Penultimo remembers… Inside the narrative design of Tropico 6 | Kalypso Media Blog

8. March 2019

Penultimo remembers… Inside the narrative design of Tropico 6

Tropico6 Blog Post EN

Greetings, Tropicans!

Sunny Flowers, beloved radio host for the Ministry for the Tropican Misinformation and Propaganda, has once again interviewed Tropico 6 producer, Martin Tosta.

He gave us some insight about the campaign and missions in Tropico 6 as well as the unique narrative design of the game.

Sunny Flowers: Señor Tosta, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions. To start off with, why did you choose to incorporate flashbacks, where players relive the past memories of El Presidente and Penultimo?

Señor Tosta: My pleasure, Sunny. For Tropico 6, we felt that we could have more creative freedom for ourselves by developing a world with some truly diverse scenarios that fans of Tropico would really lose themselves in. It was a bit different in Tropico 5, where missions were on a linear timeline, limiting your ability to make more meaningful change in all these different scenarios.

Sunny Flowers: What else differentiates Tropico 6 from previous Tropico games?

Señor Tosta: The main things are that every mission is unique, the archipelagos themselves all differ from each other for varied gameplay challenges, and the flashbacks, which help to set a different tone and focus to each scenario. Take the mission “Pirate King” for example, where we created a mission that helps the player learn how piracy works and how it benefits your city.
These flashbacks gave us the ability to create challenges for all the important facets of Tropico 6.

Sunny Flowers: Sounds great! So, what is your favourite map so far?”

Señor Tosta: To be honest, I don’t have one. It’s like asking a parents if they have a favourite child. I loved working on all of the maps. There are elements of each and every one that I like, but I’ll admit that there are also some I’d like to improve, both before and after launch.

Sunny Flowers: That’s understandable, I’m sure our political leaders will discover their own favourite maps as well. So, why was Penultimo chosen as the narrator for the flashbacks?

Señor Tosta: With all due respect towards El Presidente, Penultimo is arguably the heart and soul of Tropico. If you talk to longtime Tropico players, it won’t be long until El Presidente’s famous right hand comes up in conversation. A big part of Tropico is its humour, and having Penultimo as the narrator helps us showcase that.
The Tropico series stands out from most other city builders because its narrative and characters are one-of-a-kind in the genre. Plus, you’ve got to give people what they want, right? More Penultimo, more Tropico!

Besides, who else could be better for bringing El Presidente’s story to such vibrant life? We want players to feel like they are truly playing the part of El Presidente, so having Penultimo narrate their adventures for them seems only fitting.

Sunny Flowers: Right. If I’m honest, I’m still a little offended that you didn’t choose me for the narrator role, but I guess I understand what you’re saying. Thank you for your time, Señor Tosta. And farewell to you, the loyal people of Tropico! On behalf of the Ministry of Misinformation and Propaganda, thanks for tuning in and see you next time!

If you still have any questions you’d like to ask the developer, feel free to get in touch with us on Twitter with our @KalypsoMedia, @KalypsoMediaUK, @KalypsoMediaUSA and @El_Prez handles using the hashtag #AskElPrez.

Or share your questions ideas and feedback with us in our Steam Forums!

Hasta luego!


Authors
Sunny FlowersFreelance writer. Loves Tropico and its flora and fauna.
Martin Tosta – The real voice of Tropico and producer of Tropico 6 at Kalypso Media.