The addition of pets (or familiars) has been one of the most popular requests on our Discord server. You made us realize that it's a must-have feature! There's still much work to be done, but we're excited to share with you a little bit about what we've been working on.
Familiars are loyal companions to Vampires and can assist you with small tasks. As you bond with your familiar, they will level up and become more adept at their unique skillsets. Choose your familiar wisely as you can only have one at a time. You can name and customize your familiar. Familiars do not require much attention, but most of them need to be fed and played with. Neglecting them for too long may make them moody and unwilling to collaborate. Incorporating a familiar into your playstyle is optional though - you don't have to have one.
Here's our current line-up:
Mosquitoes might not be the first creature that comes to mind when thinking of familiars, but they're a Vampire's best blood-sucking buddy! They are tiny and stealthy, making them the perfect spy for your vampiric needs. With a mosquito familiar, you can send them to sample the blood of hotel guests and report back with valuable information about the blood's quality and the state of your prey (e.g. if they're intoxicated or anxious). A well-trained mosquito can even detect a vampire hunter in disguise, potentially saving you from a dangerous encounter.
Cats make the purrrrfect familiars! Not only do they keep pesky rodents away from your hotel, but they do it with style and grace. No more need for expensive traps and bait that can scare away guests. And let's not forget the added bonus of fresh, tasty rodent meat as a cooking ingredient (only well-trained cats can retrieve meat from their prey). Times may be tough, but with a trusty cat by your side, your pantry will never be empty.
Dogs are Vampire's best friend! They make the perfect familiars for a number of reasons. For one, they're fiercely loyal and will protect your hotel storage room from thieving bandits. Plus, a well-trained dog can keep watch over you while you sleep, ensuring that you and your belongings are safe after a tough battle in the dungeons.
Despite their small size, teacup pigs make for an excellent familiar among Vampires. Their cute and cuddly appearance can help put hotel guests at ease if they happen to witness something they weren't meant to see. They're like a magical "look at the cute piggy" button that diverts attention away from any vampire-related shenanigans. Guests who like pets are guaranteed to become return customers...if you let them leave the first time, of course. In addition, teacup pigs can be trained to alert you of any potential dangers in the vicinity.
Spiders are the ultimate stealthy companions for a Vampire. They're small, agile, and can assist in pickpocketing and other covert activities. When they're well-trained, their venomous bite can be used to weaken or incapacitate your prey before moving in for the final kill.
Possessed by a mysterious force, dolls are capable of things that are beyond the grasp of mortals. They can help you read minds and discover secrets of hotel guests. This information can be used to provide excellent customer service or exploit the guest's weaknesses when targeting them as prey. Similar to a battery, dolls can store vampiric energy which can be recharged over time and used when needed. However, one downside to owning a doll as a familiar is that they can be quite creepy and make your patrons uncomfortable, potentially leading to increased vigilance. On the other hand, dolls are low maintenance and do not require food, water, or regular care and attention.
We'd like to implement many more familiars into Bloody Hell Hotel. It might be too time-consuming to add more before the launch, but we're planning on expanding our line-up after the launch, as a large content update. We have many wacky ideas that we're excited about, but we'd love to hear yours as well! What familiars would you like to see in Bloody Hell Hotel? Also, which one do you like the most so far?
Last but not least, a big shoutout to JtheStray who was the first to suggest the idea of adding familiars to the game on our Discord. Your name shall be forever immortalized in the game's credit roll & a copy of the game will be sent to you when the game launches.
