Hello everyone!
Here we go again with the usual Wednesday devblog, where I dive into the design ideas behind the game’s enemies and mechanics.
The Game's Protagonists
Today, I want to talk a bit about Gnomes: how they interact with the sunlight, the core concept that shapes their behavior, and a special mechanic regarding one the most important of them.
As those of you who read the post about Goblins already know, sunlight is one of the central mechanics the game was built around from the start.
Last week I explained how it affects Goblins, however it also has a unique effect on Gnomes!
The Army of Gnomia
While working on the early stages of the game, I felt that King Shorty was a bit too limited in terms of what he could actually do.
It’s easy to imagine a king trained for battle, but handing Shorty a sword and letting him fight off the invaders felt like a quick and lazy solution, that did not quite fit this kind of game, especially in the early levels.
I still wanted players to be able to take out at least some of the invaders, but indirectly, by thinking strategically and leveraging the level design.
So I thought: how have rulers throughout history fought their enemies?
Through the their armies of course, rarely stepping into the front lines themselves.
And that’s where the Gnomes come in.
A Cursed Fate
King Shorty's gnome guards have been corrupted by mysterious magical forces, and the only way to break the spell is... you guessed it: sunlight!
Whenever a corrupted gnome is exposed to sunlight, usually by opening a curtain or allowing light to filter into a specific part of the level, they become purified and will fight once more in service of King Shorty.
In short, they’ll take down any enemy in their path.
But be careful!
A corrupted gnome is just as dangerous as any other tower invader, and if one crosses paths with King Shorty while still being under the curse spell, it won’t hesitate to take him out.
A Princess in Danger
In the later stages of the game you will also meet the Queen of Gnomia, Sylvia.
She will pose a new challenge, because she will follow Shorty at every step, staying always behind his movements, potentially making herself a target for the invaders.
You will have 2 gnomes to guide through the dangers of the Tower!
Also, do you see those two bearded guys in the upper screenshot? Well...
There are more mechanics tied to other types of gnomes, as you might have guessed from the cover image, screenshots, or the game’s page, but I don’t want to spoil everything in these blog posts.
I hope you’ll enjoy discovering them yourself during gameplay.
What about the Story behind those Long Noses?
As always the lore and backstory of the Gnomes will be released on Saturday!
If you are interested, remember to take a look!
If not... come back next week (always on Wednesday) to learn more about Nagas!
See you soon and have a nice day!
-Giuseppe