WelcomeThanks for checking this project out and i hope to pique your interest! To get access to to the most recent version of the demo check out the discord link at the bottom. We appreciate any and all advice or criticism as we have quite a long journey ahead of us!
One sentence elevator pitch2D Metroid-vania with a heavy combat focus set in a Victorian time period filled with classic monsters and eldritch horrors.
OverviewPurity of Blood (working title) Is a 2D, Metroid-Vania, platformer with a heavy focus on compelling exploration and hack-and-slash style combat. It features a character driven story which takes place in a Victorian era setting populated by Transylvanian folklore creatures as well as eldritch Lovecraftian horrors.
The game largely takes place in a huge mysterious manor and the surrounding areas once inhabited by a grand society of vampires now brought to ruin by eldritch forces. The protagonist and her brother set off for the manor in search of their mysteriously disappeared father all the while learning about the true nature of the manor and the protagonists vampiric birth.
The project is certainly still in early development and a strict timeline is hard to formulate given the variable scope of the projects and the team size. That being said once the team is finalized we will produce a concise release window accounting for risk, manpower and funding. Details on the finances behind the project can be found below.
The project so farThe project thus far has been the product of myself (programming & design), Jacob_V (artwork, animation & design) and NielsB (artwork, animation and design). Over the course of about two and a half months we have produced a functional demo of the game showcasing the core mechanics of combat, movement and enemy design with the following features:
Ground combo attacks with 3 distinct animations
Aerial combo with 3 distinct animations
Defensive actions like Blocking and dodging
Counterattack, Uppercut and 4 Directional attacks each with differing uses an properties (only first two are animated thus far)
Framework and partial implementation of projectile weapons, spells and abilities.
A functional arena which can actively tweak arena room, enemy type, enemy data, presence of platforms/grappling hook points and more.
5 enemies of varying archetypes: fodder enemy, duelist, flying, huge and caster; each with varying attack sets, movement patterns, animations and AI.
Basic implementation of graphical effects like dynamic rain, dynamic fog, parallax layers, dynamic lighting, bloodstains and particle systems.
And More!
We wish to attract more talent, build a wider audience and develop channels for feedback.
Future project prospectsGame Features
The scope of the of the project is reasonably large and we hope to have a robust, mechanically tight game by the end of development. Many of the features below are core to the game, but still they naturally are subject to change and may scale with the development process as well as the games general scope:
Extensive combat
Combos
A form of "create your own combo” adaptability wherein the player can emphasize their preference of high damage and stagger vs high speed as well as other factors such as special effects and range.
The depth of this would be dictated by time, overall game cohesion and development cycle additional attacks becoming available as the player uses a particular weapon/progresses.
Blocking dodging and countering.
Varying enemy attack sets and strengths/weaknesses
Focus on timing/quick thinking as well as "right tool for the right problem".
multiple weapons (scalable with development progress/success)
Exploration focused expansive world
varying locales
a “base” featuring shops and NPCs of various purposes.
puzzles involving clever use of weapons/equipment
atmospheric victorian era aesthetic which become more and more eldritch as you progress throughout the game as well as return to previous areas.
Multi directional story line
Scales heavily with development pacing and game cohesion.
Choices the player makes determine how vampiric they become, influencing their powers and the world around them.
choices the player makes would potentially incur the scorn of other characters, introducing new story elements, encounters, boss fights and endings.
Prospective Staff requirementsArt Assets and AnimationCurrently we have 2 artists on board but we are still looking for more talent! The game does utilize a pixel art aesthetic so examples of pixel artwork are desired. Requirements are that you have some form of portfolio with at least 4 original creations.
ProgrammingAt the moment we have one programmer. A large amount of code has been done for the games framework though there is more to be done. Some examples of prior work/training are desired. In a base sense it is the expectation that all staff would be fluent in Game Maker Language (GML) and be capable of utilizing a wide variety of scripting techniques as well as familiarity with Game Maker Studio 2 (GMS2). Bonus points for skill in using shaders.
Note: If you are unfamiliar with GMS2 but have experience with GMS1 that is not a problem, there aren't really any earth shattering changes. That being said if you don't own a copy of GMS2 and are unwilling to purchase it then collaboration would become somewhat more difficult, though this is not an absolute requirement.
Audio and Sound DesignAudio and sound design is virtually non-existent at this point with only a few placeholder sounds. For now this isn't a huge necessity but we are certainly looking for people to get in early. At the end of the day it is likely that this would be done entirely through contracting rather than staffing. Still if you are skilled in audio engineering feel free to let us know and we will keep you in mind as we go.
OtherPeripheral roles like legal, localization, management etc. are not needed as of yet though they may become desired later down the line. If you believe you have a valuable skill and would like to contribute, as with Audio and Sound design, let us know and we will keep you in mind.
Note: I am certainly also open to more input into the game from team members in the form of gameplay/story ideas/criticisms and play testing.
FinanceStaff paymentsThe main motivation for the creation of this project is portfolio development and a general passion for games. Finance, in a nutshell, is very undecided. There are many unknown factors and we have no large capital to speak of. Payments for team members will be minimal/null for the time being. That being said, we are hoping that crowdfunding support will become relevant at a later time. This would be after we have a playable “vertical slice” ready to present publicly or potentially even earlier if the team and the audience we have are confident in the game’s progress. Revenue shares are also a factor but will be largely influenced by the size of the team, weekly hours, resource management as well as certain legalities, so we will have to wait till the team size and roles are fully organized to determine exactly how these are divided.
LegalLegal paperwork is something that will wait to be reviewed until much farther into the project’s development cycle. Paperwork will be contracted by external sources. Paperwork will potentially factor in payment, asset entitlements and clauses such as significant contribution, leaving of team, project dissolution and disclosure.
Contact usTo get in contact with us if you are interested in becoming part of the team or any general inquiries feel free to message in the forum, PM me or email me at
[email protected].
DiscordIf you wanna come join the discord just to check the project out, talk about its features or access the demo just use the link below.
https://discord.gg/uPDnFThThanks for checking us out!
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