#cripes the 'extra features' on this could be another story in itself

[victorluvsalice]

Forgotten Vows Friday: A Few Creatures Featured

Keeping on the topic of Victor’s Otherland for the moment, I decided to go poking around my old LibreOffice document on the subject to see if I had anything to share. Most of the info in it is sorely outdated these days, and/or stuff I’ve already discussed, but it turns out I did have a few ideas for creatures for the Magic Tower and Sketchbook World realms! So I might as well share, right? So yes, have four representative examples of enemies you might find in a “Victor: Madness Returns” video game:

Booksnaps:   Angry tomes that have been kept on the Wizard’s shelves for too long and are quite bitter about not being read. They attack by flying through the air on their covers, then hurling themselves at Victor’s face and attempting to chew on it with their pages. They can also shoot blasts of magical energy. Probably best to take them on with a ranged weapon. (I’m pretty sure the inspiration here was those books you have to find in the Skool’s library in the original American McGee’s Alice that form a bridge to the big book that you find the shrinking potion recipe in.)

Wayward Runes:   Magical symbols that have escaped the confines of the mystical tomes and eldritch circles the Wizard uses in his work. They can freeze Victor in a cloud of mystical energy, requiring him to dodge to break free. They can also hit Victor with a magically summoned blast from above, or simply stab him with whatever pointy bits they possess. Again, ranged weapons are best for combating them. (Visuals I believe were inspired by the runes you gather for Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, while the freezing attack is clearly from the Ice Snark (the bastard).)

Thinner Squirts:   Bulbous purple blobs that scurry around on little legs, squirting thinner from a spout on their top. They attack by spraying Victor with the liquid, or by surrounding themselves with thinner, creating an unsafe “melted” area Victor can’t enter until it evaporates. Fortunately, they’re weak, and a shot from the Quill Bow or a stab with the Grim Scythe usually takes care of them. (Huh -- I don’t remember any specific inspiration for this one! They’re an interesting design though.)

Inksplots:  A large inkwell with hands and feet which wields a fountain pen. They can either be capped or uncapped. Capped ones attack by simply slashing or stabbing with their pen; uncapped ones can also fill the pen with ink and shoot a painful stream of it. Victor can counter with the Wedding Wine or Quill Bow best. (Definitely inspired by the Madcaps, complete with two variations -- I just went with a more offensive variant rather than a more defensive one.)