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October 30th - Game Day 1[]
Oh, hi there! Didn't see you walk in.
Anyways, welcome to Day 1 of the Pyro Enterprizes panel of the Spooky Scary Fantendo Showcase! Today and tomorrow will be jam packed with several small announcements, saving Sunday for the biggest of the bunch. Today, specifically, I'll be covering games in pre-existing series, such as Mario or Zelda.
To begin, let's talk about...
Fire Emblem: Ascension[]
I love Fire Emblem. I'm not going to deny that. This game, however, takes the standard series and cranks it up to levels never before seen.
The basic gist of the story is that your avatar character acts as a diplomat for the kingdom of Alris, accompanying the queen Eisena across the world to work alongside the other countries. However, a band of marauders plans to usurp the throne, prompting the queen to create a nautical band of defenders with you at the helm.
That "nautical" part is important. Sea combat is one of the two main features of this game, as players can construct sea vessels that can transport up to four units at once. They can be upgraded much like weapons, increasing their movement range, defense, and even adding cannons. Enemies can also have sea vessels- which can lead into the next big feature.
Awakening added the Pair Up feature to the series, while Fates allowed enemies to make use of it. Ascension takes it a step further by allowing 4v4 battles when boats of two factions battle each other. In 4v4 battles, all units in both ships get a turn to attack, making them massive onslaughts that rival anything else in the game. Watch out, though- ships can outright be destroyed by units using heavy artillery. Not only will this auto-kill all units inside, but lost ships cannot be retrieved, even on Causal mode.
Ascension also features Rival Empires mode. This enables players on separate save files or across the internet to battle each other, trying to defeat the enemy commander. Unlike the StreetPass functions of the previous game, this mode is actually real-time, and will be a true test of friendship and skill.
The Legend of Zelda: Worlds Below[]
I need to eventually start working on this thing. It's been too long.
But yeah, Worlds Below. The Zelda game based on Platinum's Underground and Paper Mario. It seems weird, but I'm doing all I can to make this game unique. I really don't have anything to say about the game other than it's coming up soon.
This game does, however, segway into the next announcement...
Hyrule Warriors: Timelines[]
Yes, my Hyrule Warriors game is still going on. However, I'm going to use the showcase to announce a spookier character...
Majora is a separate character from Skull Kid in this game. While Skull Kid now relies on moves lifted from his Twilight Princess incarnation, Majora uses moves based on its aforementioned game. It's a slippery, agile character that uses mindgames and teleportation as a heavy part of its arsenal, and can call down the Moon even with normal attacks.
Aside from the spookiness, I'm also going to reveal two new modes.
VS Mode is close to the aforementioned mode in Fire Emblem: Ascension. It pits two armies against each other, like normal, but each army is under command of one of the two players. PvP combat in this game is similar to combat against CPU warriors, but sure to be even more tense.
If co-op is more your speed, then Heroes Mode is for you. This mode takes heavy inspiration from the totem mechanic of Triforce Heroes, and transplants it into the battlefield, having one player carry the other around while they attack.
Of course, this may get chaotic if one player is already in a totem...
Shovel Knight: Unearthed[]
Shovel Knight is a fun game, but I felt there was something missing...
"Once upon a time, this land was protected by heroes from far and wide. And the best of the best of these heroes were the dynamic duo known as Shovel Knight and Shield Knight. Once torn apart by an evil Enchantress, the two had reunited, and had returned to doing what they loved- protecting the innocent and finding treasure."
"One day, the two adventurers came across a massive hole in the ground. Assuming there would be treasure within, Shield Knight leapt in, followed by Shovel Knight. The two found no treasure, but instead found a dried-up fountain that had been so for a long time."
"An inscription lay on the fountain, declaring it to be the long-lost Fountain of Vitality, said to bestow ever-lasting life to anyone who drank the water from it. Confused as to why the fountain was completely empty, the two read on, finding a scrawling note claiming that the waters of the fountain had been frozen into chunks of ice, and carried to the four corners of the earth by a band of eight fiends known as The Knights of Dawn."
