The Enemies of Legends of Adrigal - Part One

It's been a long time since an update has been seen on StortzumSoft's blog, but now the return of regular posts is here, thanks in part to working on Legends of Adrigal for my senior overview at Webster University. It just so happens to be my final semester after over a decade of struggling.

But that's not the point of this new post. Legends of Adrigal is an RPG, and any good RPG worth its weight in Gil, Zenny, Fol, or whatever currency you would like to choose from an RPG series has a compelling lineup of enemies to slay and earn money and items from!

That's my hope at least with Legends of Adrigal initial lineup of enemies. Today, I would like to share eight enemies from the game, discussing their designs (influences and inspirations), where they are in the game, and a lot more. Enough chatter from yours truly, let's move on from the introduction and get to the enemies themselves!

Note: Don't mind any imperfections in the enemy art: The enemies are much smaller in-game, making things like imperfect lines impossible to see unless you zoom in to crazy amounts!


GOOEY

Introducing Gooey! This little ball of slime with two eyes at its top hides its lone internal organ, its heart, deep inside its body. You don't even have to get close to it to see its heart beat! Gooey enemies are the weakest in Legends of Adrigal. Inspired by slime enemies from games like Dragon Quest (context-wise) and Breath of Fire (design-wise), a Gooey isn't too dangerous by its lonesome, but when they attack in groups, you should be careful!

HORNEET

An enemy that travels and hovers around the Mabel Road area of the kingdom of Adrigal, Horneets, like Gooeys, aren't too much of a threat alone, but when paired with other enemies, things can become rather tricky rather fast. Unlike Gooeys, however, Horneets pack quite a punch... er... sting with their dangerous stinger, inflicting pain on anyone who suffers its sting!

PURPLY POLY

Designed after both a pill bug and a roly poly, the Purply Poly's shell slightly protects it more than other enemies along Mabel Road. However, Purply Polys also can be found inside the Mines of Dorter. Their attack strength isn't that powerful, but as stated, its shell provides some slight defense against attacks to make up for it. They're more cute than dangerous, however.

CARNIVOROUS PLANT

This enemy would fit right in with the Little Shop of Horrors, but maybe its singing voice could be a little bit better... Nonetheless, the Carnivorous Plant makes its home mainly along the West Adrigal Road. It is made up of a core plant and two arms. You can't see it, but these are all connected together, albeit underground. It can use a move called Photosynthesis when its HP is below 20% to get a second wind in battle.

GRASSLAND FROG

Outside of its bushy eyebrows, there are few characteristics that distinguish the Grassland Frog from a frog you'd see in real life. I mean, its name has "frog" in it, for Pete's sake! Regardless, Grassland Frogs usually don't travel alone, rather they travel in at pairs, or with other enemies. You'll never see a Grassland Frog fighting by itself. They may be frogs, but in Adrigal they aren't stupid! The Grassland Frog is based off art for the toad status effect from the Super Nintendo Final Fantasy games.

SHISH-KA-PIG

What a macabre look this creature has! Why, it has an apple in its mouth like it's fit for a luau rather than a battle. Despite its appearance, the Shish-Ka-Pig is no nice customer when it's interrupted and attacked. Usually docile creatures, the Shish-Ka-Pig will grow violent if disturbed. Though if you defeat this creature, you'll really bring home the bacon money-wise! That'll do, pig. That'll do! ...I'm very sorry for those play-on words. Shish-Ka-Pig is based off an enemy from the PlayStation 2 RPG Radiata Stories.

DEADHEAD

No, not a groupie of a certain rock 'n roll band, the Deadhead is modeled after the ReDead enemy from The Legend of Zelda series (debuting in Ocarina of Time). Despite its name, Deadhead isn't actually a zombie. Why, that would be crazy! Instead, it's a swarm of dirt and mud that has taken a human-like form. It prowls the Mines of Dorter lately, which is quite the problem when a bunch of miners are trapped inside!

ARMORDILLO                                                                
Armordillo is the very first boss of Legends of Adrigal. The fight doesn't happen right away in the adventure, so have some patience. Casey will discover this rough and rowdy bipedal armadillo creature in the Mines of Dorter. What is it even doing in there in the first place? Did it cause the cave-in at the mines? What I can reveal, though, is that this boss is ready to rumble and ready for a fight!

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I hope you guys and gals enjoyed this first look at some of the enemies and bosses featured in Legends of Adrigal! Development is continuing at a steady pace, and I can't wait to share even more about my game. I just want to strike a balance here and not reveal TOO terribly much that the entire game is spoiled! I don't think that will be a problem, however. Stay tuned for further updates right here on StortzumSoft!

The Enemies and NPCs of Chickadee - Part One

Both Chickadee development and production have continued as of this week! Thank the lord for fall break! With this update to Chickadee on StortzumSoft, I'd like to talk about a handful of NPC and enemies that Chickadee will encounter on his Breakout-styled journey. Let's begin with two friendly faces, shall we?

OLD REDBIRD THE CARDINAL

This is Old Redbird, the wisest of Chickadee's treetop village. Foolishly, Dr. Egghead, the villain of our tale, did not bird-nap this bird along with Chickadee's friends, thinking he was too old to be of any use. Fortunately, there are plenty of uses for Old Redbird during Chickadee's journey, providing sage advice and wisdom to the baby bird on his adventure. Need to know what a certain contraption does? Old Redbird's your bird!

