History DarthWiki / PagesOfMalice

** Also, the game used to only makke use of three gamepad buttons (in addition to the Start button) as a reference to the Sega Genesis, and ''Wonder Boy in Monster World'' in particular.

The game started out as a fan-made homage/spiritual successor to the ''VideoGame/WonderBoy'' series. Coincidentally, work on the game started mere months before the series' revival with the announcement of ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' and the ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIITheDragonsTrap'' remake, but the game manages to remain distinct from the aforementioned two by going in a different direction in several aspects (e.g. {{Retraux}} graphics and no shapeshifting). Work on the game started in late 2014, and had progressed steadily until late 2017, when it was halted for a variety of reasons. As of 2020, it is set to be restarted using a different engine, but reusing most of the graphics and the script. As the game is still far from being released, it's up to you to decide if reading spoilers is a good idea.

** Yellow Palace combines two level themes associated with the color: ShiftingSandLand and electricity.

* PaletteSwap: Efforts have been made to avert abusing them, so variations of the same enemy rarely pop up in completely unrelated locations (an obvious case would be the tigers in dungeon 2, which are simply bigger, stronger and recolored versions of cats from dungeon 1) . Most enemies that are palette swaps of each other usually appear in the same location and behave somewhat differently.

* {{Retraux}}: The game has an early 16-bit graphical style. The use of only three buttons (in addition to the Start button) is also meant to emulate the Sega Genesis.

*** A spell called Deflection would give Adan a chance to automatically send back enemies' projectiles. After having been deemed a bit too helpful (the game already contained some very helpful spells) , as well as too much of a hassle to implement, it was ultimately replaced with Detection, a spell that allows the player to detect unopened treasure chests.

** Treasure chests found in dungeons originally contained, among other things, [[VendorTrash jewels]], which could only be sold to a special NPC for gold. They were finally deemed too much of a hassle and removed from the game.

** [[spoiler:Finally, Purple Sky starts as a platform-heavy and extremely linear BubblyClouds level, and ends with an OminousFloatingCastle.]]

The game started out as a fan-made homage/spiritual successor to the ''VideoGame/WonderBoy'' series. Coincidentally, work on the game started mere months before the series' revival with the announcement of ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' and the ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIITheDragonsTrap'' remake, but the game manages to remain distinct from the aforementioned two by going in a different direction in several aspects (e.g. {{Retraux}} graphics and no shapeshifting). Work on the game started in late 2014, and it is set to be released [[ScheduleSlip at least]] in 2018. As the game is still far from being released, it's up to you to decide if reading spoilers is a good idea.

Alex sometimes provides updates and screenshots on his [[https://twitter.com/AlexKhayrullin Twitter account]], though not so much nowadays, since starting working on the game's final level, to avoid spoilers..

The game started out as a fan-made homage/spiritual successor to the ''Franchise/WonderBoy'' series. Coincidentally, work on the game started mere months before the series' revival with the announcement of ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'' and the ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIITheDragonsTrap'' remake, but the game manages to remain distinct from the aforementioned two by going in a different direction in several aspects (e.g. {{Retraux}} graphics and no shapeshifting). Work on the game started in late 2014, and it is set to be released [[ScheduleSlip at least]] in 2018. As the game is still far from being released, it's up to you to decide if reading spoilers is a good idea.

!! YMMV (for when the game will have the right to be an actual page, not just one of UnpublishedWorks)

!! Trivia (for when the game will have the right to be an actual page, not just one of UnpublishedWorks)

* {{Backtracking}}: Aside from two short instances of it, the game was designed to have as little of it as possible. Revisiting previously visited locations does yield additional rewards, but it is entirely optional.

** At one point, removing Adan's SuperNotDrowningSkills in favor of OxygenatedUnderwaterBubbles was also considered.

After running past the book shop, he stops to explain to the shop's owner, Methodius, what happened, but his father arrives to the scene, and beats him to the punch. After a few words of encouragement, Adan's father gives him something to defend himself and sets him out to find Mira, before she, blinded by her newfound powers, does something terrible.

The game started out as a fan-made homage/spiritual successor to the ''Franchise/WonderBoy'' series, but with a different direction from recent releases (e.g. {{Retraux}} graphics and no shapeshifting). Work on the game started in late 2014, and it is set to be released [[ScheduleSlip at least]] in 2018. As the game is still far from being released, it's up to you to decide if reading spoilers is a good idea.

* OlderThanTheyThink: While this game is explicitly inspired by the ''Wonder Boy'' franchise, its development started before the series was revived with the announcement of ''VideoGame/MonsterBoyAndTheCursedKingdom'', so there's no FollowTheLeader situation in regards to that game and the ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIITheDragonsTrap'' remake, it is a coincidence.

* Backtracking: Aside from two short instances of it, the game was designed to have as little of it as possible. Revisiting previously visited locations does yield additional rewards, but it is entirely optional.

Alex sometimes provides updates and screenshots on his [[https://twitter.com/AlexKhayrullin Twitter account]].

%%* BittersweetEnding: Mira is saved, and Ostocol is defeated... but Dot leaves the picture, disgusted with what Mira did to her, and Adan and Methodius are yet to find the person behind Mira's possession. Not to mention that, as Methodius mentions, up until the very end killing Mira was the only option, it was only thanks to a '''very''' lucky break that they were able to save her.

