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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Hey everyone, we're not dead, just working hard! We've encountered some unexpected delays so please wait a little longer for an update video... we'll be more active on our socials meanwhile, and provide some snippets of progress here and there! Here's another showcase of our attack resprites!

Resprites of Tara and Vyn from the upcoming Indie RPG Varminal

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

The last bio for our main characters is here! Here's some info about Vera, a masked Minal that certainly seems to stand out among the rest of the cast...

Character Bio detailing information about Vera, a character from the upcoming Indie Game Varminal.

- The most mysterious of the main cast, Vera
comes to Tara and Vyn’s aid early in the story,
saving them from a perilous situation.

- She feels very out of place within
the walls of Bearoo City, the world
as Tara and Vyn know it seems
to be very unfamiliar to her.

-After a chance encounter, something
drives the two to search out for her
to seek answers on why she intervened,
and where she comes from.

-Before she is ready to answer any of their questions, she tasks
the two with an ominous quest, seemingly of great importance.

- What end goal could she possibly have for our heroes...?

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Another set of bios, probably our wordiest yet - giving some details about Tara and Vyn's unexpected rivals, Stella and Lune! As always, we have posted the clean textless artwork in our discord server, so go ahead and join if you haven't yet! discord.gg/EBkqrbrruS

Character Bio describing some background information about Stella, one of the supporting characters of the indie game Varminal.

- A bit of a diva, Stella is a world-class member of the Starlight Guild!

- Duo’d with her instrumentalist, Lune, they are on an endless tour!
Exploring the surrounding area in their downtime whilst the tour bus
sets up, just to give a big concert in the evening, they have stamina for sure!

- A beautiful singing voice, her stage personality is cheery and bubbly,
somewhat similar to Tara's natural state, but off camera, her more bratty
and ruthless personality comes alive, one of the things that has propelled
her into a similar level of guild stardom.

- Sadly, rising stars themselves, Tara and Vyn naturally get in the way of her
efforts, and given a choice, she would rather best the two than to share the
spotlight that she has been accruing over her short successful years, which
leads to her challenging the duo to a fight to prove who's the better team.

- Her Ego definitely needs to be knocked down to size,
having even outgrown Lune’s at this rate!

Character Bio describing some background information about Lune, one of the supporting characters of the indie game Varminal.

- The cool-headed multi-instrumentalist of the touring duo project. Giving a quiet,
lone-wolf energy when on stage, leaving his few words a weight that has his fans
swoon, a real badboy! No need to talk when his music does the talking for him...

- A lot more smug, cocky, self-assured when off stage, but he doesn't quite
fly off the handle like his partner, he keeps himself very well composed.

- Similar to his compositions and melodies, he supports his partner Stella the best he can.

- Enough time with audio engineering has allowed him to come up with
plenty of gadgets to hunt with, amateur but effective tech based on synths,
speakers and more to cause disarray in a battle.

- That -is- what they were intended for, but if say, they needed to get ahead
of some rising rivals, nothing would stop him from employing the same tactics
as he does for monsters, right?

- Lune and Stella have been friends since childhood, and as such Lune has always had
a soft-spot for supporting his friend. Years of playing together in the backyard and
dreams of being bigger naturally lead them both to the idea of joining the guild.

- It is the determination behind Stella's vocal training
that really shifted him into gear, motivating him to
learn to be an instrumentalist.

- They both have an unwavering drive to be famous,
but unlike Stella, Lune does not let it get to him too much.

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Continuing onward with our main cast, here is some information on Plink, the robot accompanying Tara and Vyn on their adventure, and Nova, his eccentric creator!

Character Bio describing some background information about Nova, one of the main supporting characters of the indie game Varminal.

NOVA:

- An extremely proud inventor and mechanic
(and boy will she let you know it), Bearoo City’s finest!

…as long as you’re okay with your consultation meeting being in the city's
sewers. Despite her loud and proud personality, her eccentrism extends
to finding the peace and quiet she needs to create in a strange way.

- Despite the off-vibes she gives, she is extremely happy to aid Tara & Vyn
with a host of gadgets and upgrades, provided they bring the necessary
materials. No need to provide the full cost of labor,
when the duo are doing such a good job advertising her work!

- Besides, some might say having to endure her long-winded self praises
and explanations of her process is the REAL cost of her work...

- Not one to travel, but given the need, Plink allows her to chime in
and communicate when the duo need technical advice.
Definitely saves a trip back to her hideout!

Character Bio describing some background information about Plink, one of the main supporting characters of the indie game Varminal.

PLINK:

- Built by Nova, Plink is her
pride and joy invention, the
assistant of all assistants!

- A high-tech robot in lend to Tara & Vyn, so that he can prove himself as
a capable assistant for any and all situations (and to provide a camera feed
back to his eccentric creator, so that she can watch their journey).

- The crown he's wearing, was awarded to Plink for winning the
"invention of the era award" (...hosted, judged and awarded by Nova herself
of course - who else would be qualified enough?), which in turn has given
him a somewhat undeserved boost of confidence.

