Category:Heartstrings

For the level by Niko15, see Heartstrings (Niko15).

Heartstrings is a story-focused level collection created by Noodlekin and Bugsontoastt. It is co-written by Noodlekin and Bugsontoastt, with Noodlekin being the sole level creator. The story of the collection follows the conflict surrounding the theft of the Heart - a magical healing artifact crucial to the survival of the residents of the kingdom of Arcadia, it's setting. Heartstrings is currently still in progress, with 7 out of its 13 levels released.^[1][2]

Originally pitched as a loose Just Shapes and Beats story continuation when first developed, Heartstrings evolved to be completely disconnected from it by the time it was started in Project Arrhythmia.^[1] The collection was started on March 20, 2020, with the release of Twilight. Heartstrings additionally features several between-level cutscenes and animations on noodlekin’s YouTube channel, alongside videos that explain its story and background lore in-depth.^[3] It is a part of Project Elevatia, where its universe is numbered HS-0444.^[4]

Plot

Background

Sirius is the Navigator Star assigned to watch over and protect the world that Arcadia is within. Rather than needing to recruit and send heroes to protect it, he takes it upon himself to create a new hands-off way of approaching protection using powerful artifacts. This process, dubbed the Artifact Project, would use Sirius’ universe as a testing ground. In particular, the kingdom of Arcadia would receive the Heart - an artifact with physical and emotional healing properties that was capable of sending out an artificial hero if in danger. However, the Heart had one fatal flaw that Sirius deliberately ignored - it would Tether those who used it for generations, forcing them to rely on the Heart’s powers to survive.^[5]

Sometime after the Heart was delivered, the player-character Emissary witnesses several previous events from across Arcadia in a flashback sequence from within the Heart. This includes a large group of knights protecting the Heart, the death of the previous King of Arcadia, Pilate reaching the Heart, a mysterious shadow reaching towards it with two large hands, Magpie leaving, and a young Pilate setting sail to Arcadia. The Emissary also sees a young Magpie being handed off to someone else and the shadowy figure from before looming over him. Being released from the Heart, the Emissary is suddenly pushed back as it turns blue and seemingly cries out for help.^[6]

Theft of the Heart

The levels of Heartstrings begin with Ophelia spotting the Emissary, soon after they are released from the Heart. She claims that she is protecting something important and that the player needs to leave. Through a miscommunication, Ophelia believes the player is after it. After a fight between the two, Ophelia is then impaled by a royal blue spike from off-screen and killed almost instantly, muttering an apology before falling offscreen. Pilate comes onscreen and is revealed to be her killer, being the same color as the spike. The Heart appears on the screen after Ophelia's death - the precious thing that Ophelia sought to protect.

Soon after this, Pilate returns to a castle and speaks to Wiccan. Pilate informs him that Ophelia was killed and that the Emissary - a “small pink square” - was the one who killed her. Wiccan reveals he was in love with Ophelia, and he leaves in a rage in an attempt to seek revenge for the death of his lover.^[7] This leads to Wiccan attacking the Emissary himself, revealing what Pilate said to them. He ends this fight by saying that he simply misses Ophelia before leaving. Returning to the palace, he informs Pilate that he was unable to kill the player. He leaves in a huff when Spectra appears, who asks Pilate what had happened. Pilate explains Wiccan's inability to succeed in his assassination. Spectra is infuriated that the player would try to retrieve that Heart when Pilate "needs" it, and leaves to stop them despite Pilate’s warnings.^[8]

Spectra’s shortcomings

When Spectra reaches the Emissary, she tells them that the Heart is the key to Pilate’s happiness. Using drones and liquid honey to attack the player, Spectra ultimately fails. She leaves the battle worried that she isn’t up to the task, returning to the palace crying. Spectra returns to the palace crying and gets in a fight with Wiccan. Before it escalates, Spectra sees an old friend of hers, Luna. She and Luna have a heartfelt reunion until Spectra informs her that she was unable to kill the player. Luna, seeing how the defeat had degraded Spectra's emotional state, decides to go and try to kill the player herself despite Spectra begging her not to.^[9]

Finding the Emissary in a field, Luna expresses anger at the player for being the cause of Spectra's deteriorating mental state. She utilizes meteors and stars through her magic, and even goes as far as to summon a massive scythe. At the end of the level, Luna decides to put the player into a deep sleep with a spell. Upon Luna's return to the palace, she and Spectra have a heartfelt reunion. Luna informs Spectra that the player is now under a deep sleep, and is no longer considered a threat to them. Pilate joins the two's conversation and cuts Luna off, warning her that the player is still a threat. Pilate suggests sending the dream demon Cygnus to kill the Emissary in their sleep, and the other two agree, although Spectra worries it may be too far.

