Fantasy life review: Fantasy Life Review — IGN — Mitspielen — Vampire Live in München

Fantasy Life Review — IGN

By Meghan Sullivan

Posted: Oct 23, 2014 11:38 pm

Every time I tried to finish Fantasy Life, I ended up getting sidetracked. There was always just one more thing to do — a monster to slay, a dish to cook, or a wish to fulfill. If I could just get rid of that last item on my to do list, I’d be satisfied. Of course, as soon as I did so, another quest would pop up, and I’d just have to do that, too.

Therein lies the secret of Fantasy Life’s success: there’s always tons of stuff to do and multiple ways to do it, and it’s all because of the Life Class feature. This clever gameplay mechanic combines Rune Factory’s life simulation/dungeon crawling with Final Fantasy V’s multi-tiered job system to create a quest structure so addictive that I found myself fishing and fighting well into the wee hours of the night, even when a mission was hard, or the story tedious.

That’s not to say I disliked Fantasy Life’s story, it just has pacing issues. I enjoyed gathering people’s wishes so I could heal the world, and the tongue-in-cheek humor had me laughing throughout my 30-plus hours of playtime, about half of which was spent doing side missions (did I mention there’s lots of stuff to do?). The adventure gets off to a sluggish start though, and only slightly picks up the pace before it reaches its somewhat abrupt ending. It’s a shame since the story’s message is heartwarming. But even when my journey to save the world felt slow, the Life Class system was there to make the journey well worth it.

At first I dismissed Life Classes as fancy rolodexes that simply organize activities like fishing and fighting into little cubbyholes. I couldn’t see how this feature made Fantasy Life any different from comparable life simulators like Rune Factory or Animal Crossing. But once I dug into each Life, I found a unique set of enjoyable challenges and skill sets designed to help me become the ultimate Paladin, Chef, or Wizard.

For example, I could learn a new sword skill by slaying enemies on the battlefield as a Paladin, or raise my success as a Chef by playing a minigame where I rhythmically tapped the A button in order to whip up a meal before time ran out. I could even combine my Life skills to complete special tasks for people, like using my hunting skills to forage for honey, then using my prowess as a gourmet chef to make them a honey pudding. Being able to do so many different things in so many different ways kept things fresh and interesting, and I loved that I could swap between vocations at any time (there are 12 in all), since it meant I rarely had to do the same thing for too long.

Mastering a Life proved to be quite the challenge. Every time I achieved a higher Life rank, the next set of career-oriented tasks got tougher — a lot tougher. Monsters began to hit like a ton of bricks, ingredients for recipes were harder to find, and I had to frantically race the clock to craft an item before time ran out. his uptick in difficulty kept me alert and engaged, though toward the end some of these challenges began to feel redundant. There was only so many times I could enjoy cobbling shoes or fighting the same enemies.

Luckily, connecting with friends via multiplayer made checking things off of my to-do list easier and more enjoyable. It was great being able to team up with other people to take down a fire-breathing dragon, or ask them for a pinch of salt that would help me on my road to becoming the world’s greatest chef. And if friends weren’t available to take on my adventures, I could choose two AI companions to help me in combat, who I’m happy to report are actually reasonably intelligent. I never had to prompt an AI character to heal or attack, though they did occasionally run into walls while following me around.

Fantasy Life is a fun blend of life simulation and RPG that offers a cornucopia of activities to do and fun ways in which to do them. Though the pacing is sluggish and some of the quests a little too redundant, the kooky characters, silly humor, and incredibly addictive gameplay kept me fishing and forging well after the final credits rolled.

Fantasy Life Review

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Fantasy Life is an addictive blend of life simulation and RPG that kept us playing long after the credits rolled.

Meghan Sullivan

Review: Fantasy Life – Destructoid

One of the biggest gripes I hear from friends interested in but hesitant to play Japanese role-playing games is that they’re too “complicated.” It’s a sentiment I’ve never understood; several take great pains to be accessible and enjoyable to a wide variety of players. Unfortunately, my explanations of tropes and tried-and-true mechanics aren’t usually enough to sway the potential players, and they’re swept away by a title of a different ilk.

