Scoville Fever

Scoville Fever is a puzzle game developed by TimeStrike as a download-only title for The V² platform. It is non-canon to COLD❄BLOOD's story and takes place in an alternate timeline. The game is a modern take on the 1995 Super Famicom classic Panel de Pon, boasting a similar gameplay core but a wildly different objective. The player must match spicy peppers together and use chains and combos to burn up the opponent's body as fast as they can; if they succeed in doing this before they can recover or retaliate, the player achieves victory. Through using power-ups and buying milk/cheese reserves, the player can respectively receive bonuses or save their skins. It was released on June 30th, 2022 as a thank you to TimeStrike's fanbase for the strong sales and positive reception of COLD❄BLOOD, and can be purchased for free if the user already owns the game that started it all.
If the player already has COLD❄BLOOD installed on their system, the player can unlock a winter-sque skin for the game. Much of the descriptions in the article were written out in-universe by Syinara Wyne (for plot, characters, and peppers). She may or may not be writing her heart out into some of them.
==Plot==
NORMAL MODEThe annual Spice Festival has opened up in New Naxaz City! You make your way inside town, ready to join the countless competitors in seeing who can consume the most spicy food at once!
Today's tournament is overseen by Kýrios, who challenges everyone to eat as much spice as they can! And when the victors are decided, they're to walk their way up to the lord's throne and challenge him while taking on his most trusted associates on the way. And the supposed prize for beating him would be having the keys to the satellite for a whole day, with Kýrios and Zodiez on standby as overseers of your commands and demands. You decide the challenge is worth it, so you decide it's time to take out some competitors and build the best team possible to take down the lord- let's reap the reward we deserve from the satellite's lord!
*Normal Ending: Upon beating Kýrios, you are (as if reluctantly) given the keys to the satellite for a day. You smirk as you carry out commands and demands from Kýrios' Throne, while both the lord and his inky wife eat peppers at their expense. The game ends here and the credits will roll as you're shown to be quite the commander! Congratulations on your success!
*True Ending: The Shepherd of Sovereignty appears, enlightened by your competitive spirit yet cooperative personality, and challenges you to a match upon beating Kýrios. Once he's defeated, he will honor you with a week of "unbound happiness", and you'll be shown at an expensive resort with Kýrios and Zodiez. This might be the better ending, if I'm being honest!
*Optional Recruits: Azrail, Sinicini, Whiskey, Hector
*Antagonists: Xihuitl (Stage 13), Zodiez (Stage 14), Kýrios (Stage 15),
EASY MODEThe annual Spice Festival has opened up in New Naxaz City! You make your way inside town, ready to join the countless competitors in seeing who can consume the most spicy food at once!
...But as it turns out, Gonzalo Dorado had been planning to use the festival as the grounds for his next evil scheme the whole time! Capturing Kýrios in the blink of an eye, he claims he'll release the lord of the satellite if the festival's winner for whatever reason agrees to take his hand in marriage! And he promises that as soon as he gains a partner, he's gonna hand that person half his wealth in exchange for complete control over 'em... NOPE!! Instead of that, you're going to rally up some allies and storm down his palace to take the king back by force. Show Gonzalo just what you're made of, because long live the king!
*Normal Ending: Once you take care of Gonzalo, he'll hold his dazed head and retreat, threatening you that he'll eventually come back stronger and better than ever! You sadly can't catch him in time, but you'll be rewarded with a badge of honor by General Scotch and he'll give you a ride home. It's an alright ending, you did stop his plan, so don't feel too bad about yourself.
*True Ending: Gonzalo decides that he's had it with you getting in his way, and challenges you to battle his last resort: a huge slot machine! But if you break this down, Gonzalo will not be able to get away and he'll burn up in the flames of his palace. His assistant Shredder will walk up to you, thank you, and take your hand as you go home. It's all rainbows from here!
*Optional Recruits: Azrail, Sinicini
*Antagonists: Rose (Stage 13), Azul (Stage 14), Gonzalo (Stage 15),
HARD MODEThe annual Spice Festival has opened up in New Naxaz City! You make your way inside town, ready to join the countless competitors in seeing who can consume the most spicy food at once!
...You arrive too late though, and discover that everyone's been strangely poisoned by the peppers and have turned almost zombie-like and aggressive. You're handed a cure by Yama Velvetrot, who pleads you to cure as many contestants as you can and then give chase to her boss before she can have a chance to carry out her universal domination scheme! All this wasn't exactly what you had in mind when joining the festival, but you accept and try to assemble a team that can help you take down Replicate and her cronies. Good luck, because Replicate never gives up easily and she's guaranteed to give you a tough time if you're not prepared for her!
