Some highlights of the year

making a list of types of actions you can create in rpg maker 2003 for my own sake so i can more easily design monsters but i might honestly eventually post it somewhere because people REALLY dont get how deep this thing can get, especially since all the most popular games made with it really just throw enemies at you that do basic attacks and skills and thats it. like damn i love OFF so much i wish the combat wasnt extremely boring

for example every action lets you turn on or off a switch after its used, and you can set it up so that certain moves can only be used if a switch is on or off, so you can easily set up enemy combo moves. like an enemy that follow up every basic attack with a specific spell! or big magic attacks that get telegraphed a few turns earlier! or an enemy that keeps switching between defending and attacking so you have to time your commands! the possibilities are endless, and i havent even gotten into all the other conditions, like attacks that only happen if the total party HP is low/high, attacks that only happen when the enemy is alone/in a group, shit like that. you can do SO MUCH without even using events man its awesome

Remember RPG Makers? These were a thing.

     Good morning to the two or three people who have enough patience to read my longer posts. It's 7AM and I am bored to death whilst waiting for my classes to start, so perhaps I should write something here in order to kill time.

     So allow me to introduce you to the wild world of RPG maker games.

     Back in the early years of the 21st century, turn-based RPG games were kind of a big thing, especially Japanese ones. I am not sure if they're still as famous as they are now, since every single game developing company seems to have migrated to the world of consoles whilst I'm still stuck in my five-year old laptop playing old browser games and writing pointless stuff on Tumblr. Anyway, back in the early 2000s, a certain software for the specific purpose of creating your own RPG game was released on the internet. I believe it was called RPG Maker 2000? 2003? I cannot recall properly and the cafeteria WiFi fucking sucks. Unlike the other game developing softwares of its time, the RPG maker possessed a rather simple design with easy-to-use functions and features, pretty much allowing for anyone to create their own homemade version of Final Fantasy. It was also mod-friendly, and soon enough, a shitton of forums were being created with the purpose of sharing different codes and add-ons to the world.

     As the years passed, more apps with similar purposes started to become more famous on the internet, most of which were made for the specific purpose of creating an easy-to-play, turn-based RPG game, with its own battle system and several built-in character models. I obviously can't name them all, but the most famous ones are (or at least used to be) RPG Maker 2000, RPG Maker 2003, RPG Maker Wolf, RPG Maker XP and RPG Maker VX. You can still easily buy them online, and they were popular enough for several pirated versions to pop up as well.

     But as is usually the case with humans, we will find a different use for an old tool if enough time passes. An axe can also be used for war. A knife can be used for cooking. And the RPG maker softwares could also be used to create other kinds of videogames.

     I don't remember exactly when, but at some point, people started creating non-RPG games using these apps - mostly horror games, with the occasional puzzle/sci-fi game thrown in. Perhaps you've heard of Yume Nikki, that one game about the mute girl with bizarre-ass nightmares. The models were still rpg-like, the interface was still there, but the battle system had been neglected in favour of building a scary atmosphere. I don't know if Yume Nikki was the first game to do this, but after a while, a lot of people started taking advantage of the intuitive nature of the RPG Maker apps to create their own games - most of which had nothing to do with turn-based fantasy adventure at all. RPG Maker stopped becoming just a bunch of random apps and started to evolve into a genre of its own.

     I still remember my first introduction to this kind of videogame. Back when I was eleven or twelve, my home was… How do you say it in English? Being rebuilt? Reformed? They were building a new floor and repainting old rooms and shit. Since I was - and still am! - allergic to paint (and pretty much anything with a strong smell that isn't food), I was basically stuck in my mum's bedroom for the better part of that year, from the moment I arrived from school to the next morning when I returned to it, with virtually no one to keep me company aside from my old laptop. I've had a deep love for videogames since I was a young child, but since my mum wouldn't let me download anything on her PC, I could only play browser games like Fireboy and Watergirl and Papa's whatever. But when I was ten, things changed: I got my very own laptop, as well as both the curse and the blessing of unrestricted internet access. But even then, I was too scared to actually download anything - I once tried to pirate a copy of Plants vs Zombies and ended up with a bunch of shitty porn ads and fucking Yahoo Search as my default browser. 

     (I know pirating is wrong, but it's as normal as taking a shower where I'm from. I haven't met a single young person who hasn't torrented a movie or videogame in my life)

     Back then, I was really into horror games, but was too scared to play them myself, so I stuck with watching random gameplays on YouTube because things became far less terrifying when a white twink is getting a jumpscare alongside you. There was this youtuber guy I was somewhat into, but I wouldn't have called myself a fan. I liked his jokes and the games he played more than anything else about him.