"Their thirst for adventure and treasure triggered, Shovel Knight and Shield Knight ventured off in search of the frozen shards of mystical water."
If the original Shovel Knight was Mega Man 2, then Unearthed is Mega Man and Bass. The graphics have been upped to 16-bit (though an 8-bit mode is unlocked from the beginning) but the gameplay remains similar to the original. One big difference, however, is the co-op.
Shield Knight is controller by the CPU or a second player, and has many abilities to complement Shovel Knight. She can block any and all incoming attacks by holding B on the ground, can perform a dash attack by tapping B in the air, and most importantly hover in the air by holding Up+B. This not only acts as a way for her to gain extra height, but lets Shovel Knight walk on or bounce off her shield with his pogo attack, which is used heavily in puzzles.
Shield Knight's not the only new playable character, either. The Order of No Quarter can all be played as, but only by one player at a time, as Shield Knight is too crucial for gameplay to be removed from the equation.
Pikmin Z[]
Of all of Nintendo's series, Pikmin is one of my favorites, and the only RTS series I've ever gotten into. As such, a Pyro Enterprises-developed Pikmin game has been in the works for multiple years, and I believe it's finally time to bring it to life here.
Pikmin Z stars three intrepid pilots: Kupan, Picha, and Yo. They are sent across the galaxy by their superiors to find a supply of the extremely rare Iwatanium, but are quickly sent scattering onto PNF-404 upon getting too close. There, they decide to collect as many treasures as they can while trying to survive the hostile world.
Pikmin Z plays far more like Pikmin 2 than 1 or 3. While you only have 3 days to rediscover your ship upon crashing, past that point, you have infinite time to explore, though better endings require better completion times. Additionally, caves return once again, and players search for treasures instead of ship parts or fruit.
All existing Pikmin types reappear, and five more are introduced, though I won't be showing them off yet.
And with that, there's only one more thing I want to cover today...
Super Smash Bros. Y[]
Super Smash Bros. Y is about to undergo a reboot. There will be fewer characters this time around, as my efforts will be focused on making characters as unique as possible.
I'll also be starting off by adding veterans, and only begin adding newcomers once the veterans are complete.
Well, that's all I have for today! See you tomorrow for the original content!
October 31st - Game Day 2[]
Oh, good! You actually came back for round 2! Good, because this is where I think it gets interesting...
While yesterday was all about new games in existing IPs, today is all about new series in general, so let's kick things off with...
Costume Party[]
Costume Party is an odd beast. Take Triforce Heroes, mix in a bit of Super Mario 3D Land, add a sprinkle of Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown. That was dumb I'll cut that out The game stars Princess Flannel (and her crossdressing brother Prince Felt for Player 2) traveling across the land in order to defeat the Brazen Brigands, a massive group of thugs that have stolen most of her family's most prized possessions.
Gameplay is based on 3D Land primarily, as Flannel runs and jumps throughout 8 different worlds in order to get to the Brigands' HQ, but she can also use her toy sword as a weapon, giving her an offensive edge that Mario lacks.
The main gimmick is, as with Triforce Heroes, costumes. Flannel can equip certain costume that give her unique traits and abilities. However, these costumes go much farther than Link's, often giving her entirely new weapons or playstyles. Flannel can bring 3 costumes into a level with her Travel Bag, 1 required for the level, and 2 that can freely be chosen. They can then be swapped to at will, making obstacles for one costume a mere nuisance for another.
Costumes are made similarly to Triforce Heroes, with having to make them out of materials you find by winning levels or beating enemies, but you can also get new costumes for free after completing a level in which it is required.
Flannel can also find various Crowns after accomplishing certain tasks. These Crowns lack active effects like costumes, but instead grant passive effects, ranging from extra HP to sword beams for ranged attacks.
