Tempora: Killing Time is an action-RPG drawing heavy inspiration from Kingdom Hearts, developed exclusively for the Onyx and released in 202X. The plot revolves around extratemporal parasites called tempora, and one woman's quest to rescue the one closest to her and exact vengeance against those who would endanger that person, regardless of the cost.
➤
Characters
The Main Cast
➤
Unfortunate subjects of Fate's latest whim
A healer-in-training, born and raised in Tidal Town. Tsuki acts serious, almost to the point of callousness, but she cares deeply about those closest to her heart... which is what dragged her into her quest to execute the Timekeepers. With Locust feeding on each Timekeeper's power, she hopes that eventually it'll have enough strength to break the curse that was placed on Hinoiri so that the two can be together again.
Hinoiri Summoner of Smiles
Tsuki's childhood friend turned girlfriend, and a highly talented summoner. You wouldn't know it from looking at her never-ending smile, but Hinoiri suffers from an incurable disease that's slowly claiming her life. To cheat death and be with the one she loves for even longer, she dug up an obscure summoning ritual and called a tempora into the world... but doing so caught the attention of the Timekeepers, who stole all her remaining time to effectively petrify her.
One of the tempora - a race of eldritch parasites that can only exist in "reality" by piggybacking on a mortal's existence. Locust was originally summoned by Hinoiri, but when she was frozen in time, it made its pact with Tsuki. It now lends her its power in her fight against the Timekeepers. It revels in violence and chaos, and drinks the life force of slain enemies to gain power.
Eclipse Bloodsoaked Magus
A red-clad sorceress with a mysterious wound in her chest and a tempora of the same race as Locust. Eclipse appears time and time again during Tsuki's journey, and while she definitely isn't a Timekeeper, she also isn't on Tsuki's side either. Though she tries her best to act ominous and aloof, she's just a big softie deep down... which just raises questions about why somebody so gentle is fighting so hard to railroad Tsuki down specific paths.
A tempora seemingly of the same race as Locust... though its abilities appear to be quite different. It is almost completely silent, but seems to have no qualms about aiding Eclipse in her quest.
The Timekeepers
➤
Guardians of a secret that shouldn't exist
Orpheus The First Timekeeper
A man in a mechanical body, immortal through a combination of robotic augmentations and manipulation of time itself. His tempora, Bifrost, is a program of unknown origin housed inside of his body.
Clepsydra Queen of the Sun
The beautiful queen of (desert place). Her tempora, Nut, is a massive plant glutted on both existence and sunlight, which winds lazily around her palace.
Sidereal Cryptid Among Cryptids
An alien that's "contained" in Sector 29... in other words, they just live there for the facility's convenient high-tech security. Their tempora, Azura, is a strange butterfly with eyes.
The Locals
➤
The friends we make along the way
Master Ebon Supposedly-Supreme Sorcerer
An alien that's "contained" in Sector 29. Their tempora, Azura, is a strange butterfly with eyes.
➤
Mechanics
Tsuki's Mechanics
➤
Bathe in blood to bring back the only one who matters
Time Slip
Dodging an attack with near-perfect timing will enhance Tsuki's evasion, granting her full invulnerability for the dodge's duration and generating a surge of TP. Additionally, the avoided enemy will be slowed down temporarily... though more powerful enemies might not be able to be slowed when dodging certain attacks.
Magic & Spellcrafts
One of Tsuki's menu commands, Magic, allows her to spend her MP in order to unleash powerful spells. When she runs out of MP, she'll enter a state called MP Recharge that prevents her from casting spells. When MP Recharge ends, though, her MP will instantly return to full.
Tsuki only starts out with Mend and Twister, but will gain more spells as she progresses through the game and surmounts certain challenges.
One of Tsuki's two starting spells, and a mainstay of any healer's arsenal. Mend is a healing spell, restoring Tsuki's HP in an instant. Its spellcrafts are similarly built for support, either buffing up Tsuki or debuffing enemies.
Restores your's HP after a brief delay. It's faster than using an item, but costs all of Tsuki's remaining MP to use, instantly putting her into MP Recharge.
Releases a ring of dark power from your body, dealing Shadow-elemental damage to surrounding enemies and regaining HP equal to a portion of the damage dealt.
