Normal Mode
Possession Mode
Samsara is a side-scrolling 2D platformer with a beat-em-up style of gameplay. The player's main focus is to combat the hordes of enemies that appear throughout each level, in order to reach the end of the game. The player achieves victory by destroying the leader of the sinister totalitarian State, Gavrillo Sabran, and his stooge the cyborg Ergan Bakres. Though the goal seems simple in nature the method of combat and reaching that goal is vastly different and allows for a variety of choices. The method of progression and combat is different through the number of characters the player can play as through a level. These characters are obtainable through body possession, the primary mechanic.
The primary thing the player does in Samsara is assuming control over another body. The player is able to enslave anybody he/she chooses, whether it be a heavily armored commander with a small contingent of allies to guide or an agile assassin skilled in stealth. Restrictions do apply on certain characters that cannot be possessed, such as mindless enemy characters and most bosses. Upon controlling an enemy character, the player is able to roam around and use the character's abilities to progress. There are conditions that apply to when a player can enslave another body and what happens when that body is destroyed.
In this game, players have two interconnected forms with which they play the game. The player uses the soul form, an ethereal form that allows the enslavement of bodies in the physical world, and the body form, which is the enslaved body that allows for interaction in the physical world, and thus progression through it. The body form is an agent to act upon the physical world with which the soul form could not. The player must constantly switch in and out of these different forms as conditions permit in order to fully progress through a level. Each body the player enslaves has a different play style associated with it, allowing for different interaction with the game world and its characters.
This mechanic of enslaving other bodies to progress through a level will allow the player to make many choices on how to complete that level in terms of combat. This is primarily combat driven, where there are few puzzle elements, so the enemy characters will reflect that. Each section has a wide variety of basic enemies, each with general combat abilities, and advanced enemies with more specialized forms of combat. The player may find certain enemy characters, although difficult to enslave, to be extremely useful in the long run and provide many combat techniques to advance through each level. On the other hand, players may find that enslaving the weaker basic enemy characters will prove to be more useful as they are easily enslaved and quick to jump into battle. The final alternative is for the player to continually switch in and out of each body, completely exhausting the enemy forces by quickly jumping from one to another redirecting enemy fire to their own.
This document details the design of Samsara, in its design for release on the XBox360 Community Games online, download service.
Herein, the terms "enemy character", "enemy", "enemy body", and "body" are used interchangeably for all enemies, with the exception of the Golem, War Machine, and Boss characters, which are enemies but not "bodies" (they cannot be possessed).
Samsara is a single-player, two-dimensional side-scrolling brawler, in which the player possesses enemy characters and utilizes their abilities to combat and progress through each level. The player controls Tschaka, a warrior spirit with the ability to possess enemies by projecting his spirit into their bodies. In possessing an enemy, the player is allowed full control over that character, but is bound to the restrictions of inhabiting a mortal; Every enemy has a limited amount of health, and can only last so long against the countless other enemies and hazards that block the player's path. Game mechanics are designed to utilize enemy abilities in combative situations in order to progress through the game, encouraging the player to constantly possess new enemies while also having enough time to fully appreciate the abilities of his/her current character.
Upon beginning the game, the player is introduced to the Main Menu screen. Here the player has several options to select, laid out in simple list format:
In this menu the player can choose between 3 different file 'slots', which demonstrate different spaces in which to save game progression. By default each slot is empty of data and titled 'New Game' until the player selects it, who thereby begins to play Samsara. A slot containing saved game data is titled with information on the status of the player's progression, and will load Samsara to the saved point if selected. (For more information on saving game data, see: Saving Data)
An 'Erase Data' option can also be selected by the player, which enables the player to erase the data of any slot selected - reverting a slot to 'new Game'.
Consists of the following options, each of which opens to its own submenu:
A player pausing the game is presented with this menu, consisting of the following options:
At certain points in each level, the player will have the opportunity to save his/her progress. This opens the Data Management Menu, in which the player selects a slot to save data. If a slot already containing data is selected, a Yes/No prompt is presented to the player, with the question of overwriting data.
The Playing Field, in which the player's position is always located, exists always as the lower half of the screen area. Employing a pseudo-isometric perspective, the middle of the screen's height serves as a horizon line, and a means to visually communicate characters' positions in depth. No scaling of characters will occur as a means to convey perspective or depth- instead, the illusion of perspective will be achieved with environment art.
A character's position (X, Y, and Z) within the Playing Field is communicated largely by the position of its feet onscreen. Movement along the X & Z plane corresponds directly to a character's horizontal and vertical position onscreen, with vertical (non-jumping) movement representing changes in depth toward and away from the horizon line. A character may stand at the apparent 'top edge' of the Playing Field just below mid-height of the screen- as such, a character's height may actually project them above the horizon line. When a character jumps, its vertical position onscreen goes upward, and its position on the X and Z is represented with a shadow on the terrain immediately below.
In the game and at all times, the camera remains parallel to the Playing Field and never changes its 'distance' from it. At any given point in the game, the camera will be in one of three states; Navigation, Locked, or Cinematic:
At certain points in each level, in coordination with enemy encounters and story-driven cut-scenes, the camera will change states instantly.
Displayed to the character at all times during gameplay (cut-scenes not included).
At any given time the player will be controlling either a possessed enemy character (Body Form), or Tschaka himself (Soul Form). Respectively, the GUI changes between Normal Mode and Possession Mode:
In Normal Mode, all of the HUD is displayed onscreen as normal, and Abilities are accessible. The Camera is in Navigation state.
In Possession Mode, Abilities become inaccessible, and the player is restricted to either selecting an enemy body or returning to Normal Mode. The Camera enters Locked state, and additional visual information pertaining to the possession mechanic is displayed to the player:
The basic gameplay controls which are available to the player at all times, and their functions during Gamplay, while using Menus, and during Cut-Scenes.
| INPUT | Gameplay | Menus | Cut-Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left Analog Stick | Move Tschaka; holding the stick at different pressures results in changes in speed | Menu navigation | |
| Right Analog Stick | Cycles through targets onscreen during Possession Mode. Targets are cycled through in order of proximity to Tschaka, from closest to furthest. | ||
| Left Bumper | Releases Tschaka from his currently possessed body | ||
| Left Trigger | Opens Possession Mode when held down; closes Possession Mode when released [Body Form] | ||
| Right Bumper | Perform Hard Possession | ||
| Right Trigger | Perform Soft Possession(opens Will Ring possession mechanic) | ||
| A | Jump [Body Form]; stop Will Ring needle | Confirm | Advance Dialogue; Next Dialogue |
| X | Basic Ability 1 | ||
| B | Basic Ability 2 | Rescind | |
| Y | Special Ability | ||
| Start | Pauses/unpauses gameplay | Skip cutscene (if viewed already- after Continuing) |
In Soul Form, Tschaka is able to possess enemy characters to use as agents in the physical world. This form is susceptible to death, as every moment in Soul Form drains Tschaka's Spirit Health. Reaching zero Spirit Health which means failure for the player, and so the main goal while in this form is to possess enemy bodies, both as a means for survival and as a means to interact more with the game world and progress. The two functions for the player while in this form are: 1) The possession of an enemy body 2) Movement in the world as a means to accomplish possession.
