Playable Combat Character Reveal - Garl
over 6 years ago
– Sat, Apr 18, 2020 at 02:51:48 AM
Garl was born a regular kid devoid of any special powers, though his hometown happens to be Mooncradle, the very place where a small community is tasked with taking care of the Children of the Solstice until they become old enough to enter training. Born during the same year as Valere and Zale, the three of them grew up together as best friends, often dreaming of the day they would leave to explore the world.
To Garl, the call of adventure is an excuse to taste all the flavors life has to offer, and to challenge himself in preparing wholesome meals despite the daily unpredictabilities of being the devoted friend and caretaker of two Solstice Warriors on a mission.
Eager to prove themselves at a young age, the trio once ventured into the forbidden cavern. On this fateful day, Garl lost his left eye to a monster, learning the hard way that it was not the place of the common folk to engage in combat with The Fleshmancer’s minions. As punishment, his two best friends were taken into Zenith Academy right away, separating Garl from his friends for the remainder of his childhood.
Even though the only official training he would receive was in the art of cooking, Garl never doubted that his strong innate constitution would make him fit for any challenges.
When trouble comes, he acts as a defensive fighter, wielding his cauldron lid as a makeshift shield. He always tries his best to protect his friends, who he sincerely believes will become the finest Solstice Warriors the world has ever known.
Outside of combat, Garl always keeps an eye out for unique ingredients to use at the campfire, always making a point to feed his companions while also boosting their morale using varying perfumes and textures. Anyone he can get to set aside their worries and connect to the moment by enjoying a good meal is a win in his book!
The Elder Mist hesitantly approves of him as a travel companion for Zale and Valere, on the promise that he would be mindful of his limitations when it came to combat. He was uniquely gregarious, that one, choosing to let his scar show openly, and somehow having a smile big enough to make up for it. Plus, Garl's indomitable inclination to care for others would certainly provide much needed moral and nutritious support for the hardships ahead.
There was also something peculiar in the stars about him, as it seemed his heart just might be warm enough to “soothe a long tormented soul”.
As always, join us on Discord if you want to chat with the team! - https://discord.gg/sabotagestudio
Prologue - The Two Alchemists
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Apr 17, 2020 at 01:38:32 AM
At first revelling in the bright side of their bittersweet eternal lives, they spent centuries protecting the world, nurturing it, and creating wonders to inspire its mortals. Over time, however, Aephorul grew increasingly jealous of the ephemerality he would never taste again.
Thus began his wicked journey into the forbidden schools of alchemy, a journey through which every last bit of good within his heart dissipated as he experimented with soul, bone, flesh, and blood alike.
As fate would have it, Aephorul eventually embraced evil and emerged as The Fleshmancer, a wicked immortal who bore no second thoughts about cursing the world with his monstrous creations. Resh’an tried intervening as best he could, causing unspeakable chaos and collateral damage to the world as the two former friends fought their endless war.
After much struggle, Resh’an discovered the flesh minions’ only weakness to be Solar and Lunar magic, a power gifted to humans born during a solstice. He began training these children so that they would become Solstice Warriors, tasked with culling the presence of The Fleshmancer’s creations.
But Aephorul’s knowledge was also gaining ground, and he eventually started creating oddities of unlimited potential known as Dwellers. Dwellers were impervious to all but Eclipse Magic, a special kind of power available only to Solstice Warriors during a total eclipse. Time was always of the essence, as Dwellers would, left to their devices long enough, turn into World Eaters, spelling doom for all.
Armed with knowledge and power, Solstice Warriors were patrolling their world, tracking Dwellers to determine which one would have to be taken down during each eclipse. If they kept their guard up, there may never be a World Eater, but Resh’an knew it was only a matter of time until The Fleshmancer devised an even more wicked plan.
In a desperate attempt to get ahead, Resh’an boldly performed transmutation alchemy on the very space-time continuum, breaking reality down into countless timelines and parallel universes. He then hung up his alchemy vial and took up the mantle of Archivist, setting out on an endless journey across all realities, cataloging every single possible outcome in search for a resolution to the throes of The Fleshmancer. Meanwhile, Aephorul rejoiced at the seemingly infinite potential for destruction he had just been offered.
And so this game of cat and mouse, played by Dwellers and Solstice Warriors on one level, and by Resh’an and Aephorul on another, took place across seemingly infinite timelines. While some were getting lost to World Eaters, others were being cleansed and reclaimed by heroes who would know lasting peace, provided The Fleshmancer never set foot in their realm again.
Our story begins in such a world, visited by The Fleshmancer decades prior, causing much turmoil and leaving a mark that has yet to be fully cleansed. Indeed, the threat remains as the infamous Dweller of Woe gains power with each passing day, getting ever closer to morphing into a World Eater.
With only three Solstice Warriors left, a ray of hope appears as two Children of the Solstice are born during the same fateful year. If there is to be any chance for this world, they will have to complete training at an early age, and unlock their powers in time for the next eclipse...
