The monsters of Mortal Spirt are all very diverse, each with its own powers, strengths, weaknesses, story and theme. This post looks at three of the newly created monsters in Mortal Spirit, and showcases their design process, their story, and more. Let's dive in.
Each monster can be divided into one of four classes, (in order of least to most powerful): Needler, Trooper, Mini-Boss and Boss.
The Needlers are often small monsters that form large groups, like a swarm, around Host as he tries to swat at/attack them. They serve to provoke Host by biting his legs and otherwise distracting him from Troopers or Mini-Bosses. Needlers, like insects, are the most common type of monster. Some Needler monsters include: Imps, Leapercons and Dark Fay.
The Troopers are slightly shorter then Host, and are less common then the Needlers, but common enough to attack in groups of up to nine at a time. The Troopers are often controlled or under orders from one of their own or a more powerful monster acting as a Mini-Boss, or a Boss. Some Trooper monsters include: Goblins, Trolls, Pumkins and Crocottas.
Mini-Bosses are rare monsters who either happen to be smarter or more powerful then the average monster. They can be found more then once in the entire course of the game, but never more then a couple times. They are also more difficult to fight then Troopers. Some Mini-Boss monsters include: Bogeymen, Manticores, Harpies and Banshees.
Bosses are of course the most difficult kind of monster to defeat, either because they are immensely strong or cunning. They are usually several feet above Host's height, if not more, and usually require some sort of gimmick to defeat. Some Boss monsters include: Jabberwock, Charon, Hyperion and Jawkree.
Let's take a closer look at the development of a few of these monsters.
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THE IMPS
Backstory: Imps feed on darker magic and have been hunting for every bit of it they can find. Motivated by this obsessive greed, they tend to stay near to larger monsters and have a symbiotic relationship to them, feeding on the larger monster's dark energy while keeping enemies distracted. When humans sighted the Imps, they usually saw them keeping near to larger monsters and assumed they were lackeys of sorts to them.
Type: Needler
Design:
The Imps were always intended to be small and winged. Originally they had no hands, but they were deemed necessary for carrying objects later on. The Imps have the classic inverted eyes that most if not all magical characters in the game have. One interesting feature of the Imps is their four nostrils. This is to help them smell dark magic easier.
THE PUMKINS
Backstory: The scarecrow-esque Pumkins are named so because of their pumpkin-like heads. But actually, in the monster world, pumpkins don't exist. It turns out the Pumkin is just a type of creature that blends into whatever environment they are born into. During the course of the game, you will encounter similar creatures in different areas, and many of them may evolve over time. Each Pumkin has a lifespan of only a week, where upon they wither and fall, spawning new Pumkins from the seeds inside their heads.
Type: Trooper
Design:
The Pumkins were originally just plant creatures. Then they were Constructs, (magically created creatures), and finally they were what they are today: adaptive creatures formed out of organic/inorganic material.
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At this point in time we have three monster assets, but more will be coming as the days go by. There's a large amount of lore and monsters to cover, and you'll see many of them in the demo, but not all of them! Stay tuned for more posts about the monsters of Mortal Spirit, and until then, here's a sneak peek at the Bogeyman:
Until we reveal him completely, be sure to stay tuned for future posts about Host, the Chainhammer, the environments, the stories, and the experience.
