What is Laxidaze?
A brief dev blog on an upcoming monster taming ARPG.
Hey everyone, welcome to the first dev blog on the game we're developing called Laxidaze. In this post we wanted to give you some information on the game's world and gameplay mechanics as well as upcoming updates about the game.
World and Story
Laxidaze is set on Earth in the far future where city-states have replaced modern countries. Our story takes place in the region and city-state of Cascadia located on the Pacific northwest of North America.
Cascadia is governed and controlled by the largest corporation in the region, Nile Corp. Nile Corp is ruled by the seemingly benevolent but ruthless CEO, Mr. Baz.
Mr. Baz and their Nanim, Zu
Although it started as a logistics company, Nile Corp's largest source of revenue comes from its production and maintenance of Nanobytes (NB's for short). Nanobytes are microscopic robots that can perform the functions of organic cells and increase the rate of evolution in any organic/ inorganic matter they infect. Anyone or anything infected with NB's has a chance of receiving various mutations that can result in special abilities.
Seemingly futuristic, Nanobytes are actually an ancient technology whose origins and inner workings remain unknown to the residents of Cascadia. Although the knowledge on NB's may be limited, the use of them is widespread by humans. This widespread use has caused Nanobtyes to pollute various ecological areas surrounding Cascadia. This has led to the rise of animals, plants, and inorganic materials being infected with NB's. Anything infected with Nanobytes that develops a special ability is referred to as a Nanim.
Below are two images of existing Nanims that exist in the world of Laxidaze.
Langskipper
Hunter Yuki with her Nanim Luna
Gameplay Mechanics
Laxidaze is a monster taming ARPG inspired by many of our favorite games. These inspirations include Pokémon, Persona, Final Fantasy 7, and Mass Effect. In making Laxidaze, we wanted to take our favorite parts of each game and meld them into something we'd love to play.
Regarding the Pokémon inspiration, Laxidaze features monster taming akin to Pokémon. Nanims in the game can be recruited to your party to help you in battle. Since these creatures are intelligent they can be a very useful ally in battle. Laxidaze features a summoning system where the player can fill a meter that allows you to summon your chosen Nanim friend into battle. Each Nanim is unique and has a set of abilities to aid you and your squadmates in battle.
As the player, you have been infected with Nanobytes which have given you special powers, the same is true for your squadmates. Throughout the game, you will recruit new squadmates and Namins to help you on your journey. We will give a more in-depth explanation of the combat when we do our combat reveal.
Laxidaze will feature social gameplay as well as combat. This is where the Persona inspiration comes into play. Each squadmate you recruit in Laxidaze has their own story and social link which can be leveled up through various dialogue options and quests. By leveling your social links you gain advantages in combat and social scenarios.
Coming Soon
In the coming weeks, we will be showing off our combat system as well as our new dialogue system. Thanks for reading our first dev blog! We plan on doing a series of these delving more into the world and gameplay mechanics of Laxidaze.
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Catch ya soon!