While in Soul Form the player can move around the Playing Field, but with a limited scope. The player can move as far as his primary health, or Spirit Health, will allow before it drains completely. Because Tschaka's Spirit Health is continually draining in this form, the player has only a limited amount of to locate a body to harbor. The player is able to replenish Spirit Health only through possessing other bodies.
Body possession is the primary functionality for the player while in Soul Form, specifically Soul-Body Possession. In Soul Form, Tschaka is automatically in Possession Mode, and so the camera is in Locked state, preventing progression through the level. Tschaka also cannot be seen or followed by enemy characters.
Body Form is Tschaka's state when he is in possession of a body (the player enters Body Form by possessing an enemy character). In this form the Camera is in its Navigation state, allowing Tschaka to progress through a level by navigating the environment.
Combat functionality is different depending on the character Tschaka possesses. Each enemy body will have a combination of two basic Abilities and a special Ability, all of which Tschaka will be able to use upon possession.
While in Body Form, the player is susceptible to 'body death'. Each body has a set amount of health (see: Enemy Stats) which will deplete upon receiving damage. Death of Tschaka's body results in him being forced into Soul Form, and receiving a reduction to Spirit Health proportional to the now-corpse's Willpower. Before this occurs, the player may either perform a Body-Body Possession or Release from the body to enter Soul Form.
Tschaka (and all enemy characters) are mobile, and are each capable of traveling at varying speeds within the Playing Field. Tschaka is free to move in 360 degrees of his current position, except when interrupted by the edges of the Playing Field or Objects in the environment. All characters are able to walk through each-other, with the exception of the Golem, War Machine, and Boss characters, who cannot have other characters move through them.
All enemy characters whom the player is capable of possessing, are capable of jumping. Jumping serves primarily as a means to navigate the environment, though also aids in combat evasion. All enemies have the same jupm height, except where noted in Character Classes & Statistics.
Possession is the core mechanic of Samsara - functioning as the hijacking and controlling of a single enemy character's body, such that it becomes Tschaka's body. Tschaka can possess only one enemy body at any given time from either Soul Form or Body Form, respectively titled Boby-Body Possession and Soul-Body Possession. Every enemy in the game can be possessed, with the exception of the Golem, War Machine, and Boss characters. The player has two choices for possessing an enemy body: performing either a Hard possession or Soft possession.
To possess an enemy, Tschaka must first target an enemy.
In order to determine which characters are possess-able, Tschaka must be in Possession Mode. When in Possession Mode, Candidate Markers will appear on characters who are both within Possession Range and available for possession. The player may then use the Right Analog Stick to cycle between enemies with Candidate Markers, and select an enemy to possess. If an enemy currently Highlighted moves out of the Possession Area, the enemy closest to Tschaka is Highlighted.
This refers to Tschaka Releasing from a current enemy character and immediately possessing a new one. This type of possession is more costly on Possession Fatigue than a Soul-Body possession, raising the gauge approximately 30%.
This refers to possessing a character when Tschaka is in Soul Form. When the player successfully possesses an enemy body, Tschaka enters Body Form. Upon entering Body Form, Spirit Health will begin to rejuvenate a certain percentage, based on the character that was possessed. A Soul-Body possession raises Possession Fatigue approximately 15%.
Performing a Hard possession will immediately transfer Tschaka into a enemy body. It is easier and quicker to perform than a Soft possession, but is noticeable to enemies. When enemies detect a hard possession, they immediately know who to attack among the battlefield. A Hard possession raises Possession Fatigue more than a Soft Possession.
In contrast to Hard possession, a Soft possession is subtle, where enemies don't immediately notice which body is possessed. The enemies are only made aware once the player begins combat (see: Game Elements > AI). The benefits of performing a Soft Possession are that enemies lose track of Tschaka's location, giving him a chance to be relieved of combat. It also raises Possession Fatigue less than a Hard possession, however it is more difficult to perform, and may potentially fail.
Soft possession is done using the Will Ring. The Will Ring is a circle that comes onto screen when the player tries to possess a unit, appearing for a split-second before activating. The ring itself has a needle which spins clockwise, and with a hit of a button will stop in one of 3 zones: Soft Possession, Hard Possession, or Failure. The player only needs to land the needle in one of the respective possession zones to have a successful possession, though the Failure zone will cancel the possession (and if the possession is of Body-Body type, the player will be returned to Normal Mode). The size and location of the each zone within the Ring differs with each enemy, in accordance with Will Power. If the needle is allowed to complete one cycle (lasting approximately 1 second), the possession automatically fails.
The Will Ring adds a sense of urgency into possession, while staying quick and simple for combat.
This image depicts an example of the Will Ring, likely for a simple enemy. The ring is separated with the first half as a Failure zone; this represents buffer room for the player to get an idea of where to land the needle. The second half is divided into three sections, two of which are for Hard Possession, surrounding the Soft Possession zone. This arrangement would grant the player a good chance of succeeding at Hard possession, in the event Soft Possession is not achieved.
Sizes of Soft/Hard possession zones are dependent on the Will Power of the enemy. Every instance of an enemy type has the same exact layout of possession zones in the Ring (eg. every Soldier has the same exact Ring). Arrangement of possession areas can be utilized to create risk-reward situations for the player.
The player is able to continually possess bodies, but this will be restricted to an extent with Possession Fatigue. The gauge of Possession Fatigue will continually go down, though it raises each time the player performs a possession. This increase is roughly 15% of the gauge when possessing from Soul Form, and 30% from Body Form. If Possession Fatigue is allowed to fill the gauge, the player cannot possess any more bodies until the gauge returns to zero. This enforces a cool down on the player's possession abilities, so as to implement a risk-reward system to avoid being overused. (also see: Possession Fatigue Gauge).
Being one of the primary aspects to the gameplay, the AI behaviors for the enemies must be really compelling and believable. The behaviors must be organized in a way that represents the typical behavior of that enemy and be identifiable with that characters current state. For example, if the enemy is weakened, and his personality is to stay at a certain range from the player, then it is unlikely that this enemy will be charging into combat. Each of these AI behaviors must be taken into account and prioritized for the enemies. Enemies will only enact those behaviors that they closely relate to, and only enact them when it most benefits them.
Additionally, enemies must figure out what paths to take in order to carry out their behaviors. These enemies will determine where to go based on their target's current location, while avoiding those obstacles in the way.