In addition to all that, Costume Party also possesses Byte support. Yeah, the amiibo spin-off thing I started but didn't do much with? It's back, baby. Certain Bytes will give Flannel new costumes, though these are less useful than normal in-game costumes and are just a treat for those who own the Bytes.
Costume Party will be coming out soon!
Land of Echoes[]
This game began life as Crimson Chronology, a game based on Chrono Trigger. Originally, it was going to be sort of a challenge for me to create a living world with its own history and future, much like Earth was to be.
Then I saw how ripe the RPG space was for a parody.
And it's not the funny kind of parody, either. Land of Echoes is an explicit attempt to break free of the plentiful tropes that exist in the RPG format. For example, the backstory.
Hundreds of years before the beginning of the game, a noble warrior went off to face a powerful being of pure evil, eventually sealing it away. Knowing that the evil would eventually escape (because sealing never works ever), and that no living being could truly defeat the beast, he made himself a vow to turn his bloodline into an array of chosen heroes, who would venture to the prison of the beast and fight off what part of it happened to leak from the seal.
In this world's present day, the hero's bloodline is still going strong. However, a complication has come up, as there was a pair of twins born within the family, despite only one "legendary hero" allowed per generation. Claire, as a female, was given less training than her brother, Markus, who was the one truly primed to be the next hero.
When the day came for Markus to take the family sword, Kirin, and venture off to reseal the beast, Claire had had enough. Convincing her fairy friend/servant Anna to join her, she added a powerful knockout drug to the drinks at the pre-quest party and, with everyone knocked out, stole Kirin, hoping to prove her worth as a part of the family's bloodline. Markus, alongside Anna's sister Elaine, are now forced to play the role of hero and guide they are meant to fulfill, even if that means slaying the family they hold dear...
On to the actual gameplay. While Crimson Chronology and this game's original draft ran on a "Time Line" mechanic, the new Land of Echoes is an action-RPG based heavily in a game never released in the US: Seiken Densetsu 3, AKA Secret of Mana 2. Players actively move around the screen to attack and dodge, while special moves, or Artes, run on a cooldown timer.
Also like Seiken Densetsu 3 is how the party works. Aside from Claire and Anna, every party member is technically optional- upon starting a save file, you are given a list of 15 party members, their names blanked and their portraits blacked out. You can select 5 out of these 15 to join your party, and the story will actually change depending on who you choose to join your group. This also impacts Markus's party, as he himself will make one much as RPG heroes are supposed to.
Land of Echoes is also coming out soon!
Soulless[]
Sorry, no logo for this one yet.
The game begins with another pair of twins, Alexander and Alexandra. Unlike Claire and Markus, the two are inseparable, the best of friends, even in the harsh wasteland that is Runaria. However... even the best friendships can end in an instant.
Alexandra is killed by a wild monster. Everyone in the village is distraught, but none more than Alexander, who refuses to leave the corpse's side when everyone else does. This leads to him being the only one to see the Lich, Runarian symbol of death, come to take her soul. Alexander tries pleading to have him take his soul in place of his sister's, but the Lich has another idea.
Transforming Alexandra's soul into a powerful blade, he sends the two out into the world to hunt the thirty Soulless; men and women that have evaded his capture for so long that they have turned into massive monstrosities, barely human any longer. Eager to save his sister from death, Alexander follows the Lich's orders.
Soulless is a game that's also heavily inspired by a single game. In this case, it's Shadows of The Colossus, as there's not a single enemy in the game that isn't one of the Soulless. Alexander has a somewhat limited moveset, just simple sword attacks and energy blasts courtesy of Alexandra's soul, so he'll have to make the most of it to take down the behemoths he faces.
Soulless will also come out soon! A lot of stuff coming out soon
Operation Tredecim[]
I don't know where this one came to me from. All I know is that I like it.
