BAFTA/Amelia Hollingsworth Efflorescia (Mobile & Tablet) - Amelia Hollingsworth (16), Lancaster
“RPG meets rhythm game in this heart-warming floral fantasy adventure.”
Explore the 4 flower clans of Efflorescia as a customizable protagonist, gaining party members along the way and working together as a team. Save the flower people from the feared underground crystal people by battling enemies through a rhythm-based minigame!
Efflorescia is inspired by both RPGs such as Undertale and various Japanese rhythm games. While venturing through the game, you and the NPCs are pixel sprites, and the backgrounds are detailed pixel art to match. Each clan's area has a different colour palette and atmosphere, and is based on a type of flower- e.g. the Rose Clan is warm and homely, as you are surrounded by large tall roses that have magical glowing fairy lights wrapped around the stems of each one.
You can choose different side characters to join your party, as after you defeat each one they will offer to join you on your journey. They give you different 'powers' while playing the rhythm game 'battles' (these powers assist you during the battle, for example, a sorcerer may heal your hp during battle). Choice of party members also affects dialogue & story.
During battles, there is no pixel art, but a generic background that suits the clan the battle is in (unless a boss, which has its own specific background.) A chibi version of the enemy is in the middle of the screen, animated to the beat of the song, and glowing circles move out of the character to the eight circles at the sides of the screen, which you have to tap once the two circles overlap. Once you have won each battle the song & beatmap goes to your library where you can play it anytime for fun, at any level of difficulty.
Another feature is the gacha feature - when you collect enough coins from winning battles you can spend them on this feature, which randomly gives you an item that will help you. They range in rarity and can be food (that heals your HP so that you can play more songs from the library.)
Efflorescia uses simple controls. While exploring, you can tap use on-screen controls to move your character and select items, etc. During the rhythm games, you tap the right circles at the sides of the screen.
Efflorescia would be a game that attracts audiences of any age. Although the story is safe for younger people (around 7 and up), the innocence of it could warm anybody's heart, no matter their age.
