Trinity

Trinity
IGMC 2015 Entry (Hopefully)

Uses the Adventurer's Journey Soundtrack, and Pixel Myth Germania Tileset

Professional explorers find a home together within the woods. The married couple settle in and discover a temple nearby. Inside and by complete accident, their souls are connected to each other and the temple guardian. Apparently due to a misinformed and unnecessary magical prophecy, the three are now bound by soul. Reluctant to be subjected to this fate, the temple guardian convinces the explorer couple to help him find small crystals, which could help him detach his soul from the others. So, the trinity will explore the nearby regions, finding crystals and artifacts to help this guardian. The guardian will soon find how one's soul grows and matures in contact with other souls.

This game is all about exploration. Control three explorers throughout many levels, switching between each one to solve puzzles. Explorers currently not in use will stand where you last left them, can be talked to and provide strategic options for exploration. The goal is to feel like a trio of explorers, working together to use each other's unique skills.

Characters
Wife (Player names character)
Starting Ability: Can interact with special objects.
The combat-oriented explorer, and also the "specialist". She's the trusted source of knowledge inside the tombs and dungeons her and her husband explore together. While she can't climb around and access hard to reach places like her husband, she is sort of the "puzzle solver", and can use objects her husband wouldn't know how to use.
Other Unlockable Abilities:

• Can find secret, illusory, or magical objects (3 separate upgrades)

• Upgrades to health and offense

• Sealbreaking: She becomes knowledgeable of magical seals, and knows how to break them. Can be upgraded by rank.

Husband (Player names this character as well)
Starting Ability: Fast movement speed and starts with Acrobatic Rank 1
The navigator, he can climb and jump to unreachable places within the level. However, he is the weakest in combat. He assists his wife in whatever plans she has, ensuring their success.
Other Unlockable Abilities:

• He can upgrade acrobatics to access more and more places

• Upgrades to each stat

• Lockpicking: Instead of breaking seals like his wife, he can get through the locks that will no doubt bar the way.

Temple Guardian (Player doesn't name this character... sorry)
Starting Ability: Slow movement speed and starts with Survival Rank 1
The guardian of the temple, he focuses on sheer strength and can null traps. He's the heavy of the trio, not very useful in getting around and solving problems, however, he is quite handy in surviving the more harsh parts of dungeons. With a rank in Survival, he can ignore sticky traps, the most basic trap.
Other Unlockable Abilities:

• More ranks in survival, letting him ignore wind, fire, and even spike traps.

• Upgrades in defense and health

• Stalwart Strength: His ability to break through walls and use his strength to push and move objects.

Combat?
Among the many puzzling situations in each level, there are combat situations. While this isn't an RPG or Action-RPG, it does have some moments where an enemy will threaten an explorer. This is where the stats come in. Just the basic Health, Defense, and Offense. Here's how it works: the different enemies will test your offense or defense, and the character you use to fight the enemy matters quite a bit. Before encountering an enemy, you can also set a tactic before-hand. Your tactic, character and that character's stats determine how you handle the situation. These encounters are about preparation, and might as well be called puzzles. The encounter will play out in a scene, and failure will result in loss of health and being kicked out.

The best way to prepare for a situation? Deduce from the circumstances the best way to assault that enemy. These puzzles require testing your theories, trial and error. Learn from your mistakes, as you can find ways to heal your characters. There can also be environmental clues as well, to give you hints.

Visit Eliza the Merchant!
She sets up her vardo at your home to provide three services: House Upgrades, Character Upgrades, and Items. By purchasing house upgrades, you can improve the appearance of your house, unlock character outfits, hints to find all the artifacts, the ability to create your own potions, and stat upgrades. She also sells the character upgrades mentioned above.

In each level, Eliza can sell you two health potions. If you need more, collect materials and make your own potions! Once you get the proper house upgrade anyway. She also sells battle items, which are used to automatically win a battle, but there is a universal limit to how many she'll give you. Currently that limit is four.

We hope to have nine full levels for our entry by the end of the contest. We'll post weekly on our progress.