Lore – Pine Drake Games

Meet Bing!

Claire Thomas June 9, 2021 Art 0 Comments

What’s up, everybody? Some might say it is warm outside for this lovely early June week, but it’s nowhere near as hot as we were on Twitter last week! (Like that transition?) If you’re not on Twitter or our Discord, then YOU SHOULD BE, but more importantly you should check out the gameplay trailer that we posted there! We participated in #PitchYaGame, which is a pitching competition held live on Twitter, and we talked a whole bunch about our plans for the game. Check out the trailer!

(In case you were wondering, that music was made by the awesome Kev Matthews, who we’re bringing on to make the music for The Phantom Keeper! :0 )

While the trailer is exciting and all, you might have noticed some new content in there that you haven’t seen before, specifically that little fella right at the beginning. Who’s that guy?

That, my friends, is Sir Binghamton Matthew Thomas Elliot the Fourth, but you can call him Bing! He is the first character you meet after falling to Akeron, and he’ll be sure to take care of you… probably. Bing was once a Keeper many decades ago (perhaps centuries? His memory isn’t very trustworthy) but now he keeps to himself in a small shack in the mushroom forest. He considers himself a mushroom farmer, and collects all the rarest shrooms for use in some of his most scrumptious teas. But don’t let his humble lifestyle fool you – Bing was once one of the strongest Keepers in Akeron, specializing in Hope Phantoms.

While Bing might be a bit eccentric, he sees something in you that revitalizes his Hope. While the Keepers have been dissolved and in hiding for centuries, he thinks that a new recruit might be just what they need to reunite once again! While he can only teach you the basics of Hope, he gives you everything you need to start your journey to master all the emotions, including teaching you how to catch Phantoms in the wild.

Along with our gameplay teaser, we’ve officially spilled the beans on some other exciting news – we’re working on a demo version of The Phantom Keeper, which we hope to release by the end of 2021. This demo will take you through the mushroom forest, unite you with your Kindred Phantom, allow you to experience Bing’s training, and ready you to catch your first Phantoms as you begin your exciting journey! We’ll be sure to keep the demo info updated here, but there might be sneak peeks and extra content to be found on our Discord server, so be sure to join us there!

That’s all I have for today, but enjoy the summer heat, and I’ll see you next time! 🌞

Claire Thomas March 3, 2021 Lore 0 Comments

Hi there! Y’all know me, I’m Claire, I do 3D art and narrative design things for Pine Drake Games! Today I wanted to get into the story of The Phantom Keeper and the circumstances surrounding the game. That way you can have more context when checking out our updates! Hope you enjoy!

In the universe of The Phantom Keeper, every person is made up of two different parts – a Soul and a Phantom. A Soul is exactly what you’d expect it to be; a culmination of your being, representing your thoughts and opinions and how you view the world, as unique as your fingerprint. A Phantom works in tandem with your Soul as a companion, and it drives all of your emotions. Your Phantom controls how you react to the world around you, how you deal with hardship, and how you are perceived by others. Your Soul is your identity – your Phantom is your gut instincts. Make sense?

When a person dies, the Soul and the Phantom are separated. Unable to follow the Soul or stay on Earth, the Phantom finds themselves in a different place. This world has many names – The Phantom Realm, the Great Filter, even Purgatory – but most refer to it as Akeron. Here, the Phantoms spend the rest of eternity, lost and alone without their Soul to guide them.

*A few Kindred Phantom concepts (done by the lovely Sera!)*

Nobody knows where Souls go when they die. It isn’t supposed to be Akeron. But yet, every once in a long while, a Soul ends up there anyway. No one knows how. Perhaps it’s fate, divine intervention, or just a complete accident. Regardless, these Souls trapped in Akeron have found each other, and built up small communities in this strange world. That’s where you come in!

You play as a Soul who finds themselves in Akeron. Against all odds, you are able to meet up with your Kindred – the Phantom who guided you in life. This type of encounter is incredibly rare, and it leaves some to believe that you are destined to become a Keeper. Keepers are wandering nomads who keep the peace in Akeron by harnessing the power of Phantoms. They catch and train them, and also utilize the strength of Phantom emotions that Souls themselves lack. There hasn’t been a new Keeper in centuries, and most of them have gone into hiding for mysterious reasons. But with mysterious kidnappings and missing Souls on the rise, a new Keeper in town might be exactly what Akeron needs!

Hope you guys enjoyed this little world-building dump! Feel free to leave questions in the comments (although some things may remain a mystery for now!) or start a conversation on our awesome discord server! Thanks for reading! 🙂

Category: Lore

Meet Bing!

What are Phantoms?