How many NPCs equal 1 Hero?

In the land of Alta, The Hero of Destiny was fated to defeat a terrible Dark Wizard... but the Hero of Destiny was killed by the final boss. What now? Next to the final dungeon, in a sleepy village, 50 NPCs decide to take matters into their own hands. 

With zero combat experience, total lack of magic or battle ready weapons, and no idea what they are doing, these NPCs set out to try to defeat the Dark Wizard that defeated the Hero of Destiny. 

With sticks and stones, build a party of 8 characters to traverse the dangerous Northern Continent, defeat the dangerous creatures lurking the fetid halls of The Cursed Castle of The North, and defeat The Dark Wizard Saeziroth.

BUT HOW will you be able to defeat the end-game portion of this adventure without any actual heroes? Each of the NPCs you can recruit into your party has a unique set of weapons and skills. While they may not have magic or powerful items, they have tools which can apply to very niche situations and get you through seamingly impossible challenges. Seemingly useless abilities may actually save your life during encounters with dangerous monsters!

BUILD the ideal team of NPCs and make it through just the final dungeon of the game. Will you bring the Town Crier, who you can Shout to stun enemies in place, or the Priest, who can use Pray to instantly KO dangerous Ghosts? The Window Washer can use Wash Water to reduce enemy Defense, while the Accountant can use Audit to boost movement speed of the whole party.

YOU WON'T FIND any Knights or Mages... all the Heroes have already been defeated and all that is left are the NPCs who normally run the Item Shops and Inn. Mix, match, and discover the strengths and weaknesses of each character, and find a way to survive the final dungeon to defeat the final boss.  

BE CAREFUL! If a party member is defeated in battle, they will die and no longer be playable! There is permadeath for party members. You have 50 characters at your disposal... but don't throw their lives away recklessly. Some of them may have specialized weapons or skills that will allow to survive and overcome certain challenges.

WILL YOU discover how the Hero of Destiny could have possibly been beaten? Will you be able to defeat the Dark Wizard Saeziroth and save the land of Alta? Well, there aren't any heroes left, so you may as well try. 

GROWTH AND EQUIPMENT

Despite there being a lack of proper weapons and armor in the village, there is still a variety of different kinds of equipment you can use, such as Farmer Tunic, which boosts your Power, or Padded Vest, which increases Defense. Visit the Armorer to level up your Equipment and increase its effectiveness. They may not be end-game, legendary equipment, but with enough effort, they just might be enough to keep you alive.

Each character can use 2 weapons. Visit the Blacksmith to level up those weapons and increase their power.

WEAPON TYPES

There are a few weapon types with interesting effects.

Hoop: Temporarily slows an enemy's movement speed.

Ribbon: Temporarily prevents an enemy from grabbing.

Book:  Temporarily prevents an enemy from using a special attack that hits a wide area.

Bell:  Temporarily prevents an enemy from launching projectile attacks.

Catching Net: Normally, Heroes use Jaws type weapons to catch enemy projectiles. These NPCs don't have that kind of weapon, but a Catching Net can do the same thing. Some caught projectiles can be used as materials for upgrading weapons! 

EXTRAS

HD Mode: Play the game in high res, high defition.

Easy Mode: Enemies have half health and deal half damage.

Permadeath OFF: Your characters will return to the village after they are defeated.

Couch Co-Op Multiplayer

Team up with 3 other adventurers on the same console and defeat monsters together! Each player requires their own controller.

Badges

Defeat the final dungeon with certain specifications to earn badges!