Developer Spearhead Games has taken to the official Steam page of the upcoming RPG Project Witchstone to share the companions overview blog post.
As the team points out, companions are a staple of cRPG genre with the interactions with these characters being what stays with players long after they’ve beaten the game. In Witchstone, you can recruit up to three companions into your party. While there are recommended characters to recruit, you are free to approach anyone in the world. However, it doesn’t mean that everyone will gladly accept to join you, some characters will need a bit of convincing.
“The people you recruit will become invaluable both in and outside combat. Of course, they are more than just tools – they are also distinct characters with their own motivations and personality, and can react accordingly.”
You can command your companions to perform various actions and, depending on their abilities and traits, open up some possibilities that would be otherwise not available to you. During combat, you control all their actions and movement. Outside of combat, you can also can give them orders, including having them interact with various elements:
- Using any of their powers and abilities
- Using their skills, such as sneaking, lockpicking or disarming traps.
- Waiting for you at a specific location (useful to prepare an ambush, for example)
- Picking up or stealing items
“But that doesn’t mean they will do your bidding like mindless robots. As mentioned previously, our approach for companions is that they are distinct individuals, and not simply extensions of your own character. While you are their leader, they do not follow blindly. Outside of combat, they may be reluctant to perform certain actions, if such actions go against their values or if they can lead to getting harmed or killed.”
Companions also react to what you do. Depending on their own personality, they may approve of what you do, or go all the way to being appalled and leave the party. They may also propose an approach to solve certain challenges or encourage you towards a certain goal. They will speak up but in the end, it is completely up to you if you want to heed their advice or do things your way.
