given that there are already a few Asian characters in the game such as An-an Lee and Satsuki, we asked if Bluepoch Games has any plans to explore the history of other regions and continents, such as Asia.
Confirming that the stories of Reverse: 1999 will eventually go beyond Europe and America, the developers say, “As Vertin continuously investigates the ‘Storm’, she and her team members may travel to different eras and regions, experiencing new stories and foreign customs”
“At the same time, other members of the Foundation may also travel to various parts of the world to perform field missions. In our future versions, Vertin and her friends will not only venture into Europe and America but also into Asia and even further, more diverse regions.”
Historical Inspirations
As fans play through the game, many pointed out how the characters in Reverse: 1999 are heavily inspired by history and classic movies, and they certainly have a lot of research behind them. An example would be how Pickles is inspired by a dog of the same name in an event based on the real-world incident where the Jules Rimet Trophy was stolen four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
Bluepoch Games expanded on that and described how they design their characters, “Each character in our game has a great deal of detail related to the characteristics of the era and the region that they live in.”
“In the process of writing the story and designing the characters, our copywriters would find and draw inspiration from a wide range of historical facts and classic works, including but not limited to history, mythology, movies, TV shows, novels, games, etc.”
Message to the Fans
Concluding the interview, Bluepoch Games left a message to the fans of Reverse: 1999, saying, “Thank you all for your interest and love of Reverse: 1999.”
“Version 1.2 ‘A Nightmare at Green Lake’ was released on December 7th and the highly anticipated automatic battle system was introduced. You may claim up to 14 pulls in the game. Currently, we are working on new content for future versions, including character EPs and more. We sincerely appreciate your continuous support.”
As mentioned, Reverse: 1999 is currently on Version 1.2 “A Nightmare at Green Lake” update, featuring new playable arcanists Tooth Fairy, Jessica, Blonney, and Horrorpedia, as well as a bunch of horror-themed garments for various characters.
We would like to thank Bluepoch Games for the interview opportunity and for taking the time to answer our questions about Reverse: 1999 and many unique details about the game and its characters.
For more Reverse: 1999 content such as our character guides, Arcanist tier list, redeemable code list, and the latest news, be sure to check them out here at GamerBraves. To download the game, you can visit the official Reverse: 1999 website.
Reverse: 1999 is a 20th Century Time-Travel Strategic RPG developed by Bluepoch.
On the last day of 1999, the "Storm" fell upon the world. You witnessed an era reversed beneath the rising raindrops. Defying all reasons, what unfolds in front of you is the world of an era long past.
As the Timekeeper, observer of eras, you are free to travel through these eras after each "Storm." With the aid of Sonetto, a powerful Arcanist and ally from the Foundation, your mission is to travel through eras to where the "Storm" is most active, find other Arcanists who can sense the coming "Storm," and save them from being "sifted out" of the timeline.