Castle Paradox

[JSH357]

I am posting this to see if people like Query(I)'s theme and if the characters present it well enough. This is a brief introduction to the ways the story and characters relate to the game's overall theme. It is also pretty technical; so don't read this for entertainment.

Please note, you do not have to read the whole thing; you can give me input after only reading about half of the text, but you could probably input more if you read the whole thing, obviously. Also note that this is almost directly from my game design documents. That's just some fun trivia for you.

I am not attempting to spoil the game's story, but rather to show ways in which the theme/story are related to the game's design. Unfortunately, this post spoils the entire story, pretty much. The theme is that important. Bear in mind that: A. There are spoilers from my game, but likely you do not care or you played the ever-crappy original version. B. This is not perfect yet; I'm certain that there are things that need changing. C. I don't want stupid responses; so don't say anything unless you actually have something to say.

(This is Query Episode I, by the way :p)

Game Theme: The Power of Self; i.e., trust in your own power; believe that you are great, others are not more important than you, etc.
The 'good' element is individuality and self-trust, obviously, and the 'evil' element is reliance on others and lack of self-trust.



Characters-

I. Heroes

Joseph: The main character obviously requires the strongest relation (Well, him and the villain). He is an evil altruist at the start of the game. Joseph is unable to conquer a demon (Knightmarus) that is attempting to destroy his mind, partly because he sees no solution to his dilemma, but mostly because he refuses to do anything that only helps him. Ashley convinces him otherwise, after crushing him in battle (Right before the final phase of the game). Joseph's weapon symbolizes his need for individuality- the bladehook is a truly unique weapon (A spring-loaded mace). Joseph's element is Yin-Yang, which I use to symbolize neutrality in this game. Throughout the game, Joseph becomes more and more aware of his own importance. When he finally conquers his inner demon, Joseph shifts to the Light element, which symbolizes the realization of how important his own desires are as well as trust in his own power. Joseph's relations to other characters in the game are either absolute friendship or bitter hatred, but they relate more to the other characters with the exception of Knightmarus, so I shall explain them all later. (Knightmarus, of course, represents Joseph's moral conflict)

Nick: At the start of the game, he just seems like the typical arrogant, rude warrior. He is headstrong and sure of his own ability (Which I need to express better- {*Alters script*- fixed}), but loses his confidence when he fails, alongside Josh, to prevent a band of thieves from stealing the Fire Stone (This happens near the beginning of the game). Thus, Nick's role in the story becomes trying to win back his confidence. It gets beaten over and over again, however. The Pyronian government captures Nick when he supports Josh (Who returns the Fire Stone and claims that its theft is his fault). Nick is further humiliated when he is defeated by Brianna and ends up being mentally controlled, facing Joseph in the process. He finally gains back some confidence when Jacob admits that he initiated a feud between the two later, which also patches the twos' relationship a bit (Nick and Jacob hate one another early on because they both blame one another for being injured during childhood- it's meant to be funny in the game, so I won't spoil the event entirely). Joseph forgives Nick for his faults, which makes Nick realize that he can still be a great person despite failing. An important story element, but it also removes Nick's internal conflict, so I need a way to incorporate a hate for Knightmarus (Nick still hates Brianna, but when Knightmarus enters the picture, his only tie is through Joseph. This isn't entirely bad since the two are best friends, but it still bothers me a bit).

Carmine: Carmine is Nick's brother, which in itself is important to the theme, as Nick became a sword master in the likeness of his father while Carmine became a Cleric to distance himself from his father (Or in other words, to be individual). Carmine discovers an inconsistency (Which, in a later Query game, ends up being entirely true) in the common religious practice on Bob: Fairy worship (Which Carmine is a Cleric in support of). He struggles with his growing doubt in his religion mentally up until it is revealed in Joseph's dream. Though he is embarrassed, the others support his desire for more knowledge (Forming his own beliefs instead of conforming). Carmine attempts to exorcise Knightmarus from Joseph, and nearly succeeds, but he is not strong enough. Seeking to see the demon's end, Carmine continues his quest with Joseph. The original reason Carmine had joined, in addition to concern for his brother, was to keep Brianna from collecting all six stones, which are sacred to the Order of the Fairy. Because Carmine is still struggling with his beliefs, he continues to act in the best interest of the Order.