In the year 3001, humanity encountered a race of aliens known as the Skrypt. It didn't go well. Nobody knows why, but the Skrypt became angered at the very presence of humanity, and a very one-sided war began. Humanity left the Skrypt's world, but they followed them to earth, eventually settling underground.
Fast-forward to 3031, and the Skrypt are getting more and more active. Luckily, a secret organization has been developing an anti-Skrypt task force- Operation Tredecim, a group of 13 children raised from birth as Skyrpt-human hybrids, capable of wielding similar hybrid weapons.
The game is a hybrid of Codename STEAM and a standard third-person shooter. Players pick 4 of the 13 team members for each mission, and can switch between them at will. The game encourages this, as brute force is never the answer in combat. Luring enemies into a trap or sneaking around and striking from behind are infinitely easier than fighting head-on, and the strange and alien weaponry that Operation Tredecim uses makes strategic fighting even more chaotic.
Operation Tredecim is also coming soon probably maybe!
Mythikal[]
Now for a thing that actually exists on here already!
Mythikal's plot has already been added, so I'm not going over that. What I will go over is the gameplay, because that's been rebooted. Instead of a Pokémon-style RPG, the game now takes inspiration from the Kingdom Hearts series, with players moving around and attacking freely. The main difference is the Myths.
Finding Mytholiths across the world lets the player summon Myths into combat. Every Myth has their own design, moveset, and special abilities, and players can summon up to 5 at a time alongside the Myth Transfer ability, which turns the chosen Myth into a weapon for Mitha and edits their stats a bit.
With that done, I have 1 final game for tonight.
Gravity Knight[]
I've already begun work on this one over on my personal wiki, but now it's coming here. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.
The game stars Gravity Knight, a young squire in the Camelian army. He is one of the few to survive, however, when the evil Xyzorian warlord Keplor slaughters them all, kidnapping the princess Halee in a bid to gain power. Accompanied by an aurora fairy named Andromedea, he sets off through the galaxy to save the princess.
Gravity Knight is to Super Mario Galaxy what Costume Party is to Super Mario 3D Land. It combines the game's 3D spacefaring platforming with Zelda-style combat, more specifically Wind Waker, as well as adding a more Sunshine-esque element to larger levels set in alien cities. Overall, Gravity Knight is a strange beast, but I hope it's an appealing one.
And that's it for today! See you tomorrow for the big one... Bravely Venture.
November 1st - Bravely Venture[]
Well, here we are at the final day of the Spooky Scary Fantendo Showcase. And the biggest event I have planned is coming up today... Bravely Venture.
I love the original Bravely Default. The music, the characters, and, most of all, the gameplay. I've always enjoyed games with job systems. And even though my only Final Fantasy experience is XIII, I still stand by saying Bravely Default is the best Final Fantasy to come out recently.
So I started coming up with ideas for a sequel.
The Story[]
Warning: Minor Spoilers for Bravely Default ahead.
In the original game, the party learns of the assault on the Crystal Orthodoxy's main temple headed by Templar Braev Lee. The priests of the Orthodoxy, worried to lose what remnants of their power they had left, decided to take the Earth Crystal and perform the Grand Ritual, which would raise the crystal's power to catastrophic levels and likely wipe out Braev's forces.
In the original game, this was prevented by the templar, who seized control of the region and drove out the organization. In the world where Bravely Venture takes place in, however, they succeeded. The Earth Crystal gave off such a wave of power that it shattered the continent of Eternia, creating a worldwide earthquake that changed the very face of Luxendarc. The priests perished, but wiped out almost all of Braev's forces, with the templar himself living at the cost of his legs.
25 years later, the Orthodoxy still holds impressive power over the planet. With much of their resources and treasures lost in the great quake, they have commissioned a league of archaeologists to search what is now known as the Eternal Archipelago to find the missing relics.
Meanwhile, most of the world's layout has changed due to the quake. Continents changed shape entirely, and towns were destroyed and rebuilt. Very few survivors of the event still remain to tell the tale.
And this is where things get interesting...
