Devblog — Serafine
By exploring the world of Ravendawn, players can find many challenges and epic adventures during their journeys, from the first bosses in the early game to coming across Serafine, an ancient noble vampire!
Serafine is an intriguing creature that has many inspirations and marks the Ravendawn universe as the first creature to feature full cycles of attack animations. But where did she come from and what is her history?
Serafine — The Blood Mistress
"Serafine Moon was an ancient vampire, who for many years terrorized the first settlers of northern Glademire. Vampire attacks and disappearances were a fact of life for those who chose to live near the Deadlands, but for many years the Blood Mistress was only a rumor… a dark shadow flying over the fields. Grown men were lured into the night by a beautiful woman, never to be seen again.
It wasn’t until a young man, gone missing for days, stumbled back to his homestead one night. He was weak and pale, his body cut in a dozen places or more. From his mouth spilled horrible tales—an estate, called Mooncourt, overrun with vampires. An inhuman noble in charge of them all, blood mages at her side. The young man had been hung and drained of blood repeatedly at her orders. It was a miracle he even escaped.
The settlers had heard enough. Inflamed and stirred to revenge by the man’s stories, they formed a mob and marched upon the estate carrying torches, stakes, and hammers. What they found in Mooncourt chilled them: blood fountains and vampires running loose throughout long, dark passageways. Bright pyres burned throughout the night as screams rent the air, both vampire and human alike—destroying a vampire’s nest comes at great cost.
As the story goes, the settlers were horrified most by the fountains, then still running red with the blood of their missing kin. Though fire caused the fountains to dry up, no matter how much they tried to destroy the dark stone decorations, no hammer or sword could harm them. Eventually, the settlers were content to burn what they could and allow what remained to fall further into ruin.
However, after all was said and done, Serafine’s body was never found. The settlers prayed that the Blood Mistress perished during the ransacking of her estate, perhaps burned up in a nameless coffin. Indeed, she was never seen again, and over time her name passed back into myth. For decades, Mooncourt lay shunned, nothing more than a proving ground for vampire hunters and adventurers. Eventually, the estate earned a new name, forged by its reputation: Mooncrypt. The Blood Mistress is always hungry.
Regardless of birth or status, all vampires share a common trait — thirst. Serafine Moon was no exception. Her infamous decadence and appetite for blood has been retold countless times through old wives’ tales. Though presumed dead, some stories tell of her eventual return.”
Serafine is just one of the many Bosses you can battle with in Ravendawn. In this world full of mysteries, many of the answers can be obtained through battles with these famous creatures.
However, a fun and epic game is not only made of stories! You also have to give life and movement to the elements that make up the scenery. Serafine was the first creature to receive full animation cycles in the world of Ravendawn, and our art team not just accepted, but met the challenge majestically.
The pixel art creation process usually takes place after your story has been written, and it is absolutely amazing to follow! Our team is very agile, so the process of implementing a creature like Serafine is very fast, from the elaboration of her story and concept to her implementation in the game. Here you can see one of the animation phases of the character in its first versions:
Serafine received 06 attacks in total, and you can learn more about them here:
Feasting Bite
Serafine reaches out, grasping a victim in her claws and feasting upon their lifeblood.
Leech
Serafine casts a bolt of blood magic, syphoning health from an enemy.
True Form
When injured, Serafine flies into a rage, gaining her bestial form and its devastating attacks.
Cleaving Slash
Serafine dashes forward, swinging her sickle in a large, ferocious arc. Any enemies caught in the path are left bleeding.
Vicious Glare
Inhuman eyes radiate Serafine’s murderous intent.
Vampiric Dive
Batlike wings lift Serafine into the air. She surveys the battlefield before crashing down upon an enemy, shaking the ground around them.
Serafine is waiting for curious adventurers who visit Mooncrypt seeking to unravel some of the most popular mysteries that Ravendawn harbors, always ready to crush and drain the blood of anyone who dares to face her!