One of Tsuki's two starting spells, Twister allows her to conjure whirlwinds to attack groups of enemies. The Spellcrafts for this spell strike a satisfying balance between offense and defense, letting it fill any number of roles in the caster's arsenal.
Conjures a small tornado around you, hitting nearby enemies multiple times and dealing Wind-elemental damage. You can move around a little while casting Twister, letting you reposition mid-combo.
Conjures four blades of wind that circle around your body for a short time. Enemies that stray too close and get cut by the blades will take Wind-elemental damage.
Crystal magic enhances the user's mobility and allows them to unleash close-range offensives on targets. Its Spellcrafts are a mixed bag, letting it be adjusted to suit the user's preferred method of movement.
Encases one of your arms in a crystalline spike as you charge towards your current target, dealing Ice-elemental damage to any enemies in your path.
Causes you to teleport into the air above your target and slam down on them from above, one leg encased in a crystalline spike. Enemies in your path take Ice-elemental damage, and your impact with the ground releases a small shockwave that also deals Ice damage.
Envenom manifests toxic sludge to launch at enemies. For the most part, Spellcrafts of this spell are only effective against single targets, but its damage-over-time effect makes it incredibly useful even when playing defensively.
Launches a glob of venom directly forwards like a bullet, dealing Shadow-elemental damage to struck enemies and poisoning them for a short time. Poisoned enemies will gradually lose HP for a short time.
Creates a sphere of raw power that crushes your current target's body, dealing a large amount of Shadow-elemental damage. Each negative effect the target's suffering from increases Gravity's damage output a little bit more.
Plasma-type magic specializes in taking care of swarms of enemies by hitting them all at once with a single attack. Its Spellcrafts follow this trend, enhancing the spell's area-of-effect damage in new and unique ways.
Launches a homing blast of lightning at your current target. When it hits an enemy, the lightning will refract through that enemy's body and fly towards a new target nearby, dealing Electric-elemental damage to each struck foe in the chain.
Summons a single floating sphere of electricity in front of you. Enemies that stray too close to the sphere will be grabbed by tendrils of lightning and pulled towards it, taking Electric-elemental damage in the process.
When using Droplet, Tsuki summons spheres of water that explode on contact with enemies. Spellcrafts for Droplet tend to be a bit on the eclectic side, but are usually damage-oriented and can leave enemies drenched.
Summons a sphere of water above your current target before dropping it on their head, dealing Water-elemental damage to all foes near the target and soaking them with water. Soaked enemies are more vulnerable to Ice and Electric damage, as well as a slew of special status conditions.
Spellcrafts
As a magician in training, Tsuki's magic has more room to grow than the average spell-slinger. She can purchase effects called "Spellcrafts" from shops, which she can then equip to her spells in order to augment or alter their effects.
Rather than simply unlocking more powerful versions of her spells as she progresses, Tsuki will instead gain more slots for Spellcrafts on each of her spells, granting more room for customization. Each spell starts with at least one, but by her journey's end she'll have a whopping three Spellcraft slots for each one.
Spellcraft
Effect
Compatible Spellcrafts
❤️
🌀
❄️️
🦇
⚡
💧
Acid +3 mp
The spell can both Poison and Soak struck enemies.
Aero +10 mp
The spell can reflect oncoming projectiles and block physical attacks if timed properly.
Bandage -100% mp
The spell can be cast at no MP cost, but when it's cast, this Spellcraft is destroyed.
Can be equipped multiple times to cast the spell at no cost more times in one battle.
Bracer ±0 mp
When casting the spell, the user is momentarily invulnerable to damage, preventing the spell from being interrupted by attacks.
Circuit +3 mp
The projectiles launched by the spell can circle back and hit enemies that it has already struck, albeit for reduced damage.
Contagion +3 mp
Negative statuses inflicted by this spell may sometimes be passed along, from an afflicted enemy to another nearby enemy. Statuses that are passed along have slightly reduced duration.
Cough +2 mp
The projectiles launched by the spell fly faster and farther.
Can be equipped multiple times to increase the projectile speed even further.
Cure ±0 mp
The spell purges any negative statuses affecting you, in addition to restoring HP.
Gravity Alter
Transforms the spell into Gravity.
Infinity +2 mp
This spell's combo finishers are disabled; it can be cast endlessly, as long as you have enough MP to afford it.
Leech Alter
Transforms the spell into Leech.
