Gwen - The Last Hope

Somewhere, in the middle of the ocean, is a small island. The inhabitants of this island are different from other people throughout the world. They are the Faethyr, born with wings, they are mostly a peace loving people who tend to keep their distance from humans. The reason; most humans see the Faethyr as an inferior people or freaks of nature. Many high ranking or rich families have procurred a Faethyr as a servant, clipping their wings so they are made unusable. While the terrible acts on these people have mostly subsided as the years have gone by, it's still a problem in this world. For the most part, the Faethyr are content by staying away from the humans on their small island.

But not every Faethyr is content living peacefully while their brethren are forced to serve. A woman named Seiryuu, known for her violent actions towards humans, has had enough. With the aid of her childhood friend, the petite Gwen Orillia, Seiryuu has set her sights on kidnapping the daughter of a wealthy, influential noble with the hopes f forcing the release of her people.

Gwen, unfortunately, is along for the ride, whether she likes it or not. She's completely against what the humans do, but she wishes there was a better way. The last thing she wants to do is cause more pain, even if it is to humans. In fact, she's made a new human friend, Serene Trillium. You know, her kidnappee.

Needless to say, befriending a human stands against everything Seiryuu has been working for, creating quite a dilemma for Gwen. In the end, Gwen helps Serene, truly believing that she can't change things by dealing with things the way Seiryuu wants. And as a plus side, she's always wanted to study these strange, backward creature called humans.

Gwen is the 8th character to join the party and is one of the few in the world who can master the Element of Light. She is quite a powerful Elementalist, but when need be she can resort to using her Morning Star to stave off the enemy.

Bro's Weapons

Because we talked about Zak's weapons last time, it's only fair that we allow a peek into Bro's repertoire. Below is the list of all the katanas (and other curved swords) that can be gained and equipped by our secondary main character. As you can see, he actually shares two of Zak's weapons, the Homemade Sword (which was hand-crafted by Bro) and the Brotherly Love.


Weapons can be gained in a number of ways, by the way. A lot of them can be bought in stores, especially the earlier ones. Some can be found in treasure chests as well, rewarding those who want to explore the dungeons a little bit more. Some can be only be stolen from bosses by Kial's Theive ability. And lastly, the most powerful of weapons can only be obtained through optional sidequests. So make sure you do all sorts of things, because you never know when you'll be rewarded with a very powerful weapon!

Also, some weapons can have special perks attached to them! Using Bro's weapons as an example, the Death Edge has a small chance of completely dispatching the enemy, while the Reverse Katana is actually classified as a long-range weapon, allowing Bro to attack from the back row. One more, if both Zak and Bro have the Brotherly Love equipped and are also in the battle together, they'll both be extra powerful!

Also, one last thing! Have you voted for Bro's possible name yet? The poll's only up for a couple more days. We don't want to keep calling him Bro, do we?

Weapon Icons - Zak's Weapons

All of the characters, except one, have multiple equippable weapons. We've already gone over some, like how Serene uses bows and arrows and Jayner uses knives. Each character has quite a few different ones to purchase, find and unlock through their journey to save the world and I thought I'd give a little preview of the selection that Zak will be able to obtain. One fun little thing I did for every weapon in the game is add a small icon next to the weapon's name to give it a little flair. You can definetly see the difference in power between an early game weapon, like the Victory Blade compared to a super powerful hidden weapon like Ragnarok. It also means you can quickly tell who the weapon is for by looking at the icon.

It's a small thing, sure, but I like how it adds personality and character to something as mundane as equipment. But that's just me. What do you think?

Serene - The Debutante

Living a posh, priviledged life of a rather influential Duke's daughter sounds pretty great, doesn't it? Yeah, I guess it would be, if you weren't being kidnapped and held for hostage by a group of equal rights radicals. If you are, you just might be Serene Trillium. Poor Serene, she doesn't even know why she's being held captive. Its not that that she isn't bright, she's just very uneducated in the ways and plights of the common folk.

And it's not like she doesn't care about those without political power, she just... doesn't know any better. She has lived a very sheltered life and outside of the the staff at the mansion, has very few friends. In fact, she barely ever leaves her father's mansion, only ever visiting other political bigwigs at social gatherings or for her equestrian and archery lessons. Even though she is a little uninformed and a bit mislead, Serene is a caring individual who sees the good in people, even going as far as befriending one of her kidnappers. After being rescued by the party, she begs them to allow her to come with them so she can see the wonders of the world through her own eyes. And, well, it's hard to say no when the girl comes with one of the world's only airships...

Serene is the seventh character to join the party. She attacks from great distances with her Bow & Arrows and she can quickly help the team out in sticky situations with her tremendously powerful use of the Ice Element.

Jayner - The Therapist

Alright, back to new characters! When we talked about Derby, we discussed how he helps the party with the evacuation of civilians. One of their destinations is the asylum, where the party meets with the highly intelligent therapist, Jayner Alexanders. Jayner was able to protect himself from attackers by grabbing a pair of butcher's knives in the nearby kitchen. As stated by Jayner, he has worked at this asylum for years, helping those whose sanity have been lost. So... you know, he helps the wackos. but don't call them that, Jayner finds it needlessly offensive.

