Based off Hand Of Doom's entry into a Game Jam GOLDEN FLAME (GAME JAM) (Check it out), he, I and Duwang (a talented musician) are making a fully fledged game based on the idea.

And so these concepts all from one night are various bosses and enemies we perhaps would want in the game. I personally took alot of inspiration from Castlevania's more Gothic Christian aesthetics for most of these designs and I think it hits rather well. I didn't want to just repeat ideas from Castlevania too much but rather make really unique enemy movement and designs when I can and so some of the later enemy designs like "The End of Heretics","The Rising Screams" "The Thundering Virtues"

The first piece to show right here is "The Graceful" (current name), which we're not going to spoil too much of but will be a boss in it. Really like the pure angel look as well as that nice touch of "Dante's Inferno" swirling around as he's appearing.

And this second version is essentially a lighting strike from him as the whole screen goes dark (as dark as a Gameboy aesthetic can really. Colours obviously aren't 1-1 though)

Next is the "Burning Wizard" who I imagine as this sort of pure wizard woman with extremely long hair covering most of the stage. I can't wait to see this applied to the actual game's aesthetic this one.

And her on fire in the last phase, trying desperately to kill you as she burns away. (Never thought I'd make a Wizard/Witch burn within her own energy mouth as a design)

Next is sort of a more "default" heavy "Enforcer of Truth" Slow but intensely wide attacks, but you can leap over them while they're either stick with their sword in the ground or while they spin you can jump and land on the other side while the sword is still spinning (It's a slow heavy spin, not a crash styled intense fast one)

This enemy here is more of an agile archer type who has her default arching arrows but also a specialised "Soul Arrow" that aims right for the heart (hence heart indicator over the player) and so the player must keep moving trying to keep her aim off you before it fires). Really good idea on Hand of Doom's part.)

Next is "The End of Heretics". I imagine it as a sort of incredibly tanky magical construct made for the explicit purpose of killing heretics on mass with walking stone mouths that crush foes within and spits them out on the other side. Making it extremely dangerous as you need to dash through the mouth quickly enough before it crushes you. Really was fun to come up with.

Next one was the Rising Scream, which I came up with while trying to consider "what would be a cool upwards attacking enemy". So I thought of a coffin that had souls ripping right out of it when you attempted to jump over it, trying to grab you and pull you in. And one that followed under you waiting for the time to strike. You could bait it though through various means. I can't wait to convert this to a proper pixel art design.

Finally is the " The Thundering Virtues" which I wanted to make a really unique aerial enemy that was as dangerous as a Medusa head. And so I had various ideas going through my head, one of which was the Bloodstained thunder boss and how to perhaps convert lightning into a gameplay movement. And so, I thought " how about instead it moves as a literal lightning strike, hitting the ground and bouncing off it. And that formed this really beautiful structure where there's safe spots to move into as it rises up, and strikes diagonally down. (Going incredibly fast, but stopping at each point up and down for a second so it's not overwhelming for the player)

This one is definitely a favorite conceptually that I made, really feels unique and powerful. I can't wait to code this and make it really polished that one.

Enjoy, that's all of them for now. I'll post the polished designs and eventually animations for them when they're done. But no doubt there will be a part 2 of conceptual sketches.