Iconoclasts is an action-platformer by solo developer Joakim Sandberg that spent nine years in development. Its protagonist Robin is a mechanic — a profession that is illegal in a world where technology is controlled by a religious organisation. The game’s narrative is about what happens when someone with a skill refuses to stop using it.
Robin’s diary — accessible through specific interaction points scattered across the game’s levels — shows a character who understands the social cost of her refusal and accepts it anyway. The diary entries are dated, and the dates correspond to events in the game’s backstory: Robin has been aware of the consequences since before the game begins.
Sandberg built the diary to show that Robin’s choice is deliberate rather than naive — she knows what unauthorised repair costs and chooses it regardless. The game’s political argument about specialisation, religious authority, and individual skill is delivered most clearly in optional text that most players engage with for character backstory rather than ideological content.
The diary’s final entry, written just before the game’s events begin, ends with Robin describing what she has to look forward to. She lists three things, none of which involve safety.
The attention to detail the developers put into this is insane. Makes the world feel so much richer.
This is the kind of discovery that keeps communities alive for years. Well documented.