AI behaviors for enemies will be determined through two things: the state of the character and the degree of the state. The degree works in unison with the character state; it defines the magnitude and frequency of the state, while the state defines the character's current personality model. There are three AI states, each with their own set of properties: high, normal, and low. Additionally, there are three AI states, each with their own set of properties: aggressive, defensive, and supportive. Each combination of these will produce a different result for the character's behavior model to follow. Each of these combinations will encompass a position or route for the character to take, and what actions to take once he reaches that destination, if any actions remain. Defined below are all of the AI combinations and the resulting behaviors to be produced.
| AI Degree | Description |
|---|---|
| High | The character will perform actions of its current state in the most efficient ways it can. |
| Normal | The character will perform actions of its current sate normally, while being a moderately beneficially character its allies. |
| Low | The character will perform actions of its current state in the least efficient way it can. This degree is associated strongly with the AI loafing around and ignoring the world |
| AI State | Description |
|---|---|
| Aggressive | This state is associated with the character charging the player at all times and thrusting himself into combat where it occurs. |
| Defensive | This state is associated with the character remaining at a distance from the player, while occasionally approaching to attack him. |
| Supportive | This state is associated with the character remaining near other enemy characters as backup units or support for group coordinated attacks. This is also associated with a character prone to be a healer to others. |
| AI Degree | AI State | Description |
|---|---|---|
| High | Aggressive | The character increases the frequency at which it strikes at the player, as well as increasing the damage output. The character will also continually charge toward the player. |
| Normal | Aggressive | The character's frequency and damage output remain the same, while the AI will continually charge toward the player. |
| Low | Aggressive | The character's frequency and damage output are decreased, while the AI continually charges toward the player. |
| High | Defensive | The character will stay far more alert and only approach the player at opportune moments. |
| Normal | Defensive | The character will remain in a normal defensive stance, staying clear of the player, while occasionally approaching to attack. |
| Low | Defensive | The character will stay alert to the player's actions, being clear of the player's swing, while attacking the player more often. |
| High | Supportive | The character will search for nearby enemies to stay with and support. Healers will search for those units with the lowest health and heal them. |
| Normal | Supportive | The character will stay within the closest group of enemies to support them. Healers will heal only characters within that group. |
| Low | Supportive | The character will stay with only one character as a partner, and support him as needed. Healers will only heal that partner character. |
Every enemy character has several statistics which are used to determine how it performs in combat, as well as against hazardous environment objects:
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 70 | 30 | 40 | 60 | 70 | 30 | 300 | |||
| Soldier | Shoot | Gun Smash | The general assault unit for the tech side, the Soldier is one of the most common armed forces. Equipped with standard weapons and gear, they're ready to handle many situations. | |||||||
| Gunner (aka Marksman) | +5 | +10 | -5 | Shoot | Burst Fire | Soldiers that have embraced their firearms and become very skilled in the art of marksmanship. | ||||
| Medic | -5 | -5 | -10 | +20 | Shoot | Combat Heal | A weaker soldier trained and responsible for providing first aid on the battlefield. (This unit has limited restoration packs.) | |||
| Black Op | +5 | +5 | Shot in the Dark | Flashbang | These special Soldiers are trained to fight in the dark and hide until the lights go out, at which point they can see their targets with night vision goggles. Their eyes glow when in the cover of darkness. When the player possesses a Black Ops, he gains the goggles, which brighten the screen. | |||||
| Elite Soldier | +5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | -10 | Burst Fire | Gun Smash | Speed Boost | Highly-trained Soldiers trained in special operations in order to expand their capabilities in unconventional warfare. They have the ability control their adrenaline, giving them a edge in combat, for a price. | |
| Admiral | +5 | +10 | +10 | +5 | -15 | -5 | Burst Fire | Hover | Call Backup | Commander of a group of other soldier classes in combat. The Admiral is the highest ranking unit in the soldier class. This unit can hover out of combat range and call for more units to come in to battle. |
| Assault Trooper | +5 | -5 | +10 | Spread Shot | Gun Smash | Assault trooper armor is similar to a soldier, but weapons and tactics differ. This armor was specifically designed for protection in close combat, making this unit willing to get in for closer fighting. In that range a shotgun is the best weapon shooting spread fire. | ||||
| Mercenary | +5 | +5 | -5 | +5 | Spread Shot | Throw Explosive | Detonate | This armored unit was specifically designed for explosive combat. | ||
| Viper Soldier | +5 | +5 | Shoot | Gas Grenade | Has a rifle with an under-slung gas grenade launcher. | |||||
| Heavy Gunner | +10 | +10 | +15 | -25 | -5 | +5 | Chain Gun | Fire Missle | Lock-On | Soldier encased in a powered suit. Heavily armored, and equipped with a chain gun and a rocket launcher. |
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 40 | 60 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 40 | 300 | |||
| Warrior | Slash | Armored brute men who have shown great vigor and courage to fight alongside the magic users without magic of their own. These strong fighters wear enchanted armor and wield magic swords with might to do battle. | ||||||||
| Berserker | +5 | -5 | +5 | +5 | +10 | -10 | Slash | Leap Attack | A warrior that fights in an uncontrollable rage thus can perform things which otherwise seems impossible in battle. | |
| Inferno | -5 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Slash | Fire Breath | A warrior gifted with fire breathing creating a large flame by spraying magical energy over their blade. | |||
| Champion | +10 | +10 | -5 | -10 | +5 | Blade Whirlwind | Reflect | War Roar | A giant man clad in armor, possessing great strength in each of his blows. (Champions are leader units, commanding warriors and berserkers into combat.) |
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 70 | 50 | 50 | 30 | 70 | 30 | 300 | |||
| Knight | Slash | Shield Bash | Development for the Knights was based on anti-magic. These units are limited due to their heavy armor taking time to create. Knights excel in martial combat, and possess enchanted equipment to enhance their already formidable skills. | |||||||
| Holy Knight | -10 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Slash | Shield Bash | Heal | Knights with shining armor who can heal. These units armor is lighter to allow them to aid of others not only in combat. They are skill in healing but not as power as other healing types. | ||
| Royal Guard | +15 | +15 | -10 | -10 | Slash | Shield Bash | Shield Cover | The heaviest of all Knights, these troops specialize in dispatching other physical melee combatants and ignoring the effects of ranged matter-based assaults. | ||
| Raider | -10 | +10 | +10 | +5 | -5 | Slash | Heck | Armor Piercer | Knights without a shield to limit movements equipped with a two hand sword. Skilled at armor-piercing strikes these men are close-range demolitions experts. | |
| Angelic | -5 | +5 | +10 | -5 | Slash | Wind Gust | Winged Knights without a shield - they hover in combat and can blow foes backwards with a powerful gust. |
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 40 | 60 | 30 | 90 | 40 | 40 | 300 | |||
| Shinobi (aka Infiltrator) | Sword Dance | Dash | Assassin with cybernetic modifications the tech side dark special forces. The suits are enchanted to make them nigh impossible to detect at night, and magnify motions-giving them a harder hit and making them more effective at unarmed dispatches. | |||||||
| Shadow Assassin (aka Blind Apprentice) | +5 | +5 | -5 | +5 | Sword Dance | Force Push | Assassins with cybernetic modifications that blinded them. They sacrificed their eyes for power in the form of synthetic magic. | |||
| Raven | +5 | +10 | -5 | -5 | +5 | Sword Dance | Chi Blast | Counter Attack | Few know the true origins of these mysterious Assassins. The Raven is silent and deadly shadows that received orders directly the ruler. They can counter any attack and fire a energy projectiles. | |
| Monk | +5 | +10 | -5 | Punch | Pull | Meditate | These Assassins are masters of martial arts and favors barehanded fighting. Skilled with meditative techniques, which improve their power in combat and heal small wounds this unit can also pull in targets into melee range. |
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 30 | 70 | 30 | 40 | 20 | 60 | 250 | |||
| Sorcerer | Magic Sphere | Magic Blast | A sorcerer is useless in melee combat, but a master of the forbidden art of magic. This is the most common magic unit with that can create and control energy. Only has light armor but has good magical defenses. | |||||||
| Priest | -5 | +10 | -5 | +10 | -5 | +5 | Magic Blast | Heal | Mass Heal | A sorcerer gifted in the magical arts emphasizes replenishing spells such as healing other units hit points and it's self. |
| Mage | -10 | +10 | +10 | -5 | +5 | Magic Sphere | Golem Attack | Summon | A sorcerer that call on the powerful soulless entities known as Golems. Physically weaker as a trade-off for it high magical potency | |
| Caster | +10 | -5 | +5 | Shoot Bolt | Raining Bolts | A Sorcerer trained to project magical energies as terrestrial energy manifestations. They channel spells through their hands and have increase damage over a simple sorcerer. | ||||
| Arc Mage | -10 | +10 | +5 | -5 | +10 | Shoot Bolt | Seeking Bolt | A Caster with increased spell casting proficiency this unit shoots blot the slightly home in on a target. |
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 70 | 70 | 70 | 30 | 50 | 50 | 340 | |||
| Cyborg | Laser Shot | Plasma Grenade | The highest tech unit their abilities are gained at the cost of their humanity. This unit is build for purely for combat. | |||||||
| Stalker | -5 | +5 | +10 | Laser Shot | Stab | Active Camoflauge | This unit is the true master of stealth and evasion. With a cloaking device that makes this unit invisible, it's stealth becomes its deadliest fighting tactic. |
| NAME | Phys Def | Magic Def | STR | AGI | GUTS | WILL | Ability1 | Ability2 | Special | BASE TOTAL / Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 90 | 30 | 80 | 10 | 90 | 0 | 310 | |||
| Golem | Crush | These soulless giant made of solid rock and animated by magic brought to life by a mage. This monster superhuman strength to knock down, stun and crush opponents and is the power house for the magic users. | ||||||||
| War Machine | -5 | +5 | -10 | +40 | -20 | Crush | Particle Cannons | Armored unit with four arms superhuman-level strength and durability as well laser guided munitions |
Various environment objects exist within the Playing Field, and are either Collide-able or Non-collid-eable, and Hazardous or Nonhazardous. These objects are non-interactive, in that the player is not able to make any kinds of direct changes to them: their positions cannot be changed, and they have no status states. Some can be stood on, and collide-able ones may interrupt enemy projectiles.