     Sorry if I keep getting sidetracked. I feel like a retired sailor rambling about his misadventures back in the golden age of piracy. Anyway, this youtuber guy was playing a game called Ib. A simple horror RPG game about a girl that gets stuck in a haunted museum. I freaking loved the game from the start and longed for him to finish it. But after like, five episodes of gameplay, he released a. video saying his PC broke and he had lost all his save files, including the one from the game I liked.

     Eager to see the game's ending, I tried to find another gameplay video, but the game wasn't really that famous in my country back then, and as a kid, I only had a faint grasp in the English language. So after a while, I decided to download the game and finish it myself. But since I knew next to nothing about that, I had to first download this WinRAR thing and learn to extract a .rar file. Wasn't that hard, honestly.

     I remember being overwhelmed by anxiety every time I played that goddamn game. I kept thinking something would jump from the screen, even though the graphics were rather primitive and I was in no real danger to speak of. But the fear didn't stop me, I liked the plot too much to give up on it. So after a while, I finished the game. And I hated it, because I had accidentally made the worst ending possible because of a wrong decision halfway through the gameplay. So I gave it a second try. Then a third. And it quickly became one of my favourite videogames of that year.

     After getting bored of Ib, I started to look for similar games. I urged for something that could scratch that same itch, you know?  So I stumbled upon this horror blog that was full of translated RPG maker games. And that was my introduction to the genre.

     If this wasn't already clear, I was a very anxious kid. I loved horror stories, but reading even a single one made me paranoid for like a week. Playing a horror game felt like the terrifying anticipation before getting an injection, except it lasted hours instead of minutes. And I would scream my lungs out every time a jumpscare came up. But I loved those games so much I pretty much forced myself into overcoming my fears in order to finish them. One of the games I still remember perfectly was Headless Prisoner, about this girl who is trapped in an abandoned prison full of decapitated corpses. It had a shitton of moments where a monster would chase the main character and you had to either hide somewhere or make them lose you, and these made my heart feel like it was about to explode. I still get a little bit uncomfortable when these scenes show up nowadays, but holy shit, it was so much worse back then.

     I don't know if I have already mentioned this - but if you've read my previous posts, I'm sure you have already figured it out -, but I really like writing and making up random stories. In my early teens, one of my dreams was to become a manga author (even though I wasn't even into drawing - go figure), and I tended to take inspiration from the games I played and anime I watched. But since most of the games I played were horror games, the inspiration didn't really fit with the fantasy-shounen-magical-girl-esque vibe of my old stories.

     All of that changed when I stumbled upon Deep-Sea Prisoner's games.

     They are so fucking cool. I loved them so much. It was the perfect mixture of horror, fantasy, magical girls and weird shit I had ever seen, at least back then. It was a collection of four games (and three mangas, though I haven't read them entirely) that take place in a shared universe, with subtle clues linking everything together. The first one I played was The Grey Garden, which was about this crazy war between angels and demons which resulted in a peace treaty before the story began - well, until a bunch of evil demons from another dimension show up and start destroying shit. Also most characters are lesbians with magical powers. Which is really awesome.

     There is also Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea, which is one of my favourite videogames to this day. It's about a witch who lives in an underwater kingdom inhabited by fishmen and is in love with an emo shark. Every citizen of the kingdom is a humanoid version of some random sea creature, like an anglerfish or an octopus, which is freaking awesome. Then they go to war against this empire of evil talking rabbits and mercenary demons led by a spoiled princess and a cyborg. Then some truly bizarre things happen.

     I know when I say it like this, it doesn't sound that interesting - in fact, I'm somewhat inclined to believe I wouldn't really like these games if I played them for the first time at my current age -, but for twelve-year old me, laying in a cold bed enclosed in the darkness of a bedroom that wasn't really mine, they were basically heroine. Back then, every setting I created had to have angels, demons and witches as the three main races because that's just how the games had done it. It was like my Lord of the Rings or something like that.

     On a sidenote, I recently learned that Deep-Sea Prisoner is a woman. I thought she was, like, an old man. It sounds weird, but her most famous game - Mogeko Castle - is literally about a bunch of evil anthropomorphic cat-things who want to do... unspeakable things to a teenage girl. And Wadanohara… Well, I won't spoil it, but there is a reason why some people compare it to Berserk. With that aside, all the games I mentioned are cool as fuck.

     As my emo years rolled by, I remember trying to create an RPG maker game of my own. I came up with this plot about a girl who tried to resurrect her girlfriend by selling her soul to a demon - because there had to be demons - in exchange for her life. The spell worked, but the main character realised she could neither feel any sort of love towards her gf or any kind of feeling at all - they were all gone the moment she sold her soul. I never got too far on the coding part, but I remember there would be two endings and a secret one where she regains her soul. I don't think I'm ever going to finish that game.

