Last year, on March 17, 2020 my very first PC game, Heroines of Swords & Spells, was released on Steam.
An epic-humorous JRPG with no grind and no random encounters (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?) about the adventures of four charming but wayward heroines. A kind thief, a cowardly warrior, a mischievous priestess, and a mage that can't cast spells. I was inspired by the great and beautiful game Baldur's Gate and the equally epochal and beautiful anime KonoSuba.
Despite:
- a specific plot idea and specific gameplay (the characters are literally level zero when you start playing);
- tons of text that sometimes make the game more like a visual novel;
- a very... unique RPG Maker engine (which many gamers are allergic to)... Despite all this, the project was not stillborn. On the contrary, Heroines of Swords & Spells gained its fans (over 300 reviews on Steam 95% of which are positive). Not much, but not bad.
I felt like a real developer. That's why, as a proper developer, I decided to 'make some extra cash' by releasing a DLC. Instead of improving the graphics and making a sequel, of course.
That' s how the idea was born! I decided to write a separate scenario about the four evil goblinettes which goes side-by-side with the main plot. Diana, Anastasia, Svetlana and Felicia had a short encounter with them before the finale of Act I. The players liked the memorable cutscene with the goblinettes and the heated argument between them and the heroines. In fact, they enjoyed it so much I was asked if the four goblin girls would make an appearence in Act II. And the answer is yes. The heroines will cross paths with the Green Furies quite a few times in the future. Needless to say, the goblinettes are another cliché (trope). A rival firm. A polar opposite team. But that's what makes them attractive. Can there be a company of adventurers making more trouble than Diana and her friends? They can! Found them!
Meet witty, but strong Groonya; strong, but witty Gheesha and the undecided Gvaasha and Gloosha.
The DLC should take 6 to 8 hours to complete depending on the speed of the player. What kind of speed? Reading speed, of course. Heroines of Swords & Spells was and is a game more about reading than fighting monsters.
However, I reflected on several gameplay moments of Act I and made conclusions. The Anti-Heroines scenario is a preliminary result of said reflection. You could say that the DLC is an attempt to apply how I see Act II gameplay structure. The vision is far from final, but still.
The price of the DLC is 3.99$. I won't rule out the possibility of a new DLC in the future, but I don't plan to get carried away with it. I already feel bad for the fact that the game had to cut into several acts. Originally I planned one big project with 50-60 hours of gameplay, but it would take another 3-4 years of seclusion with no feedback from the audience, which would severely influence the game's quality.
Another important detail: the game's kind ambiance is not going anywhere (I hope), but I have to mention that in this particular scenario the player has to "get under the skin of evil" like it or not. Goblinettes aren't "sweet kawaii little things" like the main characters. They're funny in their own way but were brought up in a different society. I'm not pointing any fingers (hey, Diana), but in the main game the girls often didn't give the player (and Svetlana) a chance to do the wrong thing. Green Furies, on the other hand, won't always let you take the high road. Keep this in mind.
Yeah, goblinettes are by no means fair maidens, but they also have a Goal. Cowravans must be robbed! If not in the name of Good or Light, then at least so that the servants of that Good would have someone to chase through the woods and swamps.
The Light, of course, will triumph, but the true Anti-Heroines will not give up so easily!