The Spirit Engine

Infobox VG| title = The Spirit Engine


developer = Natomic Studios
designer = [http://www.thespiritengine.com Mark Pay]
engine = Multimedia Fusion
released = December 26, 2003
genre = RPG
modes = Single player
ratings = 8/10 from [http://www.GameHippo.com Gamehippo]
platforms = Windows
media =
input = Keyboard and mouseThe Spirit Engine is a two-dimensional sidescrolling RPG created by Mark Pay for Natomic Studios that combines a unique gameplay system with rich graphics, a soundtrack composed by Josh Whelchel with contributions by Nobuyuki` and Yoshiman, and a deep storyline. The current version is version 1.04.

Gameplay

The game has three separate views that the player will interact with.The first interface that the player encounters is the main side-scrolling view. In this view, the player can see their three-person party in a two-dimensional environment, lead by a floating spirit. By clicking on either side of the spirit or using the arrow keys, the player can control the spirit and the party will follow behind. If the spirit is close enough to certain items or people, the party will either interact with them automatically, or the player can click on them to interact. If the spirit wanders too close to a group of enemies, the second interface will be activated.

The second interface is the combat interface. The spirit is immobile during combat, however the party itself comes into play. The player can direct the party using the buttons that appear at the start of combat. The battle screen uses the same graphic view as the main side-scrolling view.

The player can exit either side of the areas in the main side-scrolling view. Doing this activates the Map screen. From the map screen, the player can select adjacent areas to travel to. The graphics of the map screens consist of small-scale representations of the party members on a backdrop which shows the world at large.Besides these three views, there are interfaces with which the player can customize their party.

Combat

The system for combat in The Spirit Engine is a blend of standard turn-based RPG combat and real-time combat.The two teams are lined up on either side of the screen. On one side is the player’s three characters, on the other side are the enemies currently being fought. Anywhere between one and three enemies can be fought at one time.The battle system is similar to traditional RPG systems in that movement is extremely limited. The player can rotate the three party members: changing who is in front, in the middle, and in the back; that is the only movement possible during combat. The actions, however, all happen in real-time. Each action has a set amount of time that it takes, which can be a strategic point: pick an action that can be performed quickly, or a more time-consuming action that is overall more powerful.

Each character, monster or other combatant has a unique set of actions that they can draw from. Actions range from simple attacks to effects such as immobilizing an enemy to aiding oneself or one’s friends. The player’s characters’ actions begin relatively weak, but can be improved by investing skill points. When the player’s party gains enough experience through defeating enemies, it will gain a level. Higher level parties have more powerful actions in general, however each individual character gains one skill point when the party increases in level. These skill points allow the player to specialize their party members. In some cases, the player may pick two characters which have the same actions available, but each character has individual strengths and weaknesses that differentiate the power sets.

The Spirit Engine 2

The Spirit Engine 2 has been released and is availible to download at the official website.

References

* [http://www.thespiritengine.com The official website]
* [http://www.natomic.com Original developer's website]