Paralyze +3 mp
The spell may inflict Paralysis on weaker enemies, preventing them from moving. The more enemies a cast of the spell hits, the higher the infliction rate becomes.
Can be equipped multiple times to increase the chance of inflicting Paralysis.
Snowfall Alter
Transforms the spell into Snowfall.
Spinner +2 mp
The spell may inflict Dizzy on weaker enemies, making it harder for them to target you with attacks.
Can be equipped multiple times to increase the chance of inflicting Dizzy.
Spiral Alter
Transforms the spell into Spiral.
Static Alter
Transforms the spell into Static.
Triage ±0 mp
Reduces the spell's casting time.
Can be equipped multiple times to lower the casting time even further
Virus +4 mp
The projectiles launched by the spell will home in on whoever you were targeting when casting the spell.
Limit Arms
???
Eclipse's Mechanics
➤
Struggle against the current to stop the end of time
While Tsuki's stylishness stems from perfect execution, Eclipse's stems from fighting an uphill battle and surviving against the odds. She is a high-risk character who favors fighting on the brink of defeat, but reaps incredible rewards from doing so.
Decay & Bloodsuck
While in combat, Eclipse's HP will gradually dwindle as if she were poisoned. This gradual damage can't reduce her to 0 HP, but not keeping a close eye on it can easily lead to death. However, Eclipse gets plenty of unique tools for managing this quirk of her playstyle.
The most notable is Bloodsuck - a special finishing blow that she can unleash on weakened enemy that allows her to warp to and then dispatch the foe with a quick strike while absorbing their life force. Defeating a foe with a Bloodsuck restores Eclipse's HP, and is the most reliable way of doing so.
Additionally, Eclipse regains TP as she loses HP. The lower it gets, the more TP each point will provide. This drip feed lets her use Overclocks much more liberally compared to Tsuki, giving her more tide-turning options and improved access to Rewind - an additional healing option.
Time Steal
Like Tsuki's Time Slip, Time Steal is a special ability triggered by dodging an enemy attack with precise timing. However, it's slightly more lenient, and activates if Eclipse dodges just a split second too late. While she'll still take damage, she will take halved damage, generate a large amount of TP, and endure the damage with 1 HP remaining.
Summoning
TBA
Shared Mechanics
➤
Birds of a feather may one day fight together
In addition to the above, there are a few key gameplay mechanics that are shared by both Tsuki and Eclipse.
Abilities
???
Prevents you from gaining experience, and reduces your level to 1 until the ability is unequipped.
as Tsuki
Available from the start.
as Eclipse
Available from the start.
Prevents the Redo Overclock from activating when you run out of HP. No second chances - you only get one shot to finish a fight!
as Tsuki
Available from the start.
as Eclipse
Available from the start.
Charge forward with Locust copies orbiting around your body, attacking foes in the way while rushing towards your target.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
Can't be obtained.
Charge forward with Cicada extended forwards, stabbing the point into foes. Can trigger Bloodsuck on weaker foes.
as Tsuki
Can't be obtained.
as Eclipse
'???
Lets you perform a second jump in midair, ascending higher by leaping off of a magical platform.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Lets you chain two grounded dodges together in quick succession, granting improved mobility and evasiveness.
as Tsuki
Can't be obtained.
as Eclipse
???
Lets you endure otherwise-fatal combo attacks with 1 HP remaining... as long as you have more than 1 HP before you get hit! This effect applies for both single giant hits and long strings of hits.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Increases your attacks' damage while you're at low HP.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Increases your defense while you're at low HP.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Slightly increases the speed of your basic combo attacks performed using Locust/Cicada. Equipping multiple Sting Hastes further increases combo speed.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Raises the HP threshold required to perform a Bloodsuck on an enemy, letting you dispatch healthier enemies with the technique. The effect of this ability is reduced against certain powerful foes, such as bosses.
as Tsuki
Can't be obtained.
as Eclipse
???
Any magic cast using the last of your MP becomes greatly amplified. This effect can't apply to spells that cost 100% of your MP to use, such as Mend.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
Can't be obtained.
Increases the speed with which you recover from MP Recharge, allowing you to get back to casting magic sooner. Equipping multiple MP Chargers further increases MP Recharge speed.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Increases your TP generation rate while you're in MP Recharge. Equipping multiple TP Chargers further increases TP generation during MP Recharge.
as Tsuki
???
as Eclipse
???
