Hi, here you go. I made this on a whim while I was updating ABSOLUTE DOOM.
Some additional notes under the cut:
- Archdemons are a tricky subject. Most people assume "Archdemon" just means "member of the Order of the Six," but technically this is never confirmed. In fact, the terms "Archdemon" and "Order of the Six" are never mentioned in the same Codex entry! "Order of the Six" appears in History of the Sentinels XI, while "Archdemon" appears in the Doom Eternal entries for the Hell Knight and Spectre.
- Given this, what we know about Archdemons is that they're called "immortal" by the art book, and the Codex refers to them as "eternal." The art book further calls them "Elder Hell gods." It appears Archdemons are very powerful demons, but it's my opinion that this is more a *category of demon* rather than a specific species, and that said category includes essentially any main antagonist demon (i.e. Ahzrak, the Mother Demon, the Imperatrix)
- The Art of DOOM Eternal is unreliable and shouldn't be taken as fact; I can fully admit this guide selectively picks info from the artbook for the sake of providing a concise tree. The artbook's errors include acting as if the Maykrs had their pact with Hell since before they approached the Sentinels (a verifiably wrong claim, the pact came far later); claiming Marauders were resurrected with Hell-Maykr tech (another wrong claim - Eternal's Codex states it involved only the Divinity Machine); claiming Urdak to be a "capitol city" (it is an entire dimension); and that the Father split his soul into the Maykrs upon death (he coexisted with them for a pretty long time). Because of this I try to take its claims with a grain of salt. The main stuff I take into account from the artbook only concerns claims regarding Erebus and Archdemons, which even then are shaky.
- Yes, there are multiple Dark Lords. Davoth is the Dark Lord, but after he was betrayed, the First Age began and more Dark Lords were appointed. In TDA, we see Ahzrak who is trying to become Dark Lord of the First Age by winning the Unholy Wars. We can presume perhaps the Second Age began when someone finally ascended after the Sentinels were defeated, which maybe leaves the First Age without a Dark Lord.
- While Doom 2016 never explicitly says the Imperatrix is Dark Lord of the Fourth Age, it is a very obvious conclusion to be drawn from the Codex. The Dark Lord of the Fourth Age is mentioned as current leader of Hell and master of the Barons, while the Imperatrix is hyped up as the "master" of Hell and a "god to rule over all other gods."
- My belief that the Dark Lord and the Order are two conflicting branches of government within Hell stem from TDA depicting Ahzrak at the mercy of the High Council, as well as references in the Codex seeming to paint the Order as primarily concerned with managing Hell, whereas mentions of the Dark Lord tend to involve commanding Hell's armies and managing acts of conquest. This isn't confirmed though. I used to believe the High Council is just playing "substitute teacher" during TDA and would eventually willingly abdicate power to whoever they'd end up appointing.
- Yes, I do believe Archviles are part of the Imp family, given TDA giving classic Imps new details that tie them to Archviles (flaming three-fingered hands, the same pain sound). I think Archviles are to Imp Stalkers what Summoners are to modern Imps.
Thanks for reading. Check out ABSOLUTE DOOM, which I linked above, if you want more Doom lore nerd shit like this.
Writing Special Pages for every pre-RTDL Kirby boss! - #8 - Kirby: Squeak Squad
Hi! I really like Kirby. I especially like Kirby's world and cute Special Page pause screens for the newer games. But the older games don't have them, so I made a bunch for every mainline game pre-RTDL!
So I wrote some for all of them, and I'm posting them here, one game at a time. So here you go, I spent a lot of time on them all so I hope you like them. Transcripts and notes below.
Click here to check out the other games in this project.
Transcripts:
STORO: "'EEK!! This pink guy is so small... and fast... I'm so creeped out...! But the boss trusts me to help! Gotta stay calm... remember my breathing exercises... Alright!! Time to squash that puffball and grab that treasure!"
SPINNI: "'Does this bozo really think he's faster than me? Nobody's faster than me! Put some treasure in front of me and I'll outrun a speeding star! I'm the fas- ...H-Hey, wait up, I was talking! That's cheating! Get back here!'"
DOC: "'Readings indicate that the pink fellow has much more power than my cohorts assumed... provoking him would be quite dangerous. How thrilling! I love this job! Forget the treasure - what's more valuable than battle data!?'"
KING DEDEDE: "It doesn't take a genius to tell that King Dedede stole your shortcake. It wouldn't be the first time he's stolen food. Seems that despite all the times he's helped you, Dedede can't help but revert to his selfish ways... Right?"
MRS. MOLEY: "Mrs. Moley has made her home down here in the Underground World since she was little. Over the years she's gotten sick of explorers making a ruckus. Her husband normally takes care of them, but he's out exploring."
KRACKO...?: "That looks like Kracko, but when did he get so... dark and stormy? And if Kracko lives in the sky, what's he doing down in the Underground World? The confusion is frustrating... and Kirby's hunger isn't helping!"
MECHA-KRACKO: "Of course it'd be Doc! An opportunistic theft has turned into a whole excavation since the Squeaks found the Underground World. Doc wants to test how efficient his airborne battle machine is at low altitude."
YADGAINE: "Yadgaine was built to help find the Underground World before the Squeaks realized the chasm they fell down, called the "Navel of the World," is the front door. Doc is now using it as a battle machine to prove it's still useful."
BOHBOH: "A solitary creature, Bohboh rarely gets visitors in this hostile region of the Underground World. They prefer it that way, so they'll scorch any strangers that travel this far. Rude... but to be fair, you did barge into their home!"
DAROACH: "'How persistent! I can't help but root for an underdog... I like you! Unfortunately, little friend, I like treasure more. I've coveted the Underground World's treasures for many years, and you won't stop me from claiming it all!'"