*Normal Ending: When you beat Ms. Replicate, she'll hold up the white flag and escape her daze. While she does let go of the satellite and has a readily-available cure now, she locks you in her room. Before you know it, she smirks and badly poisons you for interfering with her plans. You would die, but at least you saved hundreds of thousands, so that's certainly patriotic of you.
*True Ending: As Replicate raises the white flag, the door behind her suddenly breaks down as her monstrous creation Chimera tries to kill Medea while she's down! Your morality makes you fight Chimera- upon her defeat, Medea thanks you for saving her life, promises she won't deal more damage, and she'll give you a purpose: a doctor/nurse! Now you get to operate together alongside her...
*Optional Recruits: Azrail, Sinicini, Whiskey, Hector, Shredder, Junkhead, Millicent, Dream Weaver
*Antagonists: Love-Love (Stage 13), Electric Eye (Stage 14), Ms. Replicate (Stage 15),
FINALE MODEThe annual Spice Festival has opened up in New Naxaz City! You make your way inside town, ready to join the countless competitors in seeing who can consume the most spicy food at once!
...That's what you thought you were getting into. You find that there's nobody inside, and the peppers turn into alive little demons that jump you and consume you... and when you wake up, you realize it was just at simulation. You wake up inside a prison cell at Mallory Zin's castle and notice something's wrong immediately: all your friends are hostile! As you head around freeing fellow inmates and slapping some sense into them, you realize you and your new allies are not alone. Mallory's got her minions out and they're keeping you and all your friends in! You've gotta get out of there as soon as you can, or Mallory might have enough time to destroy the satellite!
*Normal Ending: If you beat Mallory, she'll throw a tantrum in frustration and claim she'll do a lot of horrible, horrible things to you. But you don't take any offense since she really sounds like she's doing a desperate cry for help... with a little hesitation you put her out of her misery. You go home having saved the satellite, but you feel rather empty. If your friends are still alive they'll support you; if not, your grave will be shown during the credits.
*True Ending: Mallory will scream violently as The Manipulator consumes her body, transforming her and making her much stronger than she was before. It takes you a while to beat down this monster with spices, but once you succeed, she'll enter a state of clarity and surrender. 10 years later after her initial arrest, you're shown together in a happy relationship with Mallory, and you both have several children together.
*Optional Recruits: Azrail, Sinicini, Whiskey, Hector, Shredder, Junkhead, Millicent, Dream Weaver
*Antagonists: Beck 82-99 (Stage 13), Mania (Stage 14), Leper Messiah (Stage 15), Mallory (Stage 16), ,
==Gameplay==
Scoville Fever is a puzzle video game and plays rather similarly to the Puzzle League series at its core (which includes Panel de Pon. The player uses an on-screen cursor to arrange colored spice peppers into horizontal rows or vertical columns; matching three or more peppers will make them disappear and cause peppers directly above them to drop down, potentially causing chain reactions. While chain reactions are happening, the player can move the cursor around and move peppers around in such a way that more chain reactions occur. Peppers will not drop until all matched peppers disappear from underneath them, so the player should use that knowledge to their advantage. If the player matches more than three peppers at a time, it's called a combo. The player can match up to as many as twelve peppers (six each of two varieties) together for a combo under specific circumstances, but most of the time they're going to be matching as many as four, five, or six. Note that matching only three peppers will not add any heat to the enemy's playing field.
Unlike in Panel de Pon, the player's playfield is always filled to the brim with swappable peppers. Clearing any of these peppers will cause more to drop in from above the ceiling line. It is possible, albeit unlikely, that incoming peppers might match up with peppers as soon as they land and start a chain reaction. Though the original danger from Panel de Pon doesn't exist in Scoville Fever, there is one new danger introduced in this game: "heat death". As a playing field gets barraged with attacks over and over again, their playing field will turn progressively darker and darker shades of red before blackening out and shattering, resulting in heat death. The player's character will be shown with their mouth on fire, unable to continue the competition. So, to win a game of Scoville Fever, the player must work to burn up the enemy's mouth instead by barraging them with as many chains and combos as possible until heat death occurs for them or their opponent. It's a race to see who burns the other's throat first!
There are five multi-colored peppers that can be mixed and matched in gameplay, namely the Pimento, Jalapeño, Habanero, Savina, and Malagueta peppers, with a sixth (named "Reaper") joining in on the Hard skill setting. They all function identically to each other in normal circumstances. If the player leaves any individual pepper alone for too long, they will "burn" into the playing field, making them impossible to swap until they touch at least two matching blocks. There is a 1 in 20 chance that a pepper will spawn as a special variety- they can be told apart from normal peppers by how feverishly they glow. If they're matched with two or more basic peppers of the same flavor, some "Power-Up" activates that gives the player an immediate advantage by clearing out peppers or removing obstacles. The better the combos and chains the player makes with the peppers, the more points they'll receive and the better their attacks will be. Though clearing three peppers in a row won't harm the opponent's playing field, points will still be received.
