This week's new reveal is Saigling: the little Ice/Fire antelope with a powerful trunk. I actually have quite a lot to say about Saigling compared to most Abomis, so let's get to it!
One of Saigling's defining traits is its unique Ice/Fire typing. This Abomi of two extremes likes to live in both sweltering volcanoes and freezing tundras. It can also be found in climates like last week's newly-revealed Savannah, but a Saigling is most at-home in one of two extreme temperatures. It can adjust its body heat to adapt to these conditions.
Saigling actually holds the honour of being the first Abomi ever designed. It isn't the first one I made entirely -- I've said before that that was Rhibolt -- but it was the first concept I wrote notes for.
The inspiration came from seeing a saiga antelope for the first time. If you're wondering what the hell that is, it's an antelope with the stupidest nose you've ever seen:
And, upon seeing this specific picture of an albino-looking one, I thought to myself "Wow, that colour scheme screams Ice/Fire-type. And I bet its nose could shoot some flames."
I jotted the idea down in a document when Abomi Nation wasn't even a concept yet. I just wrote down a few monster ideas in case I ever wanted to make a monster-tamer, but I didn't think I was a good enough programmer at the time to attempt something like that. Eventually I amassed more ideas, and I decided to flesh out Abomi Nation as a concept. You could say that this whole thing started over four years ago with Saigling, so thanks little guy.
If you're thinking to yourself that Saigling looks kind of familiar, then you might be right! I've been sneaking him into screenshots and stuff for months to see if anyone would notice. Here it is in last week's post:
I put his head in my thank-you post for my first 100 followers (thanks everybody for the continued growth since then!):
And, most damning of all: Saigling has been photobombing every single trailer I've put out for the last few months by blending into the crowd of Abomis in the outro. (I'll save you some time: Saigling is the only new reveal in there.)
Also worth mentioning: I reorganized the Abomi Archive to display the order that they actually appear in in-game. Now that I have 95 done and the other 5 planned out, I do have the final order of the Abomi Archive. The order doesn't really mean anything since you can basically get any line at any time in your run, but it's generally what I would consider to be "early-game" and "late-game" if Abomi Nation were a linear adventure.
OK, that's all for my first-ever design. It held up alright, eh? I'll see you next week with a much more recent design.
Carl