META KNIGHT: "Meta Knight challenges you once more, in the ruins of the Halberd. But... he didn't offer a sword? And- why is the Halberd flying!? For some reason, he's intent on taking this chest far away from Popstar. Take your dessert back!"
DARK DAROACH: "Malnourished by time and cut off from its source, it possessed the first thing it saw. A survival tactic for its kind. Daroach never cared about matters as dark as this... Now he is controlled by a force he cannot understand. Free him!"
??? (1): "Millennia ago, a terrible cosmic force roamed the galaxy, plunging all it touched into darkness. In the early days of Popstar, this force invaded. When all seemed lost and the world had darkened, one hero stood strong."
??? (2): "Once, the hero had defeated a similar foe with his friends. Now, he was alone and near death. With the last of his power, he sealed the heart of that dark force within a magic chest. Both he and the chest fell silent."
DARK NEBULA: "The Dark Matter Clan was, in time, wiped out... but the primordial Dark Nebula, once their ruler, seeks to restore their dominion. Luckily, it's in a weakened state. Hurry! Stop it before it flees, and the Dark Matter Clan is reborn!"
Finally, the last post! This is my final batch of fanmade pause screen mockups. Here are the links to all the other posts: Kirby's Dream Land / Kirby's AdventureKirby's Dream Land 2 / Kirby Super Star UltraKirby's Dream Land 3 / Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Here's the obligatory recap: I'm making pause screen text mockups for all the mainline pre-RTDL bosses. The project is 103 images in total, and comprises the aforementioned games, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, and Kirby: Squeak Squad. Finally we are at the last two games! These were both tough games to cover. Between Amazing Mirror's staggering vagueness regarding the Dimension Mirror and Dark Mind, and Squeak Squad's lack of in-game info surrounding the Underground World, I had to look at a lot of supplementary stuff and ask questions from people smarter than me. The objectives here (just repeating what you already know):
Write text descriptions that feel accurate to Kirby's tone - with levity, humor, and more serious text for the final act. Screens sometimes reference other games.
Make image mockups that feel authentic to the games themselves. To this effect, I made all these mockups in the resolutions of the games themselves, and tried to use appropriate fonts (some of which work better than others).
Include a healthy amount of for-fun worldbuilding and connections to other titles, with an increased emphasis on info from JP scripts and out-of-game info. Some of this is headcanon stuff, but I tried to make it feel like it could come from the games themselves.
Use the average length of a text screen from Kirby: Triple Deluxe and onward as a baseline for text length.
Squeak Squad gets a bad rap, and to be fair I think it's one of the least notable Kirby games. For this game I wanted to really focus on fleshing out and characterizing the Squeaks. Storo, Spinni, and Doc all get text screens for whenever they've spawned into a level, all of them monologues from their POV - Daroach gets a similar screen, which I researched Mass Attack's Daroach dialogue to pin down.
I also was frustrated that Squeak Squad barely acknowledges its Underground World setting in-game, which I actually like and I think it seems to tie into Great Cave Offensive, so I wanted to mention that a lot.
Dark Nebula gets three screens - two for its small form, which you pursue across two screens of platforming, and one for its actual boss fight. Many tend to see Dark Nebula as a successor to Zero/02, given its JP name "Dark Zero," but I prefer to see it as a primordial remnant of an iteration of the Dark Matter Clan that far precedes the Clan we saw in the Dark Matter trilogy. For its backstory I tried to harken to Star Allies and its lore regarding Void Termina and the four heroes who sealed it away in the past.
In general I wanted the Dark Matter mentions/references here (and the Amazing Mirror screens) not to come off as too much like fanwank. I'm hoping they feel natural and Kirby-like.
Writing Special Pages for every pre-RTDL Kirby boss! - #6 - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Hi! I really like Kirby. I especially like Kirby's world and cute Special Page pause screens for the newer games. But the older games don't have them, so I made a bunch for every mainline game pre-RTDL!
So I wrote some for all of them, and I'm posting them here, one game at a time. So here you go, I spent a lot of time on them all so I hope you like them. Transcripts and notes below.
Click here to check out the other games in this project.
Transcripts:
WADDLE DEE: "He may look like a Waddle Doo, but he's actually a Waddle Dee possessed by a member of the Dark Matter Clan. It picked a pretty weak host, but that will change quickly if it isn't purged from the poor guy soon!"
ADELEINE: "Adeleine isn't from Popstar, but she visits occasionally to find inspiration for her art... hey, is anyone else feeling déjà vu!? She looks familiar... but what's more important is the monster possessing her!
KING DEDEDE: "Poor King Dedede... well, third time's the charm, right? Dark Matter itself may be gone, but its less powerful cohorts share its ability to possess others. To suffer this three times and stay sane... Dedede's will is stronger than you'd think."
WHISPY WOODS: "One of the crystal shards landed in Whispy Woods' leaves, and he's really protective of the forest's property. Sorry, Whispy, but Ripple Star is more important. Don't beat around the bush, Kirby! Get the shard back!"
PIX: "Pix is a security system designed by the ancients that lived on Rock Star. The system is still operational, but it hasn't had anything to guard for millennia - until a crystal shard landed on its pyramid."
ACRO: "Acro was pretty shaken after running into Dark Matter back on Popstar, so he packed up and moved to Aqua Star. He still has nightmares about the darkness often. How does he cope with it? Kirby's about to find out."
MAGMAN: "Neo Star doesn't have much intelligent life, so Magman is used to a life of solitude. He passes the time by splashing lava, so finding a crystal shard is pretty exciting - unfortunately, a bit TOO exciting."
HR-H: "Shiver Star's natives, having mastered their tech, knew war too much for their own good. Even when they're gone, they're still making it everyone else's problem. A standard war machine, HR-H excels at short-range combat. Be careful, Kirby!"
