Blargh blargh blargh

I make games. I draw stuff. I put the stuff I draw into the games I make.

[erilex]

[erilex]

[erilex]

An optional boss. You can sit in his fancy throne after you beat him. Not sure yet whether that will have any practical applications or if it will be just a cool little detail that’s exclusively for show. 

[erilex]

There is a demon summoning mechanic in the game. Of course, since you play as the demon, you won't be the one doing the summoning. Instead, you'll be the one being summoned.

Throughout the game, you'll come across several summoning circles with varying requirements (level, forms or weapons equipped, etc.). If you meet those requirements, you'll be able to answer the call of whichever foolish human has decided to risk his soul in exchange for your services.

(Summoned demons are akin to psychic projections, so even if they can interact in a limited capacity with the living world, they remain trapped in Hell)

[erilex]

When you try to exit at the bottom at the screen, you'll get some generic "can't go back now" message. I'm thinking "I've literally gone through hell to reach this place, I'm not turning back now" will do the trick.

[erilex]

I've just now seen your project, and the monsters and architecture seem very interesting. Any inspirations in particular?

Anime Too many to list, honestly! Some that come to mind are Shin Megami Tensei games, classical greek and roman architecture, and artists like Igor Kieryluk (mostly known for his work on Magic the Gathering).

[erilex]

★♥ Doki Doki ♥★

The good news: I've finally finished the huge map I was working on. It will serve as a hub area of sorts for the game. The bad news: Predictably, it doesn't feel as big when I walk around it ingame. Adding NPCs and stuff to do should mitigate that, hopefully. It's deserted right now. The worse news: As anyone who has been paying attention has probably noticed by now, I'm failing miserably at that "update weekly" thing. Going forward, I'll stick to updating when I actually have something I'm excited to share. Like this gross... heart thing. Isn't it wonderful?

[erilex]

Progress is being made! I’m not even half done yet, though. This map is ridiculously huge. It combines both tiles and parallax. Graphics wise, it’s probably the most ambitious thing I’ve ever made for a game. 

[erilex]

Hey, sorry about the two weeks or so of radio silence. Doing some really tedious work on the game right now. It will be worth it (hopefully), but it's making it hard to muster the extra motivation to post about it on the internet. 

[erilex]

I imported a WIP parallax into the game to check whether the player could see all the cool parts of the finished map without wandering off the beaten path or glitching beyond the game's boundaries.

The answer, predictably, was "NO". Gotta retouch some stuff.

Also get those scrolls away from the water.

[erilex]

Happy new year! Progress is slow right now, due to Holiday season stuff.

Here's some early sketches of the protagonist's demon forms. I made sure to white out the nipples just in case (watch this post get flagged just for having the word “nipples” in it. Twice, even!).

[erilex]

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Repairing a broken form has the obvious benefit of being able to equip it again, but a few select forms will also grant you what is called a "Repair Bonus", a buff which usually takes effect at the start of the next battle.

Edit: Ewww, the gif doesn’t look great in the first place, but somehow Tumblr managed to make it even worse when resizing it.

[erilex]

Wow. I thought Tumblr would do a better job of keeping up the illusion of normality after its ill-advised adult content ban, but the site is visibly falling apart.

ANYWAY.

The Form Encyclopedia is a useful item you can count on to keep track of all the forms you have collected (and the ones you have yet to collect).

From this gif you can easily extrapolate how many forms there will be in the finished game. You just need to know your multiplication tables!

Spoiler: It's 24.

[erilex]

Hey, it’s those losers at the bottom of the title screen! You might have to squint a little to notice them:

Yeah, they are kind of screwed, aren’t they. 

Character introduction: The heroes

While you climb your way out of Hell, evil is also afoot in the world of the living. A cabal of dark magicians known as the Order of the Sunken Star is on the verge of completing a horrifying ritual they have been preparing for centuries. In opossition to them stands the Hoshigami clan, a family of exorcists and demon hunters dedicated to fight supernatural threats. The mystic mirror Yata no Kagami has shown them a glimpse of a terrible future, an approaching calamity that could destroy the world as we know it; and they have reason to believe it is somehow connected to the Sunken Star's plans.

Three young exorcists will find themselves embroiled in this conflict between light and darkness...

The young man at the center, sword in hand, is Mamoru, heir to the Hoshigami clan, and the chosen wielder of the holy sword, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, which according to the mirror's prophecy is the only weapon capable of vanquishing the encroaching evil. His tireless optimism and peerless bravery make him a beacon of light in these dark times. 

To his right (our left), the guy with the spear is Hideto. Direct descendant of Abe no Seimei, Hideto is a genius exorcist, and a master of the Seimei school of onmyoudou. In combat he wields the legendary enchanted spear "Ogre Slayer". He initially refuses to acknowledge Mamoru as the prophesied hero, but eventually comes to respect him as a worthy leader. 

Finally, the only girl (you know how the gender ratio works in these JRPG things) is Kotori, Mamoru's childhood friend and fellow exorcist. Her family have been retainers of the Hoshigami clan for generations. She has strong feelings towards Mamoru, but she can't bring herself to tell him...

[erilex]

Character introduction: Mimika

A merchant and master craftswoman, Mimika (Mimi or Mika for short) is one of the rare demons who would rather avoid conflict. Instead, she procures the soul essence she needs to survive by selling her wares. If one wishes to gain her trust, they will have to become a regular customer.

[erilex]

Character introduction: Shatter

Shatter is a demon with a somewhat disturbing fixation on the protagonist. You could describe them as Agdistis' self-appointed rival, if your concept of "rival" was someone who wants you to beat them up and eat their soul.

Despite their off-kilter behaviour, they have the potential to become a formidable threat. They'll do whatever it takes to be considered a worthy meal opponent.

[erilex]

Character introduction: Agdistis

Most damned souls are devoured by demons shortly after their arrival in Hell. This could almost be thought of as a small mercy, because Hell is, well, Hell.

The ones who manage to survive by preying on the souls of those weaker than themselves become twisted and monstruous, until they are indistinguishable from the demons that once hunted them.

Agdistis, the game's main character, is one such soul. Their human life was cut short by a great injustice, and as a result, they harbor a deep grudge against a world that they believe failed them in every possible way. Their ambition is simple: To reach the top of the White Tower, cross the treshold into the living world, and CLEANSE IT WITH UNHOLY FIRE.

----

Some people over at RMN were curious about the choice of name for this character. The long and short of it is, they chose to name themselves after a mythological androgynous deity because they don't identify as either male or female (That's also why I've been using the singular they to refer to them).