Jacob: See Nick's section for details on the two's relationship. Jacob was infused ten years ago (six-seven years old) with the Dark Stone's magic by the Umbrecian secret military (A sign of its corruptness). Its power caused him to gain magical abilities which are not truly his own. Jacob fears the power of the stones and his own magic. His role in the theme is to accept what has been given to him, and he overcomes his conflict when he defends Joseph from Brianna later on (The team splits up {Theme of self-strength} and battles Brianna's forces- Joseph tries to defeat Brianna and falls; Jacob defends Joseph until he reawakens. Joseph figures out that he has the Yin-Yang stone here, with Knightmarus' help). Jacob stays in the party so that he can stay ahead of Nick (The two are very competitive, which is, of course, important to the theme of the game).

Josh: A key character to the first five games in the series, and that means this game too. Josh is a member of a band of thieves. A bit of back-story: Josh was abandoned as a child and found by the group. Being raised as a thief, he knew no other lifestyle. Josh befriends Joseph a little later in life and learns of the error in thievery during an incident, which I have yet to design because I want it to relate to the theme or another character in some way. Josh bounces between sides- his band and Joseph- ultimately deciding that the thieves are wrong (And surprise, surprise, the thieves rely completely on others for livelihood, making them thematically evil). In any case, Josh spends the first half of the game trying to make amends for thievery while at the same time distraught over betraying his former friends. Two events change him dramatically. First, after being separated from the group, Josh finds himself in Tate Town. After being tested by the chief of the town, he is entrusted with the Ow. The Ow is very important to the Query Series as a whole, but not so much in this game. However, receiving the Ow gives Josh a sense of responsibility and self-pride. Second, Josh is hired by the Yin Ninjas and becomes highly respected. He ends up becoming the most powerful and self-sure character in the game. Josh is reunited with Joseph and the others while searching for the Light Stone (The Yin Ninjas oppose Umbrecia, which Brianna is the ruler of, and therefore wish to keep the stones away from her). Staying with Joseph is ultimately decided because Josh has the same goal, and he comes along to defeat Knightmarus because Joseph first showed him the evil of thievery (Wow, just thought of a good idea for a previously mentioned issue {*Alters script*- fixed}).

Robert: Robert, though he is regarded as a hero in this game, is a villain. This will become fully apparent much later in the series (Query V), but at this point, the only evidence lies in his behavior. Robert only does what others ask. He aspires to become a scientist only to appease his father even though he loves being a Drakenwarrior; he joins Joseph because of debt, and refuses to work toward the accomplishment of his dream. So why is Robert on the hero side in this game? I like the concept of having a paradox character like this. While all of the other heroes work toward the theme, Robert works against it. His only purpose in the team is repaying Joseph, and at the end of the game, Robert quits his job and becomes a scientist.

Cassandra: The team meets Cassandra after she has been mugged by Josh's former band. Cassandra ran from Reisia with the Thunder Stone in hand as an act of opposition to her ruler, Electra. Electra is villainous to the theme because she forces her citizens to follow Reisia's strict guidelines, depriving them of their individuality. She proves to be helpful to the team but ultimately stays around merely to avoid returning home. The Cassandra-Electra relationship, I feel, is important to the story. It is the main reason that I have kept Cassandra as one of the heroines.

Heather: Brianna's sister. She is against her sister's polices and seeks to foil her plans. Since Brianna's goal is to become powerful through the use of the Stones, Brianna is a villain and Heather is a heroine. Brianna's lover Tim, before departing on a journey, asked Heather to keep Brianna well. Unfortunately, Brianna becomes the source of the world's problems during her collection of the Stones. Knowing that the abuse of the Stones cannot possibly lead to anything good, Heather breaks her promise, but seeks to return Brianna to her senses (Brianna is only recently power-hungry). Heather manages to acquire the Water Stone from Dragonia with Joseph's help, but is later bested by Brianna when attempting to protect the Fire Stone in Pyronia (This leads to where Joseph saves her from Brianna and she joins the team). The final event involving the Heather-Brianna relationship is the reunion with Tim at Solitary Mountain. Here, Heather has one last duel with her sister and wins. Afterwards, she finally accomplishes her goal: talking some sense into Brianna (In the game, you can alter this scene and either see Brianna die or be reunited with Tim). In any case, Heather gets her sister back. She continues her journey with Joseph because she sympathizes with his 'evil twin' syndrome.