HR-E (HR-H 2): "HR-H continues the fight! With their masters gone, all the other HR models either fled the planet, lost power, or self-deactivated. Confused and alone, HR-H wishes to fulfill its purpose one last time before it shuts itself down."
MIRACLE MATTER (NORMAL): "Losing the Hyper Zone was a crippling blow to the Dark Matter Clan. Without their home, they're running out of energy. They've targeted Ripple Star and its Crystal in a desperate bid for power. To harness the Crystal's energy, they needed..."
MIRACLE MATTER (COPY ABILITY): "When Kirby saved Dream Land's food... When Kirby restored the Fountain of Dreams... When Kirby destroyed the Hyper Zone... The Dream Landers all said the same thing: It's a miracle!"
DARK STAR (LEVEL): "The dark cloud was only a distraction. The real enemy was possessing the Fairy Queen! The Dark Star is a planet's worth of hate, emanating from the entity within. What could possibly harbor this much hate...?"
02: "Reborn as a vengeful, ascended, grotesque angel... With an eternal, glorious, perfect hatred... 02 is now the antithesis of life itself. Now, as the wheels of creation turn within themselves, Kirby & Ribbon must use the Crystal to wipe out this darkness, once and for all!"
Kirby 64 was interesting to tackle since it's the only 3D game in the project. I used images of the models, but the idea is in motion the models would be playing their idle animations, like the Info Cards. I wish I could have gotten this concept across better, but oh well. For these, I used the Delfino font.
Kirby 64 doesn't actually reference Dark Matter in any form in the original JP script, leaving the connections between its villains and Dark Matter unclear. Part of the intent here was to fix that. (And what about Ado and Adeleine!?)
On Miracle Matter: Hesitantly I made two of these. Rather than being phase-based (as this boss only has one phase), my idea here is that the first screen displays when Miracle Matter is in its normal form, and the second screen displays when it's using a Copy Ability.
The Dark Star is not a boss, but I envision that pause screen as displaying when you are in the platforming Dark Star section leading up to 02. It's breaking the rules a bit, but oh well! I like Kirby 64 and wanted to write more for it. (I understand "Tough It Out!" is supposed to display in the Dark Star itself as well as 02's fight. I forgot. Sorry...)
Made a demon family tree, featuring every demon I could think of from the mainline Doom series. Features shitty binomial names, a crappy understanding of animal taxonomy, and lots of headcanon!
Wish I could somehow transcribe this but I don't even know HOW I would format that.
Writing Special Pages for every pre-RTDL Kirby boss! - #5 - Kirby's Dream Land 3
Hi! I really like Kirby. I especially like Kirby's world and cute Special Page pause screens for the newer games. But the older games don't have them, so I made a bunch for every mainline game pre-RTDL!
So I wrote some for all of them, and I'm posting them here, one game at a time. So here you go, I spent a lot of time on them all so I hope you like them. Transcripts and notes below.
Click here to check out the other games in this project.
Transcripts:
WHISPY WOODS: "Ever since the dark cloud touched him, all Whispy Woods can imagine are people with axes chopping down trees. These thoughts both anger and terrify him. Perhaps he thinks Kirby plans to chop him down?"
ACRO: "Acro's hobbies include doing tricks underwater and making friends. The dark cloud's influence makes him see people running scared and calling him a "killer whale." Now he's leaning into it."
PON & CON: "Pon & Con spend most of their time teaching younger animals how to forage for food. Whatever the darkness is showing them, now they teach them how to push others around."
ADO: "Ado isn't from Popstar, but she visits occasionally to find inspiration for her art. She picked a bad time. Now she only draws monsters to attack anyone who criticizes her art."
KING DEDEDE (1): "The darkness inside King Dedede isn't like what's touched the rest of Popstar. As mean as he can be, he's a lot worse like this. How can he even see you with his eyes shut? You have to wake him from this nightmare!"
KING DEDEDE (2): "The darkness has taken complete control over King Dedede's body. This transformation is only a glimpse of what a complete assimilation would look like. The poor king is lucky he isn't awake to feel it. Do something, Kirby!"
DARK MATTER: "Dark Matter is back!! Its home, the Hyper Zone, will soon consume the planet if it isn't stopped. The power of Kirby's good deeds has manifested as a weapon made of love. The only way to drive out this darkness is positive energy! Kill it with kindness!"
ZERO: "Master of darkness. Scourge of the cosmos. Dark energy coalesces into physical form. As it reaches its singularity, a god of nothing is born. A god of emptiness. Thus, it is known only as "ZERO." It can never understand love, and so love is its only weakness."
ZERO (EYE): "It is the creator of the Dark Matter Clan. It is the creation of the Dark Matter Clan. It is the embodiment of dark energy. Hatred, fear, jealousy, anger, sorrow... it is everything that Kirby is not. Banish it from this land, Kirby... for all of Popstar!"
KDL3 has an interesting style and UI that made it hard to make an authentic mockup. A few designs later I decided to use the game's art of the bosses in lieu of the boss name headers like the other games. I used Nokia Cellphone FC for the font - this isn't a font from the game, but it fits the style well enough with the right coloring.
I had to edit the art myself for a few of these. Dedede's Phase 2 art is edited from the Boss Butch art, and the Zero (Eye) art I made using the Dark Matter art as a base and heavily editing the colors. The art sprites were gotten here, ripped by Nemu.
Writing about the Dark Matter Clan is fun. With Zero I wanted to harken to some of the lore regarding Void and its nature without going too far into it (since some of the common understanding of Void and its connections to Dark Matter are tenuous and a result of mistranslation).
