How Ebenezer and the Invisible World Adapts “A Christmas Carol” into a Metroidvania

Ebenezer and the Invisible World, releasing today,is a fantasy reimagination and sequel to Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas ghost story, “A Christmas Carol”. The beautiful 2D Metroidvania features Ebenezer Scrooge, who sets out on a Victorian journey to rescue the Londoners from Caspar malthus.

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Jacob Marley: The Archetype of a London Filled with Ghosts

This is the creative process. Ebenezer the Invisible WorldJacob Marley was the first character that we looked at.

As many of us know, Jacob Marley was Ebenezer’s friend and business partner who died after living a greedy life. Marley explains that he is condemned to walk the earth among his fellow men while wearing “the chains I forged in life” made “link by link, and yard by yard.”

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Was it possible that Jacob Marley is not the only ghost tethered with the mortal world in London? What if they were more? It’s true what if the world was full of ghosts just like Jacob Marley – all draped in the chains they forged in life?Jacob Marley was our archetype of the ghostly Londoners that we would see in Victorian London.

EIW Ebenezer

This is a natural extension of the “Christmas Carol” universe. Charles Dickens pondered on the very same notion. He wrote in “A Christmas Carol”, “the air was filled with phantoms. Every one of them wore chains like Marley’s Ghost. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power, forever.”

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This idea that Dickens puts forth – ghosts wanting to help people but are unable to do so – inspired our next concept: What if these ghosts who want to help “in human matters” but were unable to do so asked Ebenezer to help on their behalf? Afterall, Ebenezer can see and speak with Jacob Marley, so wouldn’t Ebenezer be able to speak with other ghosts? We think that if these ghosts could communicate with Ebenezer they would go beyond just seeking him out. They would beg Ebenezer to assist them.

From this idea, the gameplay core loop emerged: ghosts ask Ebenezer for help, and then he goes on a quest to assist them.

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Ghosts are a great way to create a game that is fun. They also allow for incredibly creative gameplay. Ghosts can be used to create compelling gameplay and narratives.

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The Unrepentant and Powerful Ghosts

You can also find out more about the following: Ebenezer the Invisible World, Ebenezer will have a ghost join him on his journey after they complete a task on behalf of them. This means that players will be able to select ghosts from the Ghost Select Wheel, and then summon them with a single button press. Every ghost in the Metroidvania has its own special abilities that contribute to core gameplay. For example, they can unlock previously closed areas, discover secrets or defeat new enemies.

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Ebenezer the Invisible WorldThe Unrepentant are ghosts that appear in the game as an enemy. They are evil ghosts who do not repent of their past misdeeds and are happy to continue their ways. The ghosts are hostile to humans and prefer abandoned locations, including forgotten tunnels, deep forests, abandoned homes and other areas that have no human inhabitants. Because they separate themselves from humanity, the Unrepentants’ spectral shape begins to lose its human form and appears more creature-like… more monstrous.

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Ebenezer Reimagined

After creating a framework for the Dickensian world, we started to design the journey our Ebenezer will take. Our central premise revolved around the notion that the events experienced by Ebenezer Scrooge during “A Christmas Carol” were not isolated incidents. Dickens implies that Ebenezer Scrooge is the only person to ever be visited by the Christmas Spirits, but we like to think that following Ebenezer’s first adventure, the connection between this “invisible world” and the real one only became stronger.

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The Christmas Spirits are the Christmas Spirits, who offer redemption to ghosts that have been tethered with the mortal world and witnessing the moral decline in a loved one or friend. This is similar to what Jacob Marley had done for Ebenezer, before the Christmas Spirits came to him.

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Story of Ebenezer the Invisible WorldThe Christmas Spirits are first seen by the ghost of Eric Fellows, a British Naval Officer who has died. He warns his friend Caspar, a coldhearted industrialist, about their visit. Caspar uses his information from his encounter with the Ghost Christmas Yet to Come to create a new technology, which he will not have the ability to discover until a long time in the future. London’s workers are in a state of chaos as a result of this technology. Eric, horrified at the result, recruits Ebenezer in order to rectify it. Here is the beginning of our game.

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Metroidvanias with deep, rich stories

From a heavenly observatory to an asylum, players can explore London in various parts. Players will come across ghostly foes and friends eager to assist with their ghostly skills, or steadfastly determined to stop the player by all means.

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This game has features such as an Heirloom Slot System, Spirit Weapons which buff your stats (Spirit Kids), and many ghosts. And since it’s a Metroidvania, players will likely need a second…third…fourth…more chances to progress through the game and discover the true evil at play.

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Hope is the best we can do Ebenezer the Invisible World The game offers players a fresh way to enjoy the holiday season, and pays tribute to the world’s most popular piece of holiday literature.

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Ebenezer and The Invisible World

Xbox Live

The Invisible World of Ebenezer

Play on Worlds



1



$19.99


Ebenezer and his team of ghostly allies battle against Caspar and the Private Guard, the wealthy industrialist and militants. Explore the darkest corners of London with the help of each Ghost and discover the evil influence of the Dark Spirit, and his army of Unrepentant Ghosts. Are you brave enough to face Caspar before his plans become too far-reaching?

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