Part 2: Assume I Said Something About A Clever Girl
Howdy, folks, and welcome back! Last time, on the Secret of Evermore, we started the game and shot some robots with a bazooka. Today, we're going to actually start some exploration, so let's boogie.
York and Zach are ready to start their whirlwind adventure. Zach hasn't been officially named yet, though, but fuck it, we're close enough.
Being an RPG, there are a few stats that do different things, so let's compare our two characters. They're also the only two we're getting.
Neither of our characters have particularly impressive stats at the moment, but that'll change. Zach is a bit better than York, being meatier and more evasive, but he's also some sort of wolf-dog.
Zach can also search around for stuff (what stuff, we'll get to in a little bit), and we can set his AI to either be more aggressive and murdery, or we can make sure he hunts around a little more. I prefer him to be attacking, since he's really goddamned good at it.
And, finally, the bone that Zach brought us is our first sword type weapon; we'll have access to axes and spears later on.
Alright, let's get into the game itself. A lot of the music is ambient stuff, and this track is no different. As some people in the thread have mentioned, Jeremy Soule is responsible for this soundtrack; he's done the music for Icewind Dale, Knights of the Old Republic, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim, and the list goes on and on. This was his first soundtrack, too.
Inside of the gourd is a pretty basic healing item, and it restores 40 HP when used on either York or Zach.
And that plant is our first enemy of the game. It's in the middle of its attacking animation, where it whips the shit out of you with its tentacle thingies.
it's the Wimpy Flower and has 18 HP to its name. We get a whole two experience points for taking it out.
Zach here did most of its health in this one hit.
When they're killed, they explode into a pile of petals.
Moving through the jungle, we encounter our second enemy, the mighty Mosquito. They have an entire hit point to their name, as well as dropping a single experience point.
Also, when you take out one of these guys, the game makes sure you goddamn well know it.
Zach here is sniffing at this spot incessantly; this means there's something to pick up here.
In this case, we find some Roots. The use for ingredients will become known next update, but just know that they're important.
This game is pretty. Sure, it's just a jungle right now, but I think it looks pretty nice. The ambient music here adds a ton to that feeling; if you haven't clicked that Tindeck link above, do so, then flip through these screenshots. It makes the jungle feel alive.
Yeah, there's not much to look at here, but c'mon, it's the first area of the game. We're killing plants. Just be patient.
Hey, look, a gourd!
Oil! A dinosaur must have been stored in this gourd.
The scenery is hiding us, but there's some Ash over here.
And here's some Water. Don't ask me for specifics, but it is different than water.
Doot doot doo, just toolin' 'round the jungle, doot doot doo
So we don't take a ton of damage from their attacks, but this is early in the game, and that's 20% of our health. That's kind of scary.
Zach, by virtue of having more health and defense, takes a hit better than York does.
Not that it seems to bother him very much; if there's one word I'd use to describe Zach, it's chill. He's just a dog, doin' his dog thing, hanging with his buddy, York.
The Flowers can drop Petals, too, which is nice.
Going to grab that other gourd leads to our first level up. Zach takes a little longer than York, for some reason.
It's not a huge boost, but hey,
all the same.
Talons serve as our currency.
Alright, let's get off this first screen.
This next part is in video form, if you'd like to watch that. Includes some combat, too, if you want to see that in motion.
There's no wind, but lookit that leaf...Well, not soar, but fall kind of majestically.
Oh, God, York is the type to quote movies in this kind of situation. Or any situation.
Hmm, what's that over there?
Fella's kinda cute, isn't he?
Hey, buddy, how's it going?
Where you goin'? We're not here to hurt yo---
OH SHIT HE'S HERE TO HURT US OH SHIT
Fucker!
He scampers off after that hit, which he would have done anyways. The Raptor has 50 HP and is worth 24 experience.
Rinse and repeat that pattern; you get the idea here.
The Raptor hits like a son of a bitch, too.
Enemies have evade rates as well, and sometimes, you'll miss. It really sucks.
...Oh, shit. That's not good.
When his HP hits zero, Zach decides to chill out and lay down. It's a lot better than having to see a dead dog sprite, I suppose.
He'll also get up and follow York around, just so you're not leaving your dog behind.
Alright, we killed the Raptor! And yes, he exploded upon death. Okay, let's move on, and--
Get our shit wrecked.
Yeah, another Raptor shows up. A fair few will come along, and you can win this battle, but it's kind of hard. It takes a bit of luck and some skill, but it's okay to lose. It's not uncommon, either.
No matter what, though, Zach has our back.
Like any good dog, he's loyal and loves his buddy.
I have no doubts that he's taking us to safety.
Or in for a ritual sacrifice. Whichever works, really.
Ah, just took a Raptor claw to the guts. Could have walked it off, honestly.
Well, it was a clever girl.
I would like to know their bush teleporting technique. That was some Scooby Doo shit there.
I'd reckon if Zach here really took after his appearance, he would have just munched on York's face.
Hopefully, you know something about bazooka repair. Or have a catapult. Or something, really, to get us outta here.
Or we can save our game. Sure, yeah, that's good, too.
Fire Eyes, eh? Sounds like a hell of a Chief.
Robbing people blind in an RPG just isn't as fun when it's okay to do.
Yeah, let's do that next time. For now, we'll take a break.
However, next time on Secret of Evermore, we'll explore Fire Eyes' village, so stay tuned!