Rather than the outright creator of Dark Matter, I see Zero as the manifestation of negative energy. The energy it is born from is the origin of the Dark Matter Clan, but the actual form it has taken is newer and a result of the Dark Matter Clan itself. This is how I personally justify some of the Zero-like connections to other bosses, like Magolor Soul's eye and Void's form - I think Zero's motif of a singular red eye is an innate quality of what negative energy looks like when manifested.
Writing Special Pages for every pre-RTDL Kirby boss! - #4 - Kirby Super Star Ultra
Hi! I really like Kirby. I especially like Kirby's world and cute Special Page pause screens for the newer games. But the older games don't have them, so I made a bunch for every mainline game pre-RTDL!
So I wrote some for all of them, and I'm posting them here, one game at a time. So here you go, I spent a lot of time on them all so I hope you like them. Transcripts and notes below.
Click here to check out the other games in this project.
Spring Breeze (same text as Kirby's Dream Land):
Dyna Blade & Great Cave Offensive:
Revenge of Meta Knight:
Milky Way Wishes:
Revenge of the King:
Helper to Hero, Meta Knightmare Ultra, & True Arena:
Transcripts:
WHISPY WOODS: "Whispy is believed to be a wise elder of the forest. Many visit him for advice, but he prefers to keep to himself and feel the spring breeze on his leaves. He's a real introvert, for sure."
LOLOLO & LALALA: "The young prince and princess don't get a lot of visitors, so if someone wanders into their castle, they jump at the chance to play. Somebody should tell them they play a little too rough."
KRACKO: "Up in the sky lurks Kracko! He'll zap anyone who flies too close. If you catch him at the right time, you'll see him stare down at the peaceful plains of Dream Land. Is that... longing?"
KING DEDEDE: "He started stealing food when he realized nobody would do anything about it... or so he thought! He wants to make an example out of Kirby, then eat a meal fit for a king! Stop him!"
DYNA BLADE: "Dyna Blade has been around as long as most can remember, but very few Dream Landers have ever dared to approach her nest. Don't let her make bird feed of you, Kirby! Protect Dream Land's crops!"
FATTY WHALE: "Fatty Whale used to live in the waters of Orange Ocean, but recent events have made him seek out more peaceful waters underground. Because of this, he isn't too welcoming to strangers."
COMPUTER VIRUS: "The lost technology underneath Dream Land seems to be evidence of ancient civilization... whoever they were, it seems they took gaming a bit too seriously. Talk about a killer app!"
CHAMELEO ARM: "This overgrown fellow has made a home for himself in a chamber of the old tower. He likes to camouflage himself when he fights. If only there was a way to make him more visible..."
WHAM BAM ROCK: "Very few explorers have made it this far below the surface. Could this stone-faced titan be why? He's the last obstacle in your journey to the surface, Kirby! Don't let him crush you to smithereens!"
TWIN WOODS: "Did you think Whispy Woods was the only living tree around? The other trees have seen how often Whispy is bothered by strangers, so they usually stay still to avoid having to socialize."
COMBO CANNON: "The Halberd is a war machine, designed (among other things) to combat and destroy Kabula, the king's own late warship. With Kabula destroyed, the captain is eager to find a new target to test their weapons on."
HEAVY LOBSTER: "Heavy Lobster is an enforcer of the Meta-Knights, designed to take on any enemy Dream Land can offer. Captain Vul is particularly protective of it... especially its eyes, which he thinks are a potential weakness."
REACTOR: "Powered by captive Wheelies, the reactor keeps the Halberd afloat. Don't feel bad for the Wheelies! They're happy doing what they love most. When the others are gone, Mace Knight can be found petting them."
META KNIGHT: "Meta Knight believes only he can save Dream Land from complacence and the fickle whims of its "king." To him, Kirby stands in the way of progress and salvation. Honorable as he is, he will not abide this."
META KNIGHT (WING): "'He has doomed Dream Land! I will not let him escape! But... I also sense great power within him... Perhaps I must swallow my pride. If he can escape... maybe this land has a different savior than I thought.'"
NOVA: "Immeasurably old, NOVA can only run on the directives it was given by whoever built it, and it does not feel. Sadly, it cannot defy Marx's wish. Luckily, this means it also won't feel anything when Kirby destroys it."
MARX: "Marx has shown his true form! The guise of a cute jester was chosen by this malevolent trickster to manipulate Kirby. Now, his appearance matches his hideous personality. Protect us, Kirby, our Super Star!"
WHISPY'S REVENGE: "Feel the power of the forest! Whispy Woods has always been a cranky fellow, but this is just unreasonable. Watch out for the worms in his canopy, and those poisoned apples. Why is he so upset...?"
LOLOLO & LALALA'S REVENGE: "The two siblings aren't really the 'vengeful' type, and they see Kirby as a fun playmate. But the king seemed distressed when he asked for the Sparkling Stars, so they're helping. Ready to play 'Survive,' Kirby?"
KRACKO'S REVENGE: "Does Kracko hold grudges? If so, then Kirby's in trouble! How many times has he beaten this cantankerous cloud? He wouldn't know, but Kracko never forgets. That's one mean glare, for sure..."
KABULA'S... REVENGE?: "The Starship's here just in time! It's Kabula, sky lord! Wait, she's familiar to you? You say Kirby's beaten the king's flying fortress before? Perhaps I forgot... but she's still way more dangerous than before! Be careful, Kirby!"
BANDANA WADDLE DEE: "The bandana shows that he was the first to accept Dedede's rule. At first it was out of fear, but he's grown to respect him. He hopes one day he can fight alongside his king - perhaps as heroes instead of villains."
MASKED DEDEDE: "His only goal this time was to get Kirby's attention. This time, he's serious. Though his villainy has subsided, his ego demands one last fateful bout with Kirby. Beat him, so he can finally be free from this grudge!"
