So...my latest attempt at a Pokemon fangame is inspired by Sun and Moon and Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, with a bit of Final Fantasy, Zelda, and Tales of thrown in.
The basic premise:
In Chiron, a fantastic Pokeworld far from the Pokeworld we know today, magic comes from a mystical substance known as Aether. For the most part, Aether is seen as helpful, but for those that would seek to abuse Aether and its power, there is the Order of the Aether Knights--an order of magic knights and paladins that defend the world from hostile monsters and other threats, as well as keeping the peace (though there are other orders too)
But not long after Lusamine, the 250th leader of the order and only the fourth female to lead it, ascended to lead, rumors of otherworldly beasts from another world began to swirl, and what started as intellectual curiosity became a near obsession for Lusamine. While she kept up an air of kindness in the public eye, in private she became cold, angry, and distant from even her comrades.
Lusamine's daughter Lillie, who preferred holy magic to knightly deeds, suspected that something had changed in her mother, and vowed to find out why her mother had been drawn to the darkness, and purge it before her mother did something truly terrifying. Her brother Gladion agreed to stay behind and find out what he could from inside the Order's walls, and wished Lillie luck on her quest.
But being a white mage that preferred to heal rather than fight, Lillie decided to look for help elsewhere--they could fight on her behalf, and she would make sure their wounds were healed and unpleasant conditions purged.
When she was ambushed by a bandit gang on the road, she found help in four best friends--the bow wielding red mage Ash, the shining minstrel Serena, the water specialist magic knight Misty, and the high summoner Brock.
The four friends had been traveling on a summoner's journey--unite the eight Jewels of the Aether to summon the god-Pokemon Arceus. Summoners did not often make the long and perilous journey, but when they did, it was usually in a time of great danger, and Arceus needed to be summoned.
Ash felt sorry for Lillie, and offered to help--maybe summoning Arceus would purge the evil presence from her mother, and banish the otherworldly beasts back to their own world.
Lillie agreed, but little did she know, she would be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
What I need help with (using RPG Maker VX Ace):
--Maps
--Sprites (mainly for Mystery Dungeon style sprites for Sun/Moon Pokemon)
--Animators
Anyone that can help out will be credited in the credit roll
::blows dust off::
So, I'm back, with a fangame to pay tribute to the double anniversary this year--the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda and the 20th anniversary of Pokemon.
The result (with some influences from classic Final Fantasy and Lufia) is called "The Tale of the Red Mage's Journey"
The basic story:
In a fantastic Pokemon world named Mikawa, minstrels sing of a blade called the Eight-colored Blade, that lies in a hidden grove of a forest not far from the town of Meralda (Viridian City in this fantastic world). Legends say that in hours of great need, only a great hero can draw the blade from its pedestal--and the one that does must then go on a great journey to unlock its full potential, and awaken the god Pokemon Arceus.
This time, a wizard named Lysandre has released the destruction bird Yveltal from her prison deep underground, unleashing an evil magic not seen in a thousand years--many Pokemon have gone wild, and monsters roam the land, bringing terror and despair in their wake.
Many made the journey to Glasa Forest, as the forest was named, to attempt to draw the sword, but one by one, they failed, as the Eight Colored Blade could only be drawn by one whose heart was courageous, true, and unselfish.
Finally, a red mage named Ash made the journey from his hometown of Vitiva with his childhood friend, a ranger named Serena. Much to his shock (and the crowd's amazement), he was able to draw the sword.
Now, alongside Serena, the water knight Misty, and the spellsinging minstrel Brock, Ash sets out on the grand journey to awaken Arceus and seal Yveltal once more...
I got my Pichu sprite and fixed my spellsong issue (why go to the trouble to make one animation when I could just as easily combine two existing ones?)
So now we are setting up for the trio's show...and your first decision that will affect how the real world audience reacts and what ending you will get.
Every choice like this will have a good reaction, a neutral reaction, and a bad reaction, and you won't know what choices get which reactions until you get Brock's final review at the end of the game.
If you picked all the good choices: "That was the best story arc the series has had yet!"
If you picked mostly good choices: "This was a very good story arc, never mind a few flaws."
If you picked all the neutral choices: "It had its good parts and its bad parts, but overall it was decent."
If you picked mostly neutral choices: "I would've done a few things differently, but it was all right overall."
If you picked mostly bad choices: "It had some good ideas, just bad execution."
If you picked all the bad choices: "Flawed as it was, it has its certain charm. But one bad story arc usually doesn't ruin a show."
I finally got the cold opening done!
Check it out: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1ty4gg_the-song-mage-chronicles-the-jewels-of-life-cold-open_videogames
I apologize for the lack of sound, but I hope to have a version with sound very soon.
I've been looking for a harp sprite that can be hung on a wall for a character to take down and play, because in the game, Arran's harp hangs on a wall by a shelf when the trio is in the Moongem Grotto--but so far, my search has come up fruitless.
