The Legend of Infringement Sword
There's 'inspired by'...and then there's whatever this is
Over the last month or so on any platform I use where ads exist (Which like let's be clear, is mainly gmail and google news which is on me for using either - I get that) I have been repeatedly served an add for an upcoming tabletop game called Twilight Sword.
Me being served an add for a tabletop fantasy game makes perfect sense; my online behaviors indicate things like 'buying TTRPGs on Itch, listening to friends at the table, owning TTRPG books, playing Magic the gathering'. I expect these kind of ads and prefer them to, say, anything else.
The thing about this particular ad though - well...let's go look at it, shall we?
Ok! 'Twilight' in the name, some over the top "Oh ok wow they're clearly trying to evoke Breath of the Wild Zelda" vibes - to the point where you wonder if this is temp art because it feels like calling it "inspired by" is a bit too soft.
Then you go a bit further on their page.
Oh what the fuck lmao
It's iconic Final Fantasy IX character Vivi, fresh off getting banned from the Standard format in Magic the Gathering. You can't tell me the artist didn't just try to copy Vivi artwork 1:1 and change the colors.
BUT if this doesn't scream "Ok now we're just copying homework with a slight color swap" to you, may I present:
This is just a Lynel. A Breath of the Wild Lynel. You could say the horns have been slightly adjusted but this reads like concept art from Breath of the Wild or at best, highly detailed fan art.
What really sticks out though is this next section:
In the world of pervasive generative AI it's easy to shorthand most (if not all) of it to be the plagiarism machine that burns the environment while making awful people rich - so a project that champions "No AI was used in this!" is something I want to cheer on - and instead I feel gross!!
Sure, they didn't use AI but they didn't seem to come up with anything original - they spent time and money doing something most other shameless people would just use AI for and it's so baffling that I wonder what they get out of it? Other than apparently 8k wishlists on backerkit?
I'll never go to bat for large corporations (Square, Nintendo, etc) and I personally feel REALLY weird about modern IP laws and copyright - but something here feels off, especially when compared to potential TTRPG contemporaries:
For example: Fabula Ultima - an Italian love letter to JRPGs which took its name from a concept from Final Fantasy XIII has all sorts of nods in its art to the inspiration points - but it's evocative and inspired.
The name of Armour Astir Advent is literally a play on 'Mobile Suit Gundam' and calls out Zeta Gundam (and Dunbine) as touchpoints in the text while still feeling fresh - there are moves in the character sheets named after famous moments from 0079 and it feels earned.
These works feel like homage - Twilight Sword...man it just feels like a cash grab?? Which is a shame because I might have otherwise been interested - but when the 'Trollo' enemies are literally 'what if Bokoblins were slightly more menacing' it's hard to take it seriously.
Like - did the artist know this was going to be for a commercial product? These are technically impressive drawings but if you told me the authors of the book hired someone to do Breath of the Wild fanart and then changed colors without telling them I wouldn't be surprised at all.
Anyway there's more if you click the link. Lizalfos, Palicos from IMonster Hunter, what looks like a 'lifted from the game' Silksong Needle. It's wild.