- Always happy to give helpful advice and trivia on the area or task at hand,
maybe even a little too much, to Vyn's occasional ire.

- He integrates with some of the Starlight Guild's systems, allowing him
to help in taking track of the duo's inventory, missions, logging info, and so on.

- Plink's standout technology is his ability to transform, restructuring his body
to provide tools for various situations. A trampoline to reach higher areas,
a drill to dig deep underground and travel faster...

- Helpful as a tool, encyclopedia or just a traveling
companion, this jack of all trades is on his own
journey, to also become the master of them all!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

With development moving smoother than ever, it’s time for us to finally introduce the main cast of Varminal! Keep in mind the story is still being developed so some information may be subject to change, nevertheless... here is some info about our main heroes, Tara and Vyn!

Character Bio describing some background information about Tara, one of the two main characters of the indie game Varminal.

TARA:

- The one the story starts with!!

- A feisty girl, a tomboy that wants to do things
her own way, forge her own path in life.

- Headstrong to a fault, she follows her
unwavering need to be a hero, exploring the
world with starry eyes and pure optimism!

- She often causes friction by being brash, social
cues tend to fly over her head, as she keeps it
focused on the goal she has set for herself.

- Very sheltered; has mostly spent her childhood
days in her family home reading fairytales, and
tales of heroim up in her room.

- Raised in a cozy house in an otherwise harsh
winter environment, a lifetime of chores to keep
the house as warm as it is has left her with raw
amounts of vigor to be tamed into strength.

- Has read many things about the Starlight Guild
and one day, she decided to leave her home and
apply to show the world and those back home
what she can REALLY be!

Character Bio describing some background information about Vyn, one of the two main characters of the indie game Varminal.

VYN:

- A somewhat mysterious boy, who formed a duo
with Tara in the most unlikely of circumstances.

- Moody, insular and with a biting sarcasm to
every comment he makes, Vyn naturally sets
himself up to be a foil for his partner.

- In the same way her bold personality can
trample through his concerns, his cold, dry
humor can reel her back down to earth. It
often causes some friction between the two,
though he really doesn't mean it to!

- Tall and agile, he doesn't pack the same punch as Tara,
but his decision-making more than makes up for it.
He is able to perform craftier maneuvers with the skillset
he has gained from adapting to his harsh life.

- As for where he comes from... let's just say the place isn't exactly
the friendliest. It exists somewhere through Asteria's desert,
beyond the desolate stretches of old abandoned towns and factories...

- Has a similar strong drive to Tara, even if he doesn’t wear it on his sleeve.
He says he's just partnering up with her for the potential profits, but often
seems a little too eager for that to be the full truth...

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

📢Development Update!📢 Another part of the battle system is finished - finally, all the death & revive animations are completed! This time, instead of a generic crystal, a special rejuvenating balm is the item needed to wake your friend back up.

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

We're finally back in action! And with a new bit of progress: enemies can now be hit on the overworld, and the battle transitions have a little jingle leading into the battle theme! There's also one if you're the one that gets hit, but we'll let you discover that one yourself in the game.

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Thanks to the help of our incredible discord community, Tara and Vyn now have their own little spot in Wplace! If you'd like to come and add anything in the space that's available, go to wplace.live?lat=35.97238... and add in your own Varminal doodles around our big mural!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Another bit of progress, getting poisoned and all animations accompanying that are implemented again. As well as different portraits and health icons to match! Little touches we hope will give more charm to the UI. #indiegame #indiedev #indiegames #jrpg #rpg #marioandluigi #mario #devlog

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

In between us adding and re-implementing other animations and features, we finished both characters' item using animations. Now they can throw them to each other, just like before, and also have a new animation for drinking stuff! Just to add that little bit of extra charm. #indiegame #rpg #indiedev

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

Tara's Jump counter has been re-implemented as well, but now with new animations! In the old beta, we just reused the regular jump sprites, but Paro wanted to go the extra mile, and we think it was worth it - stomping the enemies feels more satisfying than ever! #indiegame #marioandluigi #indiedev

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

Next on the list, the Goouls! Complete with new sprites and slightly better attack tells! (missing a few sfx for now) As well as a much nicer test background courtesy of @gardy102.bsky.social ! We keep getting closer to re-implementing everything the old demo had, but now looking SO much better!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Items are usable yet again! Complete with a new, more expressive and fluid animation. We're getting closer and closer to getting back where we were with the old battle system... but now with so much more style and charm! #Varminal #Indiegame #Indiedev

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

With a new art style and more skill on the team, we were finally able to finally make the menus according to the first concept behind them - now Plink displays every option, not just the move icons! A small diegetic touch to tie UI and the game world a little. #varminal #indiegames #indiedev

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

With the base overworld mechanics close to being fully implemented, we're ready to finally start revamping the battle system as well! Here's a look at some new animations, new UI, and new.. well, everything! (though the background is currently just a placeholder.) [🔊Sound on!]