Unusually for a spice game of Scoville Fever's variety, there is an in-game shop that the player can access on almost every in-game mode. The player can spend their points to purchase goods that can help give them the edge they need in battle, but for every good that gets bought from the store by either player, its price will steadily increase (like with buildings in Cookie Clicker). It's important for the player to be strategic- do they spend time trying to whittle down the enemy or do they try to take time buying whatever goods they need? The player can hold up to two goods in their inventory for later use, which can be used with the back triggers. Look out for milk reserves and cheese reserves, which respectively cool down the player's playing field by 20% and 40%, with cheese reserves being a bit cheaper than two milk reserves combined. You can also purchase special spices that will trigger wherever you place them and a special "double point" space that'll double the points of any chain cleared on it.
Below are the peppers of Scoville Fever. The following descriptions detail how their special variants work and giving a bit of background on each. There are currently six varieties of peppers (but if I pester Helena enough, surely there might be more!).
	Pimento"A Super Pimento explodes, destroying 20 spices in its immediate vicinity, which counts as a 20-combo attack. Pimentos are sweet and rather mild, so they don't hold up against other peppers on the Scoville Scale, but their flavor still makes up for it. For some bizarre reason I can't explain, Pimentos are blue here on the satellite... must be a genetic thing?"🌶️
	Jalapeño"A Super Jalapeño will scorch through spices across the battlefield directly horizontally from it and clear the rows above and below it. Jalapeños are famous for their heat, but as a gardening expert, I can tell you that peppers can get way WAY hotter than them. The pepper's probably good 'nuff for cowards, I suppose."🌶️🌶️
	Habanero"A Super Habanero is rather explosive and burns just about everything on contact that isn't charred already. They can burn a 2x2 or 3x3 square of spices. Habaneros are super flavorful and make for wonderful hot sauce ingredients, and they have this really elegant look to them. I love gardening Habaneros for my wife Valerie Heartgold!"🌶️🌶️🌶️
	Savina"A Super Savina sizzles pretty much everything that can't withstand its heat, including burnt spices. Savinas are a really interesting pepper because they're not naturally grown in the wild, they were actually made from selective breeding. I'd say the experimentation worked though, these peppers are damn spicy and are some of my favs!"🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
	Malagueta"A Super Malagueta will eliminate whichever peppers you have the least of, which might lead to some interesting chain reactions if used well. These peppers are really spicy and leave a burning sensation on your tongue, they're some of the hottest around. Malagueta peppers work great as seasonings- they're much more interesting than Jalapeños!"🌶️🌶️🌶️
	Reaper"A Super Reaper can sizzle up someone up so horribly bad that they'll get burn up internally... I'd say by maybe 33%. There's a 5-second delay before it takes effect, so there's plenty of time to down some milk. It is one of the hottest peppers known to mankind and pretty darn hard to swallow, but if you can eat one and live... bravo to you!"🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
==Modes==
There are seven modes in Scoville Fever, which all test the player's skills in various ways through normal gameplay. The only exception is Cookout Mode, which follows a completely different style of gameplay and tells a slice-of-life story (when compared to the game's Story Mode, the game's main single-player campaign).
Story Mode 	
Story Mode is the primary single-player campaign of Scoville Fever. It's disguised as a Spice Festival competition that eventually unravels into something completely different. One by one, the player must take down competitors and recruit them, possibly recruiting more along the way if they desire. What the player needs to do is overwhelm the enemies' mouths as much as possible with spices, making them feel so burnt up inside that they cannot continue and must immediately surrender. They do this by making chains and combos with the spices they have on their playing field and using power-ups and dairy to prevent themselves from burning out. The spices get loaded with explosives when the player reaches the antagonist's lair and fights them and their cronies, so instead of trying to burn their mouths to the point of submission, they'll instead have to be burnt to submission themselves.
Depending on the chosen skill level, the direction of the game's plot changes and the difficulty curve changes in size. Only "Normal", "Easy", and "Hard" are available at the start. Getting all the True Endings for these skill levels will unlock "Finale", the last one, which leads to the game's ultimate conclusion. To receive a True Ending, don't lose any of your characters to permadeath.
For a proper strategy guide, check here.
