Posted

Jun 20th 2008

Mood

Confused

Music

Viva la Vida

I tend to think of these a lot, mm? It just sucks that I don't have programming skill. But a lot of ideas seem overly ambitious amyway, viable as they may be.

This one relates to Pepper & Co. Past ideas typically related to casual and puzzle games ("Spectrum" is the best example), but this idea is more action-oriented, and seems very old-school to me. Maybe it's the theme.

Based on the story written a few years ago, it's "Sir Ataru's Magic Quest." Playing the role of Sir Ataru, you would have to travel through dangerous lands to rescue Princess Lina and save your homeland.

The way I've thought about this game is inspired by a number of different ideas. The main control scheme is like a "Monster World-meets-Smash Bros." ordeal. As RPG as it slightly is, the experience is mostly platformer, and Sir Ataru attacks enemies in a variety of ways, depending on both the combinations you input and the weapon he wields. Along with weapons, Sir Ataru has to look into shields and protective wear to ready him for the quest ahead.

Accompanying im on his journey are "Assistant Characters" who tag along with Sir Ataru. While your whole party is technically with you, you only select one to be on the field. The character in play then does what they do best automatically; for example, young mage Pepper will begin to cast spells on baddies to stun, distract, or occasionally harm them. Olive and Kira also become party members, playing different roles from the story--Kira has become a palace guard while Olive as been made into a divine valkyrie, and they specialize in defensive and offensive support, respectively. Naturally, the more one is on the field, the more experience they have, and the more effective a job they do. It is especially amusing to see Pepper mess up a spell and accidentally strike Sir Ataru, which actually dosn't do much for you in terms of progress...

Naturally, even with a more active and violent setting, Pepper & Co. remain very much like themselves; Pepper is a little odd and unstable, Kira is no-nonsense with an attitude, Olive appears to have no clue, and Sir Ataru...well, he's still a fraidy-cat. This actually plays into his "hit points." Called his "drive," it actually tunes more into Sir Ataru's courage rather than health. I don't like to give off the assumption that these guys really get hurt during this adventure, so I find this mroe satisfying. What's better, when he runs out of his drive, he becomes too scared to go further and runs to hide under the last bed he's spotted. If you hadn't guessed, beds are essentially "save points" in this world.

What would be better to employ in this game is an obvious changing of Sir Ataru's drive on his person. If he has a lot of drive, he appears bolder and moves with more energy. If he's got little drive, he appears frightened and seems to move in a more panicked manner.

The perfect tutor for Sir Ataru in the beginning of his adventure is the spirit living within him: the late, great Sir Fuego. During certain moments, Sir Ataru will suddenly "zone out" and appear in a world of unconsciousness, where it is only Sir Fuego and himself. As usual, Sir Fuego's calming nature helps Sir Ataru get ready for what lies ahead, and uses supernatural methods to refrest Sir Ataru's memory about certain things like attacking and defense. Eventually he wishes to become an Assistant Character too, which isn't really obvious (you appear to be by yourself) until things get very intense; Sir Fuego suddenly possesses Sir Ataru's body, and for a brief period he is invincible, attacking and defending with great power. It isn't a frequent occurence, although it gets more frequent with more experience, but these bursts do help Sir Ataru get his bearings back if used efficiently...

In related news, the story will of course have Sir Ataru rescue the princess, but other happenings go on beyond this daring mission's completion. It's an attempt to make Sir Ataru a well-respected figure by others and by himself. The timid little lion needs what he can get. :3

But yes, that's what's been in mind. It's actually been circling around my head once before, but for some reason it's resurfaced. Ah well...

--Malamite Ltd.
"Yoinks! And away!"