WHAM BAM JEWEL: "Diamond hands and 3 eyes! If the crown didn't convince you, this guy likes shiny stuff... and he'll fight for it. You think he'll listen if you say you don't have any jewels? Most get crushed before they get a word in."
GALACTA KNIGHT: "The most powerful warrior in the galaxy, once a legendary hero, was sealed away for fear his immense power could shatter the entire universe. Now, Meta Knight defies time itself, to challenge him and take his title!"
MARX SOUL: "Marx has absorbed the essence of NOVA to revive his evil soul. A charlatan wielding the power of a machine deity, he has lost his grip on reality, and doesn't even remember his original plan. Do him a favor and set him free."
I used this recreation of the KSS dialogue font for the body text, and for the boss names I edited sprites ripped from the game - the sprites were ripped here, and then compiled here, which is where I got them. I got the pause screen backgrounds here. I had to really change the look of the text compared to the original, and I'm not sure how happy I am with it.
I know Ultra already had some of these, but they kinda suck. I tried to pull some phrases from them when I could. I wanted to foreshadow some of the modern stuff with Dedede, Bandana Dee, and Meta Knight with their screens. In general a big draw for this project to me is being able to insert info from other games that hopefully feels organic, like the increased mention of ancient civilizations, or Kabula and the Halberd.
I made a post a while ago showing some mockups for if DOOM (1993) had an in-game Codex. Well, I finished the project entirely. It's 40 files total, and here they are, combined into big pictures for your leisure.
The general idea here is adding backstory and text to the original DOOM that fits its tone while also tying it into the modern games.
Transcripts and notes under the cut.
MONSTERS
I tried to build off of the original manual's funny descriptions for the monsters while harkening to new Doom lore. In my view you'd unlock these when you kill that monster. The DOOM II project will likely not have many repeats for demons since these are kind of a pain to make, but I will make new entries for the Cyberdemon and Spiderdemon there, as these ones moreso tackle the DOOM (1993) bosses as individuals.
Also, fuck the original "Demon" and "Spider Mastermind" names for the Pinky and Spiderdemon. The former is vague, and with the latter I prefer "Spiderdemon" for the original enemies and "Spider Mastermind" for the DOOM (2016) boss, which is a separate entity entirely.
FORMER HUMAN: There were rumors that volunteers for the gateway experiments were coming out the other side insane and violent. You thought they were just crazy talk, but clearly you were wrong. Your debrief claimed a wave of energy spread itself through the base right when the invaders attacked, turning most of the soldiers into these things. The UAC's title for them: "Possessed."
FORMER HUMAN (SERGEANT): You were probably swapping war stories with one of these guys just a few days ago. Now it's time to swap some lead upside their heads. There are some real badasses in the Marines, and only the biggest troublemakers end up on Mars. The invaders' energy preserves instincts and skill, so these guys can wield shotguns with accuracy. Take them out fast before they blow your legs off.
IMP: You thought an imp was a cute little dude in a red suit with a pitchfork. Where did these brown bastards come from? They track their prey without rest, and "self-preservation" isn't in their vocabulary. They can sling balls of fire with ease, too, so you'd better learn to dodge them. UAC research indicates that where they come from, they're called "Stalkers."
PINKY: These things look sort of like a shaved gorilla, except with horns, a big head, lots of teeth, and they're harder to kill. UAC reports nicknamed them "Pinkies." It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. Drone footage from the Gateway expeditions revealed that other creatures often hunt Pinkies for food - when they aren't getting mauled by them instead. Try tricking them into fighting each other!
SPECTRE: Great. Just what you needed. An invisible (nearly) monster. They act the same as normal Pinkies, but there's something about them that makes you feel all... fuzzy. There are reports explaining how they're invisible, but it's all a bunch of science mumbo jumbo you don't understand. "Psionic," "observer-dependent invisibility," "self-shrouding" - crap like that. Bottom line: Don't let them sneak up on you.
LOST SOUL: They're dumb, they're tough, they fly, and they're on fire. What a pain in the ass. This is what happens to Hell's victims - the lucky ones, that is. The ones who escape eternal torture are doomed to forever roam the land in search of victims - the only things more unfortunate than they are. Dying sure isn't pretty, but this is a whole new level of screwed up. Put 'em out of their misery, will you?
CACODEMON: These monstrosities are a natural predator in Hell. They attack their prey by belching toxic... bile? Lightning? Whatever it is, it hurts like hell, and their bite hurts even worse. They use psionic waves to fly, and those same waves stop prey from trying to sneak under them. This makes them real dangerous if you let them gang up on you. The solution: Don't let them.
BARON OF HELL: The worst thing on two legs since tyrannosaurus rex. These goliaths move with determination and evil intent, searching for prey to rip apart in service of their masters. They can even rip apart other monsters with ease. The Barons carry a lot of their home-world's energy within them, so if you notice things feel wrong, one might be nearby. These big badasses hit like a dump truck - the only way you'll beat them is to learn to hit harder.
CYBERDEMON: The UAC nicknamed this thing the "Cyberdemon," but in Hell lore it's called the Tyrant. It's a missile-launching skyscraper with goat legs. Yeah. Pleasant, huh? Since you got here, it's been commanding possessed slaves to construct a monument to Hell's rulers. It chews on monsters like Barons for breakfast. You're lucky there was only one, but reports claim there are several of them. How fun.
SPIDERDEMON: Behold... the chief commander of Babel's army. This thing commands lesser demons with its vast psychic abilities, and masterminded the invasion of Mars. Spiderdemons don't normally do the fighting, but the massive chaingun says you shouldn't underestimate it. You know what they say - the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Let's see how that massive brain looks splattered all over the ground.