That’s why Fantasy Life is such an interesting case. It takes familiar elements such as classes, grinding for XP, and character customization and distills them into something that can be digested by just about any type of player. Oh, and it helps that it’s a lot of fun, too.

Fantasy Life (3DS)
Developer: Level-5, 1-UP Studio
Publisher: Nintendo
MSRP: $39.99
Released: October 24, 2014

Fantasy Life is the child of Level-5 and Brownie Brown, having begun its own story back in 2009 and finding a Japan-only release in December 2012. With notable names like Yoshitaka Amano and Nobuo Uematsu attached to the project, it’s no secret that it was well-received, a project that stole the attention of role-playing fans, particularly those of Brownie Brown, which would eventually change its name to 1-UP Studio. It comes from trusted names, but most of all, it’s absolutely adorable; a warm and welcoming sight that will feel simultaneously familiar to RPG lovers and anyone who appreciates Western fantasy alike.

Getting started in Fantasy Life is exceedingly simple, as you choose a gender, body type, face, expression, and more for your character. You can customize him or her right down to the spacing of their eyes, voice, and hairstyle. There are a surprising amount of options for customizing your hero, but then it makes sense that there should be — this is your “fantasy,” after all.

Unfortunately, the beginning of the game is riddled with JRPG narrative tropes, especially as you wake up in the morning in a tiny house and rush out to choose your own Life, which is essentially the job a person chooses for themselves in the game world. There are multiple Lives for various proficiencies, though if you choose one and wish to swap over to another halfway through your training, that’s perfectly fine as well. You’re never constrained to one job, just like in real life.

The scope of jobs is interesting as well, ranging from the familiar Paladin or Blacksmith to the less flashy Tailor or Cook. Just as there are jobs that find you on the front line of battle, there are also more mundane professions where you’ll be completing tasks for townsfolk rather than lifesaving operations. Depending on which Life you choose, you might find yourself slaying a dragon or mining ore to forge weapons. All the jobs are interconnected, so even the smallest role plays a part. Though it would have been simple to offer 12 different jobs and give them the same questlines, playing each Life ends up feeling unique.

With engaging writing and interesting interactions between characters, even if you choose to play as an Angler or a Cook, there’s still plenty to see and do. And if and when you get bored with their minigames, you can just switch to a different profession at the drop of the hat to begin earning stars for another job. You’ll retain many of your skills and recipes when switching, except for Special Skills that are tied to the Life you’re currently developing. It’s up to you to select which classes are important to spend time on in order to ensure your character has access to a wealth of different abilities and proficiencies that complement each other.

But don’t mistake versatility for a game that requires you to learn all of these jobs to train a machine who can slay monsters and knit a mean sweater. You’re never forced to pursue specific skills and there’s no dark cloud hanging around the world of Reveria nudging you to pursue different skills in order to complete a quest.

You can play at your own pace, and if that means diverging from the main quest to focus on learning how to craft potions or forge weapons, that’s your prerogative. That’s where all the fun lies — spending time trying new things and figuring out what it is you like to do within the game. It’s a lot like real life in that regard, without any of the risks attached to uprooting and learning a completely new trade when the mood strikes. There’s no hurry to complete anything, and that’s what makes the game work so well.

Everything is done at a leisurely yet satisfying pace, even combat, which finds skills assigned to single buttons that works quite well with the real-time hack-and-slash system. You may need a bit to get used to timing your strikes, but it’s simple to master and complements the rest of the game well. The minigames surrounding item production are easy to learn as well, though if you happen to botch a crafting session while at a workbench, you can simply start over.

Aside from earning XP and levels, however, there’s an additional system in play that’s important to focus on. It’s called Bliss, and you receive Bliss points when you explore Reveria and complete tasks for others. As you decorate your home, buy a new residence, or interact with the game in ways beyond combat and training, you’ll earn Bliss points that can be used to upgrade your bag, allow for home expansion, and more. It’s an interesting system that encourages players to focus on aspects of the game beyond combat and grinding, and acts as a reward system for completing tasks you were going to have to do anyway.

There’s simply no shortage of things to complete in Fantasy Life. Beyond single-player’s vast amount of things to do, you can also invite other players locally or online in groups of three to tackle tasks together. You can’t complete the game while working with friends, but you playing together via Link mode does allow for some MMORPG-styled fun that ensures each player’s individual strengths are pooled together in a manner that’s beneficial for everyone.

