Project

Quick Preview

Dranima Studio (provisional name) is the entity behind the development of the video game project Dranima. It was founded by Alex C. Bourbon (Alexandre Claude Bourbon), who leads the project while collaborating with commissioned contributors. As such, Dranima is an independent video game project.

The project is a monster-tamer role-playing game inspired by many classic JRPGs from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Its goal is to introduce a new generation of players to the charm, exploration, and creativity that characterized many games of that era.

Through this approach, the project also aims to encourage players to discover more about the independent video game industry and the creative possibilities it offers.

The Game Itself

Dranima, also titled Dranima: The First Book, is a monster-tamer role-playing game in which players progress through a story and explore a completely original world.

The game features 200 Dranimae, the creatures that inhabit this universe. These monsters can be "dramed," a term used within the world of the game to describe forming a bond with them. The word was intentionally created instead of using "capture," as the project aims to avoid the implication of enslaving creatures and instead reflects the unique vocabulary of the Dranima universe.

The game is divided into three narrative parts:

The first part presents a lighter tone with a more accessible and adventurous atmosphere.
The second part shifts toward a darker setting, where the world undergoes dramatic changes that also affect gameplay.
The third and final part transforms the experience once again, introducing major developments in both story and mechanics, on top of an enormous expansion of the world.

Gameplay

Combat follows a turn-based system, where the order of actions depends on each creature's speed and the priority of their selected move.

One of the core mechanics is Dranimae Synergy. The leader of the party — the Dranima placed in the first slot — can create a synergy chain with other Dranimae in the team that share its type. When this occurs, a synergy chain is formed, significantly increasing the statistics of the participating Dranimae.

The world contains 18 elemental types for Dranimae. Among them, the rarest and most powerful is the Rainbow type, which offers exceptional defensive capabilities and can nullify a large number of incoming attack types.

Players can build teams of up to eight Dranimae, with four participating in battle at the same time. At the start of each turn:

Act — Perform an action such as attacking, defending, or using an item.
Switch — Replace one active Dranima with another from the backup. This does not consume the turn, but only one switch is allowed per turn.
Drame — Attempt to recruit the opposing Dranima. This action consumes the entire turn. Success depends on remaining health, capture difficulty, speed, status conditions, and the player's level.
Run — Attempt to escape from battle. If the player's team is faster, escape is guaranteed; otherwise the chance is approximately 50%.

Exploration

Outside of battle, players can interact with the world through various magic abilities. If the player does not yet possess the required magic, Dranimae in the party can assist, provided their elemental types allow them to perform the necessary action. These abilities allow players to:

Clear obstacles such as vines or leaves
Burn fallen tree trunks blocking a path
Create rain clouds to cool extremely hot areas

Players can also discover the Drealm, a mysterious location where Dranimae not currently in the active team reside. The Drealm can be gradually improved by bringing back resources discovered during the adventure. Players can construct several types of buildings:

Habitations — improve the number of Dranimae you can have outside of your party.
Gyms — used to train and improve their statistics.
Farms — where Dranimae help grow vegetables depending on their elemental types.
Markets — expand the range of items available for purchase.
Guilds — allowing Dranimae to explore the world independently and gather resources while the player continues their journey.

In addition, players may eventually purchase properties outside the Drealm that generate revenue at regular intervals.

Development Progress

Dranima is currently in the prototype phase. The overworld is still under construction, while the battle system already has approximately 50% of its core features implemented. The engine used is Godot in 4.4.1.

Development began around 2020–2021, when the founder chose to dedicate himself fully to the project and pursue game development as a professional path.

The project has been entirely self-funded so far, although additional funding may eventually be considered to accelerate development during later stages such as Alpha testing.

Due to the scale of its universe, the project was ultimately divided into two separate games — not driven by technical limitations, but by the desire to keep development manageable and avoid excessive strain. The first game is expected to represent roughly 40% of the overall scope.

Over the course of development, approximately 60–70 contributors have worked on the project. Current progress includes:

The main storyline is nearly complete
Around 50 side quests have been written
Approximately 10% of the soundtrack has been composed
All Dranimae designs have been created
Around 20% of character designs have been completed

Project and Future

The current objective is to reach the Alpha stage of development. This milestone will allow players to test the game and provide valuable feedback, helping refine quality, identify technical issues, and guide future improvements.

Following the Alpha phase, the project will progress toward Beta, then Early Access on Steam, and ultimately the final release. However, development will not end with the initial launch:

Producing complete concept art sheets for every character and Dranima, as well as creating detailed artworks for cities and environments.
Adding new gameplay features, including postgame content, additional challenges, and higher difficulty options.
Post-release updates introducing new locations, side stories, additional Dranimae, and new characters.
Eventually, the project may support modding tools, allowing the community to contribute new Dranimae, characters, mechanics, and additional gameplay features.

So, what can you expect?

A monster-tamer RPG inspired by classic games of the late 90s and early 2000s
200 unique Dranimae to discover, recruit, and build teams around
Turn-based battles with strategic mechanics such as Dranimae Synergy
Exploration using magic and creature abilities to interact with the world
A large evolving story divided into three narrative parts