Nivalis Nights characters
The studio promises more than 130 characters in Nivalis Nights, each with a side story, but only a handful have been named so far: Thaddeus, Banor, Salt Pete, Caleb, Ava and Far Hifadden, plus one name the trailer only whispers. The main character is you, with no face on screen and no name yet.
The main character
There is no character creator and no avatar to look at. The game is first person only, and “The only visible parts of the body will be your arms and hands.” The studio has not named the protagonist. The character creation page covers the camera and photo mode.
The named cast
Thaddeus Carmunis (also Carminus)
“A 92 year old business owner on the brink of retirement.” You meet him almost as soon as you leave your apartment. Gruff but friendly and tired of the city, he hands you his noodle bar and one piece of advice: “Be cunning or be kind.” He respects either choice.
His surname is spelled both Carmunis and Carminus; his in-game dialogue box says Carminus.
Banor
Your first employee at the noodle bar. He is 64, a former restaurant owner with a white beard and round glasses, cheerful and hard working despite his aches. He over-shares and tells bad jokes, and now and then says something wise. His sign-off: “I’ll see you first thing tomorrow boss.”
Salt Pete
A tall, blocky robot in a straw hat with two large glass eyes, running a makeshift ferry from the docks. Cheerful with a mean streak, he loves his passengers’ stories and keeps quiet about his own. His safety record, in his words: “I make this crossing safely 95% of the time, all of the time!”
Caleb
Known only through Salt Pete, who complains that “that old dustbin Caleb called me a bad sailor”. Pete bickers with the other robots at the harbor. Nothing else about Caleb is known yet.
Ava
Introduced in the release trailer by the departing owner: “Ava will look after you.” She knows the docks with the best fish and the streets with the best stories.
Far Hifadden
A greengrocer. The name appears on a vendor screen where you buy fruit, vegetables, oils and seeds. The food page has that screen.
The name in the dark: Aseptic
The release trailer has one more name: “A name only whispered on the streets. Aseptic.” It comes right after a line about fear in the heart of the city. The publisher’s first Q&A video puts the name on a wanted poster: WANTED, ASEPTIC, SERIAL KILLER, ANDROID MODEL JW-66, with information to go to Corp. Sec. That ties Aseptic to the mysterious serial killer in the game’s story, and makes the killer an android. Beyond that poster, the studio has not described Aseptic.
Everyone else
Most of the cast is still unannounced. The studio’s hints are types rather than names: “From fishermen who tell bad jokes to faulty robots who offer free therapy”. There is also CorpSec, the security force behind the crackdowns in your district. Asked on Reddit for favourite characters, the lead writer named three more: Lois Gyo, Fauxter and a trio of robot sailors, without saying who they are. The main plot, as far as it has been described, is on the story page. The studio reported over 6,000 voice auditions during casting, and English is the one fully voiced language; see languages and voice acting.
The studio has no plans at the moment to bring Camus, from its previous game, back to the city. The Cloudpunk page has more on that link.
Relationships can turn into friendship, rivalry, a business partnership or romance, depending on your choices, and a developer has said romance is open with some characters only. Which ones has not been announced; the relationships page explains the system.