Of course, Fantasy Life’s relaxed nature may not be for everyone. The lengthy tutorials and even the fact that there’s no true urgency for the main storyline to be completed will grate on some players’ nerves. There’s also the caveat that playing multiplayer with friends doesn’t allow for “true” progress. They’re minor nitpicks, but issues nevertheless, especially for a game where multiplayer is such an enticing proposition.

But there’s so much to love about Fantasy Life, from its whimsical and colorful illustrations and lighthearted tone to its varied soundtrack. It’s truly a role-playing game that allows you to forge your own path, and a breath of fresh air that feels at home on the 3DS. If you’re looking for something to scratch that Animal Crossing or Tomodachi Life itch with a little more substance, Fantasy Life is the game for you.

Fantasy inspired by real history. 5 remarkable cycles / Books, comics / iXBT Live

Our story is an almost bottomless storehouse of plots. From world wars to palace coups, events sometimes unfold as if they were the work of a thoughtful playwright. And fantasy authors continually use real history as a source of inspiration, ideas, images, situations and plots.

Some authors rethink certain events through the prism and try to be close to real history, other writers only use it as a starting point for creating their own stories. One way or another, very interesting books are born in this crucible, let’s talk about them. nine0003

«A Song of Ice and Fire»

And where are we with such a theme without «A Song of Ice and Fire» and the War of the Scarlet and White Roses? Martin is obviously fascinated by this segment of British history, when for thirty years (albeit with respite) the country was shaken by the struggle of the Yorks and Lancasters for the throne. The wealthy and ambitious Lannisters are inspired by the Lancasters, while the Yorkes are the inspiration for the Stark family. Some of the characters in the Song are inspired by historical figures such as Margaret of Anjou or Richard of York. nine0003

But, to be honest, Martin is one of those authors who is not limited to one event. He takes different references, eras, fates of different states and mixes them up. The result is amazing in detail and diversity. It is unlikely that everyone who was captivated by the wild charm of the Dothraki has similar feelings for the Mongol nomads. So in this case, the bicycle is not invented, but rebuilt, and now, instead of a bicycle, a fire-breathing dragon. And instead of the internecine intrigues of Britain of the 15th century — a work based on which one of the most important TV series of our time was filmed, merciless to its many heroes. Even those who were not going to sit on the throne. nine0003

«Second Apocalypse»

R. Scott Bakker plunged far into the darkness of time in search of a historical core for his dark fantasy cycle. His «Second Apocalypse» is inspired by the era of the Crusades. In the presence of ancient relics, and faith, which is used as a shield for selfish manipulation. But to this are added ancient conspiracies and a prophecy about the apocalypse, which is beginning to come true…

However, Bakker, on the whole, tends to dig deep. Being a scientist-philosopher, he saturates his books with many reasons for reflection. The psychology of the characters and the history of the various races in the picture of the world are also brilliantly worked out. At the same time, the emphasis is on the fate of the characters against a historical background, so the «crusade» against the holy city of Shaime only launches events — both very personal for the characters, and those of a truly global scale. nine0003

«Chronicles of Artcia»

Obvious historical parallels appear in the «Chronicles of Artcia» not immediately, but only from the third volume. However, they are remarkably accurate. A fantasy version of the War of the Scarlet and White Rose is unfolding before us, where most of the characters have obvious prototypes, and the events for the time being are largely similar to what happened in our world. The whole cycle is divided into two parts. In the first, we got acquainted with the world of Tarra and the great state of Artia, which occupies most of the continent. The plot is dedicated to both the war for his throne and the threat looming over the world from the cult of the ancient god. The action of the second part of the cycle, which opens with «Blood of Sunset», takes place 600 years later. nine0003

It is in the second part of the cycle that we get acquainted, for example, with Alexander Tagare, whose prototype is Richard III, whose story Vera Kamsha tells «in contrast» to the image known to us from Shakespeare’s plays. It must be said that the course of history familiar to us will be disrupted at some point, so the fate of Artia is not a foregone conclusion.