Aesthetically, the world of Samsara is vividly colorful and somewhat cartoonish. Similar to the universal style of studio animations, characters will be relatively simple in contrast to a detailed surrounding environment. This is not only economical in terms of generating assets during Samsara's production, or merely a nostalgic decision similar to beat-em-ups of the past, but aids in gameplay. It is important for enemies to be visually distinct enough that the player can quickly distinguish them, and understand the conditions Tschaka is in. This is especially imperative since Tschaka at any given time is also in the body of an enemy (though this is aided with the HUD Portrait).
Each level will have a distinct color palette, not only to satisfy the player's expectations of witnessing vivid imagery, but to help reinforce story progression by introducing visual change. Because there are only 6 levels in Samsara, and two of them are very similar, it is imperative each level be as visually unique as possible, to avoid any sense of gameplay being limited.
Character movements and animations are largely designed under the restrictions of the game's memory. Enemies are all sprite based, and so have limited animations and frames. These limitations, however, do not adversely affect the nostalgic design of 90s 2D games.
The aesthetic of Samsara is also reflected in the GUI, and more specifically the HUD design. Though the HUD is already comprised of minimalist solid forms, in order to easily convey information, they also gel with the Portrait - an image focusing the players attention directly onto the aesthetic of enemy characters.
Typography
During speech, portraits of characters appear alongside the text to display who is speaking.
Similar to games of the 90s,
In the fashion of 90's games, the story of Samsara includes several archetype, fan favorite traits. An evil empire, magical fireballs, cool-looking technological lasers - these are examples of some of these recognizable traits. However, it encompasses a far more complex and developed plot than its predecessors, providing players with an engaging and meaningful story related to gameplay. (see: Story Overview)
The story is conveyed primarily through in-game cutscenes, in which dialogue between characters advances the story.
The world of Samsara is much like our own - a sphere, spinning through the vacuum of space, revolving around a star at the right proximity to support life. Covered mostly in water, this planet does, indeed, support human life, and has borne witness to the full extent of human history. A sordid tale much like our own, with the same general twists and turns of events, the same kindnesses and injustices, the same ideas and actions playing out through men and nations. A bit more aged than our own world, the humans here are perhaps slightly further along in their understanding of the fundamentals of the universe - a fact evident in the technologies at one's disposal here. Tentatively adapting to trans-human philosophy, many people have enhanced themselves through cybernetics to keep the ever-rising flood of data manageable. Their written culture exerting a great deal of influence on their scientific community, bipedal robotic war machines known as mechs have strode onto the battlefield. Mastery of the photon has led to vast communication networks snaking through the various nations of the world, as well as the most sensitive detection equipment mankind has ever seen. Explosions are bigger and more controlled, shells are faster and deadlier, attacks more precise and efficient. The technologists reign supreme - or, at least, they do now.
There was a time before, however, when technology did not rule. Once the world was controlled by those who were adept at magic. But magic was not for the masses. Magic required innate talent and years of full-time training in its use, and drains the body's vital energies with repeated applications - that which keeps the heart pumping, the mind crackling with electricity, the intellect and muscles fueled. One's own vital energy pours directly into the Fount of Mana, from whence all will-dominated energies hail to replenish the worldly stock. It is even possible to burn what remains of one's tentative grip on the living, breathing world. Such a death is a death from magical burnout, and bodies that die of it show no external signs of failure - they simply fail.
Mankind knew the risks involved with pursuing the arcane. No one knew where their own limits were without exceeding them, at which point, they were dead. As science and technology emerged as viable tools, mankind turned to them to control and manipulate the natural laws, rather than simply overriding them. Governments found technology easier to control than magic and forbade its use. Magic became outdated.
Human culture, however, is one of the most naturally cyclical environments in all of existence. Magic's own cyclical period seemed to fall at around eight thousand years. Roughly forty years before our adventures begin, magic was rediscovered. Redeveloped alongside the floppy drive's first run, mankind found out once again how to impose one's will directly upon the universe. The first deaths from magic overuse started twenty years later. Magi simply collapsed, and no one knew why. The deaths started coming faster and faster. The media latched onto the stories, and soon the world was once again in an uproar over magic.
For a full year, no governmental action was taken. No one knew why these deaths were happening, so no single course of action would guarantee that it would stop. After a year of careful observation, however, scientists noticed the patterns - heavy magic users died when some unknown and essentially impossible to measure threshold of magical exertion was passed. The thing was, 'heavy' varied from person to person, and not just in opinion. Some people were simply not capable of as much magic as others before their lives were at risk. Some thought themselves immortal, with boundless pools of magical energy at their disposal. Others simply decided not to gamble, and stuck with the known methods, the safe methods. It was an era with sharply divided public opinion, with egocentric, ambitious, vivacious risk takers on one side, and conservative, practical, cautious individuals on the other. Politics swung back and forth on the issue for a while, until several national coalitions banned the use of magic by private individuals and governments alike. Studying the patterns of magical use produced some basic means of protection, and, between the illegality and the potential deadliness of the use of magic, its use died down quickly. Being a powerful tool, however, its study continued on in black labs sponsored and concealed by most of the major powers. It never fully stopped being practiced by the public, either, as the direct power it offered was simply too tempting. It was in this environment that Gavrillo Sabran ascended to power.
