Shantania/Battle Text

Okay, so on the battle map, characters would still look like their little sprites or whatever. But when battle begins, instead of fancy anime stuff, we get descriptive text, a la Superhero League of Hoboken. Examples...

1. Ruby versus armor knight

"Get the hell out of my way!" Ruby unsnaps the spear from her back and jabs forward, stepping forward as she does so. The tip of the spear strikes the center of the knight's torso, making a screeching noise as it tunnels through the flimsy iron like a tin of rations, gouging clear through to the man's chest. He is down for the count. (Critical hit; Armor Knight dies. In game, there would probably be more visual feedback here, such as a health bar.)

2. Ravi versus barbarian

The fur-clad man takes a wild swing forward with his hatchet, but misses Ravi entirely and embeds his axe in the ground. Ravi digs the barrel of his Combustion Bow into the back of his head. "Hold still, now," he mutters, and presses the wheel release, sending a one-inch sphere of cast lead through one end of the barbarian's patchwork hat and straight out the other. The resulting mess is such that the barbarian is highly unlikely to get back up. (Barbarian attacks; misses. Ravi counters with loaded Combustion Bow, criticals, barbarian dies.)