WEAPONS
Also tried to build off the manual here. These were the hardest to make because gun entries are usually boring, but Doomguy's brash POV makes it more fun. I envision that you'd collect these the first time you get the weapon. I was gonna make one for the Berserk pack, but I'd rather save that for DOOM II.
PISTOL: A standard Marine-issued Beretta M9 pistol. Most of the weapons on Mars and its moons are developed by the UAC, but this little guy is a normal, straight-edge military handgun. It's not revolutionary, and it won't blow your enemies to bits. But it's reliable, and if you're a Marine worth a damn, it should be enough to survive until you can find a better weapon. Don't just squeeze the trigger! Focused shots will be more accurate.
SHOTGUN: This pump-action beauty is such a perfect companion, it might just dethrone dogs as man's best friend. It delivers a heavy punch at close range and a generous pelting from a distance. Plumbers have the pipe wrench, businessmen have the suit case, the Swiss have the army knife. And you, my friend, have the shotgun. Hold it tight and keep it close - you won't get far without it.
CHAINGUN: One of the UAC's side gigs is weapons manufacturing. Using a mysterious mineral found deep under the Mars surface, the M190 chaingun can absorb most of the kickback that makes heavy weapons like this too impractical for mobile troops, at the cost of weaker bullets. So now it's... well, a bigger and uglier assault rifle. It's kind of pointless, but it's another gun to put holes in monsters, which is all you care about.
CHAINSAW: You've never been one to believe in love at first sight, but hell if this thing doesn't make you reconsider... Chainsaws aren't exactly known for their incredible safety and usefulness in space. The UAC has absolutely no reason for one of these things to be here... which is why you're lucky some moron smuggled a bunch of them up here. It'll cut through baddies like timber, but you'll have to get close...
ROCKET LAUNCHER: As part of the weapons manufacturing program on Mars, the military commissioned rocket launchers with fast and reliable firing. You recall that as the Gateway experiments continued, they started sending subjects in with weapons like this. A few months ago, a rocket launcher discharged during the test, and all that came out the other side was viscera. Moral of the story: Don't use this in close quarters unless you like being inside-out.
PLASMA RIFLE: Energy-based weapons have been all the rage since the turn of the century. Lots of wars down on Earth have been fought with these puppies. In fact, your commanding officer was holding one of these when you collapsed his larynx. Superheated plasma is fired at an absurdly high rate - so absurd that the gun needs a second to cool off whenever you let go of the trigger. This gun's got it all, but what if it were... bigger?
BFG-9000: This big fragging gun is the prize of the military's arsenal. This is one of the most top secret projects of the UAC, and it uses an energy expulsion system banned by all countries under the United Nations. Ahh, forbidden love... and the big green wave is only the beginning. Once it hits something, the energy connecting it to the gun causes a big, invisible shockwave. Doesn't it just bring a tear to your eye?
LOCATIONS
I wanted the Codex to supplement the story and add some more detail to it. In my view these would be collectible entries you'd find in secret areas. So unlike DOOM (2016), most of these are moreso musings from Doomguy's POV involving the environment or what's relevant to it, rather than UAC reports. The tone's a bit wonky to land, and I wanted the tone to slowly go from brash and badass to grim and scary as Doomguy's journey gets closer to Hell.
With Thy Flesh Consumed I wanted the tone to become totally oppressive and kind of fucked up, contrasting the rest of the game by this point and incorporating some of that nice Slayer rage (as well as bringing in Doomguy's family, established in DOOM Eternal). In an ideal version of the game, maybe the text screen for this episode would be rewritten a bit so it isn't just Daisy he's mad about? But that'd be sacrilege! Hmm...
The Hell entries also heavily reference Davoth, Immora, the Forsaken Plains, etc... I hope they come across as tasteful and interesting rather than fanwank. I want it to feel like, if you played DOOM (1993) in isolation, there is a huge spanning history to Hell that you are not yet privy to.
HANGAR: As the largest corporate entity in the solar system, the UAC enjoys the privacy to conduct whatever activities they want, outside of moral and legal obligations. Phobos was mainly home to radioactive waste disposal facilities, but the United States military twisted their ear. Now many facilities are also dedicated to Gateway experimentation. This hangar is one of several on Phobos.
NUCLEAR PLANT: Mars and its moons all have nuclear plants to provide the necessary energy for the UAC's experiments. One day you heard a scientist rambling about nuclear power being inadequate for the Gateway to work safely... something about "dimensional tearing." Guess he was right. You'd say the military's got egg on their faces right now... if their faces weren't already chewed off by monsters, that is.
PHOBOS LAB: The labs on Phobos have been around for almost two decades. They used to be focused on excavating ancient ruins, but now it's all about Gateways. A report from Deimos says: "Subject died from blood loss after arriving through Gateway. Body camera footage intact. We are satisfied with the results. Send for more subjects - we want to know more about the creatures in the footage." The bastards lied!
COMPUTER STATION: All the research the UAC's conducted is logged and filed here. Turns out, they've known about this other dimension for the last few months! They've been sending "volunteers" there through the Gateways, under the guise of standard teleportation tests. This is sick. Eggheads back on Mars keep asking for updates through your radio, but you've thrown it away. You're doing this on your own.
PHOBOS ANOMALY: This facility is where they hosted the Gateway tests that started this whole mess. The dimension these freaks come from is infectious - wherever they go, their home follows. The Phobos Anomaly is the epicenter of their presence on Phobos, and reality is warping around the Gateway. You need to kill the S.O.B.s guarding the Gateway, get through, and shut it down from the other side...