As always, join us on Discord to discuss with the team! - https://discord.gg/sabotagestudio
New Music Track Release - Jungle Path
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Apr 17, 2020 at 12:27:50 AM
A lot of you have been asking for more music, so here we are!
Jungle Path is an outdoor dungeon and the starting area of Watcher Island, where the demo takes place. Here is the music track for it, which you might have heard glimpses of in our Kickstarter video. It starts off with the day version of the track and switches over to the night version around the midway point.
So feast your ears, and give Eric's commentary below a read:
- I wanted a very percussive, rhythmic soundtrack, because you don’t really get that in an RPG. Especially a retro RPG, you might have a tambourine, and a bongo, that’s about it. There are literal hundreds of thousands of percussion instruments in the real world, and each region of our world has unique instruments and rhythms, I think it’s only right that the game world feels similar in that respect.
- We had several discussions about finding a “signature instrument” for the music, and I kept coming back to various types of Bells. Not only is there a large enough variety to never run out of options, they do sound rather “starry” which is theoretically appropriate for a game called Sea Of Stars. And they’re a percussion instrument.
- SNES soundfonts. It is my correct opinion that nothing makes a true retro gamer’s ears perk up more than the identifiably sultry sounds of the S-SMP audio subsystem. Given that the SoS art style has a lot more depth than The Messenger, 8 bit chiptunes would not be appropriate here. But it’s still supposed to feel retro, and the best way to make that happen is to use actual sounds from actual SNES games.
So this tune came about from exploring many different possibilities, and I’m reasonably pleased with the result. The drums in this song are a little more deliberate than some other areas of the game, but it’s the jungle level, so more tribal beats were necessary."
As always, join us on Discord if you want to chat with the team! - https://discord.gg/sabotagestudio
Area reveal - Mooncradle Village
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Apr 14, 2020 at 02:42:14 AM
We still can't believe the million dollar mark has been passed! To celebrate, we are dropping all social media stretch goals (which we quite frankly overestimated), and will be offering three updates here in the form of lore primers for those who want to learn more about the world of Sea of Stars.
First up is the reveal of the game's starting area!
Sitting on Evermist Island's crescent-shaped peninsula is the town of Mooncradle, where a humble community prepares welcoming ceremonies at every solstice, expecting The Great Eagle to bring them a newborn baby.
For time immemorial, Mooncradle's villagers have been nurturing these Children of the Solstice until they were of age to receive training at Zenith Academy, ascending into warriors of either the sun or the moon, and devoting their lives to the war against the armies of The Fleshmancer.
Solstice Warriors usually travel as a pair of complementary powers, to ensure all enemies can be fended off. Free to roam the world's many islands, they help its denizens and follow their instinct to assess any growing threats.
It is always a pleasure for the people of Mooncradle to see Solstice Warriors come and go as they periodically report to Zenith Academy's Headmaster, who compiles intelligence in order to plan the next eclipse's gathering.
Indeed, some very rare elite creations of The Fleshmancer, known as Dwellers, are impervious to all but a very potent power available to Solstice Warriors exclusively while the moon completely blocks out the sun. Tradition has it that all Solstice Warriors would gather at each eclipse, to ensure swift and decisive victory over the targeted Dweller.
Our story begins in Mooncradle, where Valere and Zale live a happy, albeit secluded childhood, getting into all kinds of trouble with their best friend Garl, a regular kid who simply happened to be born in Mooncradle directly.
As they would soon find out, the world was down to only three Solstice Warriors. For there to be any hope of removing the growing threat known as the Dweller of Woe, our two heroes would need to show potential quickly...
Join us on Discord for more details: https://discord.gg/sabotagestudio
Final Stretch Goal: Free DLC for backers.
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Apr 10, 2020 at 01:28:30 AM
Well, here we are with just 9 days left to the campaign!
To be honest, we did not expect to make it that far, and certainly not that fast.
Our vision for stretch goals was always clear : we would not overcommit, we would not bloat our game, and we would not cause delays because of them. One thing we did want to do as soon as the game launched, however, was to start working on a fully fledged side-adventure DLC called "Throes of The Watchmaker" demanding multiple months of dev, which would expand even more on the world of Sea of Stars and provide additional insight on the narrative overarching all of our games.
To show how grateful we are to everyone who has backed the project, we are announcing that our final stretch goal is to make this DLC free to all backers who pledged for a copy of the game. As it will be better enjoyed without spoilers, that's all we will say about this clockwork conundrum for now.
Oh, and by the way, as we are making this announcement the stretch goal has already been reached, so congratulations to our backers on the free additional content!
We humbly thank you once again for your support. Showing the world your big idea always comes with its fair share of vulnerability and apprehension, but we couldn't feel more blessed with the reception you all gave us.
Additional pledges will help ward against any curve balls as we shoot for maximum quality in everything we touch, but there are no additional stretch goals to work towards as the vision is now officially whole.
Please know that your overwhelming support and response will be carrying us as we focus on building this dream project. We cannot wait for you to set sail across the world of Sea of Stars!
In the meantime, please stay safe <3
Feel free to come talk with the team and community on Discord: https://discord.gg/sabotagestudio