Jayner is extremely well read and very intelligent and he always seems to be just a step ahead of people in a conversation. Which makes sense, because Jayner has a strange ability to read minds. Yes, you read that right, Jayner has the ability to read peoples' minds, though he tries hard not to do so without permission. Needless to say, working with the insane and being able to read thoughts, Jayner is a bit of an eccentric but he always means well.

Oh, I guess I should tell you why he can read minds. From an early age, Jayner has learned to harness the power of the Energy Element. Energy is a very different kind of Elemental Power; with enough training, a person bonded with Energy can learn to move objects, read minds and even create matter from nothing. Can Jayner (or any man, for that matter) handle that kind of Elemental Power, or would it simply... drive them mad?

Formation and Element Cycles

Hey, why dont we take a break from introducing new characters and take a look at something else for a second? I want to show you guys a mock screenshot of what the battle sequences may look like. Now, please understand, this IS NOT a final screenshot of anything in the game, this is simply how I kind of want the battle screen to sort of look like. Also, everything in the status window is just for show, the end result will look nothing like that (but that's for another day, I think). So, here goes!

Well, here we are! Basically, I want the game to be nice to look at with plenty of color. I'm sick of most games nowadays sticking with various shades of brown and I want to avoid that at all costs! I also want the battles to move at a nice, brisk pace. There will also be voice acting present within battles! While there are plenty of things to talk about regarding how battles will work, there are two things in particular I'd like to discuss today.

First up; Party Formation!

At most, the party can consist of 4 active members. The first two members of the party are delegated to the front row; they can attack physically at full power but are also unprotected by enemy physical attacks. The third and fourth members, however, are forced to engage in battle from the back row; where they take less damage from physical attacks, but also deal less damage physically themselves. This can be circumvented by some characters, however. Kial, Rayne and Serene utilize long-range weapons, so they can dole out their physical attacks with full force no matter where they stand in the party. Stronger characters like Derby and Pierce will want to stick to the front row, dealing out powerful attacks while protecting the back row from heavy damage. Please note, however, that Elementally driven attacks are not affected by rows.


Secondly, take a look at the top right corner of the battle screen and you'll notice two colored orbs!

This is the always present 'Elemental Cycle'. At all times during battle, the Elemental Forces governing the world are churning, ever changing. The colors dictate which Element is currently stronger and weaker at any given time. For example, in the picture above, the red orb signifies that the Fire Element is strong right now. That means Derby, who is the only party member who uses Fire, will find that his Elemental strength is now doubled, so he should take advantage of the situation. The lower orb is blue, signifying Water (Fire's Elemental opposite) is weaker, so any party member who use Water will find their Elemental strength cut in half. This also applies to all enemies as well, so be careful not to be caught unaware!

Because the Elemental Forces are always moving, the Cycle may change after enough time has passed, the only constant being that when one Element is empowered, its opposite is weakened. Lucky for you, the characters of Elementality may be able to learn skills that allow them to change the Elemental Cycle for their own gain, but be careful! You wouldn't want to accidently weaken one of your own characters just to make one more powerful, would you?

Derby - The Knight

Just and steadfast, Derby Mallis is an up and coming knight under the teachings of the legendary Murgatroyd;  Royal Knight and vassal to Prince Edwards. Having joined the military at a young age, Derby hopes to one day live up to his deceased father's ideals by becoming a famed knight known for his courage, faith and virtuosity. He is loyal, righteous... And a bit of a stick in the mud.

During a large attack on his kingdom, Derby is charged with helping the group in finding and evacuating those who can't fight for themselves. What he doesn't realize is that this mission will soon change his life forever when he finds out his father's legacy may not be exactly what he once thought it was.

Derby is the fifth character to join the party. His heavy armor protects him from many attacks and he's no slouch offensively when he's armed with his large Zanbatou (Horse Slayer) Sword. When need be, Derby can rely on his awesome use of the Fire Element. 

Kial - The Thief

So, as stated in the post where I introduced Rayne, here we are with a young, defenseless looking girl walking around the big city toting a rather large, rather expensive looking crystal. Unfortunately, that catches the eye of a local swindler and thief, Kial ReKenn. Oh, Kial, you would have saved yourself so much trouble if you had just left Rayne's Crystal alone. But no, you decided to try to steal it, now you're stuck on an adventure to save the world.



Having lived his life alone after his parents' death, Kial has become very skilled in the acts of deception. He's crass, he's arrogant, but, deep down, he's got a good heart. Kial is the fourth character to join the party. His weapon is the Chakram which can be used at long range and he wields the Element of Lightning.