Competition Mode	
In Competition Mode, the player can duke it out against a CPU or against a fellow human player. The objective in Versus Mode is to overwhelm the enemy so much with spices that they burn up and are forced to surrender. All 21 playable story mode characters are selectable for Competition Mode, although the difference is entirely cosmetic and left to the player's personal preference. By pressing both shoulder buttons and holding down and the green action button (this combination is told when receiving Finale Mode's true ending), the player can access 14 extra characters, including Kýrios, Gonzalo, Ms. Replicate, Mallory, and all of their cronies.
The player can edit the game's ruleset too to switch things up; they can change whether certain mechanics are on or off, turn on handicaps for either player, and if against a computer player crank up the skill level.
Time Attack Mode	
Time Attack Mode can be played either completely solo or against someone else. The objective is to rack up as many points as possible within a time limit, whether it's to beat one's personal score or to prove which player is most proficient at scoring. The time limit is two minutes by default, but it can be shortened or stretched out as desired (up to 10 minutes). If "Super Spices" show up, their respective powerups won't trigger if they're destroyed, but rather they'll add plenty of points to the player's total so they remain worth destroying. As with Competition Mode, the player can select whichever character they want, but it doesn't matter that much.
The time limit can be adjusted as mentioned, but the player can also choose a skill setting. If on Easy Mode, the playing ground field won't burn up as fast and dairy is cheapter. If on Hard Mode, it's the opposite.
Endless Mode 	
In Endless Mode, the objective is to achieve the best possible score before the player receives a game over from having their playing field burn up. The longer the player manages to stay alive, the easier it becomes for the playing field to blacken out and burn up. It's practically the polar opposite of Time Attack Mode conceptually. But just like that mode, getting a game over will have the game save the player's score and encourage them to try and beat it. The player's chosen character will sit next to the playing field, with their expression changing based on how well the player is doing. Upon a game over they'll quip something- it gets better the better you do!
The player can adjust the skill setting to choose how they want to do Endless Mode. The skill setting determines how quickly the playing field burns, how expensive dairy products are, and whether or not Reapers get added to the mix.
Big Boss Mode 	
Big Boss Mode is probably the ultimate conclusion you can take Scoville Fever's gameplay to. It's somewhat like Competition Mode since the player has to face up against an enemy and take them down, but this time the enemy has a huge health bar and can hijack the playing field at random points. It's possible to stun them by hitting them with strong enough combos and chains, with bigger chain reactions keeping them down longer. It's possible to telegraph what they're going to do next so that the player doesn't spend as much time suffering, but watch out- they can (temporarily) do the following: raise dairy prices, increase offense and defense, or bombard the playing field with burning weapons.
Depending on the chosen skill setting, the boss might not give themselves as many advantages or they might go overboard with them. Beating a boss will result in the player receiving a time; try to beat your personal best!
Cookout Mode 	
Cookout Mode is very different from the rest of the gamemodes, as it isn't a puzzle game at all. Rather, it is a Cooking Mama-inspired mode where the player takes control of Silver Zin and aids Syinara Wyne with preparing spicy dishes wile Syinara handles tasks like baking pastries churning butter. Silver is left to prepare peppers, saute them, and spice up dishes. Sometimes Syinara will be a bit busier than usual and Silver will have to help handy non-spicy tasks as well. By using the shoulder buttons, the player can switch screens to handle different tasks, with exclamation marks appearing when something needs immediate attention. With each successful recipe made, the next day becomes immediately accessible and Silver will have to cook something a little bit harder 'till he makes it through all 30 challenges. Completed challenges can be accessed from the mode's menu, and the game saves with each victory.
Silver and Syinara occasionally converse as a challenge progresses. Syinara is cheerful and pleased when you're doing well, and a bit panicky and nervous if you're doing poorly. She'll get mad if you're not trying whatsoever, though.
Training Mode 	
Finally, in Training Mode, the player will be instructed by Silver in how to play the game. He'll give them five lessons, which will aid the player in learning what they need to know (hopefully):
*How to Play: Silver will teach the player how to play the game, will give them an in-depth or summarized version of how the game works (depending on the player's choosing), and will examplify how to make chains and combos work.
*The Mechanix: Silver will show the player how to handle the heat of their playing board, show how all of the different power-ups work, and go a bit more in-depth on how the Skill settings work and all.
*Tips & Tricks: Silver will show the player how to make use of the game's mechanics to their fullest potential, allowing them to score masses of points and thus deal a lot of damage in battle. Very handy for beginning players.
*Game Modes: Here, Silver will teach the player what each of the game's modes are and how to win in each of them. He quips, "As for training... well, if you can stand me, you're already winning here!"
*Lore: Silver will give the player a summarized version of COLD❄BLOOD, jokingly reading the official TimeStrike website's description for the game. He'll joke, "We'll be here for a while, so don't be embarrassed to back out..."
