Spirit's Embrace [Fantasy/Comedy/Drama][Commercial][EXTENDED DEMO]

[Aeghite]

Spirit's Embrace is a commercial fantasy game with themes revolving around angels, demons and death currently in development.


Hello and welcome. This is Aeghite, the creator and artist of Spirit's Embrace. It's my first game project and I'm excited to show you the fruits of my work. Please comment, leave feedback and ask questions concerning the game.

Game Status: In developement.
Plot: 60% completed
GUI: 100% completed
Sprites: 80% completed

STORY

You wake up in Purgatory, a place between worlds, between Heaven and Hell. You have no memory of who you were and how you got here. You only know your name. To find out the truth about your past (and if you're dead or still alive) you have to go on a dangerous quest. There are 3 places you'll have to visit: Heaven, Hell and Earth. Along the way you'll meet demons, angels, lost souls and even Death himself.

NEW EXTENDED DEMO!!!

★ Spirit's Embrace (Windows) https://www.dropbox.com/s/gpniqdzxoowb8 ... c.zip?dl=0

★ Spirit's Embrace (Mac) https://www.dropbox.com/s/q2wu3wf6v2at8 ... c.zip?dl=0

★ Spirit's Embrace (mobile applications) https://www.dropbox.com/s/y6qkz6kebk2hn ... e.apk?dl=0

can be also found here:
http://pandoneum-studio.com/spirits-embrace.html

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FM7GdMj5is

CHARACTERS

Rin/Teo.

The player can choose between a female heroine (Rin) or male hero (Teo). The name can be changed.

Our heroes are bound to each other in a way that can only be determined by the player.

Beliah.

Race: demon

Age: ancient

Height: 170 cm

A demon temporarily residing in purgatory, devious and mischievous. Beliah likes to bully the guardians of the gateway between the worlds - a portal called by the name Zarithar. He’s especially fond of the angel Mikael with who he’s been in conflict since ancient times. He serves as the right hand of Shadow Master - the king of demons. Despite his evil attitude Beliah also has a gentle side to him.

Mikael.

Race: angel

Age: ancient

Height: 175 cm

An angel guarding the gateway between the worlds. Loyal and committed to his job. Mikael is very caring and innocent but also naive and easy to control. He often has to put up with the pranks of his rival Beliah. His favorite color is white and he often wears white clothing. He doesn’t understand cruelty and violence. He empathizes with humans and their struggle to survive. Seeing how our hero/heroine ends up with amnesia Mikael decides to help regain the lost memories.

Death.

Race: unidentified

Age: ???

Height: 182 cm

Death is mysterious and lacks humor. His job is to collect souls from Earth and take them to the judgment place where it’s decided if they will be placed either in Heaven or Hell. He’s looking for a soul of a young girl named Lucy who is constantly hiding from him.

Lord of the Skies.

Race: deity

Age: infinite

Height: 185 cm

The personification of God. He’s the Father of all beings and things. Although he’s been thought to be very old his appearance shows a young lad with long silver hair. Lord of the Skies has a very calm and gentle personality but there’s a cloud of mystery surrounding him. No one knows where he is most of the time and what he’s been doing there. One thing remains certain though, he likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.[/center]

Shadow Master.

Race: demon

Age: ancient

Height: 179 cm

The personification of Satan, the lord of evil. He’s the master of deception and lies. He presents himself as a very elegant man around his 30-ties. The Master of shadows likes to play games (often on his PGS) and keeps a diary. He plans plots on how to take over Heaven and he trusts no one besides Beliah - his Right Hand.

Florianna.

Race: angel

Age: ancient

Height: 172 cm

The bookkeeper of the Lord of the Skies. Florianna is very nice, friendly and intelligent. She writes down which souls are going to Heaven and which to Hell. She also makes appointments for the Lord.

Lucy.

Race: human souls

Age: 15

Height: 165 cm

The soul of a teenage girl, trying to escape Death. Lucy had a very difficult life. Her parents were never around and so she had to do everything by herself. She learned to be independent but in result lost her childhood. From her earliest years she’s been constantly bullied by the neighborhood kids. She learned to deal with her haters and planned a revenge in her late years but never got the chance to act upon it.

Sisters Sin and Ister.

