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Just your normal vampire-infested snowy floating islands - what?
Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and magical girl anime, Ara Fell is an RPG Maker 2003 role-playing game with light-hearted bite. It was made by Badluck and its freeware version can be found here.

Set on an archipelago of floating islands above the dreaded "Abyss", the plucky heroine, Lita LeCotta, finds and puts on a cursed ring. When she comes back to her home town, she finds that a war against a long-dormant threat is looming, and with new allies, she must learn to wield the power she now has to save the world.

An Updated Re-release of Ara Fell was released commercially on Steam on June 2 2016, and can be found here.


Tropes found in Ara Fell:

  • Adam and Eve Plot: Talani pulls this on Doren in the epilogue since they're the last two known elves in existence. While Doren points out this is obviously unsustainable, they go for it anyway.
  • Beef Gate: The trolls guarding the bridge that leads towards Silvara count. They won't even let you fight them until you have a full party, and the fight itself is *exceedingly* difficult if you approach them before the story takes you there.
  • Being Evil Sucks: Most of the saner vampires are not happy with their curse and are willing to do anything to get the Sunstone, which they believe can restore them to being normal humans and elves.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Baramon is killed, but the Sunstone shattered in the process, causing the continent to fall into the Abyss. Not everyone survived, but those who did live through the fall start to rebuild their civilization on the surface.
  • The Chosen One: Defied. Lita is burdened with saving the world from the vampires, but the elven spirits did not choose her; she is simply the first person to have put on the ring.
  • Clingy Macguffin: Lita's ring. She puts it on because it looks pretty, but it won't come off. And with it comes the power of the Sunstone, a mysterious spirit advisor, and a heavy burden. This is justified by the spirits as the responsibility that comes with this mission are too important to let someone leave halfway and take off the ring.
  • Deadpan Snarker: All the main characters except Doren are this regularly. Lita very often snarks on the situations they are placed in, with Adrian doing the same alongside her much of the time. For her part, Seri Kesu tends to show a sassier side when there's opposition.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: You can meet the entire playable cast within five minutes of starting the game.
  • Evil Chancellor: Maranda. She keeps the king ill and rules in his name, plotting to lead Atana's army into a battle they cannot win against the vampires.
  • Floating Continent: Ara Fell consists of a set of islands floating high above the surface, which is referred to as the Abyss. The people believe their goddess lifted the islands to save them when the Abyss became uninhabitable.
  • Hopeless Boss Fight: The last phase of the Final Boss fight has the boss getting consecutive turns to deal multiple normal attacks, all of which deal the damage cap. However, in accepting this defeat, Lita finds the power of the Sunstone within her and she is able to make one final attack which obliterates the final boss for good.
  • Idiot Heroes: Arguably both Lita and Adrian due to their reckless dungeon crawling, although Seri Kesu and Dorian make up for their cute antics.
  • Inevitable Tournament: The very first story arc is an archery tournament. However, it isn't playable and Lita will win in a cutscene.
  • Inexplicably Awesome: Talani the merchant, who's always one step ahead of you. Even the later reveal that she's an elf doesn't explain her ability to kill vampires or how she can keep using magic after the Sunstone was destroyed.
  • Intrepid Merchant: Talani. No matter where you are, she'll be there with supplies.
  • Lawful Stupid: Zigzagged. Most of Atana's soldiers see Maranda as Obviously Evil, but still follow her authority due to the law and chain of command. However, the party manages to convince some of them to stand up to her.
  • The Magic Goes Away: The destruction of the Sunstone sends Ara Fell crashing to the ground, and sorcerers like Seri can no longer use magic. Talani can though, for some reason.
  • Ninja Prop: It's easy to view Intrepid Merchant Talani as just as quick way to buy and sell goods instead of being an actual character. Even Nash stands right in front of her and discusses his plans without caring about her. So when she suddenly interferes with him it comes as a big surprise, revealing she's much more than she appears to be
  • Nominal Importance: Zigzagged. All the villagers in Lita's hometown are given names, with unique character portraits as well. As time goes on, more generic names like "man" or "woman" are used instead. Possibly justified in that Lita would know the name of the villagers in Aloria but not of far off locations.
  • No OSHA Compliance: The game takes place on a floating continent, and there are sheer drop-offs everywhere, all without guard-rails, to the distant land below, including in the starting village. Even some houses have huge holes in their floors dropping off to the world below.
  • Obviously Evil: Discussed in an early scene when Lita meets Adrian's "contact" who they were supposed to find the ring for:
    Lita: Come on Adrian, this guy is obviously evil.
    Adrian: You can't just judge every hooded, creepy red-eyed man you meet.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: Vampires seem to have the standard blood-sucking and aversion to sunlight, but the ruins under Atana reveals that they will eventually mutate, which may explain why they want to become humans and/or gods instead.
  • Outside-Context Problem: After Lita gains the power to use the randomly growing fairy circles as a teleportation device, she and the others are locked up in the castle dungeons. When she finds a hidden exit in her cell to a small ledge, there is a circle there she can use to get to other locations and escape. She lampshades how using the circles to escape is something no one had ever considered before.
  • Playable Epilogue: After the fighting is over, you can see how the game's cast is adjusting to a very different world.
  • The Power of the Sun: Lita's artifacts let her channel sunlight. She's one of the only people who can permanently kill vampires.
  • Resigned to the Call: Lita often bemoans how much is expected of her, but sees no way to escape it.
  • Scenery Porn: Even today, the maps are considered some of the most gorgeously-designed maps in RPG Maker history.
  • Taken for Granite: The elves, finding they could not fight the vampires, turned themselves to stone hoping it would starve the vampires. They in turn became dormant, but woke up weakened.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist:
    • Nash's side wants to use the Sunstone to undo their vampirism, even if it means going to war with humanity.
    • Doren and Talani consider their fellow elven survivors to be misguided in turning themselves to stone just to prevent the Sunstone's use, despite how it forces the Sunstone into a state where Ara Fell may no longer float. Though the elves may have a point if someone like Baramon used it to become an insane godlike demon.
  • Will They or Won't They?: Adrian has an obvious crush on Lita, but she seems oblivious. When they finally do share a romantic moment it's during a very emotional and confusing time for Lita, and they agree to work out their feelings afterwards. They do in the epilogue.
  • Where It All Began: the ruins you explore at the beginning of the game is also the entrance to the final dungeon.

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