Above & Below is a semi-open world, story-driven RPG about how a search for one girl’s lost memory becomes a desperate struggle to defy prophetic destiny and uncover how the after-effects of a thousands-year-old war reshaped the fates of two intertwined worlds.

Geraria has always been known to the people of Calindor as the land of angels, a world where the goddess they worship resides. The people of Calindor believe that one day their goddess will send her child, the Harbinger, to the world to cleanse it of the Fallen, angels who have committed wicked acts against the goddess, and who create evil monsters to destroy the humans of Calindor. What the people don't realize is, just how skewed their perception of the two worlds really is.

Join Colette, an angel fallen from the heavens above; and Arietta, a girl who fits the criteria of the Church of Calindor’s savior written of in their holy text, as they soon start to help Colette regain her lost memories, and Arietta learns that just maybe, the world really doesn’t need purged of “evil”…

Characters



Name: Colette Rundel
Class: The Valkyrie

For reasons forgotten to her, one day Colette plummeted from the sky and landed in Calindor, just north of Shasla Village. She wields a decorated sword, and wears emerald tinted armor. Colette agrees to join Arietta in hopes to regain her missing memories of her previous life, and how/why she fell from Geraria.



Name: Arietta Kathla
Class: The Harbinger

Where the art of magic is said only to be able to be controlled by the divine, Arietta seems to naturally be able to control fire. She's also able to see the wings of the Fallen; both these seemingly unrelated traits are also marks of the Harbinger. Arietta prefers to live a peaceful life in Shasla Village with her grandparents, and after seeing Colette, wants to seek the real truth behind her destiny.



Name: Riley Sylven
Class: The Cleric

A young boy in service of the Church of Calindor, Riley has chosen to spend his life worshiping Lady Gamma, the revered goddess of the church. Joining up with Colette and Arietta however, threatens to destroy his faith and his self-appearance. It's also been noticed that his diadem looks suspiciously like those worn by the royal family of the far-off kingdom of Sylvant.



Name: Jade Iscariot
Class: The Hunter

Formerly a member of Geraria's elite, Jade purposely left of his own volition after learning of his superiors' plans for Calindor. Jade has now spent his time roaming the land of Calindor, taking it all in, and now with the arrival of the Harbinger; he hopes to intercept them before the Church's prophecy becomes realized...



Name: Arewean Cerano
Class: The Siren

The last known living member of the Divines, a race of people that had originally occupied Geraria before the war, Arewean fled her home thousands of years ago after the Drasna took the land for themselves, slaying or imprisoning any Divine in their way. While not fond of the Drasnic people, for obvious reasons, Arewean joined with a group of fallen Drasna and have been with them since due to the same goal: seeking the downfall of the current Drasnic leaders.



Name: Lorren Da'monde
Class: The Druid

Living in a society of secluded humans within Kasuda Swamp, Lorren is a self-proclaimed scientist of Shyllen, a mysterious mineral that acts as a powerful catalyst for mana. While normal humans lack the synergy to control mana and thus use magic, Lorren has figured how to properly craft weapons from Shyllen, allowing for the use of magic by humans. Lorren himself sports a pair of Shyllen-crafted bracers. He's a curious soul, who someday wishes to explore Calindor.

Features

• Embark on a 20+ hour story deeply rooted in themes of self-empowerment, genetic modification, and the political effects of nuclear war. All while traversing the handcrafted lands of Calindor and Geraria!
  
  
• Semi-open world means the player is allowed to explore the world how they please! (Barring exceptions due to progress on the main story.)
  
  
• Side quests litter the game, and you’ll need a nice quest log to keep track of them all! Also experience Project Orionis, the largest side-quest in the game which runs parallel to the main story, allowing the player to learn much more backstory of the worlds as they traverse it.
  
  
• Four factions exist for the player to delve into and join! Experience faction-specific quests and content for the Adventurer’s Guild, Church of Calindor, The Fallen, and the Knights of Geraria. Join all of them, or none. (Seriously, I’m not stopping you.) Did I mention three of them will majorly affect the game’s ending?
  
  
• Speaking of endings, eight drastically different endings will exist for players to experience. Even those endings will vary slightly depending on smaller decisions throughout the game.
  
  
• Gather a colorful cast of potential party members! Each has their own drives and desires that relate to the main story, and spending time with them will start up a character-specific personal quest!
  
• Turn-based? What's that? Based off the original system from Tales of Phantasia, Above & Below features a linear motion battle system. Punish your enemies in real time!

Credits

• Celianna (Tilesets)
  
• Mack (Tilesets)
  
• Meebo (Title Logo)
  
• Katsudoom (Concept Art)
  
• Svarn (LMBS Battler Sprites)
  
• eadgear (Character Busts)
  
• Moghunter (Scripts)
  
• Yanfly (Scripts)
  
• Galv (Message Busts Script)
  
• Hudell (Orange Overlay Script)
  

Check out the official game development blog over at aboveandbelowgame.tumblr.com!

(Screenshots are currently for testing purposes only and are subject to change.)