The Characters[]
What's an RPG without the party?
Seiger hails from the Caldis-Eisen Strait, in the village of Kanahera. He and his mother own an airship construction and repair business, so he's more of a gearhead than a socialist. When he meets Cerina when she brings her airship in for repair, the young man jumps at the chance to see the world, despite the danger behind the strange asterisk bearers. His mom also accompanies him throughout the journey, acting as team support and airship pilot.
Seiger's stats are similar to Tiz, as his stats are incredibly even. The exceptions are his HP, which is the best in the party, and his MP, which is the worst.
Cerina hails from the Ruukura region, and is a member of the Ruukuran elite forces division known as the Cobalt Crusaders. She is one of the few members of the group to survive when they are attacked by two fiends claiming to be "asterisk bearers". Taking the group's shattered airship to Kanahera to be repaired, she meets Seiger and asks for the assistance of both him and his mother in tracking down the villains.
Cerina's stats are similar to Edea's, having strong damage output with a lack of magical ability and resistance.
Hooke is a high-ranking student at the Istantar Magic Academy. Serious, intelligent, and rarely surprised, Hooke is a calming presence wherever he goes. When the headmaster of the academy falls ill, Hooke takes it upon himself to find a cure when one cannot be found. This leads him to the Caldis-Eisen Strait, where he encounters Seiger and Cerina trying to fend off asterisk bearers Barras Lehr and Holly Whyte.
Hooke's stats are similar to Agnés's, possessing the best MP, Mind, and Intelligence of the group, but the worst of every other stat.
Eleza lives in the Eternal Archipelago, and acts as an archaeologist under the tutelage of expert Terrus Tyrannis. Recently commisioned by the Crystal Orthodoxy to join a massive dig, she finds a strange crystalline object, which Terrus refers to as the core of the Earth Crystal and warns Eleza to escape the region. She flies as far as she can, eventually landing in the Caldis-Eisen Strait.
Eleza's stats are similar to Ringabel's, having the lowest defense but the highest speed and agility in the party.
The Gameplay[]
What's a game without gameplay? A book.
Bravely Venture's battle system is similar to its predecessor. Every player and enemy possesses a BP meter. 1 BP regenerates every turn, and every action requires at least 1 BP. The twist comes with the Brave and Default system- using Default reduces damage for one turn and has no BP cost, raising BP by 1, while using Brave spends more BP to move multiple times in a single turn. Players will have to think ahead to make the most of their BP.
Venture uses this system as well, but there are two new options in battle: Donate and Venture. Donate is simple- it uses 2 of one character's BP to add 1 to another character's BP. Venture is a bit more complex.
In Bravely Venture, every character has a primary and secondary loadout. A loadout consists of a job, secondary job, equipment, and abilities. Players naturally start off with their primary loadouts, but when Venture is selected, they switch to their secondary loadout, effectively giving every character 4 jobs at once.
And speaking of jobs...
The Job System[]
The star of the previous games returns in upgraded form. While Bravely Default has 22 available jobs, and Bravely Second has 30, Bravely Venture possesses a whopping 55 available jobs, each one unique from the others.
Jobs are obtained in much the same way as previous games. Certain bosses wield gems known as asterisks, which act as magical instruction manuals on how to use that job properly. Defeat that boss, and you obtain the asterisk, allowing you to use that job however you want.
Each job possesses 15 levels, earned by acquiring JP after battles. Every level unlocks a new skill, which can either be a job command or equippable ability. The first 14 levels can be access via level-ups like normal, but the 15th ability must be unlocked by a late game-job, and is usually much more powerful.
Every job is unique. From the Monk's brute force and the Black Mage's offensive magic, to the Chariot's triple-wielding and the Astrologian's team support powers, to the Wayfarer's skill with items and the Messenger's priority attacks, every job has something to offer.
Well, that's everything I have so far for Bravely Venture, and also all I have for the showcase in general! See you soon!