Today we take a look at our first character spotlight!

No, it's not the Hero of our game, who you play as in 'Rhythm in You' - nor the fan favourite frog-rogue, Ooze. For more about those characters, I recommend checking out the (slightly older) updates I did for the Alpha Prototype of the game. They're a lot of fun with some narrative excerpts included!

Hero
https://resonancegames.itch.io/resonance-rhythm-in-you/devlog/202916/resonance-r...
https://resonancegames.itch.io/resonance-rhythm-in-you/devlog/224736/resonance-rhythm-in-you-our-hero-pt-2

Ooze
https://resonancegames.itch.io/resonance-rhythm-in-you/devlog/241754/resonance-r...

No, instead, today we're going to delve a bit further into the character that is Elizabeth - the Hero's best friend, wife, and mother to their child. I actually did a post about her for the Alpha Prototype as well - but that was before we even had the pixel-art design! At that early stage, the character hadn't been fully conceptualized, since we were still developing (and still are) the narrative for 'Rhythm in You' .

https://resonancegames.itch.io/resonance-rhythm-in-you/devlog/210798/resonance-r...

Today I'll share a bit more about Elizabeth: a compelling character and core part of the game's story.

At the start of development, I knew we'd need a strong partner for the main character - someone who stood side by side with our Hero, and acted as a foundational pillar for your emotional journey throughout the game. In all honesty, we didn't have a lot of depth with the character beyond that - much like the Hero himself. But as the narrative began to be imagined and developed, a very clear direction began to form with her.

There's a narrative concept that we've latched onto with this project: the idea of 'Heirloom', or the things we leave behind. These heirlooms could be in the form of a memory, stories told - or in the case of Zephra, literal material objects. The idea, in short, is that the city of Zephra has a strong cultural relationship with the Heirlooms left to them by family and friends, often in the form of clothing or jewellery. Whenever we design a new character in concept - we always ask the question, what's the heirloom they wear or present? In the case of our Hero, it's clearly the armour that he dons each day - left to him by his father before him. In the case of Elizabeth, she wears her broach and shawl - left to her by her mother (see concept art above).

But the point is that the idea of shared history is important to our world and story - and Elizabeth is the character that truly embodies that.

Elizabeth spends a great deal of time on the laborious work of child-care, but she also has a part-time job and specialization: history and scholarship. When she's able, Elizabeth will spend her time at the aging Zephran academy - which has long since stopped educating the populace and now acts as the last remaining hub of collective Zephran culture and literature, stewarded by an old master scholar: Master Esmin.

In this space, Elizabeth can not only study and read the crumbling tomes which the academy hopes to preserve - but also copy by hand the works that remain, in hopes that they may survive beyond this age.

This fascination of Elizabeth's is revealed throughout the game, as she holds a deep interest in the mystery unfolding around the Hero - wishing to know the how, who, what, when, where and why of the situation her husband has found himself in. The player will be able to learn more about the world through Elizabeth's expertise - and in fact, this will play an even greater role within the overarching narrative of 'Rhythm in You'.

We look forward to sharing more about Elizabeth, and hope you enjoy the animations we currently have - we can't wait to add more expression to this character. Her musical theme is a comfort from the weariness of the world you find yourself in while exploring Zephra, and we look forward to exploring more of the interactions the player will have while visiting their home throughout the game!

To tie things up, it's been a while since I've done some narrative flavour - so without further ado, please enjoy this excerpt. And don't worry! There aren't any spoilers of things that don't already happen within our Vertical Slice~

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The brittle page began to emit an unwelcome crinkling noise as she pinched the ancient parchment between her fingers; the ink on the tip of the quill spread slowly into the adjacent book, the elegant strokes of penmanship cut-off by an invasive circular smear.

Her eyes were focused on a yellowing leather-bound tome crammed between tightly packed manuscripts. There was no particular reason to stare at this tome, but that was where her mind seemed to have found itself locked onto as a dozen or so thoughts raced through her head.

"Your quill sits on those papers as though they grew from the branches of the trees themselves! Where has your mind run off to, my dear?"

The voice was familiar - slightly wispy with a hint of genuine concern.

Elizabeth's stare suddenly snapped; bits of old paper giving way as she sat up straight, turning her head first to the side: eye contact with Master Esmin, and then down to her hands: a distinct 'pinch-shaped' piece missing from Volume XI - An Examination of the Outside, by Marceine Fyn.

"Oh, I'm sorry Esmin- I... my mind was elsewhere, and..."

The old Master took three steps forward, a comforting hand placed on Elizabeth's shoulder. "I'm sure the esteemed lady Fyn will be able to handle a bit of paper missing from her book. Take a small break - some tea perhaps?"

A slight nod and smile, and Master Esmin hobbled off to boil the necessary water.

Elizabeth hadn't been able to stop thinking about what had happened. Her dear husband, bless his intentions... He hadn't mentioned leaving Zephra that morning. She knew things weren't in the best of places, but what had possessed him to wander that far out?

She could tell herself that his well-being was at the forefront of her mind at the moment, but that would be a lie. She knew he could take care of himself at the end of the day- doesn't mean she wouldn't give him hell for it, but that wasn't what had taken a piece out of poor Volume XI.

The ruins. Ruins. Ruins in the woods.

It was known that Zephra Forest had plenty of ancient structures within, falling apart not unlike the tome next to her. What Elizabeth found intriguing was her husband's follow-up: the ruins beneath the woods and the chamber he'd fallen into. It was hard to follow his retelling of the path taken in her mind, and even more difficult to know how accurate the maps were that she actually had access to. But something about the location... something she'd read years ago... she found it incredibly difficult to take her mind off it.

She'd left him at home - he was injured from his fall - but recovering surprisingly quickly. Regardless, he was taking care of their little gremlin in her stead. Knowing of the work she had building up, he had assured her that he was fine for the rest of the day, but she still couldn't help but worry...

...but that ruin.

Elizabeth shook her head - she'd have to look into the matter another day. A soft clunking on the woods heralded Master Esmin's return.

"Pipin' hot tea! Be sure not to spill it on that poor book...  I think we both can agree it's been through enough." - a coy smile from wrinkled lips.

"Thank you Esmin, don't worry - I'm feeling better already." Elizabeth took the hot cup from her old friend and mentor and placed it next to her work.

"I'll be finished this chapter and the next before I leave tonight." she said, a reaffirming nod to meet the old Master's concerned look.

Esmin's face scrunched up "No, you will leave before sun-down and not a moment later! Zephra at night, what a terrible fright!"

"Very well, thank you, Esmin."

The old Master gave a knowing nod to Elizabeth before retreating back to the study.

Gently, Elizabeth pressed down on the edge of the new book - tearing the page out in a clean and concise fashion - she wouldn't have an ink-blot ruin poor lady Fyn's penultimate manuscript.

With a steady hand and renewed focus, Elizabeth's hand glided across the next page- rewriting what had been written twice over.

She would get home and question her love further on his fall. The thought of unknown Zephran secrets to be unveiled had her brimming with an excitement often lost in the day-to-day life of a struggling family.

And those maps! She'd have to find where Master Esmin stored them...

...perhaps tomorrow.

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There are so many more stories to tell, and so much music to hear...

- Kurin Laing, Resonance Games designer and founder