Jad’s World

Guy Gavriel Kay has written several independent novels based on various historical events, and the characters often have specific prototypes. They are united by a common universe, «Jad’s World», but each work can be read in isolation from others, and their plots are separated by space and time. There is also its own version of the Reconquista, and a novel about local «Vikings», books inspired by Byzantium and Renaissance Italy. There is not much magic and miracles in Jad’s World, although sometimes the supernatural still interferes in people’s lives. nine0003

«The Lions of Al-Rassan» could well be called a chivalric novel — the plot perfectly maintains the necessary surroundings, and there is almost no magic to be found. Miraculous and inexplicable things appear in the “Sarantia Mosaic” dilogy, and the books themselves send us to an analogue of Byzantium. The Vikings take over the «Last Light of the Sun» and with them come the faeries in one of the most interesting incarnations to be found in literature. Reading Kay’s novels is like trying to look at the real world through a kaleidoscope: it immediately becomes much more interesting and more difficult. nine0003

The Opium War

The Opium Wars is a real world term. One of them fell on 1840 — 1842, the second on 1856 — 1860. The Western powers, primarily Great Britain, tried in this way to even out the imbalance in trade with China, which arose due to the policy of the Celestial Empire, which tried to limit the influence of foreign powers. However, the books of Rebecca Kuang do not refer us to this episode of history.

The Opium War reimagines the events of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War in a Song Dynasty setting. So the young writer managed to maintain the spirit of classical Chinese fantasy, but talk about things that she considers still relevant and insufficiently covered in modern culture. Another unusual decision was to choose as a prototype for the main character Mao Zedong, one of the most controversial rulers of the Middle Kingdom. In an interview, Rebecca says she was interested in whether the rise of communist movements around World War II was a justified response to imperialism and whether her homeland had other paths to take. nine0003

The material was prepared by the editors of the intellectual fiction publishing house fanzon .

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Review of the Stormlight Archive fantasy series by B. Sanderson — Read on DTF

The grandiose Stormlight Archive series by American writer Brandon Sanderson currently has four thick books out of a planned ten.

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Cover of the first book of the Russian edition Seigei Shikin

I recently finished reading the fourth volume of the «Rhythm of War» cycle and, under the influx of feelings, decided to write a review of the book. As I began to write, I came to the conclusion that it would be better to make a small review of the cycle for those who are not familiar with Sanderson’s work or precisely with this world. According to the plan, this is the first part of the planned two. There will be readers, I will continue to write. nine0003

A little about the author, about his other cycles and a lot about the Stormlight Archive.

I must say right away that I myself am a big fan of Brandon’s work, especially his Cosmere universe, I even got a tattoo associated with the Archive. I have already hooked a lot of my friends and acquaintances on these books. Today I want to introduce you to Brandon Sanderson and his Stormlight Archive series in this article.

About the work of the author

Brandon loved to read fantasy books from an early age and at some point in his life he decided to become a professional writer. Prior to the official publication of his first novel Elantris (better known to us as «City of the Gods») in 2005, he wrote «on the table» and had 12 unpublished books. The publication of Elantris gave Sanderson the opportunity to publish his other books and share with readers the author’s Cosmere universe, where events take place on different planets, which, in turn, have similar laws of magic, and some characters from one world appear in others. nine0003

Cover of the first edition of Stephan Martiniera

After the release of Sanderson’s first novel, business took off and the Mistborn trilogy was published. Ashes and Steel, Spring of Ascension, and Hero of the Ages came out in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

By the way, Sanderson’s works are known for their original magical laws and interesting world order. For example, in Elantris, events unfold on the planet Sel, where magic depends on the location of the caster (I could be wrong, I read it a long time ago, the book shows various forms of magic). In Mistborn (planet Scadrial), people with magical abilities obey the rules of one of the three metal arts, and certain metals give one or another ability. nine0003

Sergey Shikin

Sanderson became even more popular after being chosen to complete Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. He decided to divide the last book of the cycle into three and released them as independent novels. For example, The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and Memory of Light came out in 2009, 2010, and 2013.

