Developer Blog - Introducing the Player
Today in our developer blog for Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers, we've got something special for you... a look at the player character!
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The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat... you've known both. All your life you've used your natural aptitude to dominate at competitive video games to fill your hours with conquest after conquest. Working from the same hand-me-down computer you had as a kid, its guts replaced again and again to the point of becoming the "PC of Theseus," your current game of focus is the worldwide phenomenon known as Fist of Discomfort 2. But playing with online randos, well... not exactly the best experience. And with an officially sanctioned Pro Tour on the horizon, maybe it's time to look into being recruited into a team that can take you all the way to the top...
...but maybe your name isn't Sydney Moore, and you don't wear a hoodie or glasses. Maybe you use a different online user icon and a different handle than Seeker. Maybe you want to be yourself, or be someone wholly different from yourself.
We got you, boo.
Click to embiggen!
With the power of VaporWare for Workgroups 3.11 and the discomfort.fist profile editor, you can re-design the player as you like! We've expanded the customization options tenfold from the original Arcade Spirits, bringing over all the options you know and love from before, while adding new ones!
- Profile - Specify your first and last name, and your online handle. (You'll be referred to by your handle for most of the game.) Pick your pronoun from He, She, They, or a variety of new non-binary options! Change the avatar that appears in your chat box when you talk, with 18 options to pick from!
- Physical Details - Change your skin tone, eye color, hair color, and hair style just like in Arcade Spirits. Also choose your nose, from a variety of schnozzes from petite to legendary honkers!
- Clothing - We have several different tops that suit a variety of body styles! For the slim set we have fitting t-shirts and baggy unisex hoodies. For larger-bodied folks we've got a comfortable coat, and for the muscular set we've got a sweet jacket. You can pick masculine or feminine styles for all of these! A skirt or pants are available to round off the ensemble.
- Accessories - Pick from a variety of glasses and hats! Wear a cozy knit cap or a ball cap, and adjust your crappy eyesight with various lenses.
Make a mistake? Feel like switching things up? Identifying differently these days? You can edit whatever you like between chapters, because why not? Have fun.
"But in the first game I barely saw my custom character!" you may say. Ahh, but the New Challengers is played from a third person perspective! That means your custom character appears on screen through nearly all of the game. No more being an invisible participant who only pops by for big moments... now, you're on stage and ready to perform.
None of this would be possible without the tireless work of Molly Nemecek, our character artist. They put in countless hours to crank out a 330+ piece paper doll, one that's just as expressive and lively as any character in the game. Molly deserves mad props, the maddest of props, props so mad that they're angrily crossing the entire Pacific ocean and setting 1940s air-speed records in the process. Joining her in helping with pixel art for the VaporWare UI icons is Gabriella, keping that 16-color Windows style alive.
Now, let's take a look at a variety of versions of the player character using these options...
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"But wait, there's more!" I say. "MORE?!" you say, barely able to contain your excitement, on the verge of an energy explosion to rival a latter episode of Dragonball Z.
Because... you also have a RIVAL in this game. And this rival character is designed by you, using the same system you made your character with.
You pick your rival's name and pronoun, you design their outfit, you assign them a handle and an icon and everything... and you decide if they're a friendly rival, or a hostile rival. This is your story, but it's also theirs, and you direct the drama!
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Ooooh, that darn rival! How annoying! How super annoying, how we hate the rival so! (NOW KISSSSS)
Hunter and Seeker, or whoever you want them to be, are coming to Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers. The road to victory starts in 20XX!