Gavrillo was quite firmly a member of the first group - a highly ambitious individual, a political fixer, who loved to be in control and wasn't above manipulation to keep it that way. When he discovered the continued use of magic in the State's black labs, he knew his next move. He had a close friend in Ergan Bakres, a military officer he met at a young age. Using Ergan as his connection, Gavrillo put money in the right pockets and threats and suggestions in the right ears to cause Ergan to rise to control of the black labs. With the added political clout this provided, Gavrillo maneuvered Ergan into position to ascend to the head of the civilian government. All it took was a political spark. Sowing dissent at the black labs among already discontented mages, a number of them left the state in an exceedingly violent way - sparking simultaneous riots in various locations across the country. Leading the quelling operations, Ergan became politically untouchable and became the governmental head. To keep civilian magic use and abuse under control, Ergan formed the Mundane Police to find and apprehend suspected magi. The 'danes, as the public called them, were usually very brutal and suspicious officers, and their establishment set the tone for the remainder of Ergan's rule - that of a police state perpetually on the edge of revolution.
Ergan's rule was becoming extremely unpopular. What riots he quelled indicated the growing discontent with the laws Gavrillo had him pass. He was at his personally least popular after three years in office, and it was at the end of his third year that he had an attempt on his life. The assassin was quite thorough and almost successful - Ergan was a bloody mess, sustained only by his friend Gavrillo, who wasn't finished using him as his political puppet. Gavrillo, through the use of magic, kept him alive long enough for Ergan to receive the extensive medical attention he required. Many of Ergan's internal organs had outright failed, and the only chance he had at survival was cyborg conversion. Now mostly a mechanical shell, and even more firmly under Gavrillo's thumb, Ergan rules the State as a hated dictator. Gavrillo's ambition and greed grow by the week as the laws he passes through Ergan become more and more severe, and his plans are starting to turn towards conquest.
Emir Niemand was a clone. Lab-spawned, speedgrown and submitted to rapid imaging education, he was a forerunner of the State's new controlled leadership project, also known as Project Samsara. His original was a warlord several hundred years ago a brilliant tactician and ruler for several decades before the collapse of his regime - a warlord named Tschaka. Tschaka had a reputation for being a just ruler, and Project Samsara, initiated by Gavrillo and Ergan, selected his body as a first run template for his reputation for upholding law above all else, hoping to use whatever genetic predisposition may exist for that mindset. They obtained a sample from his tomb in the Red Sands Desert, and set to work creating Emir. Emir was completely the State's ward - everything he was educated about, was told, was permitted to read, all of it was carefully filtered to tailor his mind to their needs. Everything, with one major exception.
Emir had a friend in the system. This friend was Dr. Thovis. Dr. Thovis was not one of the friends that was part of Emir's indoctrination plan - Dr. Thovis was a wildcard. He was, in fact, a spy for an organized resistance to Bakres's rule. Meeting with Emir when he came to change the modules on the Rapid Imager, he slipped him news articles and datafiles from the outside world from time to time, small papers running on the outskirts of Bakres's rule. They detailed the State's brutal treatment of its own, and was intended to turn Emir against them. This counter-indoctrination, however, was simply not substantial enough on its own to alter Emir's opinion enough for an outright betrayal. Thovis needed someone with an already defined moral base, someone who could make an evaluation separate from the State-fed information. Looking into imbuing an individual with the spirit or soul of another, he found that one's soul is always drawn to one's own body. Altering a spell used to revive coma victims, he managed to create an effect that would draw Tschaka's own soul into Emir's body.
The end of Emir's indoctrination was fast approaching. Thovis needed to draw Tschaka back before Emir was activated as the primary tactical officer for Bakres's new army. Getting Emir alone for a brief window, he apologized, not knowing what would happen to Emir's own spirit, and cast the spell.
Tschaka gasped in the regrown body, and remembered seeing everything Emir had seen - as well as flashes of his old life. He knew a deception when he smelled one, and these State sponsors stank of it. After a few more weeks playing along, Bakres came to finalize his position and have him take his command position in the armed forces. Tschaka accepted, knowing what repercussions would likely follow if he declined. He could not work for or with someone he could not trust, be they the law or not, however, and he set to work planning an escape with Thovis. Tschaka's planning leaked, however, and Bakres was baffled when he caught Tschaka attempting escape. Emir's environment had been totally controlled - he should have produced the anticipated response, assuming the emotional shaping had gone correctly. That a different response was given meant these scientists had failed in their indoctrination duties. He ordered Emir's body to be disposed of. They would try the conditioning again.
Dr. Thovis wasn't about to let that happen. He, however, could not get access to the room without blowing his cover. Watching from outside, he saw Tschaka's body shot and shoved onto a wash station to bleed out. Waiting for the cyborg Bakres to leave, he rushed in afterwards to Tschaka's rapidly dying form. He ordered the guards back to their posts outside the lab room, and quickly set to work attempting to fix Tschaka's wounds. Nothing he was doing was working - he would need magic again, and this time he would need to use healing magic, one of the most consuming effects known. In a desperate gambit, he attempted to heal Tschaka's form. The healing magic reacted strangely with the speedgrown flesh, however, and Tschaka - for lack of a better word - exploded. Covered in blood and confronted by his failure to save Tschaka's life, Thovis began washing himself off - when he noticed a faint form hovering in the doorway. Could that be...?
"What just happened in heEAARGH!"
The guard who had come in to check on the doctor convulsed as he passed through the floating form. The form seemed to settle on him, and the guard glanced down, patting at his equipment with a surprised expression. He looked up.
"Is that... me? What's left of me?"
Hearing the scream, the other guard outside raises the alarm before he investigates. Dr. Thovis glances at Tschaka's corpse, and realizes he's standing next to a huge piece of evidence of his own use of magic - a death sentence. He tells Tschaka a radio frequency to monitor, and that he should escape the base before they manage to capture him. He, however, needs to retrieve some information before they rendezvous with his associates. Dr. Thovis leads Tschaka through the complex, towards an important information center which holds answers for them both. From events through the radio, it seems Thovis is managing to evade capture within the building. Ultimately reaching the info center, Tschaka finds information on the location of another building and informs the doctor. That's when an air raid siren joins the noise of the base alarm.
"What? They couldn't b... Damnit, they're launching the raid NOW!? GET TO A STABLE ROO-"
Thovis is cut off by a massive explosion that shakes and collapses the entire facility, with Tschaka inside.
Upon the complex's collapse, Tschaka is trapped amidst its debris, in the desert of The Red Sands. A few soldiers rush over, seeing what has happened and looking for survivors. Tschaka abandons his pinned body, and seizes one of the free searchers. He then fights through soldiers, traveling the desert. What happened to the scientist, and why did they bomb their own complex? Tschaka comes across ruins in the desert - his tomb. Fighting still, Tschaka comes across prisoners being held by soldiers. He frees them, and they thank him for his evident work as a spy, then take their leave mentioning the resistance will rendezvous in the forest. Further through the Red Sands, Tschaka meets the arrogant General. Challenging you, and demanding you identify yourself, Tschaka tells the General his name, and the General laughs, saying Tschaka died years and years ago. Consistently taunting and underestimating you, he is defeated by Tschaka's powers. Tschaka moves shortly on to find more prisons- only to find them empty and to receive a blow to the back of the head from someone freed. A resistance fighter with company, they leave mentioning the forest. Tschaka quickly possesses the body of the prisoner who hit him, secretly tagging along for the ride.