Darrell K. Sweet and Michael Whelan

Having the opportunity to continue his plans, Sanderson published other works from the Cosmere universe. War Killer was published in 2009year (the planet Naltis, magic is associated with flowers), the story «Shadows of Silence in the Forests of Hell» in 2013 (Trenody Platena, where people are not allowed to live in peace spirits — Shadows, from which you can only protect yourself with the help of silver) and «The Sixth at Sunset» in 2014 (the first planet after the Sun, the magic has not yet been fully revealed by the author).

Also, Sanderson managed to write sequels to already released cycles — «Two-born» (continuation of «Mistborn»), «The Emperor’s Soul» (a story from the world of Sel), and launch several new ones not related to Cosmer — Alcatraz, Legion, Rhythmatist, The Avengers and Skywalker et al.

Covers of books that were published in Russian

Stormlight Archive epic novel

For me, without a doubt, Sanderson’s main creation is the Stormlight Archive. This grandiose cycle fell in love with me from the first pages with its scope and mystery. The combination of well-written characters with an extraordinary world captured all my attention that I began to look forward to the release of the author’s next books related to Cosmer and enthusiastically search the net for any information from Sanderson. But as in any other work of art, the cycle has both its pluses and minuses (I will most likely talk about this in the next article). nine0003

ENT and world history

Beware of spoilers!

Map of the world at the time of major events in the books of Isaac Stewart

The events of the Stormlight Archive take place in a fictional world called Roshar, where the environment is very different from the world we are used to. Roshar — the supercontinent of the same name — is shaken by destructive storms (Great Storms) every few days, which affect both the way of life of people and the flora and fauna. Local residents build their houses with storms in mind — windows and doors are only on the leeward side, since storms always come only from the east. Plants have learned to hide from the winds and retract / close / shrink, and living creatures have grown hard shells. The cycle is known for its abundance of magic, mysterious creatures, magical artifacts, and all-powerful gods. nine0003

Flora and fauna Ben McSweeney

History of the world

Once upon a time, 10 powerful people of the Heralds (this figure has a very strong influence on the world, by the way), entered into an agreement with a higher being/-you that they would protect the human world from the demonic scourge — the Void Bringers. In return, the souls of these ten received immortality, but after their bodily death they are transferred to the local hell, where, as you might guess, they are tortured. As soon as one of them breaks down and gives up (it is pointless for the other nine to endure torture and they can also give up), he is transported back to Roshar and thus triggers an event called Desolation (a war on a planetary scale, after which humanity usually lies in ruins). After their return, the Heralds need to teach people how to fight and use magic. They die, fall into the underworld, and everything goes around again. nine0003

To stop the Desolation, the Heralds need to exterminate all the Bringers of the Void, and if they do not die themselves, voluntarily transfer to «hell» so that the cycle does not start again. Between Devastations, the world lives in relative calm and recovers from wars.

Each Herald has its own profile activity — «specialization». One is engaged in the patronage of scientists, the other is the god of war, etc. Each of them has its own order of the Radiant Knights, people who are almost as strong as the Heralds. The Shining Ones do their part in resisting evil. nine0003

During the reign of the Heralds (aka the Age of Heroes), the world was divided into 10 states — the Silver Kingdoms, with ideally polyndromous names: Aimia, Aletela, Makabakam, Nathanathan, Shin-Kak-Nik, etc. Each country had its own mission in the war against the Voidbringers — for example, Aletela was a «protector state», a kind of place where the art of war was especially revered.

Map of the Silver Kingdoms Isaac Stewart

nine0002 Culture

In general, the polyndrom appears in many names, and most importantly, it is reflected in religion. Symmetry is considered sacred, writing is based on it, some names and names of cities are close to symmetry.

Writing

The main religion on Roshar, Vorinism, honors one god, the Almighty, and his Heralds. Depending on the area, the laws of religion are observed to a greater or lesser extent — for example, in Alethkar and Ya-Keved, women are forbidden to bare their left hand (it is not clear why)). Women’s art is considered drawing, reading, music, etc. And politics and war are considered masculine, but they are forbidden to learn the alphabet. In addition, Vorinism distinguishes between female and male food (sweet and spicy). nine0003

Also, Vorinism divides society into light-eyed and dark-eyed, with the former considered closer to the Almighty and therefore more holy, which gives them power over the dark-eyed. Light-eyed have the right to fight with swords, and dark-eyed wield mainly with spears and axes.

