Devlog test and Etrian Odyssey ramblings

Howdy ya'll, it's Dari, testing out itch.io's devlog feature and it seems pretty nifty. While I have your attention, I should talk about what's up with this game. No, let's talk about Etrian Odyssey.

In Etrian Odyssey, the characters you pick are nobodies within the narrative of the game. You're just leading the latest guild of adventurers that think they're hot shit to explore the labyrinths. Nobody has special powers that's unique only to them.. There is no prophecy. Even though your ragtag team becomes the strongest there is, any other guild theoretically could fall into their shoes. What I wanted more from Etrian Odyssey was more hinting at the world around you, about your colleagues. I wanted to hear more about other adventurers and their own exploits. Maybe encounter other guilds in cool rival boss battles. I want to see this adventuring world and know about its lore; like, spoilers for the first Etrian Odyssey, but Etria being doomed to become a ghost town because you explored everything in its dungeon so no more adventurers are incentivized to come is pretty good and I wished to see more of that.

My thoughts on the nature of adventuring in that world rubbed off on me as I was making Fishing Minigame 2, which can be seen in Ending D and the route for the six-letter password. In Slimes I'm hoping to show off more of a world where you aren't the only adventurer. Even in a hostile dungeon full of slimes I hope to make it so that the presence of others are felt even if they aren't directly encountered, that somebody's there before you - that maybe you can accomplish what they failed to do.

After clearing each floor of enemies you'll gain a document representing the story of somebody else's experiences with the slime den. The first floor's document is from a guard named Sonia Delu that's stationed outside of the dungeon, the second floor is about a guy named Joseph Sol forming an adventuring party with his high school friends to attempt their own run at the dungeon, etc. I want it to be like what I want to see from Etrian Odyssey.

God. Etrian Odyssey Nexus might be the last game in the series (not counting Persona Q 2). Rest in peace, sweet prince.

Anyway, I hope to have a demo ready for Slimes soon and I shouldn't be typing all this at almost 3 in the morning.