We’re creating a game by gamers for gamers!
Anomura is a unique game — from its play-to-donate mechanics to its strategy and pixel art graphics, we’ve put a lot of thought into every aspect of the game. It’s no surprise that we’re passionate about all things gaming, both retro and modern, and will gush about our favourites at any given time (just ask us!)
Anomura takes inspiration from many different games fusing them to make a truly fun web3 NFT game.
We spoke to King Crab, Long (aka @Whale_drop), to learn more about what games inspired him to create Anomura.
Three main games were the driving force behind Anomura — what were they?
These three games were pivotal to the foundations of what became Anomura.
Loop Hero, Diablo, and Ragnarok Online had such an impact on me based on their unique gameplay, lore & world-building, and item collections. To this day, these are among my top favourite games.
I took elements from all three of these games and incorporated innovative versions of them into Anomura.
Let’s start with Diablo — why does this one hold a special place in your heart?
I played a lot of Diablo in 8th grade and high school. It was my obsession at the time. The unique and legendary items felt sooo good when acquired. I also really enjoyed trading. I remember making complex 3-way deals to get the items I wanted. This was my first time experiencing trades with real people. Through Diablo, I made money by selling an item on eBay. As a kid, that was such a rush!
When Diablo 3 came out, I made money through the auction house. Although this made the game too easy to buy your way to win, it was fun to acquire so much monetary value when I found something rare. There still are so many faults with the auction house, but I learned a lot about what improvements were necessary to make the game more fun for me.
I wanted Anomura to have an inventory and item system reminiscent of Diablo but reinvented for web3. That’s why all Anomura will have unique attributes which differ in rarity, with over 1 billion different possible combinations.
Tell us about Ragnarok Online!
Yes — this is a game I have consistently played online for almost a decade. It’s a comfort game for me. Ragnarok Online is a 2D game with isometric elements. These graphics use a parallel projection but, depending on which angle, reveal facets of the environment that wouldn’t be visible from a top-down or side view.
What are your favourite elements of Ragnarok Online?
I loved the lore. The story took elements from Norse Mythology and was a huge game component. Even for gamers that skipped over some of the lore, it still enriched the world through its visuals, style, etc.
I enjoy inventory and item systems. Ragnarok Online had very rare items which required months of grinding to acquire. I also really enjoyed the art of the in-game cards; it was unique. The strategy discussions on builds and itemization were impressive. There were forums with millions of posts. YouTube videos where I spent countless hours researching what character I wanted to build next.
I learned a lot about community through Ragnarok because guilds had a HUGE impact on the game. Some of the guilds I was part of had real-life meet-ups. The community building here was super involved and very passionate. Guilds had to be super coordinated for events like Guild vs Guild and War of Emperium where Guilds had to compete to capture the castle and earn many rewards.
And finally — Loop Hero — what is it about this game that caught your eye?
For those who’ve never heard of Loop Hero — it’s a 2021 endless RPG developed by Russian studio Four Quarters and published by Devolver Digital. The game occurs in a randomly generated world where the player changes the world by placing cards instead of directly controlling a character.
It’s also an idle RPG — which only added to the game because it eliminated the grind of manual battle in games like Ragnarok. The map-building element is one of my favourite aspects of the game because it forces players to focus on playing strategically.
This brings me to my next point — the strategy of Loop Hero is unparalleled. It took elements from Diablo and reinvented them in an immersive way. I also really enjoyed the retro vibes and art design. I wanted to adapt elements of Loop Hero into the world of blockchain and web3 gaming.
Which elements did you apply from Loop Hero to Anomura?
For Anomura, I reworked the tile, card, and equipment systems with the team. We added blockchain mechanics to the lore and gameplay. This allowed us to address the issue of accessibility and come up with ways to lower the barriers to entry in web3.
Are there any other games that inspired Anomura more subtly?
Yes! This is not a game but a project called Loot, which @dom, creator of Vine invented. It has inspirations from Dungeons and Dragons and RPGs. Users were just given a “loot bag” set of randomly generated text words that matched to equipment for an RPG character.
From there, you are free to use your imagination and also blockchain to build out a narrative.
For those interested, If you looked into the contract, you would also see the parts weren’t completely random. For example, why is “Divine Robe” written higher on the list than “Linen robe?” Is it because a Divine Robe is better than a Linen Robe? Why are there more Demon Crowns and Dragon Crowns? Was there a war where the Demons came on top?
There are many fun and creative interpretations in just eight lines of text.
Final words of wisdom for fellow gamers and game-BUIDLers?
- Play.
- Connect with BUIDLers, NFT projects, web3 communities & LEARN.
- BUIDL (if you want).
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Anomura is a play-and-earn strategy RPG featuring innovative blockchain mechanics, beautiful pixel art and contributions to wildlife initiatives.
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