Tschaka, disguised, arrives at the forest. Here, he and the player finally see the first use of overt magic, and it is revealed that the resistance is a unified gang of magic users. Present is the leader of this group, as is the scientist. Tschaka, revealing himself and meeting with the scientist, is given an explanation:
Having run the insurgency against the dictator, and placed spies in the black lab, they are using magic as well as technology to rebel from Bakres. They led the riots Bakres used as political fodder to rise to power, and they intend to bring him down.
The scientist's true allegiance is with his people, and has become one of the magic users. Long ago turning against the State as a spy, the scientist aimed to sabotage Project Samsara. Intending to introduce an unknown variable into the process, the scientist educated the first clone in real world events, which had not been intended by the conditioners. He failed to persuade the original clone, however, and so used improvised magic to bring Tschaka's soul into the body - thinking that Tschaka, himself, who the project was based on, would never agree to the State's means or ends. He was correct in this, which led to Tschaka declining Bakres's offer and Tschaka's own subsequent execution.
Several experienced magi from the black labs are present among Bakres's forces, former co-workers of Thovis's, and it is likely they will simply be executed at the end of the current conflict to keep the association of the State and magic use from getting out. The resistance tell him he should not hold back against these slaves and pawns of the State.
Before he can continue, the resistance camp is met by an invasion. Tschaka joins the resistance, fighting through the forest against both invading soldiers and mages. Eventually, he encounters Bakres killing mages. Realizing the soldier rebelling from his forces must be Tschaka, he leaves for the Scagarai Islands, intending to bait him there. At the end of the level, Tschaka is told to defend a mage who is crafting a golem to defend the mages' evacuation. The mage collapses mysteriously during the instructive section of the spell, and a raging golem is unleashed. Tschaka must put it down to avoid it destroying both sides. Seeing the mages as too shortsighted and rebellious for the sake of rebelliousness, Tschaka rejects them. While he wants further answers from the Dr. , must evade their fervent attempts to capture him. He continues on alone in pursuit of Bakres.
In the islands, Tschaka pursues Bakres. The enemies here (both Mages & Tech) have new weapons which can force Tschaka out of the body he possesses; ultimately, it turns out this entire island is a trap! The black labs mages have studied the reports of how Tschaka behaves, and have realised his methods of subverting the brain. The magi simply will him out of the body, while the technologists electrocute him to throw off his control. Fighting through the islands, Tschaka is confronted by a powerful State-controlled mage called the Master of the Poison Viper (MPV). The MPV is capable of forcing Tschaka out of his host without harming them, and attempts to isolate and capture Tschaka. Tschaka manages to kill the MPV, however, foiling the State's first plan. Falling onto a backup plan, the Tech military orders the Poison Viper's arena gassed with a sleeping gas. Choked off, surprised, confused, and alone, Tschaka passes out.
Awakening in a complex similar to the one in the Red Sands, Tschaka is captive, guarded by Bakres, who he can attempt to possess, but cannot due to the cyborg's extensive electronic components. Tschaka is of even greater use now than he was before, he is told. Bakres mentions the scientist is also captive within the facility, and he could provide some answers. He exits to go retrieve him. Familiar sirens blare - Mages are attacking the building in an attempt to free the scientist, take Tschaka and destroy the holding facility all in one swoop. By some effect of their attacks on the facility, Tschaka is freed. Soon, he discovers the facility is mass producing thousands of Tschaka clones to use as grunt soldiers, and plans to destroy it. Reaching the scientist, Tschaka only finds him half dead from his own attempts to escape. He had burnt himself out from magic overuse. He further explains Tschaka's powers and transition to his soul form.
Trying to use his magic to bring Tschaka's soul into the body, Thovis actually... failed. Or, so he thought. The spell that supposedly brought Tschaka's soul into Emir's body, in fact, only imbued memory and personality - not sense of self or identity as well, which it did. It took longer to work than it should have, which was the first sign not all was operating normally. He didn't know if Tschaka was Tschaka or Emir. After Tschaka was ordered killed, Thovis rushed in to try and preserve his life. Medical science couldn't work fast enough - he had to use magic. The magic he tried to use to sustain Tschaka's life only sustained the spirit. Now Tschaka has a power even greater than he imagined, and Thovis grimly informed him the State may make use of him yet. He tells him there's someone pulling the cyborg's strings, that there's someone who keeps calling the cyborg around to different locations. He used him as bait at the islands and called him away from this facility. He's the one Tschaka needs to bring down. Thovis dies.
At such an inopportune moment, Mages rush in only to accuse Tschaka of killing the scientist. After moving on, Tschaka ultimately encounters rows of familiar clones, and then 4 guards. They are his teammates back when he was under the military's control, now equipped with extra armaments, fully trained and with their own troops. These former teammates, it turns out, were in a similar situation to Tschaka's - they were clones of historical generals, all indoctrinated in the current struggle between magic and technology, and all trained to command the troops in the upcoming war. Tschaka defeats them, obtaining information on a large battle between the Mages and the State, occurring in the Baltean Plains. The State has chased the escapees from the forest down, and intends to stamp out the last of the resistance.
Tschaka arrives on a battlefield. The Mages have almost been defeated by the State's sheer power. Tschaka makes his way through the State ranks. Throughout the level, Bakres swoops down and fights with Tschaka periodically. Retreading and harassing different parts of the line to draw Bakres in, Tschaka fights a war of attrition, eventually damaging Bakres too much for his ruined body to continue operating.
Tschaka is horrified to realize there is a powerful figure greater than the Cyborg pulling the strings - the Cyborg's master, the Ruler Gavrillo Sabran, who reveals himself with a badge of a licensed magic user - the troops turn to follow him. The Ruler laughs, and reveals that Tschaka is in the worst possible place he could be right now - next to the only living mage left in the entire world. He now can channel magic without fear, since no other may cast and draw his vital energy from the Fount. Unleashing everything he's got in a bid to destroy Tschaka, Tschaka fights and eventually defeats him.
The Ruler, about to be defeated, names Tschaka a nobody, a non-entity. He isn't even really Tschaka, just a ghost of a copy of an ancient warlord. Even that warlord was, himself, flawed. He brought people together under his rule, true, but his empire didn't last - it fell back into chaos merely years after his death. What does he know about anything? The empire of the State has accomplished more than Tschaka had ever dreamed. It has provided electricity, built hospitals, libraries, schools.
Tschaka, standing over the Ruler, relaxes his weapon briefly.
"I may be a clone. I may be Tschaka. I may be only an insane soldier, simply this outer shell and nothing more. But I know this much: I am myself. And as myself, I despise the State you have established. You have done nothing but grab at personal power, let your friend's public image suffer for your sake, raised yourself far above the populace, and ground the rights of the individual into the dirt all to secure your might. But see this - you are the one at my feet now. Now, you strike out in desperation at my sense of identity in one last bid to preserve your disgusting life. You, Sabran, are a worm."
He fires. The Ruler dies.
"It is fitting that you feed them."