MR. INCHES THE INCHWORM

Don't mind Mr. Inches the Inchworm-- he's just laying about in his hole in the forest world of Chickadee. Well, that isn't entirely true. You WILL mind him if you end up crushed in between two Mr. Inches at once or be in between Mr. Inches and a solid object when he pokes his head out! Other than that, Mr. Inches is perfectly harmless and just wants to pop of his hole and say hi!

EIGHTLEGS THE SPIDER

Let's talk about the first enemy that Chickadee will encounter if you play through the forest world first. (Remember that you can play any of the six worlds at your leisure.) Eightlegs the Spider usually hangs out-- literally-- from ceilings, only dropping down to cause Chickadee trouble when the player bounces near him. Eightlegs cannot be attacked from the front, as he'll just smack Chickadee around, messing with the player. Instead, attacking from the sides or from the rear will take good care of our eight-legged pest.

CRABCAKE THE CRAB

As you'd imagine with a crab, Crabcake only moves side to side. It must make getting around such a pain if you can only move sideways. If you're moving east to west, you'll never experience the joy of moving north to south! What a terrible and tragic life Crabcake must lead! No wonder why he's so angry and an enemy to Chickadee, being able to only be attacked from the front or rear! I'd hate the world too if I could only move sideways!

BIGEYE THE SHIELDBOT

The final character to share tonight is Bigeye the Shieldbot. You can't see it with this image, but Bigeye has up to two shields that spin around his body. These shields will make Chickadee bounce off them as if he were nothing. Timing your shot correctly is the difference between hitting Bigeye's body and hitting his shield. Obviously the former is what you want to do!

Phil's Super Mario Maker Levels - Part One

Welcome to StortzumSoft's first ever planned regularly occurring segment! It's Phil's Super Mario Maker Levels! Okay, it's not the most creative name. I used up all my creativity on making levels in the game!

For those uninitiated, Super Mario Maker just released on the Wii U this past Friday. It allows users to create, design, play, and share each others' levels with a worldwide audience in an official capacity. The interface is way well done, making it easy to tinker around with and create a level in a fast amount of time. Now, of course, whether that level is actually good or not is subjective.

With this planned reoccurring segment, I will be sharing my levels that I've created and spent time on playtesting to, well, the word I'm looking for definitely isn't perfection, but you know what I'm shooting for, right?

For this first edition, I have eight levels to share with you. I'll include the name, some screenshots, a description, and of course, the code to find and play the level online.

Level 1-1: Beginner's Basics - 297E-0000-0016-C715

This level is a breeze to beat, with just a handful of problem spots for beginner players. I didn't want it to be a total non-challenge, after all. Run through the plains, collecting coins, watching out for enemies, and complete the final section of level, a narrow area with pipes to worry about.

1-2: Cavernous Complex - 4C4F-0000-0017-47CD

Taking place entirely underground, this cavern has a secret spot where a star is, allowing you to run wild through one of two paths. Watch out for a cross section full of Piranha Plants, gaps in the floor leading to nothing but lost lives for Mario, and keep your cool in this cavern. Can you find the hidden 1-up?

1-3: Mushroom Heights - 7B22-0000-0018-B2F3 

Take a run (and jump) above the land with this beginner precision platforming course requiring a cool, calm, and collected state of mind. From floating platforms to flying Red Koopa Troopas, the name might sound like a subdivision, but the course is anything but a stroll.

1-4: Bowser's Castle 1 - AEFE-0000-001B-D589

Bowser has holed himself up in his first castle for Mario to try to conquer. Make perilous, death-defying jumps over scalding hot lava, avoid fire bars and Podoboos, and try to find and collect all three secret 1-ups. If you manage to make it to the finish, your reward is an audience with the King of the Koopas, Bowser!

2-1: Piranha Plant Parkway - 1A39-0000-0021-2788

This level is anything but a walk in the park... way. The path is full of Piranha Plants, both fireball-spewing and not. If you survive the initial two-thirds of the level, you're doomed to tempt fate and enter the final Piranha Plant pipe gauntlet near the end. You can do it. Keep calm and carry on!

2-2: Donut Lift Caves - 4F43-0000-002B-06B1

Journey into the underground with a cave that introduces donut lifts. Mind your footsteps, as staying too long on a lift will cause it to plummet below, taking anything on it below in the process. Things start out simple enough, but by Donut Lift Caves's conclusion, you're going to have to deal with donut lifts and Red Paratroopas over a massive bottomless pit.

2-3: Lakitu's Towering 'Shrooms - 52B4-0000-0035-26D8

Mingle with mushrooms in the form of platforms in this level. Just be on the lookout for Lakitu and his two twin brothers, who call this area of the Mushroom Kingdom their home!

Special World - 1: P-Switch Panic! - C3D2-0000-0036-F996

Run and jump along the clouds. Actually, move it, move it, MOVE IT! It's a constant race against time as you run from P-Switch to P-Switch, creating platforms out of coins within seconds. A tip for this level is to watch out so you don't accidentally pick up P-Switch when you run near it.

As you probably noticed, it's like I'm making my own version of a Mario game with Super Mario Maker. Level creation is something that has always fascinated me, so it makes sense that I'd be addicted to creating Mario Maker levels, right?