Characters
Character design is an important part of any game,
Little Monster is no different. Where in a normal story, the characters always do the same
things with each reading or watching, in video games they can be mutable. Characters must be defined less in terms of what happens to them and
more in terms of what their personality and motivations are, because what they wind up doing could be drastically different depending on the player's
actions.
The Little Monster
Background
The Little Monster was born as a human child in the land of Mannheim (which is Norwegian for "the Home of Men.") However, one day, he ignores his father's
warnings, and ventures into the forbidden land of Morkheim, to seek the mysterious Fortress of Doors, which is said to hold power and treasure beyond man's
greatest reckonings. Then, after a very long and disturbing nightmare, he awoke, transformed into a small, green kind of monster called an "Oluve."
Game purpose
The Little Monster is the protagonist of the game. The player can select both the Little Monster's name and sex, as well as the character's greatest fear.
In terms of archetypes the Little Monster is a bit of a "window" character, much link Link from Legend of Zelda or Crono from Chrono Trigger, but I want to
avoid the classic "mute hero syndrome" that comes from the designer not letting the character speak for fear he should break the player's self-association with
the protagonist. In this case, the player himself will supply the Little Monster's words through dialog choices, a fairly standard mechanism.
Motivation
Unlike the other characters, the Little Monster's motivation is almost entirely up to the player. The game imposes a few "maguffins" (ie, a motivation that matters
to the characters in the story, but not as much to the people watching it) of wanting to recover his lost memories, uncovering the secret of the curse that is upon
him, as well as the task of saving the world from the Big Bad Villain. Fairly standard video game stuff; however, there is the possibility of completing the game
without fulfilling all or most of these maguffins.
Nous
Background
Nous is given to the Little Monster as a gift from his father. He is the Little Monster's constant companion and, it is revealed, literally is a
part of the Little
Monster. When the main character wakes up alone in the Fortress of Doors and finds that he has become a monster, he finds that Nous too, has been transformed - where he previously
had the wings of a dove, Nous now has the wings of a bat, signifying that Nous is now also a monster - in fact, the two of them are both parts of the
same monster.
Game purpose
Nous is a living metaphor and game mechanic made manifest. He literally serves as the game's cursor: You move Nous, and the Little monster follows. This serves as a metaphor for
how human beings act: we live mostly by habit, and most of our lives are spent following what our hearts and minds have already decided; to truly change our behavior, we must
first move our
Nous, and only then will the whole of our being follow.
Motivation
Since Nous is an extension of the main character's mind, heart, and will, it isn't really possible to give him a separate motivation from the main character. However, Nous has an
inertia to him - the Little Monster might decide that he wants to change his course of behavior, but Nous, a reflection of his moral character, will take a while to catch up to the newly
decided course of action. This represents the difficulty of breaking habits and patterns of behavior.
The Lord of Monsters
Background
No one knows where or whence the Lord of Monsters came from, but it is commonly held that he is the oldest monster of them all. Many consider him to be a god in his own right. He
wears the Iron Crown, the symbol of his authority, and rules on high from
Uhyrahalla, the Hall of Monsters. He is said to be deathless and ageless, and not of this world. He
is feared by both human and monster alike, and is only seen for short glimpses every few centuries, when his people the Monsters have great need of his intervention.
Game Purpose
The Lord of Monsters is a great mystery, and stands behind the scenes, driving the other characters forward.
Motivation
The Lord of Monsters first devotion is to his people. Ruthless and tyrannical though he may very well be, he is fiercely loyal to his duty to protect the borders of Morkheim, the sanctity
of the Fortress of Doors, and the welfare of his people the Monsters. He is brutal, he is cruel, and he is both loved and feared by those he protects.
Kyria
Background
Kyria is the interim leader of the monsters; as the Lord of Monsters has not been seen for centuries, she is charged with guiding her people and defending the Fortress of Doors. She is a
mighty warrior and sorceress, hailing from a tribe of monsters known as the "Gliders." She is fanatically devoted to the cult of the Lord of Monsters, and is vitriolically opposed to and
suspicious of "Anthromorphs" (The Monsters' word for "Humans").
Game Purpose
Kyria's main role is to give instruction to the player and provide him with his next main goal; furthermore, which ending the player gets depends largely on what actions he makes with regards
to Kyria. Saving oneself often involves saving others - although she has her own motivations and demons to deal with, the player has the ability to influence Kyria, who then might at last break
the curse that she and all the other Monsters are under, or succumbing to it and sinking further into darkness, vengeance, and bloodthirstiness.