Rayne - The Fish Out Of Water

Continuing with the introduction of the main characters, meet Rayne Langstaff. According to her, she is the youngest High Mage of The Order Of The Sky at the age of 16. Needless to say, in a world where Elements have been long forgotten, Rayne... doesn't exactly fit in. She's brash, can be unattentive, and is sometimes a know-it-all with a big mouth. But it's clear, with her floating Sky Crystal and her mastery of the Wind Element, that she's to be taken seriously.

Rayne is the third character to join the party and the first to utilize Elements in battle. Her weapon is her everpresent Sky Crystal and, obviously, her Element is Wind. Rayne's Crystal can do more than attack foes, though. It can also determine the Element with which a person is bonded. Rumor has it that the Crystal has located an individual who is bonded with all Elements equally...

The Third Brother

So, last post I said that Zak and Bro are two of a group of three brothers. Why then, you may be asking,  did I only introduce the first two and ignore the third?

Well, the answer is simple. Ken, the third brother, is NOT a playable character. He's an important character, sure. In fact, he's the single most prominent NPC who helps the playable group out, especially when they find out about the upcoming Elemental Shift. Ken's recurring throughout most of the game once the player first meets him and he's one of the most influential characters in the sense that he gets a lot of the game's main story points rolling.

Ken just never joins the team. Ken is an intellectual, not a fighter. He'd only slow the party down, so instead helps out by being the brains of the operation. I wish I had some sort of artwork for him, but because he doesn't appear in any fights, I clearly haven't done a battle sprite for him. When I get some sketches made up of him (and the others) I'll be sure to post it here.

The Two Main Characters

Alright, let's start this off with Elementality's two main characters! Yes, two! choices throughout the game will determine which of these two brothers will play the bigger role in the story. Hooray for multiple playthroughs!

Anyway, let's introduce our boys! On the left we have Zak, the older of the three brothers (that's right, three brothers, but we'll get to that later) and on the right we have... Zak's brother who doesn't have a name yet... so I guess I'll just call him Bro for this post.

Of the two, Zak is the more down to earth brother, while Bro is more of the day dreamer. While Zak seems more negative and doesn't really accept the world as it's given to him, it doesn't mean he's a bad guy, he's just the more realistic of the two brothers. Bro, on the other hand is an optimistic, somewhat foolhardy young man. He always jumps at a chance to help and later describes that saving the world would be '"the ultimate good deed!"

They're two very different people, but they balance each other out. Zak keeps Bro from getting his head lost in the clouds, while Bro makes sure that Zak lightens up every once in a while.

Zak uses the European style Broad Sword as his chosen weapon and his skills lean more towards the agressive side, while Bro is more adept at the quick Eastern style Katana and his skills are geared more towards defensive traits.

As I said, different choices made by the player will have an effect on which brother takes the spotlight in certain scenes. This leads to branching conversations and sometimes to different quests or items!

I hope you guys like these sprites! The style is borrowed from the Game Boy Advance Fire Emblem games which I think are very easy to detail and create a variety of poses. tell me what you think! Also, as I said, Bro doesn't have an official name yet so remember to post your ideas in the comment section!

The World of Elementality

OK, I lied. We won't be meeting the characters yet. First, I figured I'd tell everyone about how the world of Elementality works.
In the world of Elementality, everything is balanced by 10 elemental forces; Fire, Ice, Water, Lightning, Earth, Wind, Energy, Spirit, Light and Shadow. The problem is that these forces must be in a very tight balance, which isn't always the case. Every few hundred years, the elemental forces are thrown out of wack when one or more elements are much stronger or much weaker than the others, resulting in the total destruction of civilzation. Life begins anew, and society is built from the ground up, completely different from the civilization and culture of the one before it. These are called Elemental Shifts.

These 10 forces don't just form the world, though. They also form the people as well. Every person born is inherently bonded with one of the elements. The element that someone is bonded to can be focused and controlled with enough training. In some Elemental Shifts, those who practiced the use of Elements were regarded highly, while in other Shifts, they were deemed cursed. Each time civilization was built from nothing, Elements were regarded differently by the people.

Jump forward to the current Shift that the game takes place in. Elements are a long forgotten legend. Some people believe in the use of Elements, but they are a very small minority, as most poeple see them as folklore, childish stories of the past.
This all changes when those who can harness Elements, Elementalists as they are known, begin to rise up, and signs of the Elemental shift all point to the end of this era. Once again, the world's destruction is imminent.

OK, I hope that makes sense to everyone. This whole idea of Elements forming the world will be explained to the player slowly as the game progresses. But for now, I hope that everyone gets the idea so we can continue. Next time; the characters!

What is Elementality?

Hello, all! Welcome to the blog dedicated to the development of Elementality, a japanese style RPG made with RPGMaker VX. Now, the blog is pretty much made for my friends who are involved in the game, but if you wandered here from beyond the internets, then... welcome, I guess...

Elementality is the story of two brothers who are entrusted with saving the world from annihilation. I promise that there's more to the story than that, but I figured it'd be better if we met our main characters. And we'll do so, in the next post!

If you're involved with the project, feel free to say so in the comment section!