Whenever I start a fresh game of Kingdom Hearts II or Xenoblade Chronicles, the characters they give me usually start out at Level 1. To be honest, I can't help but think that this "fresh start" into the game and the story seem unrealistic. Like, "this is where it all begins" 'n' all that crap.
In Final Fantasy X, the game begins in medias res, or "late in the story". However, it doesn't stay there very long, because after the opening cutscene, the game takes player to the beginning of the story. In Grimore, however, the protagonist, Canton Albren, has been trapped in Lensa Carthage for approximately 5 months. That's the point in the storyline where the player begins the game: not the beginning, but not at the end. And since it's unrealistic to believe that Canton has been sitting on his butt for the entire 5 months until the start of Grimore, I decided to reflect the time gap in how the game plays.
I don't have a screenshot for it right now, but when you first open the menu, you'll see that Canton is at Level 10. That's 9 above the usual starting number. Soon after, when Valeri joins the party, you'll see that she's at Level 14. Although not by much—the numbers may change in the final game—you can see that Valeri stands above Canton in combat experience. However, over the course of those five months, she has somehow taught this young foreigner well.
Why did I set their levels in the 10s? Well, if you give people enough time—either in reality or in video games—they can learn some pretty useful skills. In any RPG, most players will train their character(s) to get skills for them, not entirely caring about why they are fighting or why they are moving forward. But in Grimore, Canton is searching for answers, not enemies. His is not the same motive as most players, or even protagonists, would have. And yet Canton has learned that, if he wants to get the answers he seeks, he must learn to survive the multitude of dangers in Lensa Carthage. After all, this new world is basically uncharted territory for him.
The player should realize that, in the story, Canton and Valeri—not the player themselves—were responsible for their respective levels before the game begins. The player doesn't need to figure out the exact past events from the 5-month gap—not yet. What they will figure out is that unless they progress, they will never know the "what" or the "why" behind the events in the story. This unifies the player and the characters for the same purpose. And eventually, those answers will bring Canton—and the player—all the way home.
Sure, starting Grimore with a Level 10 magic wielder and a Level 14 swordswoman seems a bit forced. But Grimore isn't a "standard indie RPG", and this is one of the few reasons why that is.
