It happens literally every time… *rolls eyes*

…I start describing an idea or concept, and the person I’m describing it to immediately barks, “yeah, that’s just like [some other thing that I didn’t create they’re comparing my idea to]“. 

The Simpsons are owned by 20th Television Animation (The Walt Disney Company)

Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t be so defensive about it. Maybe I should take it as…oh, gosh, I don’t know…like some sort of…“flattery”.

*hard eye roll* *nearly pukes*

I don’t know, homies. But it’s really depressing when you’re trying to come-up with something cool, and people’s minds go straight to something that they’ve seen or heard before that they think is similar. I guess it’s just human nature. People just can’t help themselves. Me, personally? Out of respect, I do my best to avoid such frivolous comparison, unless the person telling me the idea explicitly either gives me a comparison to go by, or solicits me for my own opinion as to their idea’s purported uniqueness. 

Just the other day, I introduced my game concept to some friends of mine. I have been particularly proud with the main player character design, i.e.; “the space jet that transforms into a robot”. Their response was depressingly underwhelmed, and they immediately cited Robotech in concert. 

Joke’s on them, though…because…guess what…

That is precisely the direction I am going with this concept!

Here’s what I decided early-on in my development of Blasternal: I want it to be conceptually “accessible”, e.g.; if I do this right, the audience will find many familiar tropes, be it video games, comic book super heroes, works of science fiction…heck, even pop culture references. Hear me out, though: I’m not going this route out of intellectual laziness. So in final execution, Blasternal will be one part homage, one part satire. It will be me making fun of people who can’t help but say, “you mean he’s kind of like Batman” whenever they see a mysterious, brooding, costumed vigilante. Okay, fine…so here’s your Batman analog. 

This obviously isn’t anything new. In their friendly rivalry with DC Comics, for example, Marvel introduced the Squadron Supreme, who’s members were all spoofs of their DC Comics counterparts, the Justice League: Hyperion for Superman, Doctor Spectrum for Green Lantern, Nighthawk for…you guessed it! Batman. And so on. Why? Because comic nerds can’t help but get into lengthy pedantic banter over whether or not Thor could beat Superman in a fight. So Marvel just did them a service and unashamedly created their own Superman! That way, the debate could at least have a benchmark, if not be settled.  

Ahhh, but here’s the thing, broughams: In making a parody of DC Comics, Marvel went on to make the Squadron Supreme into a formidable offering of intellectual property unto itself! And now, characters like Hyperion have become so popular and “mainstream” that they’ve had their own comics series in their own name. 

So, in order to keep myself from going psychotic trying to defend ideas and creations that are uniquely my own, I figured it would be best to just “give the people what they want”. You want Batman? BAM! Here’s your “Batman”. You think my “space jet that transforms into a robot” looks like a Veritech fighter from Robotech? Well BA-BAM! Here you go, fool…here’s your “Veritech fighter from Robotech”. And so on. 

Hence, you won’t have to make a great leap to “get” who my characters are, what’s going on around them, where things are happening, etc., etc. In my game, The Greater Federalist Republic is therefore my analog to Star Trek’s Federation. Just like The Alliance in my game could be considered a conceptual placeholder for any random sci-fi society, like…hey…you know…The Galaxy Alliance from Voltron. *snaps finger* 

SIDE NOTE: All the “aliens” in my game are distinctly “humans”. Of course, there will be your usual assortment of hideous alien monsters and exotic extraterrestrial species of flora and fauna. However, should you see a humanoid character who’s skin is some strange unearthly hue, then it is most certainly the result of genetic modification for the sake of sheer cosmetic vanity. 

Think my main character looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Major Allen “Dutch” Shaefer from the Predator movie? Or was it Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Colonel John Matrix from the movie Commando? Or was it [some other oiled-up Hollywood stud brandishing a machine gun]…LOL! You get the idea…

So then, I set off to tell my artists to create characters, places, vehicles, etc., in such a way that will be easy for the average pleb to point to and say, “oh, so he’s just like that one cyber ninja dude from Neo-Human Casshern”. And I will politely smile and nod and say, “why yes, indeed he is”. 

Meanwhile, there is an opportunity for me to not focus my energy on trying to be so “different” in terms of visual or thematic archetypes, but instead, spend my energy just trying to make the game exciting and FUN, in that; you won’t have to think to hard when you see an elected dignitary from The Greater Federalist Republic. You’ll instantly recognize them as one of the Founding Fathers of colonial American. And for the nerds, they’ll immediately compare this with how members of the aristocracy looked in Gundam Wing with their neo-Victorian garb. 

And then, I can have fun “gameifying” all of the tropes, homages, and pseudo-satires…from mainstream pop culture to the most esoteric of nerdy references. If I can get some  to cite why a “Buster Rifle” might specifically be rated at delivering a “400 gigawatt anti-proton particle beam”, then I’ll be happy knowing that all the little Easter eggs I’ve written into the story are being appreciated. 

But oh, see…this is all yet sleight of hand! While you’re busy watching what my left hand is doing in terms of satire, the right hand is going to be slipping with legerdemain adroitness into your unwitting pockets…MUAHAHAHA! *coughs profusely* AAAHAHAHAHA!