II. Villains

Brianna: The first major villain in the game. Her parents spoiled her as a child and even gave her control of the Umbrecian army at a young age. She loved a man named Tim who left on a journey without saying a word. Heartbroken, Brianna became loathsome and sought attention. Because she desires so much to be on top of things, Brianna decides to collect the Element Stones and become invincible. She is a villain according to the theme for two reasons: 1. She is causing a world catastrophe because her lover left her behind- in other words, she is so spoiled that she loses her self-esteem entirely when one thing doesn't go her way. 2. She wants to rule using power that is not her own, which goes against the theme of the game.

Knightmarus: The ultimate villain. Knightmarus is a demon that ruled a planet one thousand years ago. However, his violent tendencies lead to the destruction of the planet and when he asked the Spirit Council for a new one he was denied and promptly banished from the Elemental Void (Which is kind of like Mount Olympus). Knightmarus then traveled to Bob (That's where the game takes place) and tried to destroy the Fairy and take over the planet. I won't reveal what happened next because it has more to do with Query II and III, but Knightmarus ended up being almost completely drained of his powers. Again, I won't get into what happens, but he ends up communicating with Joseph in dreams, and eventually enters Joseph's Dream and creates minions. Knightmarus wants Joseph's mind and body because Joseph holds the Yin-Yang Stone, which contains an extremely powerful spell. Knightmarus tries to lure Joseph into traversing his own mind. To make a long story short, Joseph ends up finding a way to enter dreams physically (With Sam's help) and faces Knightmarus. In any case, Knightmarus is the epitome of evil in this game. He does absolutely nothing with his own power and uses Joseph's dreams, the Yin-Yang Stone, and his dream minions to accomplish everything for him. Of course, since Knightmarus cannot rely on himself, Joseph (Who learns to trust in himself) ultimately defeats him.


III. Non-Playable Characters- I will not go too deep into these, but they are important as well, just not thematically.

Tim: Brianna's boyfriend. Mainly a tool used to justify Brianna's behavior (If you can call it justification). He also provides some useful travel logs for you in certain dungeons.

Sam: Joseph's father, who is working for Brianna so that he can take the Stones. He helps Joseph travel to the Dream world and defends him from Brianna at one point. Sam's presence is also one of the reasons that Joseph pursues Brianna with such determination.

Electra: The chief of Reisia. Her unfair treatment is Cassandra's justification for running away from Reisia.

Ashley: A master Tate Smashers player (Tate Smashers is a popular sport played on Bob). She meets with Joseph after defeating him in a game, and the two befriend one another. Ashley offers Joseph a date if he can defeat her in battle, which he fails to do. She convinces him afterward that as long as he lacks self-confidence he will never succeed. Because of this, Joseph finalizes his decision to face Knightmarus (As you may have guessed, Joseph and Ashley become lovers after the game is over).

JSH: A time-traveling character that resembles Joseph slightly. His reason for coming to this time period is explained in Query V, so I won't go into it. His only significance in this game is the summon spell that you receive from him.

The Fairy: The Guardian Spirit of Bob. She is over one thousand years old. The Fairy is more important in Query II than in this game, but serves as 'scenery' since she is the religious figure on Bob.

That is all for this post.
Thank you for reading; if you'd like to read a (bad) written version of this game that is still in progress, you can see it at http://www.fictionpress.net/~jsh.

[Ssalamanderr]

you've done a really good job on connecting the characters to the theme. One problem I found though was that although the characters have serious dilemnas and problems, their are certain things that are hard to take seriously (the planet's name is Bob for example).
This doesn't really apply to the story, but it would be good to connect the character's fighting styles and spells to the theme as well as their background. The Bladehook is a good idea but is mostly just appearance and not really connected to gameplay.
Anyway, there are lots of excellent ideas in there, I'm looking forward to this game now.
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[JSH357]

Many thanks, I'll consider your advice.

And no, I haven't even started on the battle system relating to the theme. What I'm planning on doing is having each character be the best at beating a certain type of enemy (Joseph beats birds, Nick beats armored enemies, Jacob beats humans, Robert beats dragons, something like that). That probably isn't enough though; my work is cut out.

Edit: I've actually made some changes to the standard RPG battle system that better reflect the theme of the game- the idea came much more easily than I had suspected. I won't get into it here, but it works.

[JSH357]

Interesting... I had expected to get more response in a RPG design community. The only threads that people even reply to are the stories that are worthless. 0_o Ah well, in any case, I hope to release the alpha version of this game soon. I doubt it will help explain the story, but it will show some of the battle-centered thematics.