==Characters==
===Mandatory Recruits===
There are twelve mandatory characters for the player to battle and recruit as Genesis (who is the game's thirteenth default character), the main protagonist of Scoville Fever's story mode. Every character that gets recruited can be used immediately for the player's next match. If the player loses as any character, excluding Genesis, they will be wiped from the player's team permanently for the rest of the campaign. If the player runs out of characters they can use for battle, it is game over. If Genesis is defeated, they'll rejoin by next round if the player is still alive, as they're vital to the game's story.
<tabber>M= Genesis|-|F= Genesis</tabber>	
"Hey you, welcome to the family! I'm gonna assume you like spice festivals, yeah? Well, feel free to come 'round here and try to win the grand prize- a single day as the satellite's king/queen! Don't be nervous, we're all here to cheer you on and have fun, it's not like someone's going to ruin our day right now or anything. My name is Syinara Wyne, but you can just call me Syi if you want! Why don't you tell me your name?"
You: "It's [Genesis]..."
"Well, it's nice to meet ya, Genesis! Good luck out there, alright?"
Note: You can record your own lines for Genesis.
 Silver 	
"Silver's a devious punk known for his daredevil stunts and annoying little pranks, spending much of his time making trouble or drinking the nights away. But he's a good person at his core, he doesn't wanna hurt anyone and just wants a grand time. Publicly he likes to display he's got a huge ego and likes to taunt people into playing his games, and he (annoyingly) likes to keep this image up around people he dislikes. In private though, he's a really sympathetic down-to-earth man that listens to you and tries to help you however he can. All I really know about him besides his personality is that he's an amnesiac that apparently isn't native to this satellite... I hope he discovers the answers to his past soon! By the way, I love gardening with him..."
:When selected: "I was dying to have a go!"
 Valerie 	
"Valerie is a glorious superstar and is the single most recognizable citizen from our satellite. She owns the company Valco, which produces everyday products for us and ensures we have constant access to food, water, and shelter. Many people recognize her as the mayor of New Naxaz City, some see her as a really talented prima donna, and I recognize her as my lovely wife. Valerie holds a massive net worth, but believe me when I say she's really generous and willing to help out the people that have helped her rise to the very top. And mind you, she doesn't really like having so much fame- sometimes she wishes her parents didn't neglect her because she could've lived a perfectly fine ordinary life. But she's fine being where she is today!"
:When selected: "This queen's gonna slay!"
 Scotch 	
"Scotch might be one of the unluckiest people to have ever lived on our satellite. Sometime in his mid-teens, someone killed his parents and home in an arson incident, and his father's responsibilities were prematurely passed upon him. That abrupt change in his life would mold him into a resilient and bitter man that felt like he was robbed of his childhood and the chance to become the veterinarian he's always wanted to be. He struggles a lot with alcohol, I've heard him have many drunk fights with Val before, he really finds it hard to keep himself in control and sometimes resorts to violence to deal with his issues. And it's a shame, because when he's not shattering glass, I know he can be a great person underneath."
:When selected: "Don't let your guard down."
 Syinara 	
"Syinara (or Syi) can be rather cranky around strangers or people she doesn't like, but that's just because some asshat decided it'd be fun to cheat on her. Really, if you show yourself as a sincere and show your generosity, you two will become friends fast. Her duty is to serve as Satellite 15's "Mother Nature", meaning that she has to regularly help keep nutrients spreading around the soils of the satellite, but most of the time she's just gardening and selling off dozens of varieties of plants. Social gatherings, including parties, give her a lot of anxiety so she just tries to hang out alone back home when she can. If you wanna give her a shot as a friend, just open up your heart. Can you just believe I had to describe myself in the third person?"
:When selected: "Gonna bring home the bacon today!"
 Pierce 	
"I don't think I'm ever going to know why Pierce is so stingy about discussing his past, but I'm just going to assume there's a lot of unfinished business. Pierce is a bit quirky and even a little sensitive, but generally an alright guy that just tries to be the voice of reason in a group. He's never been one for drama or the news of the world, he just wants to chill and hang out with his boyfriend Silver. Pierce has some strange genetics- I mean, he can use psychic powers through his palms and split himself into a dozen personalities, but he is so troubled physically that he cannot move himself around unless he's using his mind to hold himself up. If you see Pierce next, tell him he won't be lurking in the dark forever, and hug him please."
:When selected: "Looks like my time has come."