Twins with opposing characters. Sin is mean and sarcastic while Ister stays cheerful and full of optimism (not very demonish after all). The sisters constantly fight and deny each other’s right. They love jewelry and all kinds of expensive accessories (even though they rarely wear them).

Saint Peter.

The Guardian of the Heaven’s Gate. He’s an old man who guards the passage to Heaven allowing only those with special permission to pass. Saint Peter is a very quiet person. He keeps all kind of keys and only he knows what the keys open.

Gabriel.

An archangel supervising Mikael. He is always busy with work and rarely has any time to spare. Gabriel has a patronizing look and a well-shaped body, makes him look like a bodyguard of Heaven.

Fluffy.

The diabolical Shadow Master’s dog. A gift from Lord of the Skies.
And more to come...


HONEST QUESTIONS
1. Do you find the concept of the game interesting?
2. Which character description is your favorite?
3. Do you like the art style?
4. Any general feedback is appreciated.


The thread will be constantly updated. Thank you very much for reading! ^^

Also please visit the game's production diary, in other words tumblr

More information about the game on the official site - Spirit's Embrace and on itch.io


UPDATE:

Here are some background examples:

[SundownKid]

1) I'd say the concept of the game is intriguing but the plot itself is not incredibly interesting. I feel like it's lacking some motivating factor or stakes. The fact that the main character has amnesia makes it difficult to empathize with helping them escape from Purgatory. For all we know, they belong there. I think it might actually be better if rather than amnesia, they knew that they were either accidentally placed in purgatory (more of a comedic setup), or had a specific goal they absolutely have to escape to do (sort of like a wish fulfillment fantasy, defying the forces of the afterlife). Plus amnesia is a bit of a cliche at this point.

2) Probably Death. Because, I mean, it's Death. Although, I would say that the characters feel a little... straightforward? I feel like they would be more interesting if they had a bit more grey morality or foibles going on. That is hinted at with the demon guy having a soft side, but it could be even more pronounced. Right now they all fit their roles well, but that isn't really a formula for comedy. It's more like if they fit their roles badly.

3) I could probably go with the art style. Albeit, the characters mostly seem otome-ish in design for a game with a gender selectable main character. If I saw the characters without context, I'd probably assume it was an otome, which might be an issue if you're targeting men and women equally.

[Aeghite]

Thank you very much for your feedback ^^ It means a great deal to me.

I'm still working on the plot trying to improve it. But I promise there will be factors pointing out that our main character does not belong in the Purgatory.

The character descriptions are in the early state, I will also try to improve them. Still, I don't believe there is one general formula for a comedy. And if there is, I'd like to reach beyond it. I don't like standards. They make everything predictable and the point is to create something unpredictable and mysterious (but still funny). Although, there will be obvious situations and conversations as well.

As for the art style...well that's just the way I draw xD It might seem otome-ish but it still doesn't make the game dedicated strictly for girls ^^' Everyone is welcome to play it

[Mad Harlequin]

You'll want to change Shadow Master's PSP to something made up, since that's trademarked.

[SundownKid]

You'll want to change Shadow Master's PSP to something made up, since that's trademarked.

Technically, it's not illegal to use trademarked brand names in writing. Such things might be immersion-breaking in a more serious work of fiction if you just went and modified the brand names of everyday items. As long as you don't "defame" the trademark in some way and claim it to be fact. For a character who simply enjoys playing video games on, say, their Xbox, you don't have to change the name to Zbox to avoid copyright infringement as it's a non-issue.

[papillon]

You'll want to change Shadow Master's PSP to something made up, since that's trademarked.

Technically, it's not illegal to use trademarked brand names in writing.

It's a tricky subject though, and lawsuits are sometimes filed over silly things.

http://spacequest.wikia.com/wiki/Room_R ... al_Reasons

[Mad Harlequin]

Technically, it's not illegal to use trademarked brand names in writing. Such things might be immersion-breaking in a more serious work of fiction if you just went and modified the brand names of everyday items.

You're right, of course. I was in a rush to post and my brain disconnected from my fingers, as it were. But as papillon said, it's not a perfectly neat and tidy issue.

