Asqueria: Distilled Soul

Asqueria: Distilled Soul is a short one shot adventure in the form of a single player RPG, with a dark fantasy flair and some modern mechanical twists - An alchemical crafting system, rogue-like loot elements, and party members whose appearances change as the story progresses.

Controls

Configurable in settings! Defaults:

Keyboard: Arrows to move, z/x for accept/cancel. Number keys work when asked for numbers. 

Touch/Click: Click tile to move/interact. Doubletap/Right click for cancel/back in menus. Touch UI should popup when events are clicked (arrows for number inputs)

**HOW TO Save Game?**: At the notes on the table in camp (you can save right after the scrolling text intro if you like). Saves "should" survive thru version updates.... but sorry if they don't.

Story Premise

In the nation-state of The Marsh Ephemeral, the many arts of Alchemy once flourished in equal measure - Blood, Phyto, Shadow, Spirit, and more. However, all but Spirit were outlawed once a new Spirit Alchemy technique was discovered - Soul Distillation. 

Using this technique, a person can refine their spirit - Literally separate themselves from their "inner shadow", sending any negative emotions or unwanted memories along with it. These remnant shades are stored in a system known as the Alembic Prison, an alchemical pocket plane on the fringes of the Nightmare Realm - Happily forgotten by the transmuted citizens. Until now.

Follow the journey of the Curious Shade, one of these Distilled Souls, in her quest to find her friends, recover their memories, and escape the prison in order to confront and reclaim their true selves. In Alchemy, the only consistent thing is change - and change is coming to The Marsh Ephemeral.

Demo Features:

A full game with 3x "Story maps", 2x "Boss maps", and a "player home base", even an opening and ending (barely but it's there!) - Replayable factor based on build options via restricted resources -as well a bit of player choice in story, a few random factors in maps, and 2 potential story paths/endings to experience.

Adventure forth with 4 characters with unique alchemy-themed classes:

1. Curious Shade, the main protagonist, who seeks allies to escape the Alembic Prison. Shifts between light and dark forms to gain access to either Spirit or Shadow Alchemy using a technique called !Transmute.
2. Raging Shade, the hot-headed vulgar shade of a Pyrotechnist, with an obvious short fuse. Shadow Alchemist using firearms, capable of a flaming berserker form known as !COMBUST!
3. Weeping Shade- a caustic, bitter old shade of an Alkahest, trained in liquids, acids and decomposition, Able to counter-alchemy thru !Alkahist skill.
4. Envious Shade- Sick with jealousy (and the plague), this shade specializes in traditional herbalism and plant-based alchemy. !Analyze your foes to determine their strengths and weakness.

• ⚗️Alchemize some Transmutation and Synthesize  your equipment!
  • Equipment is produced via combining "simple" base items with elemental motes. Each tier of items has at least 2 options for each gear slot, resulting in dozens of potential builds for each character.
• 🎵Background Music control in the player's home base
  • Can't get that tune out of your head? Slide up to the piano in home base and play your favorite tracks, or set one as the background music to your mission prep.
• Alchemical Learnings and Rogue-like loot
  • Choose 1 of 3 item rewards at key story moments, drawn from the list of craftable items - also hidden Alchemist's boons, granting a 1 of 3 choice between new skills to learn mid-adventure!
  • You'll also learn a lot of old-timey alchemy words, break out the dictionary.

• Asqueria Universe Timeline (AUT)- This game takes place in Era 5 - The Era of Corruption / Age of Phlogistic Travel.  

Video:

Preview playthru of the first level,  review of this game mechanics/goals/etc. 

Game Jam theme: Alchemy & Shadows (Pirate Jam 15)

This game was originally produced for Pirate Jam #15 following the themes of "Alchemy and Shadows".

Related titles:

• (JRPG) Asqueria: Origins of the Dream (Era 1)
  
• (TTRPG) Asqueria: S.T.E.A.M. (Era 4)

About this game and dev:

This project is a demo/prototype originally for a game jam, made by an amateur solo dev, using RPGMaker MV. There's a mix of free use and licensed assets., credited within the game's credit page.

Game features cartoon/fantasy world violence, some crude language and darker themes. The IP and world is based off an unfinished TTRPG project of mine - A world that's only lived in my brain and at my game tables finally brought to life in a different form. Asqueria.

Anyway, Hope you enjoy the prototype. If not tell me why, yea?

--DarkScream 

Asqueria: Distilled Soul is made in Canada!

-Game Jams- #piratejam