Spren and Stormlight

On the planet Roshar, every object, emotion and phenomenon has a spiritual embodiment — spren. They are intangible, some are invisible, and come in all shapes and sizes. Their variety is endless. For example, emotion spren appear when a person feels anger, joy or passion, nature spren are attracted to wind, rain, and so on. nine0003

When a person takes pride in their accomplishments, glory spren appear around them in the form of translucent golden orbs. And plants have spren of life in the form of luminous green dust particles.

Every more or less large animal in this world has two hearts, the first is biological, the second is made of a precious stone. This stone can be crafted and filled with energy from the Great Storms — Stormlight. Gemstones on Roshar are used as currency, instead of the usual coins and paper money. In addition, some devices work on energy from Stormlight — for example, with the help of magic gloves, you can turn one substance into another (stone into grain). nine0003

Fragments

Some kings and rulers, or other worthy warriors, on Roshar possess magical artifacts — shards, shard armor or swords (a legacy from the Age of Heroes). The armor works for the Stormlight and grants the wearer increased strength, agility, and speed. It is extremely difficult to break through such armor.

As an addition to the armor, there are fragmentation swords — six-inch guns that cut everything at all, never get stuck or dull. A person with two shards is, in fact, an army of one person. I think you can not write that it is almost impossible to defeat him without other fragments. The rulers sell their states in exchange for the possession of fragments, their price is so great. nine0003

Warriors who wield these artifacts are called Shardmen.

Prelude

During the Age of Heroes, after preventing another threat from the Voidbringers, nine Heralds remain alive, very tired of the endless torture and battles. They come to the conclusion that one of them is sufficient to comply with the aforementioned treaty. They withdraw their powers, agree not to look for each other and disperse to different parts of the world. This is where the main events described in the books of the cycle begin. nine0003

No more than 4,500 years elapsed between the prelude and the main story. Heralds have taken root in religions, and stories about the Shining Knights have turned into myths and legends.

Prologue

The prologues of the first five books describe the same story, only from different points of view (POVs), and each time more information is revealed.

This event is the day of the assassination of King Alethkar Gavilar Kholin by a white-robed assassin, Szeth, hired by the Parshendi (a race retarded in human development, with marble skin with black-white-red stains, local «orcs», very roughly speaking). An alliance agreement was signed between the people and the Parshendi on the same day. nine0003

Parshendi Dan dos Santos

Embittered people, in an attempt to avenge the death of their king, declare war on the Parshendi and draw themselves into a greedy war with this people. The whole story at the beginning of the cycle is built by this military conflict.

Main characters

Now directly about the heroes of the cycle. There are a lot of them here, about 15-20, but I will focus only on some of the most significant ones. I’ll try to keep spoilers to a minimum. nine0003

Kaladin Stormblessed

We first meet Kaladin. This is a warrior of 19-20 years old who cannot let go of his past.

Throughout the cycle, we follow his struggle both with enemies and with himself. He, like many heroes of this cycle, has a mental disorder — a severe form of depression. The disease prevents him from fighting normally, and every now and then during the fights he has a strong feeling of apathy. In everyday life, he tries to close himself off from everyone, and hatred of certain types of people sometimes prevents him from making sound decisions. He has his own reasons for all this, which are slowly revealed in the flashbacks of the first book. nine0003

But the best thing about this character is how, despite his illness, he knows how to solve problems and kick enemies ass. He especially knows how to appear pathetically and say cool phrases.

At the beginning of the story, he appears to us as a desperate slave who stopped fighting after ten unsuccessful attempts to escape. From a simple slave who needed to clean the toilets and clean the chamber pots, Kaladin is resold to a military camp on the Shattered Plains, where the battle between people and the Parshendi is taking place. Until he meets the sentient spren, things are going very badly for him. The spren changes his outlook on life in the opposite direction and Kaladin decides to fight injustice until the end of his life as a slave. 415

Shallan Davar

Shallan appears before us as a young girl trying to become an apprentice to Princess Yasna, daughter of the late King Gavilar. In history, she is more responsible for revealing the mysteries of the world and its ENT.