The screen fades to black. Fading in, it shows the cloning facility smoldering, and tells the player of the subsequent fall of the State, after a hasty repeal of the antimagic laws by Sabran's successor and partly successful disarmament. Tschaka himself blended into the background and took to observing the rise of a new government. Whether or not the spirit was Tschaka or Emir is never outright stated.
Thovis: Speedgrowth looks to be a success, thus far. No health anomalies detected. Emir looks to be a healthy clone. Tschaka had some good genes.
Fade to black. Fade-in again to the same scene, with a teenaged Tschaka in the tube and another day crossed off.
Scientist: Should be ready to start rapid education tomorrow.
Thovis: Just how much propaganda are they feeding you...?
Bakres: Subject: Emir Niemand. My name is Bakres, and I am your superior officer. The first run success of Project Samsara. You just participated in your first live-fire training exercise--it is now time to debrief.
Bakres: I will narrate the events that took place during the exercise. You will correct any inconsistencies you are aware of. This will test your memory, attention to detail, and truthfulness. You started by the blue entrance to the course, correct?
The primary choice set the player is offered through the game is the choice of execution--how they proceed through the game. They can run around with a single favored body in their possession for as long as they can, or they can hop from body to body when it becomes tactically prudent. They can favor possessing units with specific ability setups, or they can just grab the lower-willed basic units to fight their way through. They can charge headlong into a battle, or sneak up to the fight using soft possession, faking, and the other sneaky abilities at the player's disposal.
As the choices the player is offered are choices of execution, what results from those choices is difference in execution. Some areas may have units that counter the sneaky approach well, and so attempting soft possessions might not pay off as well--the player might be entering the next fight at low health, or might simply lose the fight and have to restart the section. Favoring a type of unit changes how encounter composition affects the encounter difficulty, as well--if a player favors ranged units, when they hit an encounter full of unit types designed to shrug off ranged blows, that fight will be considerably harder with their ranged unit. Favoring faster, weaker units might not pay off as well in more protracted fights, favoring slower units would make fighting individual faster units harder, etc. The balance the player must strike is one between versatility and ease of use. Changing bodies to fit the tactical situation makes a given situation easier, but means the player will not be playing to their own strengths as often. Similarly, sticking to a favored style of unit or play means that certain situations will be harder for the player to overcome, but the player will be overall better equipped to handle it in a body setup or play style they are familiar with.
In order to successfully traverse each level and progress through the game, the player must rely on the functions of each enemy's traits and Abilities for navigation and combat. Each enemy plays differently, depending on its characteristics, and this provides the player with multiple means of approaching the battlefield.
The player has four basic circumstances to consider when possessing enemies; performing a Hard Body-Body possession, a Soft Body-Body possession, a Hard Soul-Body possession, or a Soft Soul-Body possession. Each circumstance has its benefits and drawbacks, as summarized in the chart below. The primary use of each circumstance is highlighted in yellow.
| Hard Possession | Soft Possession | |
|---|---|---|
| Body-Body |
Possession Fatigue will be raised 30% Possession is certain Enemies will be aware of possession |
Possession Fatigue will be raised 30% Possession is uncertain Enemies will be unaware of possession |
| Soul-Body |
Possession Fatigue will be raised 15% Possession is certain Enemies will be aware of possession |
Possession Fatigue will be raised 15% Possession is uncertain Enemies will be unaware of possession |
The game will begin immediately with the player starting in the Lab Debriefing level. This is the preliminary 'level' to get the character familiar with the controls, before gameplay has actually begun. When in the Lab Complex level, a more substantial tutorial will take the player through controls and mechanics of the game. Progression will be as follows:
Debriefing, Lab Complex, Red Sands Desert, Gilean Forest, Scagarai Islands, Skyscraper Facility, Baltean PlainsEach level will have an array of enemies characteristic of that level, and an end boss will also be encountered. Defeating the boss in the level will be the victory condition, and the player is rewarded with story progression. The Death condition involves the player dying while in Soul Form, which results when Tschaka is drained of all his Spirit Health. The player has 3 lives in the game, and dying will result in a loss of one of these lives. Game over results once the player has no more remaining lives.
Upon beginning a level, the player will be in the body form of the unit he possessed last at the end of the previous level.
The player is able to use Tschaka's body
The player can only Hard Possess
A constant onslaught of enemies.
Each body Tschaka inhabits becomes corrupted over time, and dies.
The Lab is the facility in which the Tschaka's first body was cloned and indoctrinated. Upon the discovery of his intended escape, Tschaka was executed and turned into his current soul form. Over the course of the level, Tschaka fights the guards of the facility as he makes his way to a data center to steal some information for Thovis, the scientist who served as his informer on the State. Once he steals the information, Thovis's rebel comrades bomb the facility with Tschaka (and, or so the player thinks, Thovis) still inside.
Located in north central Caranna, this desert is a wind shadow desert. Mostly sand and rock, with some scattering of lowland vegetation such as scrub brushes. A few jutting rocks dot the horizon, tiny fractures in the Carannan tectonic plate that composes the desert and several hundred miles south. Apart from a few small reptilian breeds, the occasional mountain bird, and a few small rodent species, it sees basically no traffic. Planes sometimes fly by overhead, traveling between the edges of the continent, but these flights are fairly rare, most airliners preferring the more traffic-heavy routes that swing northward around the desert.
As of today, one underground river has been discovered feeding from the northeast, but it remains underground in its entire run through the desert-usually staying under 20-30 feet of solid rock below the sand-until it feeds out of the mountain rim in the southeast. It breaches the surface at one point, and one point only-the Varanian ruins, so named for the ancient Varanian exiled tribe that settled there - of which Tschaka was a member. They tapped into the underground river at a natural rift and created a single spouting point aboveground using a magical probe and pump. This water is the water they fueled their civilization with, until the Carannans (for whom the continent is named) lifted their kill-on-sight exile of the Varanians several generations later. After that, the Varanians deserted en masse in what is known as the Second Varanian Exodus, and rejoined Caranna at large. The tomb in which he was buried after this exodus is located here. Much of the city is still standing, although time has taken its toll on the city in the several hundred years it has been unused. A small encampment of historians and architects is maintained nearly year-round to study the ruins, and tourists occasionally take flights in to view the ancient structures.
Recently, however, a large portion of the ruins, including Tschaka's tomb, have been cordoned off by the State military. Rumblings have been heard about the tomb being disturbed, which a number of the Varanians are none too happy about. A branch of the Mundane Police has recently moved in, as well, sharing some of the military base's facilities until they can get themselves established. Gen. Pontius, a subordinate of Grand Leader Bakres, has been overseeing the base's operations for the last several years and is the active commander, and has had to deal with a lot of complaints of persecution by the Mundanes and even some outright armed dissent in the area.
The Gilean Forest is one of the biological and magical wonders of the modern world. Extending hundreds of miles in all directions, this sea of green is home to the greatest variety of species known (and in many cases unknown) to man. Originally a deciduous / coniferous mix forest, climatological experimentation in the area by local wizards during the resurgence of magic. Now a deciduous / coniferous / temperate rainforest mix, the Gilean has attracted visitors from all over the world to see species interaction possible nowhere else. It serves simultaneously as Gilea's largest tourist attraction and as home to the highest percentage of Gilea's population. A city-state of great learning, Gilea itself is situated in the southeastern region of the forest and is home to the greatest medical researchers of our time.
