Homage Amalgama -- a love letter

[cranebump]

Homage Amalgama

[SFMA] A random portal sends you to an unknown universe that is decidedly familiar. With the means of your return a major part of a villainous scheme, you must aid the local heroes there to secure your return. Before time runs out!

 

Part 1: Through the Looking Glass [ID: 62573]

Part 2: A Stitch in Time [ID: 62574]

 

Each Arc has 3 missions (for a total of 6)

 

A love letter to superheroes, Homage Amalgama is a lighthearted mashup story featuring amalgamated characters from three different sources: the “Big Two” publishers and this game It’s fast-paced, high adventure, with lots of easter eggs and a silver age feel. I hope you have as much fun playing it as I had creating it.

 

Enjoy!

 

Crane

 

 

Design Notes, Easter Eggs and possible spoilers:

Spoiler

• Impetus: I was a big fan of the Amalgam Comics issues, wherein DC and Marvel characters were mashed up (for example: Super Soldier=Cap+Supes). Pretty much every character I make is some sort of homage, directly or indirectly. It's part of being a super hero fan since the early 70s . I also was looking to do something lighter in tone In any case, I feel like something like this was long overdue.
• Arc and Mission Titles: All come from CoH issues, beginning with Issue #1 (Through the Looking Glass). Architect is both an actual issue name (for when AE was introduced in the game), and a nod to the frustrating, exasperating, often-wonky widget that is Architect Design application (with "whom" I've somehow made peace with, over 40+ published arcs).
• Pinnacle City: Not actually named for the old server. Rather a spin on what a Paragon is/represents -- the apex. For locations, I mixed in some DC/Marv cities with Paragon City zones.
• The Good Guys: Freedom Legion=Justice League/Avengers, but this is also a nod to the old video game Freedom Force. No easy way to drop the Avengers in there in a way that made sense, so I just didn't bother. As far as characters, some are obvious. Others? Maybe not so much. I mashed up the bios as best I could. Here's the lineup (strangely, no Spidey -- maybe because we get enough spider stuff with the alt-Arachnos):
  • Iron Eagle=Cap/Supes/Statesman
  • Bellona=Wonder Woman/Princess Zarda/Valkyrie
  • Mercury=Flash/Quicksilver/Synapse
  • Chiroptera=Bats/Night Trasher/Manticore
  • Borg=Iron Man/Cyborg/Positron
  • Professor Reed=Reed Richards/Mr. Terrific/Doc Aeon
  • Frostraven=Emma Frost/Sister Psyche/Raven
  • Mentioned, but not seen: Franklin Fury and the Vindicators=Nods to Sgts Fury and Rock; Doctor Strangedream and the Vanguard Illuminati=Dr. Strange/Dr Fate/Dream Doctor; Protostar=Captain Marvel/Captain Marvel/Proton; I can't remember the other 2 "reserves" off the top of my head, but one was a mashup featuring Gambit and Grymm (iirc). When I test it again, I'll try ot make a note of them (and I might throw in a Spiderman ref there, if I can).
• The Bad Guys: A combination of Rikti, the Skrull, and the Almerac. As far as specific characters:
  • Lord Joro=Recluse/Lex Luther/Magneto. Recolored the costume to match the Joro flying spider.
  • Penelope Romado=Yin/MODOC/Braniac
  • Hugroddo, the Clockwork Gorilla: Hulk/Grodd/Clockwork King, and a nod to a character named Kodo.
  • L'Excuse: Joker/Green Goblin/Westin Phipps
  • Fascist: Red Skull/Requim/Vandal Savage
  • Countess Maxima: Countess Crey/Queen Maxima, and I can't remember the third (nor can I find anything in my notes)
  • Fortress=Machine Man/Robot Man/Citadel
  • Bilgames=Imperious/Gilgamesh. Don't think there was a trio here.
  • Kreedax=play on Marvel's Kree and DC's Daxamites.
• Random Stuff I can recall at this time:
  • Opening sequence of part 2=nod to the scroller in Star Wars.
  • Random comic references: Look! Up in the sky! (opening to [very] old Superman show); the "ultimate nullifier" (what the Fantastic Four used to defeat Galactus); "hero out of time" (Cap's origin); FOR FREEEDOMMMMM! (what the Minuteman character yelled when charging into battle in the Freedom Force video game).

 

Edited June 26, 2024 by cranebump