 Devina 	
"Satellite 15's got some dangerous supernatural creatures haunting it, so Devina's taken it upon herself to go exterminate as much ghost vermin as she can to reverse the disaster her grandfather somehow started. She's a bit abrasive and snarky and a bit of a crybaby (sorry) when things don't go her way, but when you don't get on her nerves she's pretty alright to be around I suppose. She has a strange friend named Black Eyes, who's apparently a robot haunted by a supernatural spirit that likes to say and do stupid things. I don't mind Black Eyes that much since he does know how to balance out Devina's short temper, but he can be a little gross I'm not even going to lie. I've heard they don't have a healthy relationship..."
:When selected: "Watch me come out swingin', Black Eyes!"
 Crymsia 	
"Make no mistake, Crymsia is a really intimidating and threatening warrior that you shouldn't ever underestimate. You could call her the Nature Warrior, but it's really clear they're the same person no matter how much she tries to convince us otherwise. Crymsia is a very cynical lady that's just not a lot of fun to hang out with when you can't vibe with her, she usually wants to be alone. All I really know about her is that she is an effective authority figure and a notoriously prolific hard drinker. But so much of her threatening vibes tear away when she's drunk... she almost becomes a wholly new person, dancing and laughing and playing even the most adventurous games of Spin the Bottle. She's fun then, I think!"
:When selected: "I won't lose to the likes of you."
 Zonas 	
"You really have to feel pity for Zonas, a justice-driven man whose every move has been tracked by his horrifyingly terrible family of demons that want him dead. He's taken it upon himself to clean Old Naxaz City of the crimes his family committed there, and has been working full-time as an officer ever since. The authorities actually believe he's a criminal with the rest of his family, so he dyed his hair blue and changed his name from Jones to Zonas. Zonas has really poor self-esteem as a result of all of this, but he's doing OK in his poly relationship with Sinicini and Adexene and he's managed to keep up a nice public image for some time now. He's a bit of a worrywart and a s-s-stutterer, but he's a chill friend."
:When selected: "Gonna have to stop you right there!"
 Oyster 	
"Oyster's an adorable shortstack bartender that runs the Moore Lounge in the ever-busy downdown district of New Naxaz City. Oyster is a paranoid mess though and tends to act rather shaky much of the time, you'd never want her to be the one pouring your coffee. Still, I respect her a lot as a bartender, she knows exactly how she wants her tavern to be run and will break away from her shyness to protect it or do something really important for it. Oyster's not all that easy to communicate with, but I've seen her overcome her fears before and have wonderful conversations with me. She loves to talk about the seas, the oceans, and extraterrestrial life. I hope that she keeps doing well, I worry about her sometimes admittedly."
:When selected: "I'm n-not afraid of you! P-Prepare to lose!"
 Minute 	
"You know, I didn't actually believe optimism actually existed on the satellite until Minute came along. He's so determined and brave, trying so hard to come up with ways to make the satellite's people happier than ever. Minute likes to brag about whatever he's accomplished a lot, showcasing himself without giving a damn whether you like it or not. Maybe the only thing I don't like about him is that he just acts really quirky around depressed people and can get angry with them if they don't quickly rise up again. Still, Minute's a good-natured man, always willing to help his friends and try to make the place better. I just hope he grows out of the mentality where the universe would be a better place if we all just stopped worrying.."
:When selected: "You dare challenge me, your excellence?"
 Vizole 	
"Vizole is a ridiculously attractive siren, even to me, you just cannot help but glance at his gorgeous body and his perfect hair. Sorry, did I get off track a bit? He's a problematic fave for me, since he's eaten dozens of people on the satellite, but I'm willing to look past that since he was living in a tank and had limited communications in his youth. What you should really know about Vizole though is that he's a really gifted poet and an accomplished guitarist, he is a one-man army for any band because he can handle any instrument and make catchy rhythms just by clicking them out with his tongue. I've been around him a fair bit, he's very nice and even lets you help him write up some songs if you're close enough..."
:When selected: "You can try your best, but you'll go down with the rest~"
 Noise 	
"Noise is one of the satellite's leading nurses and a major player in the field of medicine right now, but to be honest I've never really liked her. She's really helped make the satellite a better place, we have so many cures to things we couldn't have had cures for without her, but she is REALLY bipolar and hard to hang out with when she's pissed off or love-drunk out of her mind. I don't know much about what goes on in the Hospital Wing, she implies plenty of horrible things happen there when she's alone with Ms. Replicate and a select few cronies of hers, but wouldn't tell me because she was paranoid of the consequences. I try to stay away from her, but I hope she gets to find the peace she needs to live a good life."
:When selected: "I advise you to watch your tongue, mmm..."