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Another move has been fully implemented! As we've said earlier, as the replacement for Mario & Luigi's bros. moves, Plink will transform into various tools for our heroes to use on the overworld. Here's the first one you'll receive in this game - the Plinkoline!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

We have our own version of this classic Deltarune meme now, mom we made it (credit to Dumbass Productions in our Discord)

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Mini Mario's 2D segments will also be returning (as they were, in our humble opinion, probably the most memorable gameplay segments in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga), in expanded 2D platforming sections, that will be a little more challenging to make use of Plink's new platforming abilities!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

As our way of adapting Mario & Luigi's field actions, Plink the robot will transform into different tools for Tara & Vyn to use! Furthermore, replacing the Mini Mario ability, you'll be able to control Plink on his own! We hope his level segments and unique abilities will be a fun change of pace.

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

More overworld progress! Finally, one of the enemies is in, and able to notice and chase you! They're not yet interact-able, but that won't be for long. #screenshotsaturday #Varminal #indiedev #indiegame #marioandluigi #rpg

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

So, do you guys think we maybe have improved the art a bit lately..?

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

The facelifts keep coming, and so does the game's overall progress! Take a look at our vibrant new tileset for the sewer area, made by @gardy102.bsky.social, as our duo jumps on through in a fully functional 2.5D engine, all coded by our skilled programmer MaxL0s! #Varminal #Indiegame #indiedev #rpg

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

An user on our discord server somehow got our old demo running on their 3DS via streaming! Since a certain handheld series inspired this game, this is really wild to see

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

We got the new directional movement sprites fully animated and working now, and they really do hit different in motion, don't they? With animations this bouncy, we're starting to live up to the graphical legacy of the Mario & Luigi series! #Varminal #indiedev #screenshotsaturday

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

2022 vs Now... #Varminal #indiegame #indiedev The character sprites aren't the only thing that look much better - thanks to our new Tile Artist @gardy102.bsky.social, the environments also got a massive upgrade! The difference between the old and new art is night and day, isn't it?

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

If you like what you've seen, please support us on Ko-Fi! We need a lot to be able to work on this game full-time, and need your help to make that happen! We offer discord rewards for monthly supporters, from early sneak-peeks to dev streams and even access to dev builds! ko-fi.com/animalrpgdev

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Lastly - to celebrate our comeback, our lead artist @gattaimon.bsky.social blessed us with brand-new Key Art for #Varminal! Thank you to everyone in our community, without your support we'd never be able to get this far. Look forward to future updates, as we continue to work with renewed spirits!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Updated designs warrant updates to the game's sprites as well! The graphics our latest demo used were over 2 years old, so it was high time for one last overhaul! The new sprites are bigger, more fluid, expressive, colorful, and simply look better! #Varminal

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Starting off the new updates, we're showing off the new looks for our main characters: Tara and Vyn, as well as some major supporting roles! Some of the designs got updated to better suit the story and the characters! Do you see the differences? #Varminal

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

"Hunter Chronicles: Tara and Vyn" returns under a new name and logo! We planned this change for a long time, and it's not the only one! Look forward to further updates, where we'll reveal a new look for the game, new character designs and more! #Varminal

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

WE REACHED 1000 DOWNLOADS!! As this is just the first beta of the the game with a few basic battles, we frankly didn't expect it'd reach so many people, but the sheer excitement of the community completely exceeded our expectations. Your support motivates us to keep doing our best!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

With the first beta build of our game finished, we'd like to start being more active on social media moving forward. We want to engage more with the community building around this game, so we'd like to ask, is there anything you would like to see (or see more of) on our social media accounts?

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 03/11/2024

We're now also on Itch! If you're having trouble downloading the demo from Gamejolt, hop on over here! sleepdeprived-games.itch.io/varminal

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 01/11/2024

It's finally out! After many months in the making, we finally have the battle system build polished and ready for a public release! A playable proof of our hard work, that you can enjoy while waiting for Mario & Luigi: Brothership😉 DOWNLOAD IT HERE! gamejolt.com/games/vynand...

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 02/10/2024

THE FIRST ALPHA BUILD OF OUR MARIO & LUIGI INSPIRED INDIE GAME IS HERE! Three playable short battles which include all the features we've shown off so far! The build is already available to our 15€ tier Ko-Fi members, and will go public in a month! Support us to get it now! ko-fi.com/animalrpgdev

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 02/10/2024

Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and we were #809,088! Pretty cool!!

A virtual certificate with text "Celebrating 10M users on Bluesky, #809,088, Hunter Chronicles: Tara and Vyn ‪@animalrpgdev.bsky.social‬, joined on Aug 31, 2023"

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 18/09/2024

HELLO BLUESKY! Now that Videos are finally available, we're happy to come back to post more updates on our Mario & Luigi-inspired Indie Game! Here's a small peek at one of the ways you can interact with early enemies, which was also our way of including the classic green shell bros. move in spirit!

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Varminal - a Mario & Luigi-like Indie RPG! @animalrpgdev.bsky.social · 31/08/2023

I'm developing my own game, inspired by Mario and Luigi in it's gameplay! It's called Hunter Chronicles: Tara and Vyn. Bluesky doesn't seem to allow videos to be shared yet, so i'll show off a few screenshots instead!

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