Archstone

Hello there! I noticed that this game got Featured and is now on the RMN front page, which is really cool.

As you likely know by now, development of Archstone is complete, and it is a published, full game that's a boss rush from the Kid's Design event. There's really nothing else coming for Archstone, so the game is complete and I encourage you to play and finish it before continuing on, as it doesn't take long, and if you'd like to write a review for Archstone, that would be totally cool too.

So, here's a little behind the scenes information regarding Archstone!


1. Graphics

This is a fine game. It's Nightmare Castle, an RPG Maker adventure game which has never been completed, and is based around you playing as one of two characters as they explore their dreams. There's no combat, and there's not a lot of depth to it, and even though it was never completed it looks really cool and shows that it had a lot of potential.

Aesthetically, the game's 8-color palette inspired the creation of my own artwork for Archstone. All of the characters, text, windows, icons, etc., all were made in a generic 8-color palette much like Nightmare Castle. While extremely limiting, I felt that the 8-color palette really exercised my creativity. It's really hard to using 8 full-blast, jarring colors, and try to design something that looks halfway decent. At the end of the day, I'm glad I stuck with the 8-color scheme, and I think it gives Archstone a very unique look that matches the feel of the game. All of these graphics in the game are mine and are original, and while this game was so short, I feel it was a proper investment in order to have Archstone take on a unique look of its own.



2. Music

I'm very happy with the music! The music of Archstone was taken from the horror dlc pack, as well as from some artist on Newgrounds. My most favorite was this track, used for the battle with Coulduss. It doesn't seem to have much recognition on Newgrounds, but I feel it's perfect for a battle with a Coulduss, the nightmare squid.



3. Characters

Putting aside the shameless self-insert (as one of the heroes is named Gredge, who's that guy?), I felt I'd differentiate the character and give them their own subtle personalities.

Marle is the hot blooded, passionate one. She's very tough, and very aggressive. However, that doesn't mean she'll run around screaming at everything. For the most part, her personality is reflected in her skills. One enemy, for example, traps her, and one of her skills that's available is "Get Angry". I really liked making Marle because I wanted her to be this powerhouse capable of felling the most grueling bosses using her mystic magic. She has several damaging skills, the most powerful of which being poison, and she's built all around disabling and finishing off enemies.

Gredge is rather stoic. He's the more quiet one, and he's very determined. Again, all of this is not overt, but reflected in his skills. During some events, skills will come available that express his personality. Instead of panicking in a dangerous situation, for example, he's more likely to meditate, and his combat skills reflect that. Even how players handle him in combat is intentional, as he will never be as powerful as Marle. Rather, the player will play him as a balanced, focused character who has to juggle healing skills, buffs, traps, and a little bit of damage on the side.

Pedl is a jerk and not worth mentioning. Goodbye forever, Pedl.



4. Monster design.

I think this is the best combat system I've come up with, and I think the best part of it, is that it was so simple and to the point! I kept everything streamlined and didn't add things such as experience points, levels and items. Those I've heard from feedback seemed to have enjoyed it, and I believe a big part of that is because it doesn't overstay its welcome. Archstone is a short, to-the-point experience, and I think everyone who plays it, if they like fighting bosses, will get some measure of entertainment out of it.


Hope you like Archstone! And if you like, give it an official review!