When OgreWare approached me concerning some illustrations for a game they were working on, I had no idea what I was getting into. I honestly didn’t expect much to come of it; my past collaboration projects had rarely gotten past the development phase, let alone off the ground. But again and again, OgreWare proved to be not only a great client, but a true creative powerhouse. If they know one thing, it’s games. If they know two, it’s games and stories. The story behind this project is far beyond anything I’ve seen in comparable idle games, and I’m consistently amazed by the creativity embodied by my partner-in-game-design.
But enough singing praises. Let’s talk Calling All Heroes.
Calling All Heroes is more than just a little idle game. It’s a cute little idle game with a story, a mission. And while that story will soon be conveyed by an animated intro, for now allow me to provide a synopsis:
In CAH, the player takes on the role of a young applicant to become a heroic Knight in their kingdom. They receive a letter from The Good King inviting anyone brave enough to attempt to enter the trials. “Calling All Heroes!” the letter reads.
Armed with a dinged-up helm and sword gifted to them by their father, the protagonist charges headlong into the trials. But being smaller and weaker than their competitors, they fail miserably at every trial, and are left alone, moping, on a hilltop, holding their busted helm. In a fit of rage, they throw the helm into the woods.
What follows is not the clang of a helm hitting a tree, but rather the dull thud of it coming into contact with something more solid.
The player tracks down his helm and finds that it has knocked down (and knocked unconscious) a passing knight. His gear is lying out in the open, along with a bag of gold coins – ripe for the taking.
The protagonist is seized by an idea. A wonderful, awful idea: They could assemble their own army. An army not of heroes, but of monsters, creatures, things from the woods, the swamps, the very fires of hell. If I can’t be a knight, they think, I’ll be someone else. Something else.
With the money stolen from the knocked-out knight, the protagonist buys a wooden sign, shoves it into the dirt, and nails to it the very missive that drew them into this whole mess in the first place – slightly edited, to read:
Thus begins Calling All Heroes, an idle game with a hook but also a story to tell. The protagonist gradually is able to recruit more and more Troops – thereby assembling their army – and begins to send them on Missions to retrieve Gold, Materials, and more bonus items. With a map and land at their disposal, the player is able to build Buildings that strengthen their Troops, as well as upgrade existing ones for bonuses. Meanwhile, all Troops in the player’s team are constantly making mischief and retrieving more Gold. And the Oracle, a mystical being who claims to be able to see into other realms, can grant temporary buffs – for a price.
As the game unfolds, there will be twists and turns that even I don’t know about – so even if I was willing to spoil anything, I know nothing so I can’t. Will the protagonist ever get to be a Knight? Alternately, will they get to avenge their pride and the shame of failure at their dream? I really couldn’t say. No, really. I couldn’t.
But I, for one, will be playing to find out.
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I’ve been really excited to speak about Calling All Heroes for a while now, but I haven’t had the chance to really discuss (babble about) the details. So there you have it – The Details, all the ones I have access to, anyway.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve longed for the chance to illustrate a video game, or do concept art, or somehow be part of the creative process. In this project, I’ve been able to do all three. So thank you, OgreWare, for allowing me to fulfill my childhood dream.
And thank YOU, the followers and readers, for your support. As always, feel free to contact us through our contact page with any questions or comments. To contact me (Admin Julian) directly, head over to julianjaymes.com/contact.
~Julian