Arran Seluna:
Arran is basically a music based red mage--he can heal and attack, and with some of his spells, you'll even get to hear his "voice"!
He mainly uses a sword, but he will also carry his harp into battle as well
He and his two companions, Jelan Mirana and Loras Kimbore, travel around the world of Thiannon searching for a variety of different mystical items. In the first arc of the story (the Eight Daina arc), they searched for the Eight Dainas that would form the Pendant of Crystal Auras (and banished a demon in the process). In the second arc (The Lightbringer Journey arc), they juggled escorting a fellow lightbringer and discovered some of Thiannon's ancient history, including the existence of the Wishsong, a legendary spellsong said to grant the singer's deepest desires.
It was revealed Arran was the latest in a long line of heroes and heroines to sing the Wishsong--the journey to prove himself worthy to sing it (and subsequently singing it to defeat a demon general and his army) are chronicled in the series' first movie, The Song Mage Chronicles: Once Upon a Wishsong. Since the first movie, he has sung the Wishsong a few times in the TV series, usually to defeat a particularly strong monster.
After a few filler arcs detaling the trio's past (the Path of Memories arc) and a tournament (The Tournament of Light arc), the series is ready to begin its fifth major arc, which sets up the series' second movie, The Song Mage Chronicles: The Great Pegasus Rescue,
Very skilled with the harp and storytelling, Arran is very wise despite his young age, and serves as the father figure of the trio (even though all three had kind and loving families, they are not often seen or mentioned in the TV series)
His sprite sheet: http://lightningtopaz.deviantart.com/art/Arran-Seluna-v-2-0-452081297
Jelan Mirana:
Jelan is an elementalist (the world's term for a black mage) who has an affinity for collecting flutes and flute-like instruments (he has a distinct tin whistle leitmotif in the TV show, which may or may not appear in the game) While it is never explicitly said just how many flutes he has in his collection, fan speculation says that he has collected over 200 types of flutes. (Ash believes he has about 150 different kinds of flutes and flute-like instruments)
Despite his gung ho goofball appearance, he can and will take charge when the situation requires it. He will sometimes brag about his exploits (complete with a bombastic theme played for laughs), only for someone (usually Loras) to step in and tell what really happened (complete with record scrape)
Although a bit rash, Jelan does care deeply for his companions, and is actually fairly knowledgeable about ancient lore (making him a good person to have when exploring ancient ruins)
In game, he is a combination of a black mage and a ranger, wielding a bow in battle and often using a magic whistle to cast spells
His sprite sheet: http://lightningtopaz.deviantart.com/art/Jelan-Mirana-v-2-0-452082106
Loras Kimbore:
The yin to Jelan's yang, she is the voice of reason for the group, and quite capable of taking care of herself in battle. She loves to dance, so much so that she has earned the title "The Sapphire Dancer". Very intelligent, she knows many obscure facts about Thiannon, and is sometimes afraid to admit she is wrong.
She is also not too shabby on the fiddle either--in the original comics, she too was a Song Mage, channeling spells through her instrument. In the TV series, she has sang a spell of her own, usually when Arran can't sing or needs to buy him time to sing the Wishsong.
In game, she is actually a offensive white mage--she has attacks that damage in addition to healing and buffing skills. In battle, she wields a type of enchanted chakram called a spinner, which returns to her like a boomerang when it hits its target. She also carries a shard of a crystal to focus her often light-based attacks through. Since she has been known to sing spells on occassion, you will get to hear her "voice" too.
Her sprite sheet: http://lightningtopaz.deviantart.com/art/Loras-Kimbore-v-2-0-452082331
About "The Song Mage Chronicles: The Jewels of Life":
One of Ash and co's favorite TV shows is "The Song Mage Chronicles", a smash hit animated fantasy adventure series about a minstrel that can sing magic named Arran Seluna and his wanderings around his world to gather mystical items, songs, and stories. As the show's second movie nears release in theaters, the TV show airs one last major story arc setting up the second movie's premise (saving a baby pegasus from an evil wizard)
You, the player, will take the role of Arran Seluna and his two companions Jelan Mirana and Loras Kimbore and play through the TV episodes, but be aware that Ash and co. will be praising or heckling your choices as you play (as well as gently riffing on the Pokeworld, RPG tropes, and fantasy cliches in general)
Will you create the best story arc in the show to date? Or will your choices relegate the story arc to "So bad, it's good"?
Game Features:
The game takes many cues from Zelda, classic Final Fantasy, and Mana--as such, there are huge dungeons to explore and plenty of treasure to find. But you are also controling a TV show, and Ash and the gang will have plenty to say about your quest, including praising or heckling your decisions. If you annoy the gang too much, Ash is not opposed to changing the channel (meaning Game Over for you--but don't worry, you will get a few warnings before this happens)
Each audience member has their own style of commentary:
Ash--poking fun at the cheesy parts
Misty--analyzing the plot and plot holes
Brock--musical references and references to other Nintendo games, as well as the Pokeverse itself
Dawn--gently poking fun at the characters