Overclocks
???
The first time the user falls in a battle, their TP Meter will automatically be sacrificed to fully restore their health. You'll regain the ability to use TP after enough time has passed, but the ability can only be used once per fight even if you regain your TP Meter.
Completely halts the flow of time for a few precious seconds, letting the user move freely while halting all other movement around them.
A minimum of 3 TP is required to use Freeze. While it's in effect, the user's TP Gauge will rapidly drain away. The more TP you have stockpiled, the longer you can stop time for!
Causes the user to dodge backwards through time, returning to a previous position while passing through all obstructions. It can also restore the user's HP and MP to a previous value, if said previous value was higher than its current one. Dodging farther back through time costs exponentially more TP.
Accelerates the flow of time for the current target, aging them in a sudden burst to weaken them and slow them down. Even when used against enemies that are seemingly immune to aging, this overclock has a number of other eclectic effects - rusting the equipment of soaked enemies, dealing a massive amount of poison damage all at once, instantly depleting Doom Counters, spoiling items and plants, and more!
Creates a bubble around the current target. Enemies and projectiles inside of this bubble will slow into a crawl, only returning to regular speed when they leave it. It can even slow down the user's projectile attacks, letting them launch a massive long-range offensive.
Summons a doppelganger of the user to fight alongside them for a short time. The doppelganger can be commanded to either mimic the user's actions or fight on their own... Or, if you've got a buddy, they can hit the Start button on a second controller to take control of the doppelganger!
Fun Fact: When playing online, the doppelganger's equipment will mimic the equipment of another Tempora player out there in the world!
Items
Items are special consumables that can be spent with the Item menu command. The player can only use items they've equipped onto their character from the main menu; when that item stock runs out, they won't be able to use items again until the battle ends, one way or another! When an item is used, it's consumed forever, and you'll have to buy more from a shop.
Tsuki generally fights alone, so she can only use items on herself. Eclipse is the opposite, and can only use her items on her party members; being the selfless girl she is, she cares more about their well-being than her own...
➤
Worlds
Tidal Town
➤
Harmony in the embrace of the great Leviathan
Tsuki and Hinoiri's hometown - a sleepy seaside settlement of magic scholars, protected by a legendary sea monster known as the Leviathan. This is where the story begins.
(desert place)
➤
Never-ending empire of a radiant queen
A kingdom centered at an oasis in an endless desert, ringed by an enormous overgrown plant. It serves as the seat of Clepsydra's power, and the palace at its very center is where she makes her home.
(superhero place)
➤
A bastion where "strength" and "justice" are one
???
Sector 29
➤
Where questions are taken when they can never be answered
A secret facility, from which a government organization devoted to containing supernatural phenomena conducts its operations. One of the Timekeepers is kept locked inside of its halls... along with other oddities.
Event Horizon
➤
The uncharted darkness beyond the horizon
A satellite orbiting a black hole, sent to study it in the hopes of harnessing its immense gravic power as an energy source. A particularly powerful Tempora has moved in, and massacred nearly everybody on-board the satellite...
(cyber punk place)
➤
The end of human evolution... and of the Timekeepers
Orpheus's original home - a city of endless night, illuminated by billboards and holograms, crisscrossed by flying vehicles.
Threshold of Existence
➤
The birthplace of that which was never born
The most distant edge of time itself, on the boundary of the non-place that the tempora came from. This is where the story comes to an end.
➤
Enemies + Bosses
Tempora + Timekeepers
➤
Other Foes
➤
➤
Gallery
Character Art
➤
➤
Trivia
- All of the tempora are based on real-world parasitic creatures.
- Locust and Cicada, despite their names, are actually based primarily on mosquitos. Locust is named after the biblical plague, and Cicada's name is a nod to how locusts and cicadas are often confused with each other.
- Bifrost is based on computer viruses, the "parasites of the digital age," and is named after the rainbow bridge leading to Asgard from Norse mythology.
- Nut is based on the giant flowers of the genus Rafflesia, and is named after the Egyptian goddess of the cosmos.
- Azura is based on the large blue, a species of butterfly, and is named after the power-hungry demigods of Indian mythology.
- Antaeus is based on the tick, along with the satirical comic book superhero named The Tick, and is named after an ancient Greek wrestler who was immortal while he was touching the ground.