Motivation
Kyria has absolutely no memory whatsoever of her time as a human being; for her, she has always been a monster, and the civilization of monsters has always stood opposed to human beings. First
and foremost, she loves and cares for her people, but her heart is so full of vengeance, anger, and suspicion that love for her own people and hatred for all strangers are nearly indistinguishable
to her mind. She is suspicious of the Little Monster as he comes to her as a stranger, but, suspecting that he might have been sent by the Lord of Monsters as a test of her hospitality, she decides
to trust him for a little while.
Simon the Sorceror
Background
Simon the Sorceror started life as a monastic novice, studying in the Human land of Westkyst. It was then that the Lord of Monsters brought his
armies out of the Fortress of Doors and laid waste to Westkyst in revenge for the fifth crusade. Simon's monastery was torched, and seeing his fellow
monks accept their deaths without so much as putting up a fight, he left his church and his people in disgust. He came to believe that the moral code
imposed by Westkystan culture, as well as the church, lead to weakness, which lead to the inevitable conquest of his homeland.
It was then that he turned to secret knowledge, and the hidden powers of the occult, so that the next time there was a battle between men and monsters,
he at least would not be a weakling like the rest of his people; he would be a mighty sorceror, while everyone else was satisifed with being cattle
for the slaughter before the Iron Crown of Morkheim.
Game Purpose
Simon the Sorceror is the main villain of the game, and one of only a few "bosses" the player must overcome in actual battle. Unlike other villains,
Simon does not simply wait at the end of the game, twiddling his thumbs until the player arrives on the scene to fight. Simon starts the game as the leader
of an invading army of humans, during the "seventh crusade" of men against monsters. The story takes place in the context of the Fortress of Doors being under
siege by Simon's armies.
As far as the morality angle, Simon is clearly meant to represent evil; but not a dualist sort of evil, where good and evil are two equally powerful forces
that have always existed. In the beginning, when the world was created, everything was Good. Evil, then, is something that once was Good, but has been twisted
away from its original purpose into something else. Power, Money, Sex - when you think about it, each of these things is actually a very good thing. But because
they are so very good, they are so very, very evil when they are twisted. Lukewarm tapioca, because it is only barely kind of good, isn't capable of being twisted
into something all that despicable.
Simon started life as a good person, and had good intentions. He has now been twisted into a mockery of what he once was, and has fallen into depravity and malice.
His purpose is more than to just fight the Little Monster, however. Simon will be attempting to sway the monsters to join his side, to stand with him and against
Kyria and the Little Monster (For it has always been his desire to become the Lord of Monsters, that he might be the tyrant and not the victim.) Towards the end of
the game, the Little Monster's actions towards each tribe of monsters in the castle will be judged, when each tribe decides to align themselves with the Little Monster,
or with Simon, for the final battle.
Motivation
Simon is motivated primarily by revenge and by pride. He was deeply humiliated when his land was despoiled, and just as he felt oppressed by the monsters, he felt
betrayed by his own people's inherent weakness. In the end, he came to respect the monsters because of their power and strength, and came to believe, in a way, that
they were justified in destroying his people. Nevertheless, he refuses to be a victim again, and to make sure that the Iron Crown never humiliates him again, he must
make sure that it sits upon
his brow, when he ascends to the throne of the Lord of Monsters.
Nadder & Grommish
Background
Nadder and Grommish are from the tribe of monsters called the "Yeepahs." Yeepahs are unique among monsters in that they are virtually indestructable and essentially immortal,
yet generally have no grand ambitions to deal with any matters other than their own immediate concerns. They are the most ambivalent of the monster tribes, and would prefer to be
left well enough alone in the growing war between Men and monsters. They are generally mischevious and slightly selfish, with variances between individuals. Specifically, Grommish
is fairly honest for a Yeepah, while Nadder is more representative of his people, though shorter than most; which he makes up for by being even more mischevious.
Game Purpose
Nadder and Grommish specifically serve as merchants that sell items and equipment to the Little Monster. Whereas Grommish is a fairly straight-forward dealer and will sell items that
are always useful (if a bit expensive), Nadder will try and sell a wide variety of semi-useless knick-knacks and trinkets of questionable worth. Nadder will occasionally sell something
useful, but most of the time he will just try to separate the Little Monster from his hard-earned money. Grommish's wares are much more epensive, and will require the Little Monster to
save up for them, while Nadder tempts him to spend what he has right now on his cheap trinkets. These two (especially Nadder) serve to remove the cliche in games that everything that
can be owned or possessed in should be. They also serve to provide comic relief and flavor to the game.
Motivation
Their motivations are rather simplistic and self-serving. First, they seek to remain uninvolved in the war; not so much out of self-preservation (it is almost impossible to actually harm
or kill a Yeepah), but rather out of a desire to avoid inconvenience and bother. Secondly, they seek to profit off the Little Monster (Grommish through building a trustworthy business,
Nadder through conning the player for all he's worth).