Dreams and Revenge

The Emissary finds themselves in a space-like dream setting soon enough, meeting Cygnus and being told that one of them must die for the other to escape. The player manages to defeat Cygnus, with them exploding into several small stars. After the dream demon disappears, Magpie manages to faintly reach the Emissary in their dream and introduces himself. He tells the Emissary to find him in the real world once they awaken. Soon after, Magpie is seen searching through a forest for the sleeping Emissary. Moments before meeting them, he is intercepted by Spectra who reveals she is aware of his plans. When Magpie protests, Spectra attacks and incapacitates him until he is eventually knocked out by her before she leaves to meet the Emissary again herself.^[10]

Not long after the player wakes up, Spectra arrives claiming to be "prepared" this time, and shows off a jar of "Royal Elixir" Drinking it, the elixir temporarily transforms her into a royal form - known as Royal Spectra. She viciously attacks the player, but halfway through the fight, the Emissary can peek into Spectra's memories - seeing her suggesting to Pilate that he use the Heart to cure his sorrow and the lack of change it brings to his state. Annoyed by the player’s intrusion into her mind and dismissive of Pilate’s behavior and Magpie’s warnings, she continues to attack the Emissary. However, she is intercepted by Magpie before being able to deal the final blow.

New Guidance

Not long after, Magpie approaches Spectra, asking if she is alright. She reverts to her standard form and laments about her failures, remarking how Pilate is "too far gone". Magpie disagrees, and he believes Pilate can be redeemed somehow, but stealing the Heart was the wrong way to go about in his effort to cure his sorrow, as corrupting the Heart will eventually end with everyone withering away and dying. Spectra is seemingly shocked at this, finally listening to reason. She gives Magpie and the Emissary what information she can, but concludes that there's no point in saving the Heart because it's been ill and hasn't been able to heal for a long while, this information shocking Magpie. Spectra warns them that Wiccan will be waiting, but Magpie replies determinedly that they have to try, regardless. After he leaves with the Emissary, Spectra gives a quiet apology to Pilate.^[11]

Now in a different forest area with the Emissary, Magpie tests the player in a friendly spar to prove their worth. Halfway through, he explains the importance of the Heart to them and their origins from it as the Emissary. Pleading with the player to help him on a mission to restore it, Magpie eventually stops to catch his breath and reveals that the Emissary has exceeded his expectations.

Meanwhile, Wiccan recounts his memories of Ophelia while back at the castle. Overridden with guilt from her death, he loses focus when meeting with Pilate. Noting that Cygnus is dead and Spectra has not returned, he orders Wiccan to go after the Emissary as the Heart is surrounded by a blue ring.^[12]

The Truth

Wiccan travels to Ophelia's tombstone, finding the player there as well. Remarking that he now knows what they're capable of, Wiccan's memories are viewed by the Emissary through his emotions. In the vision that follows, Ophelia is seen telling Wiccan to never let his rage take over. He acknowledges the Emissary's intrusion, and raises Ophelia's dead body. As he recognizes the blue spike that impaled her, an angelic Ophelia begins attacking the player. After this short fight, she falls down into Wiccan's arms - seemingly dead once more. Wiccan acknowledges that the Emissary is not to blame for her initial death, but continues to take out his anger by attacking them. The Emissary manages to take one last look into Wiccan's memories, showing him trying to convince Ophelia to leave with him for safety. A flash of her death appears again, and a sorrowful Wiccan stops attacking to grieve aside Ophelia's corpse. ^[13]

Characters

• The Player/The Emissary
• Ophelia
• Pilate
• Wiccan
• Spectra
• Luna
• Cygnus
• Magpie

Levels

Gallery

Lore Videos

Trivia

• Not all of the characters in Heartstrings are owned by Noodle. Pilate is owned by Spider/Teal and Luna is owned by Axowotl.

References