The section of forest that Tschaka finds himself in, however, is substantially less developed. An outlying section of the forest in which several dissidents have established a small base of operations, this section of the Gilean, while still showing the effects of mankind's settlement in the presence of bridges spanning some of the rivers that run through, a few roads and power lines, and the (somewhat rare) house.
By the time Tschaka and the rebels from the Red Sands arrive, however, the forest is in the middle of a military raid. Illegal magic users are fighting the State's private mages and soldiers, and Bakres himself is leading the purge. Tschaka needs to confront Bakres, and so decides to help the rebels. He encounters Bakres, and Bakres flees to the islands, realizing Tschaka is present in whichever dissident soldier he is in at the time. At the end of the stage, Tschaka must put down a trapped berserk golem before it frees itself and rampages away.
The Scagarai Islands, off the eastern coast of Caranna, form a sizeable bay-sheltering a good portion of the Carannan coastline from the rougher Gaerran Ocean. Averaging a warm temperate climate to a mildly tropical one during the year, the Scagarai Islands would have, in another situation, been excellent tourist destinations.
Most of the islands, however, remain unsettled due to particularly difficult to dislodge groups of local wildlife. Be it due to the high quantity of life, or the outright abuse of magic during its resurgence, or fickle fate itself, these islands are home to several breeds of magic-wielding animals. Hunting cats capable of making themselves invisible, naturally poisonous and magically explosive breeds of bees, vampiric frogs, turtles with mastery of force projection, flying iguanas-the list goes on. One can find many an overgrown village from earlier attempts in the centuries to tame the islands with even just a cursory coastal survey. The islands are also, due to the direction of tectonic drift, slowly sinking into the water. Already quite low-lying, the best estimates indicate that within the next 90 years, the islands will be underwater-with only the canopies of trees jutting through the surface to indicate that islands had ever been there in the first place.
This has led many scientists into the island chain on expeditions recently, in hopes of documenting instinctual use of magic and proving the innate links to magic the natural world has. This is a remote enough location, however, with such a small scattering of civilian interference, that it serves as a fine point for Bakres's trap.
Bakres plans on capturing Tschaka for Sabran to study. For this purpose, Bakres baited Tschaka to the islands, where Bakres has a division of troops equipped with electric weapons to force Tschaka out of hosts he captures. Once Tschaka's fallen for the trap, Bakres pulls back, maintaining safe distance while the trap is sprung. The Master of the Poison Viper, Master Wizard Gerbrandt, has been placed in charge of supervising the operation.
Awakening in a complex similar to the one in the Red Sands, Tschaka is captive, guarded by Bakres, who he can attempt to possess, but cannot due to the cyborg's extensive electronic components. Tschaka is of even greater use now than he was before, he is told. Bakres mentions the scientist is also captive within the facility, and he could provide some answers. He exits to go retrieve him. Familiar sirens blare - Mages are attacking the building in an attempt to free the scientist, take Tschaka and destroy the holding facility all in one swoop. By some effect of their attacks on the facility, Tschaka is freed. Soon, he discovers the facility is mass producing thousands of Tschaka clones to use as grunt soldiers, and plans to destroy it. Reaching the scientist, Tschaka only finds him half dead from his own attempts to escape. He had burnt himself out from magic overuse. He further explains Tschaka's powers and transition to his soul form.
Trying to use his magic to bring Tschaka's soul into the body, Thovis actually... failed. Or, so he thought. The spell that supposedly brought Tschaka's soul into Emir's body, in fact, only imbued memory and personality - not sense of self or identity as well, which it did. It took longer to work than it should have, which was the first sign not all was operating normally. He didn't know if Tschaka was Tschaka or Emir. After Tschaka was ordered killed, Thovis rushed in to try and preserve his life. Medical science couldn't work fast enough - he had to use magic. The magic he tried to use to sustain Tschaka's life only sustained the spirit. Now Tschaka has a power even greater than he imagined, and Thovis grimly informed him the State may make use of him yet. He tells him there's someone pulling the cyborg's strings, that there's someone who keeps calling the cyborg around to different locations. He used him as bait at the islands and called him away from this facility. He's the one Tschaka needs to bring down. Thovis dies.
At such an inopportune moment, mages rush in only to accuse Tschaka of killing the scientist. After moving on, Tschaka ultimately encounters rows of familiar clones, and then 4 guards. They are his teammates back when he was under the military's control, now equipped with extra armaments, fully trained and with their own troops. These former teammates, it turns out, were in a similar situation to Tschaka's - they were clones of historical generals, all indoctrinated in the current struggle between magic and technology, and all trained to command the troops in the upcoming war. Tschaka defeats them, obtaining information on a large battle between the Mages and the State, occurring in the Baltean Plains. The State has chased the escapees from the forest down, and intends to stamp out the last of the resistance.
The Baltean Plains are a tall grassland clime, slightly too dry and warm for most species of tree. Situated east of the Pellean Range, west and north of the Gaerran Ocean, and (for eight months out of the year) easing into the Gilean Forest to its north, the Baltean Plains are something of an oddity. Hundreds of years ago, they had been a tropical rainforest, much like the Scagarai Islands and parts of the Gilean, but the lumber from many of the exceptionally tall, wide trees proved too promising a resource for the masts of the Bertran military. They paid the local Varanians a good deal of money to cut choice trees, and, when they provided the Varanians with the equipment necessary to do it, the Varanians proved too financially ambitious for the forest to withstand. They respected the bounds of their property, however, and their Gilean allies' forest was spared. Quick-growing crop grasses introduced by Varanian farmers in the newly cleared farmland quickly overgrew-which, at first, was cause for celebration, until the market for their now wild grasses collapsed (a result of an overabundance of supply and constant demand) and they were forced to turn to more profitable crops. The grasses proved too resilient to dispose of, however, and remain the dominant feature of what was once the Baltean Forest, choking out any chance the mast trees had of returning. It is only through controlled burns between the Baltean Plains and the Gilean Forest that the Gileans keep the grasses from overspreading-a spectacle that can be seen annually every summer, and which is often an excuse for both parties to celebrate. After about four months, the grasses begin to grow back in the borderlands, and the land returns to what is now normal along the Baltes-Gilea border.
Since their time as a forest, some of the local species have adapted to the change in habitat. Others have not, and the plains remain lightly populated. The lives of the Varanians haven't changed much, only the price of lumber-since it must now be imported from Gilea. They live mainly on the low lying coast, and worry more about flooding than wildfire, thanks to their controlled burn methods of keeping the areas surrounding their cities from being flammable. As for the plains itself-during especially stormy seasons, wind storms from the coast make it inland up to the east side of the Pellean, and sometimes get strong enough to carry a ship or two of the Varanian fishing fleet several miles inland. Most of the time, it stays warm and dry, which is why wildfire is a danger once you get away from the quick access to water the coast provides. The most dangerous conditions possible in the plains is warm, dry, and windy-then, all it takes is a bit of friction in the wrong place or a lightning strike to light a fire that can spread in excess of 16 MPH, and can spread for hours without slowing-a combination that means virtually guaranteed death if caught downwind.
The Baltean Plains are now the site of the Rebellion's slaughter. Having found out the location of their flight from the Forest, they have been run down by a large detachment under the direct command of Bakres himself. Sabran is also present on the battle, having guessed that Tschaka might make himself known and realizing he would need to stop him from interfering.