No Body very much wants to be somebody. More specifically, Ghost Coast’s turn-based-action RPG wants to invoke the likes of Undertale and the Earthbound series. Playing the recently released demo, No Body seems to be off in the right direction with its seedy underworld and stand out characters. It adds more to the mix with a focus on horror and some out-of-pocket puzzle sections. The demo I played was short, but I felt like I got a pretty good taste of what to expect when the game launches sometime in 2024.
No Body follows Clownface, an anxious teenager with a ‘dark passenger’ type secret. Living in an orphanage, Clownface and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives amongst monstrosities in an otherworldly realm known as the Well. An early section in the demo finds Clownface and their friends, Marked, Angel, Witch, and Tobie preparing for what seems to be a final fight. Your party stands out in the colorless Well. Marked is stoner-rocker with relationship issues and a tendency to blow up. Angel is a hardcore anime fan looking for some escapism. Tobie is an AI bot with little to say about anything. Even in these early stages, characters seem pretty well thought out. While we don’t have the full history between the characters, we do get a sense of the role each friend has played in this party for some time.
When it comes to fights, you’ll find multiple ways to dispatch enemies. You can take them out the traditional way with might and magic. Each member of your party falls under a certain element, Mind, Soul, Body, and Heart. Enemies fall under one of the three former elements. With that in mind, players can work to determine an enemy’s element type and then exploit the weakness of that element. Doing this brings the enemy’s defenses down, making room for your party to dispatch the baddy much quicker. Players looking for a passive option can use their party’s senses to try and end the fight without much bloodshed. For example, a gardener-type enemy will depart if you compliment their bad smelling flowers. These interactions leave room for trial-and-error throughout the fight, but do not yield experience for your party, limiting their chances to level up and gain new abilities.
In the overworld, you explore the Well with your party in search of a way out. In these sections you’ll get a better feel for each character as they interact. An early scene has your party squabbling over a treasure chest and its content. In another moment, marked comments on how ridiculous it is that you have to equip a key to use it on a gate. The game is very self-aware and comical, but balances these well with the serious moments. There’s a central mystery surrounding Clownface, a failed relationship, and their dark secret. The demo piece meals these out in short cutscenes. I can’t quite piece where they’re taking it, but these moments did leave me wanting more.
Occasionally, No Body pulls a rug from under you and forces you into some first-person exploration areas. These sections are low-poly and remind me of the first-person segments from last year’s Signalis. The eeriness of these sections leaves you dreading what is lurking around each corner. You can fight enemies in these areas, but it does not change how the fights are played out. You mainly solve puzzles here and work your way back out to the rest of your party.
Speaking of enemies, there are plenty of creepy designs here that lend themselves to the eeriness of the Well. From giant feet-like hands to an eyeless monster wandering tunnels in the shape of a curvy woman. It’s all very strange and adds to the weirdness of the world. In the overworld these monsters are represented by sprites that roam around. This gives players the opportunity to dodge fights as much as they want. Players caught by these sprites do have the option to flee.
There are a few boss fights in the demo. One in particular, a handsome potato gentleman, will test your RPG skills. This fight didn’t allow me to try and find a passive way out. I had to put on my best dancing shoes and go toe-to-toe with this potato. Nerfing, buffing, and cursing ensued across multiple turns as this tug-o-war of a fight played out. The fight was no doubt challenging, but I was left wondering if this was by design, or because I had been playing passively throughout my run of the game. I understand there may be a way to beat this enemy passively upon release, but in its current state I do wonder if there is a “right way” and “wrong way” to play through the game.
I mostly like what I’ve seen from No Body. As someone who spent months obsessing over Undertale, I can see its influence on aspects of this demo. Combat, both in a traditional sense and the passive route, offer unique challenges across the short snippet of the game presented here. It also tries some things to set itself apart which I found interesting. No Body doesn’t quite have a release date yet but is expected to launch sometime in 2024.
