Hail, brave warriors!
In our last devlog we briefly touched base on different enemies Hilda will encounter on her journey throughout the legendary City of Aphes. In today’s edition of ‘The Creatures of Asterigos’ we’d like to tell you a bit more about how we designed those dire beasts and their habitat zones.
Monsters of Asterigos: Ethrus, the Dark Cult
The streets of the city are filled with danger around every corner. Each city quarter, including the surrounding areas, is occupied by a host of unique and deadly foes, each with their own special abilities and unique appearance. Let’s talk about one of the enemy factions, The Dark Cult Ethrus.
These cultists stray from the doctrine of the Gods of Stars, they believe that only an appeal to the wild hearts of the beasts can save them from damnation. To do so, they perform a magical "Ritual of Sublimation" which transforms them into werewolves and other mythical creatures. The ritual allows them to use the powers of the beasts: the strength of bulls, the sharp fangs and claws of wolves or the swift wings of birds.
Using Starite – the magical mineral that was used to empower many things in life of Aphesians – some cultists can create powerful spells, such as chain fireballs or even shockwaves. Remember to be extremely careful when traversing the city, cultists often ambush or attack from the blind spots. They also tend to run in groups, making them even more difficult to fight.
Designing the enemies
When we decided to draw inspiration from the culture and history of ancient Rome and classical Greece, we delved into legends and myths.
There are many mythical and epic creatures in folklore that we wanted to add to the game. It was extremely important to us that these creatures fit into the Asterigos story and that they were truly part of the world and not just copied from other settings. We wanted players to see familiar looking monsters when they encountered them, while at the same time providing a unique experience.
Each creature is placed into a common background of the 'cult' they belong to. From this, the art team form the art style of the creatures that fits with the scenes and other characters. Thus, our artists have added magical runes and tattoos to the bodies of cultists so that these characters better fit the overall image of the faction and the narrative.
We love the monsters we created. From brainstorming, to story writing, concept drafting, modelling, texturing, adding animations and VFX, and eventually AI and skill designing. Each of these monsters is the cultivation of hard work of many artists and departments.
We hope that you will enjoy encountering these beasts, as much as we enjoyed designing them.
Adjusting the fight style
Hilda is masterful withwields six weapons: The sword and shield, magic staff, daggers, enchanted bracelets, battle hammer, and spear. She can use any two weapons simultaneously in battle and change them on the go depending on the situation. Each weapon has its respective advantages and disadvantages. For example, when fighting enemies armed with small weapons, using a shield against them will give you an advantage, as it can easily block those attacks.
However, against those wielding a shield or strong armor, a war hammer will be far more effective than a sword, as its powerful blows can easily crush your opponent's defences.
You can use any combination of all the weapons available to Hilda to better adapt to the situation on the battlefield. But most importantly, you will be able to create your own combat style by utilizing the unique features and enhancements of the different weapons!
Monsters of the Deeps
During her journey, Hilda will not only explore the surface of the City of Aphes, but also descend into ancient caves full of mystery and peril, where the locals mined the magical mineral Starite. These crystallised minerals shine and emit an illuminating light, like the very stars themselves, hence why the caves are named – Glittering Deeps.
The history of Glittering Deeps is so ancient that even the modern historical chronicles of Aphes have failed to trace it. There are even ancient ruins in the depths that hint that there was once another, even older city at the site of modern-day Aphes. With so many mysteries around them, the Glittering Deeps is a hazardous place for adventurers.
In the deepest hollow, there is a magical anomaly that causes many cliffs to come to life and behave with hostility to anyone who dares to trespass here. In addition to the stone creatures, there are also 'crystallised monsters' living here. Their appearance blends well with their surroundings and they pose a real danger, lurking among the crystals, stalking their next prey.
One of these terrifying creatures is called Breathless.
Breathless is a fearsome stone creature, possessing a very hard and sturdy body, with the ability to harness the magical power of the tranquilite, of which his body is also partly formed. This monster is capable of striking with his giant stone arms, as well as unleashing a barrage of various projectiles: homing missiles, cannon beams, or exploding rocks.
His only weakness is the being’s slow movement and how its every attack takes time to prepare. You would be wise to take advantage of this!
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