===Optional Recruits===
There are two/four/eight additional characters (depending on the skill setting) the player can battle and recruit along the way, but only if they wish to challenge them. They can be recruited if the player bests them, but if not, the player will be forced to move on. They effectively serve as extra lives for the game's final challenges. In fact, having all 20 characters will unlock the potential for the player to see the true ending of the story path they're on, and they'll unlock those paths' respective final bosses. Extra characters appear in the same order, but rarely in the same spots for the next campaign.
 Shredder	
"Honestly, I know next-to-nothing about this Shredder person, but I never really knew what to make of him. I've known him for working for this shady Gonzalo character, but he never really bothered looking that invested in the stuff his boss did. He's occasionally give his boss high praise, but then I hear him mumbling under his breath afterward? Besides his troubled career, I also know he loves to go to parties and remember him being quite the womanizer around my wife. He is also somewhat deceitful and has tricked some of my friends many times into believing things that turned out to be glorified fables later. It's hard to give much of an opinion about Shredder since I don't really talk to him much, but I hope to get to know him more personally one of these days."
:When selected: "Better pray your skills are rich enough to knock me down!"
 Azrail	
"I really find most geniuses to be really annoying egotistical brats, but Azrail's pretty different from the rest. You can't help but love him, he's a dork whose inventions usually blow up in his face or turn out to be pretty useful after all! Well, I guess he used to be kinda a creep around women, but I'd say he's changed his ways and gotten his reputation successfully fixed up since. He's somber and honest and those are qualities I really admire about him, it's easy to get along with him these days. He's also wildly active in the feminist movement and I think that's neat. I hope he finds the woman he's looking for in his life, I know what his past was like - his father was a really bad man - he deserves someone that can help pull him through the tough times."
:When selected: "I've got a dozen strategies made just for you..."
 Whiskey	
"Don't mess with Whiskey! This fiercely independent lady can deliver quite the wallop and smash anyone's skull with her bare knuckles. Her strength is very apparent, but I think what makes me like Whiskey so much is just how optimistic and courageous she is, she'll help out anyone that needs the aid and I think that's really admirable. Whiskey loves to talk though, so when I hear her chatter for a while she begins to grate on my ears a little, but that's just a small price to pay in the end since she's such a good-hearted person. I don't think you can say that about most Texans. She works two jobs, one as a wrestler and one as a farmer. I'm willing to put up with her chatter if it gets meaning to farm with her, because she's really fun to farm with."
:When selected: "Yeehaw! It's clobberin' time, mates!"
 Junkhead	
"I don't always get a chance to hang out with Junkhead, but whenever I do, it always winds up being a blast! He's maybe the funniest person I've ever gotten to know, he's got a really unapologetically dirty sense of humor and he always feels such GREAT passion for the things he cares about... even when he's just rambling about how great his drugs are. I usually prefer to have friends that are understanding and relatable, but Junkhead is so darn funny to me that I think that alone makes him a great friend. Plus he never really likes to hurt anyone, he's just there to party and get so high until he passes out (which can take a long, long time). Maybe the best thing about him is that he never, ever judges anyone... so as long as they don't judge him."
:When selected: "BOOYAH! Let's f***ing rumble, you foolish b*****d!"
 Sinicini	
"Admittedly I don't like Sinicini that much, I think her sugar sweet personality is a bit much for me. She's harmless and all, she does bring smiles to people's faces and does a fine job running her convenience store, but I can't help but feel a little rattled by her pearly white grins. It might because she twitches a lot when she drinks too much coffee or if she's asked something she doesn't know how to answer... sometimes I've talked to her about something and she'd start talking really fast and putting me down. I've heard from Noise that she has some mental disorders, and if that's the case, I wish her the best with coping with 'em. Don't let me deter you from being around her though, just keep some things in mind when you're around her."
:When selected: "Let's dance, cutie!"
 Hector	
"I haven't talked much to Hector, but I think he's a pretty neat person overall. The best way I can describe him? I'd say he's like a fusion between Whiskey and Junkhead- he's got the chatterbox personality of the former, and the humor and wit of the latter. He's, uh, very narcissitic, madly in love with himself and his looks. But he's also very affectionate to men and women in his crew and he holds a kinda loose poly relationship with a bucnh of 'em. He's also a really fascinating, excellent artist that paints lovely (and detailed) images. By the way, he's the captain of the S15 Shooting Star (a huge battleship!) and commands a crew to destroy enemy ships. I can't say I like him much though, he annoys me a little with how he never shuts up."
:When selected: "Arrrr! If ya lose, yer gonna walk the plank!"
