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RPG-platformer hybrid Witchmarsh and its prequel Tea Party of the Damned feature one-of-a-kind gameplay in two genres that are not often mashed together. But it's the characters that really stand out, particularly Tea Party of the Damned's mix of private investigators, monstrous allies, and Lovecraftian foes. From the streetwise fire elemental to the chatty can of oysters who claims to be a bewitched human, Witchmarsh and Tea Party of the Damned are filled with characters drawn from a diverse array of literary, gaming, and historical inspirations.

Writer and developer Luciano Sgarbi spoke excitedly to Game Rant about the cast of characters players can expect to meet when Tea Party of the Damned launches in Early Access later this year. He discussed some of their inspirations, including popular cryptids and Dungeons and Dragons monsters, and provided a few hints about the personalities and play styles of just a couple of the game's 12 playable private investigators. The result is a quirky, memorable cast who perfectly suit the bizarre underground dimension they reluctantly inhabit.

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Tea Party of the Damned kicks off with a group of private investigators having journeyed to Boston for a disastrous job interview. When they are transported to a mystical underworld, they must team up and figure out what is going on before they are trapped in the underground dimension forever. Sgarbi revealed that the game will eventually feature 12 playable private investigators, although only eight will be available at launch. These include the hard-boiled PI, who plays heavily into stereotypes of the classic 1920s and 1930s noir detective, the burly and powerful Moose, the stealthy Trapper, and many more. He even gave a sneak peek at one of the upcoming playable characters, who will be released in a mid-Early Access patch:

The Guardian is...actually the only non-human investigator - she's a woods spirit, kind of like a Dryad, who's disguised herself as a private investigator. And now you have to figure out what her motives are...and why she's joined your investigation.

In addition to the twelve playable characters, the group is accompanied by a talking can of oysters who serves as a guide. He claims to know how to navigate the underworld, and to be a human cursed into his current form due to past debt - but Sgarbi hinted that players shouldn't necessarily take everything their canned friend says at face value. "He's a pretty good, if slightly unreliable guide," Sgarbi revealed. "Slightly untrustworthy."

Also accompanying the player are three monsters associated with the underground speakeasy, a location Sgarbi added to the game to incorporate some 1920s flair. These include a moth man, inspired by the iconic West Virginia-based cryptid, a Dungeons and Dragons-style lich, and a man made of jelly. These "jelly men" also serve as antagonists, and make quite deadly enemies as they are able to transform their tentacles into a variety of weapons. Their tentacled design might bring DND's mind flayers to, well, mind, but they've got many more tricks up their gelatinous sleeves than simply psychic attacks.

Sgarbi revealed that the main Witchmarsh campaign, which he plans to return to once Tea Party of the Damned's Early Access period is complete, will feature "over 300" NPCs for players to interact with, including a mix of both humans and monsters. While Tea Party of the Damned will include fewer characters due to its smaller scale, each and every one promises to be memorable, from the pinstripe suit-clad fire elemental to the speakeasy owner who claims to be the only human around. Players can look forward to discovering this eclectic cast's secrets when Tea Party of the Damned launches in Early Access.

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Witchmarsh Characters are a Mix of the 1920s, Cryptids, and D&D - GameRant