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Before there was EarthBound Zero, Namco set out to make an unusual RPG about a Japanese celebrity known as LaSalle Ishii and an obscure band. This Japanese Famicom game released before MOTHER and was known as “LaSalle Ishii’s CHILDS Quest”, and was localized unofficially as Stardom Warriors.

In “Stardom Warriors”, you play as the Manager John Belmore who must care for the band Stardom Warriors, who are the three girls Ely, Meg and Liz. The Manager’s mission was to help the band perform at all the Town Halls across Brighton. John also had to defend the girls from the many people, animals, and objects that would threaten them with their rude words. Combat revolved around using kind words to disarm the Manager’s opponents, and healing the band with the power of Managic (Managerial Magic). The game featured the same quirky enemies, modern cities, and humorous dialogue that the MOTHER series became known for.

Eventually, John Belmore uncovered the truth behind the Dark Curse that the dreaded Lord Scottish placed upon the land. So, John and the Stardom Warriors did defeat him and restore Lord and Lady English to rule over English Talent.

Octo Vinctum takes place after the events of Stardom Warriors. The game opens with a brief introduction where you once again control John Belmore to deliver the final blow to Lord Scottish. However, the story picks up in May 1995, over 40 years since the Stardom Warriors toured Brighton, this time in the distant land of Vinland. Once again, a Dark Curse has arisen with the revival of the same Evil that plagued Brighton.

In the town of Sunshineville, Vinland, we find a young girl named Sabrina who dreams of becoming a famous pop star. However, chasing her dreams will lead her to do battle with the Evil who has appeared as an entertainment overlord, the fearsome Pop Czar Feld. With the help of her neighbor Sonya and other friends she meets along the way, she must put an end to the Dark Curse with her Miracle Voice. Of course, more sinster forces are afoot than Sabrina is even aware of. Secret organizations, supernatural creatures, and conspiracies lie in the darkness. Will Sabrina achieve her dream, or become more powerful than she ever should?

These are some of the dubious characters you may meet on Octo Vinctum…

Sabrina Lenster

A cheerful 18-year-old girl from Sunshineville who loves pop music, bunnies, singing, and anything pink. She was born with the Miracle Voice, which seems to be quite effective at winning over people’s hearts. She has always dreamed of becoming a pop singer, but has never been able to make herself known. She hasn’t even finished high school yet.

Sonya Belmore

Sabrina’s strange neighbor. She has trained in the ways of Managic since she was a small girl. Her strange powers include MNG Ease, which can heal the wounds from hurtful words, MNG Backwards Longjump, which allows her to teleport between locations, and MNG Nyce, which defeats her enemies with Nicesplosions. Sonya often talks about things that Sabrina doesn’t understand.

Kilroy Holly

A charismatic young man from Brighton who leads the band Illusion. His talent is rockin’ and rollin’ with his guitar, which deals massive damagic to enemies’ HP (Hatred Points). Kilroy finds himself the target of a secret organization known as “The Man”, which has been known to capture rock stars for mysterious purposes.

“Erique”

The man who calls himself “Erique” works for the Pop Czar Feld as one of his “Four Friends”. However, there seems to much about him that’s surrounded in mystery. He’s quite familiar with both the art of theatrics and the ways of a force called “Synchronicity”. Sabrina first encounters him when his “shadow” invites her to the theatre in Holseti and promises that Erique will make her a star.

Kary Cristil

The ruthless wife of the Pop Czar Feld. She helps her husband manage Czar Entertainment, Vinland’s premier entertainment company. She will stop at nothing until her “Four Friends” crush all who oppose the company. Her top priority is to recover the powerful Star’s Relics that Sabrina reclaims from Czar Entertainment.

Lily Willson

A bold free-spirit who has talent for dancing and a passion for classic rock. Lily’s dance troupe was bought out by Czar Entertainment, so joins up to help Sabrina instead. Lily’s dances are very powerful in battle, and can hinder the enemies rudeness with debuffs like “Hiccups”, “Stuck”, and “Stage Fright”.

Chester Reuben

“El Numero Uno”, the self-proclaimed greatest athlete who ever lived. He’s one of the Pop Czar’s Four Friends, but also has his own agenda. He’s willing to resort to dirty tricks to get the Star’s Relics out of Sabrina’s hands. Some even say he possesses a hidden shape-shifting ability, so you’ll never know when to expect him.

“Toothpaste”

Toothpaste is Czar Entertainment’s top performing I.D.O.L., and performs concerts all over the worlds. His fans, and even other I.D.O.L.s of Czar Entertainment, literally worship him, constantly giving him praise. His massive ego and dangerous singing/dancing ability will pose a serious threat to Sabrina and friends.

In Octo Vinctum, your characters have “Happiness Points” (HP) and your enemies have “Hatred Points” (also HP). Enemies will try to say rude things to you, make mean gestures, or use their Talents to mess with you. In response, you can fight back by saying nice things (Attalking), or using Talents of your own! Talent Points, or “TP” are spent to use Talents in battle.

You have five general stats:
Kindness: How effective your kind words and some Talents are. (Strength)
Confidence: How well you can resist the hurtful words of others (Defense)
Intelligence: How well you can resist the enemy’s Charismatic Talents, or the opponent’s Intelligent attacks. Also increases the effectiveness of some Talents.
Charisma: Increases the effectiveness of some Talents, or resists Enchanting Words.

Some characters have more Intelligence-based Talents, and some characters have more Charisma-based Talents.

Swiftness: Determines how fast a character is able to act in battle, and adds a slight benefit to your Attalks/Talents and resistance to enemy Attalks.

Different pieces of clothing can be equipped to increase these stats. Unlike most RPGs, clothing will impact not only Confidence/Defense, but the rest of your stats as well. For example, long dresses will increase Confidence and Charisma for female characters, but may negatively impact Swiftness and even Intelligence. Special items grant special abilities, like the S-Cape that improves the chance to escape, or the Soda-Drinking Hat that allows you to recover TP in battle. This allows for a wide degree of customization.

• Over 150 original songs composed by Polinym for the game’s soundtrack!
• Countless hidden secrets to uncover – secret passages, unique items, silly things, random references – you won’t catch everything on your first playthrough!
• Hours and hours of story and fighting content – it’s a full classic RPG!
• Play Rock-Paper-Scissors for a bag of chips!
• Battle such enemies as the Opera Floosy, the Vexed Vendor, the Bird Enthusiast, the Kitchen Sink, and more!
• Build friendships between allies during battle, and watch their conversations at the cafe!
• Head to the pawn shop to sell your unused clothing and any valuable items that you find!
• No need for walkthroughs! Sabrina’s Diary keeps track of your current goal, so you’ll never get stuck!
• When an ally’s HP drops to 0, you can heal them!
• Hand-drawn art for character portraits, enemies, and more!
• Dark secrets…

Arrow Keys: Move Sabrina or cursor
Spacebar: Talk/Accept
Shift Key: Decline/Close Menu/Sprint in Overworld
X Key: Open Menu
Y Key: Open Quick Status
Ctrl+C: Options Menu (in overworld)
Ctrl+R: Reset Game

Also of note, the demo’s title theme(s) are not created by Polinym. Their true origin is a secret!