 Millicent	
"Millicent's the commanding admiral of the Satellite 15 fleet, being Hector's commander and being wholly responsible for all the satellite's battles on the outside. She's carefree, energetic, and painfully snobby and egotistical. Though, she's rather fun to hang out with as long as you're on her side, as she really sounds like she's not afraid of anything and loves to hand out words of encouragement when she can. As icing on the cake, she's quite the gorgeous bombshell and is more than happy to share her secrets. I've learned a lot about how to make my hair look nice thanks to her! She's best to see on television though, where they broadcast her battles... and she really shows just how dominant and fierce she is on air, no matter who she's up against! An admirable woman."
:When selected: "Only fools would dare the admiral to compete with them!"
 Dream Weaver	
"I can't say I really know anything about the Dream Weaver personally, since I've never met him, so I'm going off of Silver's words. He's a really stressed-out white mage that monitors the 'Realm of Dreams' and tries to make sure everyone's dreaming what they're supposed to be dreaming. His job's a bit tricky, since he doesn't want nightmares to happen to the people that don't deserve 'em, but he's also gotta punish the really bad people that dreaming about doing terrible things and getting away with them. He clones himself and controls dreams from every corner of the universe and from what Silver says he really hates doing it. He hasn't had a break in so long; he hasn't eaten in so long nor had an ounce of coffee to drink. I pity this poor man!"
:When selected: "I'm your worst nightmare, just so you know."
===Boss Characters===
Depending on the difficulty setting chosen for Scoville Fever, the circumstances and plotline of the story are changed to accommodate for a different antagonist. There are four skill levels, namely Normal, Easy, Hard, and Finale, which respectively pit the player against Kýrios, Gonzalo, Ms. Replicate, and Mallory. Note that this section of the page will only cover the main antagonists, not their associates.
 Kýrios	
"Kýrios is the satellite's lord, so he's responsible for keeping the satellite stable and a safe place to be in. Uh, he has trouble processing thoughts and emotions, so he often relies on Zodiez to read out things to him and help him process what things mean. He looks scary and intimidating, but he is anything but- he loves everyone and just wants to make the satellite a great place to live in. And with Zodiez's help, I'd say he's been pretty successful! He might be a bit loose in the head, but he really means well and he'll even speak up if he feels like things aren't gonna change if he doesn't bring his voice out. He's usually the main host of the Spice Festivals and likes to challenge people to best him if they win the festival... it's always exciting!"
:When selected: "Ready be Kýrios, darling!"
 Gonzalo	
"Gonzalo is, pardon my french, an absolute piece of s***. He's a real scumbag that tricks people into giving him money and he treats absolutely nobody with dignity OR honor. He just exists to make life miserable for the rest of us. If I remember correctly, he sees women as "mere objects" and children as "able slaves". Gonzalo's a huge creep too, the man has cheated several times on his girlfriends (including my wife several years back...) and has been a really terrible father for his son Azrail. So when this f***ing man has the nerve to crash the festival and turn it into one of his disgusting schemes, you know that he's not a threat you should take lightly. You think you can help me and my friends out by breaking his f***ing spine, or what?"
:When selected: "A real man like myself would never lose to you."
 Ms. Replicate	
"Ms. Replicate isn't what I'd call a fantastic person, she's a really problematic monster that's abused her friends and stressed out dozens upon dozens of innocents with her inane experiments. She holds nothing but contempt and hatred for the human race and I don't think she's going to get much better anytime soon. Maybe the thing I dislike most about her is how deceitful and unhonest she is, and if you know me, you know I hate liars. But of all the people Silver could have chosen to love, I wouldn't have expected Replicate to be one of his first picks. I hold a lot of doubt for her wellbeing, but I hope Silver can save her because he always does seem to be happy with her. But that said, she's poisoned our festival... think you can help out?"
:When selected: "Looks like it's time for your checkup!"
 Mallory	
"Mallory might be the single most terrifying person I've ever gotten to talk to. Gonzalo might be a much worse creep, but Mallory is just... so unsettling to me. She's a lot like her brother Silver, they really have plenty in common, but she's so unstable and ferocious. From what I've been told by her second-in-command, the Leper Messiah, she's really abusive to everyone back home because she doesn't know how to handle her depression or strong grudge against Silver. I almost feel bad for her in a way because she has done some generally nice things... maybe I'm just the only one that notices her occasionally donating money and healing the injured. But she must be stopped from doing the bad things she does- and we really, REALLY need your help."
:When selected: "You're going straight to hell!"
==Trivia==
*This project went under a lot of names and concepts. It began as a summer-themed racing game called WARM🔆BLOOD, but it'd eventually get cranked down in scope and size every time Athena returned to the idea of making a smaller-scale COLD BLOOD game.
*Scoville Fever is TimeStrike's first and only puzzle game.
Category:COLD❄BLOOD
Category:Puzzle Games
Category:Original Games
Category:Games