Hey, Backpackers!
Another Tuesday, another character!
Today we want to tell you a bit more about Tote, our magical frog!
Tote’s playstyle is very different! She mostly uses magical carvings. Due to her mechanic, Tote has her own specific pool of items, but it comes at the cost of being the smallest. Do you want to know more about her backstory and mission? Keep reading!
Tote comes from the Enchanted Swamp, a land in the South of Orderia. Like many of her kind, she spent her youth fascinated by the magic emanating from the Mother Tree deep within the dungeon, and her saplings scattered throughout the swamp. Living in the secluded capital city of Lilymist, Tote grew isolated from the outside world. She spent a peaceful childhood studying magic and was eventually enrolled in the prestigious College of the Dreaming, which housed the Mother Tree's first sapling - the Dreaming Tree.
The Dreaming Tree is said to be a direct line of communication to the Mother Tree herself and to be the ruler of its own realm known as the Dreaming. By communing with the trees, amphibians may begin their learning of magic without the use of mana stones. This is where Tote’s magical journey began. She was, and still is, a swift learner, quickly rising to the top of her class! In just a few short years she was prepared for her final research project and she would be deemed a full fledged mage of the swamp - a feat that for many can take a decade of studying.
She was preparing her final project when she heard a call for help. A call directly from the Dreaming Tree. A cry for its mother. Tote followed the call that pierced her very being. Through Lilymist and into a hidden entrance to the dungeon, she followed its corridors until it opened up into an underground grove. There she witnessed key members of the college defiling the Dreaming Tree's roots, tainting sap and writing dark sigils across the bark! The tree was being injured not only physically but also spiritually! Tote let out a yelp of surprise, alerting one of the members of this dark party - one of her Professors…
Knowing that she found herself in danger, Tote took off down the hallway towards the surface. As she escaped, spells whizzed past her head. She dodged them the best she could until eventually she was hit. Falling to the ground with a thud, Tote laid in a daze. Her former mentor approached her looking rueful. He had always liked her, but she was too much of a goody-two-shoes and wouldn’t understand his methods for gaining power. He began chanting a final spell to get rid of her, when suddenly a root burst from the ground, knocking him off his feet. The teacher's spell misfired and Tote was able to regain her senses and bolt up. Then she saw a bag hanging from a root. A bag imbued with the Dreaming Tree’s essence. She felt the urge to grab it and run. Following Dreaming Tree’s directions, she headed towards Oakshire Forest to look for Mother Tree.
Now that you know her story, let’s take a look at how Tote’s changed so far!
Tote was the second character unlocked in our Kickstarter, and was originally named Pouch, but she was the first one we actually ended up releasing. Similar to Satchel though, she went through a lot of changes in her mechanics, which is evident to many players who've been around a while because many of her iterations were released to the public.
Originally she was meant to have mana stones built into her bag, but we wanted her to be a bit more different. We tried a version where her energy was an item in the bag and was used similar to mana, but we also thought that wasn't super fun, so then we came to the idea of carvings and every version of her since then has been an iteration on that, including her most recent rework!
What do you think of Tote’s playstyle? 👀
Get ready for next week, when we’ll share another hero’s backstory!
READ ABOUT OTHER HEROES:Purse
Satchel
CR-8
Pochette
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1970580/Backpack_Hero/