DEIMOS ANOMALY: Deimos has only been gone for half a day or so, and they've already wrecked the place. This other world is corrupting the facilities. There's satanic crosses & candles for rituals all over the place - not to mention the blood and gore. This all looks a hell of a lot like... well, Hell. That can't be true! You're alive, right...? Anyway, time to shut down the Gateway and find a way off this rock.
REFINERY: This is one of Deimos' refinery facilities, but it's overgrown with... vines? It's like the place has been here for months, and that can't be possible. What the hell is this place? The reports mentioned "time dilation." Maybe that explains it. But then... you can't stop thinking: if you somehow get out of here alive, how long will it have been on Earth? How long since your family last saw you?
HALLS OF THE DAMNED: The voices of the damned call to you from behind the walls. Disgusting growths of flesh infest the facility, and when they crumble away, whole new halls appear where there was previously nothing. This place gnaws at the edges of your mind. You just want it to end. The flesh in the walls is breathing, feeling, thinking. All you can do is hope that it isn't your comrades. Just keep moving...
TOWER OF BABEL: In your trek across Deimos, you've felt drawn to this tower in the distance. You're not sure what it means or why... but now you're at the top. A tablet from the base of the tower reads: "This monument is built in service to the almighty Erebus, most beloved of the High Council of Archdemons. May his conquest of the mortal realm and its pitiful humans finally bring us glory once more." Not on your watch.
HELL KEEP: The hot, stifling air of Hell permeates this wretched fortress. Since you got down here, the voices of unseen creatures whisper in your head - demonic tongues you can't fathom, yet the words themselves are clear. You stand in the inner circle of Babel, a hallowed realm of Hell. You will likely die here. But you're gonna take the sorry asshole who started this down with you.
SLOUGH OF DESPAIR: Being in this place makes you wanna vomit. It smells like those one-eyed monsters... the dismal Sloughlands are where the local Cacodemons nest. Expedition footage showed they tend to roam elsewhere to find food, but they'll bring the most wretched of their prey here - Lost Souls. Screw this! Keep an eye out and get your hands on a weapon. Make 'em eat lead and climb out of here.
UNHOLY CATHEDRAL: This sweltering fortress is deep in the Forsaken Plains of Babel. A rune outside spoke: "The Abyssal Keep stands as a monument to undying will of the Nameless One, whose dominion is everlasting. His interminable final command, to mold his successor to rule the Dark Realm and lead it to victory over the wretched constructs of the heavens." You don't really care. Same deal: Keep moving, don't die.
MT. EREBUS: "The Mountain of Screams is ancient and hallowed ground. It is the first place to be touched by the Nameless One's glorious and perfect hatred. Its transformation ravaged the land of Babel, and so hellfire erupted from the crust of the inferno. It now stands in a vast Well, pooled with the Essence of Hell, the fruits of the Nameless One's conquests." You're exhausted. You see a city in the distance.
DIS: Demonic whispers attack your mind with deliverance of forbidden knowledge. The Spire Cities of Dis stand as the last bastion of Hell's former glory, before the sealing of Immora and the fall of the Nameless One... whoever that is. Araneor, the chief general of Erebus, commands Babel's horde. It's you against the worst demon you can imagine... he's doomed.
HELL BENEATH: The face of that sweet little dead bunny - you see it even as you close your eyes. But the truth is far worse. You see the bunny so you don't have to see the other faces. Bloody, dead. Ripped and torn to pieces. The demons had stolen a gateway to Earth while you fought through Babel. They aimed it at your home. Where your family was. What happened after that?
THEY WILL REPENT: You feel it deep in your gut. Anger. Rage. Hatred. Yes... glorious and perfect hatred. The hate distracts you. Where are you? You don't even know. Somewhere on Earth, you know that. But it doesn't matter. What matters is killing every last one of these things. You see red, but not enough. You can still see their eyes behind it. So make some more red. Make them all bleed.
UNTO THE CRUEL: The red dissipates. The anger subsides. What's left is shame. You see the dead, glassy eyes of your wife and son clearly. Your family was left behind as a message. You were the first to stand against them, and they didn't like that... another Spiderdemon's wasting your time. While you've been wreaking vengeance, the real army's been taking over Earth! Stop that thing, so you can save humanity and avenge your family!
STORY
These cover the characters, setting, shit like that. These would also be collectible Codex files, probably in levels where there aren't any for the locations. Let's say they'd be in, hmm... in order, E3M1, E1M6, E2M2, E3M3, E3M4. The Daisy one would be unlocked after beating Episode 4.
OUR HERO: Four years ago, you kicked your lieutenant's ass after he told you to shoot at a family... so you were sent here, away from your home, family, and even your sweet little pet bunny. Do you regret it? Hell no! Your wife didn't marry a bystander, and your son wasn't raised by a coward. If you wanna see them or sweet old Daisy again, you'll have to fight your way out. Keep fighting, Marine. Until it's done.
UNION AEROSPACE CORPORATION: Wanna become the most profitable corporation in history? Follow these simple steps: 1. Build ethically questionable weapons for world governments. 2. Blackmail politicians and use tax dollars for space vessels. 3. Build bases on Mars to get away from those annoying laws. 4. Suck up to the military and use war criminals as test subjects. 5. Make teleporters for them. Ignore all warnings. What could go wrong?
GATEWAYS: Reports say that Gateways offer instant travel from one space to another by punching a hole through the fabric of reality and tossing you through it. The obvious question is, "how did nobody consider there could be something on the other side?" You now know the answer: that they did consider this, and just didn't care. Classic UAC... Most Gateways are red, but the one you found at the Anomaly had ancient carvings in it...
BABEL: As you explore this terrible place, demonic whispers utter the name "Babel" to you. You can see bizarre structures all around you. Dark citadels, rivers of blood, skeletons of monsters you can't fathom. And entire complexes made to torture Hell's victims... your comrades. Just being in this place is driving you nuts. A feeling you can't place is guiding you forward. But is it to salvation? Or damnation?