She hails from Ya-Keved, neighboring the kingdom of Alethkar. A smart beyond her years girl wants to help her family pay off their debts, and an apprenticeship with a woman famous in scientific and secular circles could solve her problems. One of Shallan’s outstanding talents is her ability to paint things that she has only seen once. This skill comes in handy more than once during the development of the plot. nine0003

In addition, Shallan suffers from dissociative disorder — angry outbursts and uncontrollable verbal sarcasm. The disease progresses and leads to undesirable consequences. Flashbacks from the second book reveal her past and the reasons for her current state.

Dalinar Kholin

Dalinar, brother of the old King Gavilar, and uncle of the current King Elokar. Head of House Kholin, one of the ten Grand Duchies of Alethkar, advisor and suzerain of Elokar. Responsible for politics and military operations. At the beginning of the story, he is in the Shattered Plains fighting the Parshendi. nine0003

A fifty-year-old warrior with rough features and a strong character, who was nicknamed Blackthorn for his past deeds. Many old warriors fear him and respect him, while the young ones despise and do not understand all the movement around him.

Dalinar blames himself for causing his brother’s death and tries to end the war that has been going on peacefully for more than five years. He is, like the king and eldest son, a Shardman. Unlike everyone else, he prefers not to paint his armor and wear it in natural gray, adheres to military commandments (always a strict uniform, drink alcohol to a minimum, always be ready for battle, etc.). nine0003

An excellent warrior and strategist who suffers from some form of PTSD, also due to his past, which is revealed in the flashbacks of the third book. (his flashbacks, let me tell you, are the best in the cycle so far, which can turn the idea of this person upside down).

Adolin Choline

Adolin at the beginning of the books goes as an additional POV to his father Dalinar until he becomes a full-fledged character in the saga in subsequent books.

The true son of his father, who will always come to his aid and support him. An excellent swordsman and Shardman, personifies the image of a handsome prince. In his free time from cuffing, the Parshendi manages to run after the young ladies. The fashionista also adheres to the commandments, although a little in his own manner. The owner of Shards and is responsible in the plot for duels in the ring against other Shards.

Unlike other characters, he does not suffer from any mental disorders, he is one of the most adequate people in the cycle. He tries to protect his father’s reputation and the honor of his younger brother Renarin, who grew up frail and wears glasses. nine0003

Szet

The infamous Killer in White hasn’t gotten much screen time yet. Its chapters are mostly found in interludes (more on interludes below).

Hailing from western Shinovar, a mercenary with big European eyes when everyone else has a more Asian eye shape. Suffering because of his deeds in the guise of a hired killer. Trying to get out of the vicious circle of hatred and find peace of mind.

The owner of a fragmented blade and magical abilities — can manipulate gravity, changing the point of attraction for himself or others. nine0003

Sanderson promises to add his past to the fifth, as yet unpublished, book.

Navani Kholin

Navani has a minimum of POVs in the first books, but by the fourth book he gets significantly more influence on the plot.

Queen Dowager, mother of King Elokar and Princess Yasna. A scientist who, after the death of her husband, is trying to find her place in the world.

Responsible for the discovery and development of local technology. He invents new military techniques, brings his own contribution to the war. nine0003

Eshonai and Venli

Parshendi women begin to open up from the second book. From their point of view, the reverse side of the conflict is shown.

Eshonai is a soldier, a kind of general in the Parshendi army. The only Fragmenter among his people. Trying to find a way out of the difficult situation in which their race found itself. Helping Eshonai in this is her sister Venli. She is an explorer and has minimal combat skills.

Flashbacks in the fourth book show Eshonai and Venli’s past before the war with humans. nine0003

Jasna Kholin

Princess Jasna, widely known as a brilliant scientist and an ardent atheist who denounces Vorinism. She is a member of an order of historians who study facts about the past in order to better understand the present.

Gets very few POVs, because he knows too many mysteries about the world and the events taking place around him (the author keeps it for later).

Other characters

Many heroes open up more over time and get their own stories. These are, for example, Jester, Moash, Kradunya, Taravangian, Rizn, Lopen, etc. I think it’s not worth talking about them in detail. nine0003

The Stormlight Archive features characters, objects, and creatures from the author’s other books, such as Hoid, who appears in all of Kosmer’s writings. Starting from the fourth book, the cycle is gaining momentum on a cosmic / cosmic scale.