## Description
_Iffermoon_ is a freeware RPG entirely created by a single developer, Scott
Cawton and set in a fantasy steampunk universe. On the planet Dinostria it is
said a mechanical device called Iffermoon was created by Darmdrema to provide
life and peace to the planet. However it has crashed and the inhabitants of
the planet have been at war with it since, with a manifestation by the name of
Cosmose rumoured to have emerged from the crashed Iffermoon. A party of heroes
defeats the threat at the battle of Machine Ruin and at the scene they
discover a creature who was born mute and thus resisted the call of Cosmose.
The game takes place eight years later and the players control that creature,
by the name of Silence. Starnest, an upper level of the Castle Dinost, is
being closed down. It is the place where the young creatures are kept until
they can return to their guardians. For the first time, Silence will be able
to explore the kingdom and its surroundings. Most importantly he has to deal
with Hollowmare, a shadow that has been secretly following him since his
arrival at Starnest. Other people suspect it is in fact a manifestation of
Cosmose that has to be dealt with once and for all.
_Iffermoon_ is designed to have the mechanics and look of a 2D side-scrolling
platformer game. Silence explores the surroundings by walking through scenes
left or right. He can move between different levels through balloons, pipes,
mirrors and elevators. In those areas he can talk to other characters, jump,
duck and interact with the environment. Even though he is on his own all the
time his party can consist of up to fifteen characters. New members are added
by collecting their ifferstone, a trinket that allows Silence to summon them
in battle. Not all party members can be used right away, Silence needs to win
their favour first by performing a number of tasks and chores.
Characters have different levels, a number of HP, armor, strength, speed and
defense. Some statistics are set by default, while others can be upgraded.
This is done by collecting iffer, the game’s resource. Iffer can be used to
upgrade any of the five available skills (identical for each character):
Light, Teleportation, Time, Elemental and Tech with eleven levels for each one
of them. The player is free to upgrade any skills, but it is better to invest
in the areas a character appears to have a talent for. There are also a number
of abilities that apply to the party as a whole. They are gained by collecting
purple coins and distributing them. Some of these skills drain damage,
regenerate life, provide immunity or improve the chance of dodging an attack.
Iffer, needed to level up the skills, is mostly gained through combat. Each
upgrade costs significantly more than the previous one, so players need to
strategically distribute skills among the part rather than levelling out all
characters to the maximum. The base number of health and armor can be enhanced
by collecting 100 red and blue coins respectively.
There are also game tokens scattered around. They can be used on any of three
arcade machines that offer a different mini-games where abilities can be
improved. _Stellar Gun_ is a 2D shoot-em-up with different waves of enemies.
They leave behind power-ups that improve the in-game weapons. Completing a
level earns Silence a sign. The second mini-game is _Taboli RPG_. It’s an RPG
within the game where players can explore environments, fight monsters in
turn-based battles and collect treasure chests with items that help in the
real game. The third mini-game is _Joob’s Creek_. Players control a character
as he floats down a creek. It is the most important way to collect purple
coins.
Battles are played out in separate screen in real-time. Only four characters
can fight together and the player needs to select their order before starting
the fight. All characters can be used however. When one is defeated, the next
in line enters the fight. They will constantly do physical attacks
automatically, the player can only change their stance from offensive (do lots
of damage, take lots of damage) to neutral and defensive. Three status bars
per character are used: Life, Charge and Speed. Most of the special attacks
require the Charge status bar to fill. Each character has a unique attack that
can be used only once per battle. For each time the Speed meter reaches the
end, the Charge meter is given a boost. The meters can mostly be influenced
through status ailments (drain, warp, stop, blind, …). Based on the amount
of Charge available, different levels of attacks are available, both offensive
and defensive. Based on the assigned sign, gained through playing the _Stellar
Gun_ mini-game all characters have a powerful instant attack that can only be
used once per fight.
Even though the game is available free of charge, players are encouraged to
donate any amount to a fund-raiser for a playground in Afghanistan in exchange
for in-game codes that unlock hidden features.