*NOTE: This is the first bit of info about the game I've released here, so it is pretty long. Not all updates will be this long, hopefully. However, context is needed for a full understanding of what we are doing.*
As of now (January '16), we don't have too much done on the coding front aside from basic key inputs and movement. We've been working on nailing down the characters and themes mostly, as well as brainstorming the plot and drawing concept art. We do have some sprites down, however.
It's also worth noting that while we are aware that this story bears some influence from existing media (Undertale, Princess Mononoke, Frozen, Avatar (blue people and Airbender, lol), TLK, and others), therefore making some ideas sound a bit familiar, we've tried to build off of that and make a game that is our own creation.
Basically, the story starts out in an alternate fantasy world where magic exists, and centers on two siblings that are heirs to a chieftain. They live in a village carved into the walls of a canyon. The designs of the settings and characters are influenced partially by real life Native American tribes (Navajo, Pueblo, Quechua), and some fictional worlds.
(My friend just drew this up last night, so it is still quite rough, but it articulates some basic ideas we have for the design - if you want to see the entire image, right click it and select "Open image in new tab").
(I drew this one. My forte is writing, and... yeah, you can tell who the better artist is, lmao).
We are still working on building up the world and settings. Before this reboot of sorts, we had them live in a forest, so we still have some designs for that that may get incorporated into the game at some point.
I drew the last one... it was never finished. Apologies.
Mostly what we have so far is the two main characters - the siblings. They are the main driving force of this story. The player will likely end up playing as both, and the decisions they make will influence the fates of both of them and their relationships to the outside world.
The
main main character is the younger sibling, Nina, and the predominant story arc will probably center around her. She is the daughter of the chief and at the time of the story's beginning is somewhere around 17 or 18. Despite being younger and being a female, she is characteristically competitive, headstrong, and temperamental, often to the point of outward aggression; secretly she is quite insecure and hard on herself, but she does not let these feelings show because she feels that she needs to be strong and toughen up so that she can become a good leader and provide for her family and people. She does not place much faith in her brother and his ability to lead (or lack thereof). Her main struggle through the story will be to learn compassion, accept her weaknesses, and to realize that having empathy does not mean she cannot be a strong leader. Whether she learns these points or not will be up to the player's decisions.
Her design is mostly set in stone at this point in time.
Very early concept art. We ended up settling for a design approaching the colored figure.
Another early, rough draft done by my friend in late 2014 (unfinished).
Finalized design of Nina with some tentative party members - a friendly, outgoing and helpful man named Kalil (pictured with his parrot), and a tough, cold young woman named Rani who is in control of fire magic.
"Talk sprites" that appear in a dialogue box when a character is speaking. These show some different emotions.
And finally, sprite designs that are going to be used in-game, hopefully. Though they may be subject to change.
- SPRITES NINA WM.png (7.79 KiB) Viewed 8132 times
We have a lot of art for Nina. That being said, though, the focus of the past couple days has been mostly on the other sibling - her brother, Caiya. I've done some written sketches featuring the both of them and me and my friends have worked together on some tentative dialogue scenes and brainstorming, so that we can get a better grasp on his character. As a result, we have a much clearer picture of who he is now, as opposed to the 2014 version. However, any of the information contained below may be subject to change, as we are still in the process of fleshing out the protagonists.
At this point in development, we are considering having him as a playable character; even though Nina is the main focus, his journey will certainly be the most important side-arc. The decisions that he makes (whether affected by the player or not) will greatly influence what happens to Nina and her companions.
Indeed, the main kick-off for the story, and what causes Nina to embark on her journey, is centered around him.
In contrast to his sister, Caiya is well-intentioned, soft-spoken - albeit very serious most of the time - and compassionate. This can sometimes lead him to be over-emotional and irrational, though he hides this well. As the designated future leader (Caiya is several years older than Nina: about 22 or 23 at the start of the story), he feels immense pressure to be physically and emotionally toughened. Therefore he can also be very reserved and withdrawn, though he would rather prefer not to be. Overall, he is considered to be weak by his sister (though she admits that he is quite intelligent and resourceful).
Complicating matters further, Nina's brother is afflicted with an ancient curse known as the blight - a power of death and decay. Its effects vary, but grow more pronounced when the user experiences strong negative emotions such as fear, anger, hate, etc. Things that he touches, particularly when emotionally upset, will wither (in the case of plants), mold/decay/rot, or begin to die (animals). It also affects him to a certain extent - he generally doesn't have too much energy, and he always wears long gloves and closed-toe shoes regardless of the weather conditions, as the effects of his curse have caused his fingers and toes to begin to die.
Normally, those with the blight live isolated lives away from other people, often in a state of self-enforced exile. When discovered, though, those with the curse are often killed. However, because his parents, the leaders of the tribe, are concerned for their son, they keep his power a secret, even though he is the reason why they are ill. This causes further spite on Nina's part.
Caiya cares for Nina, but they do not spend much time together on account of the family not wanting her to be hurt. Combined with her general resentment of him and the ill effects caused by his power, they have a strained relationship (though she, too, does care about him to an extent). His main areas of growth through the story center on his ability to remain caring and compassionate, even in the face of adversity, and to learn to control his feelings and his powers without completely losing contact with them/becoming emotionless. How well he succeeds will, again, be determined by the player's choices in-game.
At the beginning of the game, we are planning on making an animated cutscene - this will detail the events that cause the main story. In short, however, Caiya is initiated as the next chief of the village, and is given an unhatched dragon egg to commemorate the occasion (we are still working on the details to this, as it is an old idea from 2014 that never got expanded upon much - we are thinking of inserting dragons as a main symbol of their culture, and having a tradition whereupon the head of the village comes into possession of one as a symbol of their power). Afterwards, though, a nervous Caiya is confronted by Nina, and they get into a fierce argument. He leaves a mark on her (as the result of the blight), and accidentally kills the dragon.
Once he realizes what he has done, he reaches the breaking point, and feels that everything is simply too much for him. He decides to run away to avoid what he sees as inevitable: hurting everyone else while in power.
Nina is the first to find out about his absence, and - feeling guilty - resolves to find him and bring him back to the village. Initially, she believes that she is right in doing so because (in her view) leaving in such a way is weak and selfish - she also leaves partly out of concern for him; however, her sibling objects to her following him, and they become entwined in a long journey in this way. Ultimately, she either succeeds in growing into a capable leader, becoming compassionate and understanding, and supporting her brother/convincing him to come home, or she becomes insatiably aggressive and brutal. Caiya, similarly, will either grow in his understanding of himself, learn to live with his powers, and become a wise leader, or he will become completely withdrawn, heartless, and overtaken by the blight. This depends on actions in-game, though we are still thinking through the rest of the plot, the ending, and how and where these choices will come into effect.
For now, we have concept art of a mostly-finalized Caiya (we never got a really good piece/design of him out of the 2014 version of the game, so this is all recent additions).
An early design/concept sketch, done by my friend.
A more complete ref (currently my profile picture and computer background, lol).
Caiya's current set of talking sprites (there is no in-game sprite of him at this time).
A quick sketch of the two of them together, currently in-progress. (Expect a more complete version later, perhaps).
Oh, and a quick note in closing - we do have some music ideas. However, these are still in development and not currently posted anywhere online. We mostly worked on them in person (back when I lived in Washington) or through video calls, so the files are still on my friend's iPad in GarageBand. It may be a while before any are officially released here.
