Inspirations for the Game
Hey Commanders!
In today’s devlog, we want to share the heart of our project—our inspirations. Everything has a story behind it, from the mechanics to the story to the characters, and we hope this gives you insight into our creative process. Let’s jump right in!
The Big Idea: A Grown-Up Pokémon in a Fantasy World
I have always dreamed of making something like Pokémon, but it was a bit more challenging and set in a classic fantasy world. Think of it as Pokémon for grown-ups, with a deeper strategy and a story-driven edge.
Another inspiration came from Pokémon Showdown. I’ve always admired its competitive system and how you can build multiple teams. It got me thinking—how cool would it be to create a game where collecting heroes/creatures has more strategic depth? That’s why team-building and diverse strategies are at the core of this game.
Finally, watching my wife obsess over Darkest Dungeon was a game-changer (literally). I loved its risk-vs.-reward mechanics and the tension of dungeon diving—but let’s be real, it’s a bit grueling. I wanted to recreate that nail-biting survival feeling with a less punishing twist.
Gameplay: Fast-paced and Full of Strategy
Combat is inspired by Pokémon, but we’ve made it faster and more fitting for a fantasy setting. Here’s how we spiced things up:
- Combat Text and Logs: We replaced lengthy callouts with combat text and added a log so you can keep track of the action.
- Swap Skills: This new feature lets you call in backline heroes to act immediately, saving time and adding strategy. Each swap skill has a unique cooldown, so choose wisely!
- Mana and Blood Magic: Instead of PP, we use mana and blood magic. Mana replenishes when heroes are on the backline, encouraging swaps for more action. Out of mana? Use blood magic—at the cost of your health—for a risk-vs-reward twist.
- Grimoires: As the battle progresses, you earn EX, which can be spent on powerful modifiers granted from your Commander’s Grimoires. Mix and match grimoires to find the best strategy for your team!
Visuals: A Blend of East and West
Our art style takes cues from some of our favorite Western games like Warcraft and League of Legends, infused with some inspiration from our favorite anime games like Epic Seven. We ended up with more anime/cartoon vibes against more detailed backgrounds for our characters. We aimed to have our characters set up to quickly swap to different palettes to allow various "shiny" versions per hero and creature.
Story: Mythology Meets Serious Tone
The story is a collaboration between me and my good friend Tom Keaten (Three Skies). We wanted a world rich in mythology. Inspirations like Lord of the Rings and Brandon Sanderson’s world-building influenced us heavily. Writing for a game—especially one as dialogue-heavy as this—was challenging for Tom, but what was the result? A story we’re proud of, clocking in at 100,000 words (that’s a 300+ page book!).
Character Spotlight: A Few Favorites
Designing characters was a team effort. Everyone, even contractors, had a chance to contribute. Here are a few highlights:
- Evelyn: Inspired by Eevee (Pokémon), with many “evolutions” (which we call promotions).
- Pokey: A humanoid opossum inspired by my wife, who calls every opossum she sees “Pokey.”
- Luxfur: A coyote-like creature inspired by a funny moment where an Italian character exclaimed, “Itsa coyoteee!” His name also means “light thief” in Latin.
- Havel: A tribute to the heavy armor character from Dark Souls. Our heaviest tank character carries his name.
- Jeanne: A nod to Joan of Arc, a staple archetype in many gacha games, now reimagined for our lore.
We’ll share more characters in future devlogs—stay tuned!
What’s Next?
In the next devlog, we’ll discuss the dungeon-diving mechanics and how we make every encounter feel unique and rewarding.
Do you have questions or feedback? Drop them in the comments—we’d love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading, and see you next time! 🙌