* BilingualBonus: Combined, the names of Zach and Rita, as well as Rob and Otto, create words in Russian that apply to them:

%%* BittersweetEnding: Mira is saved, and Ostocol is defeated... but Dot leaves the picture, disgusted with what Mira did to her, and Adan and Methodius are yet to find the person behind Mira's possession. Not to mention that, as Methodius mentions, up until the very end killing Mira was the only option, it was only thanks to a '''very''' lucky break that they were able to save her and keep her alive.

* OneHitKill: Almost completely averted. The only instance of this is in the third dungeon, where Adan has to find a massive stash of explosive materials, light the fuse and run away from the room. Failing this results in an explosion and an immediate GameOver.

%%* ShaggyDogStory: The fifth dungeon. Adan goes through the dungeon and smashes four urns that contain the essence Mira needs to summon the demon Ostocol so that she can't get to it first. Mira then ends up effortlessly summoning the essence through the air, thanking Adan for his accidental help.

** Alternatives to InterchangeableAntimatterKeys come in sets of three, one in a different location. The one time when there are ''four'' of them, one of them is available without any effort, so there are still three locations to explore.

%%* BittersweetEnding: Mira is saved, and Ostocol is defeated... but Dot leaves the picture, disgusted with what Mira did to her, and Adan and Methodius are yet to find the person behind Mira's possession. Not to mention that, as Methodius mentions, they were very lucky to be able to save Mira, and not kill her.

* EssenceDrop: Some enemies drop red orbs that come in two sizes and restore the player's health.

%%* HundredPercentCompletion: Finding every piece of equipment, as well as levelling up every spell, grants the player access to a BrutalBonusLevel.

* MarathonLevel: Dungeons tend to be rather long. Starting from the third one, they can take more than an hour to complete. It is not a coincidence if Methodius starts appearing inside the dungeons and offer to save the game.

%%* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Ostocol Eversor, the demon whom Mira wants to use to destroy the world, sucks her powers out of her while fighting Adan, making her human again. While there's still a big threat to fight, at least Mira is saved.
%%* NonstandardGameOver: Failing to kill Ostocol before Mira's castle falls to the ground allows him to escape. This leads to a somber dialogue between Methodius, Dot, a silent Adan and an unconscious Mira, where Methodius advises the rest to say goodbye to their loved ones, as the world is about to end.

* PlotTunnel: Once a dungeon is entered, it can't be exited unless it is completed and the boss is defeated.

* ScoringPoints: Once a dungeon is entered, the "Gold" counter disappears from the HUD, and is replaced with a "Score" counter and a timer. Once a dungeon is completed, the final score is tallied, taking the time spent in the level into account, and ultimately, the score obtained is converted into gold.
%%* ShaggyDogStory: The fifth dungeon. Adan goes through the dungeon and smashes four urns that contain the essence Mira needs to summon the demon Ostocol so that she can't get to it first. Mira then ends up summoning the essence through the air, thanking Adan for his accidental help.

** Omega Crater, a location available late in the game, serves no purpose other than this. Clearing this expansive location will reward the player with upgrades, but won't do anything to advance the story.

* TheThreeTrials: Two instances late in the game.
** [[spoiler: The second-to-last dungeon requires the player to meet and play with three ghosts]].
** [[spoiler: Reaching the final dungeon requires the player to find and touch three angel statues]].

** Treasure chests found in dungeons originally contained, among other things, jewels, which could only be sold to a special NPC for gold. They were finally deemed too much of a hassle and removed from the game.

The game started out as a fan-made homage/spiritual successor to the ''Franchise/WonderBoy'' series, but with a different direction from recent releases (e.g. {{Retraux}} graphics and no shapeshifting). It is set to be released [[ScheduleSlip at least]] in 2018. As the game is still far from being released, it's up to you to decide if reading spoilers is a good idea.

* HailfirePeaks:

* NoFairCheating: It is impossible to grind gold by completing dungeons over and over and getting bonuses for score: the game keeps track of the record amount of gold obtained per dungeon, and on subsequent visits, only the difference between the previous record and the currently obtained amount is actually transferred to the player's wallet, provided the record is beat in the first place. It is possible to come back to a dungeon after completing it while having immediate access to new spells and skills, complete it in under a minute and get a massive time bonus, but that's been done on purpose, and because of the aforementioned mechanic, this trick can only be used once per dungeon.

* EarlyGameHell: The first location has Adan go through it with no healing items (other than berries he can find by cutting bushes), no shield, and very weak armor and sword. Once he reaches the HubTown, finds his first HP Extension, buys a shield and gets an EmergencyEnergyTank from an NPC, things start to become much easier.

* SlowPacedBeginning: The beginning of the game features a lot of cutscenes. Once the player reaches the HubTown and learns how to run, things become more faster-paced.

** Green Castle is an abandoned castle, overgrow with vegetation, which also has enemies based on puppets.

* AbilityRequiredToProceed: Each dungeon gives access to a spell that uses mana and is mapped to a particular button, and a skill that is added to the player's natural moveset. Both are required to complete the dungeon, and one of these is necessary to proceed to the next one.

** Methodius, the librarian Adan bought the cursed book from, provides advice and offers Adan to write down his adventures. Accepting his offer saves the game.