The first quarter of the year has come and gone, and with it we’ve shared with some exciting things happening with Epsilon. The main subject of this month’s update is something we’ve considered as a team for a while. We’ve shown you some of the Delta forms of the Pokémon in Vesryn, and today we’d like to discuss how we are rebranding the Delta format of Pokémon, what our rules for them are, and how they fit into the world of Epsilon. Alongside this, you’ll see two more of the Divine Beasts of Arceus, as well as some of the slick new User-Interface that DankRabbit has been working on.

For readers of our Story Updates, you’ll have noticed that Home featured a young Marina Arbutus visiting a temple dedicated to Arceus. In it she finds a statue of Arceus surrounded by ancient paintings depicting legendary creatures. Two she recognized as Divaevus and Maladuex, our canine themed Beasts. She describes two more in depth: an angel on one side, and a massive spider on the other. They represent, as some of you have guessed correctly, the Fairy and Bug Divine Beasts.

What mythology and lore do you think they are based on? How does it influence the region of Vesryn? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Many people have been curious about a glimpse into some of the UI being created for the menus of various features in Epsilon. Today, we wanted to show some of the current results of the hard work that DankRabbit has been putting in for the UI. Check out the current UI for the save selection screen, in game battles, inventory, and pokédex!

There are still many parts of the UI to work on, including backgrounds for the battling, and parts of the Pokédex, so while we continue to work on these keep an eye out on our social medias for the team to see all the updates as they happen!

This brings us to the final item on our agenda. You’ve seen our rebranding of the Epsilon story and logo, and now it’s time to share how we’re doing the same with Deltas. Specifically, we are no longer referring to them as Deltas. Their new names are Origin forms.

We’ve debated on how to present this idea to our fans, as it’s a big change to what you’ve seen from us so far. The idea of Deltas originally started as part of the Epsilon retcon but the more we changed the story and our lore, the more it became obvious to us that this idea needed to change.

Arceus has become the mascot and the major underlying focus of what propels our story forward. Along with that, we decided that everything in our game, no matter how big or small, needs to fit properly within that frame. From the characters and their motivations to the story and layout of Vesryn – we needed to make sure the game flowed properly.

Deltas were originally genetic and scientific mutations, but that idea no longer made sense with the overarching world we had set out to create. We also wanted to make them far more accessible in the wild – that is, not only a one-off shot at an encounter, but something more natural, just like regular wild Pokémon.

We sat together as a team and decided that these Pokémon forms were actually the original forms of the ones we know today. Somewhere through the cruel fetters of time, as evolution does, it forced some of them to completely change their typing, aesthetic, stats, and movesets. That made us realize that the term “Delta” was no longer relevant or accurate to what we wanted to do. This is why we decided to change the name to Origin forms instead.

Each and every Origin form of a Pokémon has been carefully thought out. We’ve been working on lore for each one to explain why they had to evolve to what we know today, and why at some point these Origin forms became extinct. Every Origin form is also designed with this in mind – so you won’t see an Origin form that is completely unrecognizable from its modern-day counterpart. Their stat totals will still be the same, but the distribution could very much be different.

As an example, last month we shared with you the Delta Houndoom line. Below is an example of how we’re implementing this new change.

Origin Houndour/Houndoom (Fire/Ice): The Snow Pelt Pokémon

Found in harsh, cold climates, Houndour uses the snow built up from bad weather to create a thick coat of makeshift fur, trapping in the internal heat of its body. It sends some of this heat out through its tail, allowing it to stay warm without overheating.

Upon evolving into Houndoom, it gains further power and control of the flames. It is capable of burning anything with a single swipe of its tail, while its fur can freeze the blood running through an enemy’s veins instantly. The horns atop its head are stronger than steel and can gouge deep holes in mountainsides, where packs of Houndour and Houndoom make their home.

When they migrated north into colder climates, sunlight became scarce throughout the year. They adapted to their darker surroundings by igniting more fires for sources of light. As a result, their cloaks of ice melted, no longer necessary to keep them warm.

Origin Houndour

Although…if our Origin forms have all gone extinct, how exactly will you encounter them in the game at all? Hmmm….

Let us know your thoughts on Origin forms, our shiny new UI, the Divine Beasts, and anything else Epsilon. Until next time!

All reside, confined evermore, until stirred.