Aside from defamation, which you so kindly mentioned, there are other concerns, including what's known as trademark dilution. I don't know how Sony reacts to this issue, and I don't know how the OP intends to mention Sony's PSP, but it's at least something to be aware of.

Anyway, back to talking about the game! The concept is interesting enough, but it feels kind of generic to me. It needs . . . something more. I want to know what kind of revenge Lucy was planning. I want to know why God eats sandwiches. (Just because?)

I don't know if I can say I like one character description above all the others, but I like the little things like the Lord of the Skies eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Florianna's position as appointment keeper.

I also find it hard to believe that Mikael can be more than a little naive, especially if he has to deal with someone like Beliah.

The art looks good. It's not especially memorable yet, but it'll work.

Good luck!

[Aeghite]

You'll want to change Shadow Master's PSP to something made up, since that's trademarked.

To avoid any unnecessary troubles I changed the PSP name to PGS (Portable Game Station). Thanks for noticing it ^^

And thank you for the feedback as well

I will make the character descriptions more detailed soon (I'm trying to keep up with the art first).
But let me say that there is a reason why the Lord of the Skies eats sandwiches (and not only sandwiches). He's into sweets in general. I wanted to give Him some human traits and make Him look a little similar to an average guy.
About Lucy's revenge. It'll be explained later in the game.

[Aeghite]

Here are some screenshots of the GUI

[ofdawnandtwilight]

1. Do you find the concept of the game interesting?

I think it's a fun concept, a bit common maybe but what matters more to me is how the story is executed. And I'm all for games with both gender options as the MC :>

2. Which character description is your favourite?

I definitely definitely definitely like the demon sisters, especially their designs. I'm also intrigued by Death for some reason, I'd like to see how he interacts with the other characters seeing that he isn't one to have the appropriate set of social skills. And of course, Lucy! I hope she's not a suffering soul throughout the entire game, that'd be miserable.

3. Do you like the art style?

I do, yes! I don't think that they're up to par with the art quality of some other commercial games but I personally like it and have no problems with it whatsoever. It might be just me but the text in the extras menu seem kinda hard to read?

4. Any general feedback is appreciated.

I think the game would be fun to play, nothing seems to pop out as something super interesting at the moment but I'd get it once it's out. Will you be releasing it onto other platforms, specifically Steam?


Good luck with the game, I'll be constantly checking for updates! ^^

[Aeghite]

And of course, Lucy! I hope she's not a suffering soul throughout the entire game, that'd be miserable.

It might be just me but the text in the extras menu seem kinda hard to read?

Will you be releasing it onto other platforms, specifically Steam?

First of all, thank you very much for the feedback! ^^ I very much appreciate every single reply

Don't worry, Lucy may be a sad character at the beginning but things will go pretty good for her in the end.

The text in all the pictures I've posted is hard to read >.> I made screenshots, then scaled them and saved as JPG. which made the quality go down :c Maybe I'll change them to PNG so they are more readable.

And yes, I plan to realise the game on Steam and Google play if possible ^^

[ofdawnandtwilight]

Awesome awesome! Clearer screenshots would be nice, yes please ^^

If it gets up on Steam, then it's a guarantee that I'll be buying the game haha!

[Aeghite]

The screenshots should be clearer now ^^

Also, I'm working on the demo at the moment. I hope to realise it in a month

[Nayru774]

Woo, nice. I adore your character designs and your art style, and the story itself seems interesting. c: If I had a chance to play this, I'd definitely give it a try!
As for favorites, the Sisters and Death seem the most eye-catching on first sight, haha.

Also, great GUI.

Good luck to you with the demo! c: I'll be eagerly awaiting any updates!

[sakurakimuchi]

Oh my, the plot is AWESOME! And Shadow reminds me so much of Sebastian, like, I have to play this game right now! Is he a pursuable character? I sure hope so, and he also has a dog (his name makes me laugh so hard, Fluffy lol reminds me of Harry Potter). I have one little question for ya: How much the game will cost? Can we buy it elsewhere apart from Steam? Thanks!

1. Do you find the concept of the game interesting?
Damn right I do lol! It's amazing.
2. Which character description is your favourite?
Like I said, the Shadow Satan is my favorite, but I think all of them are interesting.
3. Do you like the art style?
Sure, it's really good.