DOOM: "Through the suffering of the mortals, we find glory. The Nameless One once sought eternal life for his acolytes. We honor him in our ultimate, virtuous purpose: to take life for the Dark Realm, to reap what the mortals squandered, and consume it for ourselves. The Essence courses through our veins, powers our cities, and gives us purpose. And pain seasons the soul like nothing else can..."
DAISY: You've had Daisy for around a decade now. She was getting up there in years, so you knew she would die eventually. When you left for the Marines, you gave her to your son and told him to take good care of her. He told you he'd protect her with his life. When you finally got to your house, he had bloodied fur stuck to his fingers. He held onto her so hard, they had to pry her from his hands.
Alright thanks for reading. I wanted to approach this kind of like if id Software remastered the games and added more features to them - not so much like Doom + Doom II, but if they made "enhanced" versions that fit in more with the rest of the series. With added plot and lore, but confined to Codex text so as not to intrude on the gameplay. In my ideal view of a remaster like this, maybe the text screens themselves would be slightly rewritten in parts to tie in more with added elements of backstory.
(After all, why give a shit about preserving the original game? In a perfect world the originals would still be available.)
I intend to make this into a wider project and cover both DOOM II and DOOM 64, though I'll likely avoid making repeat entries for several demons to avoid wearing down my fingers.
Writing Special Pages for every pre-RTDL Kirby boss! - #7 - Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
Hi! I really like Kirby. I especially like Kirby's world and cute Special Page pause screens for the newer games. But the older games don't have them, so I made a bunch for every mainline game pre-RTDL!
So I wrote some for all of them, and I'm posting them here, one game at a time. So here you go, I spent a lot of time on them all so I hope you like them. Transcripts and notes below.
Click here to check out the other games in this project.
Transcripts:
KING GOLEM: "With the mansion abandoned by its last owner, King Golem now rules over the property with an iron- er, stone fist. Really, he only guards the Mirror Shard because he thinks kings keep shiny things."
MOLEY: "Moley isn't from here. Actually, he's from Dream Land like you, Kirby! He traveled here in search of treasure to support his family. He seems convinced this Mirror Shard is what he's looking for."
KRACKO: "Is this Mirror Kracko, or the original? It's a trick question! Every Kracko is Kracko. He has every sky in every world to roam, yet all he cares about is zapping strangers... and this Mirror Shard."
MEGA TITAN: "Built in the bustling labs of Moonlight Mansion, Mega Titan hasn't collected enough data for its combat training. Sadly, it can't understand that its creator is no longer around to report to."
GOBBLER: "Gobbler's favorite hobby is bullying other sea life. Despite the huge teeth, he's really a vegan. But that doesn't mean he won't bite, especially if he's guarding something he thinks is his..."
WIZ: "This travelling magician has scoured the Mirror World to show off his magic. He doesn't mean any harm, but he doesn't know when to stop. If only he'd pull the Mirror Shard out of that hat..."
META KNIGHT...?: "Hey, where's your sword!? This isn't like Meta Knight at all! Why would he care about a Mirror Shard, anyway? Get ot the bottom of this, Kirby! You don't need a sword to fight this fiend anyway!"
MASTER HAND & CRAZY HAND: "Have you ever felt like you're being pulled towards destiny? That's these guys. They rarely show themselves, but something about the Mirror Shard makes 'em feel like... SMASHing something."
DARK META KNIGHT: "The imposter reveals himself! Meta Knight's twisted shadow doesn't care about honor; only power! He's all the bad in Meta Knight, and none of the good. Time to shatter this reflection!"
DARK MIND: "The true master, Dark Mind is a product of the darkness that has gathered here. Using Meta Knight's almighty sword, you must stop him before he consumes this world. Dream Land will be next!"
DARK MIND (2): "The way he attacks is awfully familiar. You've fought a foe like this before, Kirby! Be patient, and strike when his cloak reveals his true form! But why does he look this way? Is the Mirror reflecting..."
DARK MIND (3): "The Dimension Mirror reflects what's around it, so a mixture of good and bad is its natural state. But with all the recent attacks on Dream Land, it was overwhelmed. And so, Dark Mind was born."
DARK MIND (4): "Born knowing only malice and sorrow, he began to corrupt the Dimension Mirror. Other twisted reflections, like Dark Meta Knight, were created. Can they change? Not until Dark Mind is defeated!"
DARK MIND (EYE): "Master of darkness. Scourge of the Mirror World. Negative energy reaches a boiling point, imploding on itself. Its true form reflects the greatest evil Popstar has known. Can Kirby conquer it yet again...?"
DARK MIND (CHASE): "Just like the original, it's trying to escape and resurrect itself... But it's reflecting an evil you've beaten before, Kirby! Don't let it escape! Wipe out this darkness, and save both sides of the Mirror!"
I had to redesign the pause screen a bit to make things feel right with the font and the unique resolution. For KATAM, I used Windows Bold for the font, and used these sprites as a base, ripped by Random Talking Bush.
Amazing Mirror has some weird bosses. I tried to tie Moley into the appearance of Mrs. Moley in Squeak Squad, and further flesh out a bit of what the Mirror World is like - and of course, make sense of Master Hand and Crazy Hand!
At 6 pause screens, Dark Mind gets a crazy amount of text, one pause screen for each fight. With his first form I wanted to focus on the parallels he has to Nightmare + his origins as a creature manifested by the Mirror, whereas with his eye form I tied things more to Zero.
Rather than posit Dark Mind as a direct Dark Matter clone, I prefer to see him as a reflection of all the bad shit that's happened to Popstar that the Mirror has witnessed.