     There is so much more I could write about this random-ass subgenre that no one has cared about for a long time, but my fingers are getting sore from typing this down. So here is a list of my favourite RPG maker games of all time (aside from the ones mentioned above, of course):

Mad Father: That one's a classic. A horror game about the daughter of a mad scientist who's haunted by the ghosts of his former patients. I love the graphics and the plot, but I really hate the true ending. I'm not telling why, though. Play it yourself!

The Crooked Man: I love all the Strange Man series games, and this is the first one of the trilogy. It's a rather generic ghost story about a guy who moves into a haunted apartment. All the subsequent entries fall into a similar plot - but what makes them great are the characters. They almost feel like real people.

Turtle Head Unmasked: A bunch of highschool kids trying to track down a serial killer. Kinda like Scooby Doo, but with lesbians.

Cloé's Requiem: Another somewhat common ghost story that evolves into something greater. The soundtrack is also amazing.

Moonlight Ghost: A reverse horror game where you play as the ghost and it's your goal to scare as many people as possible.

To the Moon: Perhaps one of my favourite video games in existence. I won't spoil you the plot or anything. Just play it. Play the sequels too.

The Witch's House: It has so many jumpscares and so many death scenes that the whole thing stops being scary and becomes a straight up rage game. Still, the plot is kinda cool.

Pocket Mirror: I still don't really know what this game is about. I don't even remember finishing it. But I like the vibe it gives.

KAIMA: Demons and battles and crazy stuff. A rather short one, though.

Meduka Megik Girls: I like this game more than I like the original anime. It's like an RPG version of the Meguca video.

Imaginary Friends: A horror game about a chronically online girl with no friends that gets stuck inside her own thoughts. I think lots of people here can relate to that.

LiEat: A talking dragon who feeds on human lies. I don't have much to say about it, it's just... Cool.

     Thank you for reading all of this! I hope you liked it. The McDonald's manager said she would call the cops if she saw me rambling to the cashiers again, so I'm gonna start writing my crazy thoughts here instead. Now like and subscribe and stuff. 

Name: Mechakoopa

Debut: Super Mario World

So a very polite anon has humbly requested we write a post about Mechakoopa! They are apparently this person's favorite, so today's their lucky day! See I don't like to brag but, I'd definitely consider myself as part of the top 100 most qualified people to talk about Mechakoopas in the world! And who am I to turn down such a request?

Now the 90s you see, were a turning point for good Mr. Bowser here. With a brand new clown-helicopter thing to pilot around you might think he's all set, but what kind of self-respecting villain would he be without filling his evil lair with a number of Evil Wind-up Toys based on himself? So he does exactly that- a whole fourteen years before Mario stole his idea, mind you!

Yes, you read that right! Despite their name, Mechakoopas are tiny mechanical versions of Big Bowser himself, not just any run of the mill Koopa, which explains their green heads and funky hair! You know how Koopa is actually Bowser's Japanese name? Yeah! They could've localized them as Mecha-Bowsers, but Mechakoopa just flows nicer doesn't it? And he is still technically a Koopa!

"Yo, somebody rang?"

No!! Not you, Mecha-Bowser from Super Mario Sunshine (2002)!! You'll get your turn eventually! Geez! Anyway. Where was I. Oh! Yes!

This is the obligatory part of the post where I'm like “Get a load of this funky guy”! Get a load of this funky guy! Instead of reinterpreting Bowser’s design very literally in toy form, the Mechakoopa is very much its own beast, with its funny beak and little funny legs. Our aforementioned anon mentioned the wind-up key, and oh, what a wind-up key it is! And of course the raisin d’eclair- the fantastic little googly eyes! Oh where would we be without those googly eyes?

Naturally though, Bowser doesn’t just use his toys to populate his spooky castle- he always has to keep a few on his person! So he chucks them at you in the game’s final boss fight, but he didn’t account for the fact that, in this game only, Mario can throw upwards! Oh no! His one weakness! Being pelted with plastic!

By the by, I’ve always thought the original Mechakoopa sprite from Super Mario World looked super funky! The hair almost looks like its on fire! And I like the goofy grin. 

The Super Mario World cartoon decided to interpret this sprite by turning him into a horrible little man. No, I don’t want this! He shouldn’t have arms!

The Mechakoopa’s next appearance in a mainline Mario platformer was in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where they act... exactly the same as they do in Super Mario World! Cool! This basically established them as modern Mario enemies, but there isn’t much to say other than that!

Like all our posts about Common Mario Enemies, it would probably be boring if I just listed off their every appearance, so I will just bring up the ones that are worth mentioning. For example, Super Mario RPG! In this game, Bowser’s strongest special attack is Bowser Crush, which summons a giant Mechakoopa to stop on foes! According to the Player’s Guide, this Mechakoopa was a top secret weapon developed by Koopa researchers... to stomp flowers and scare butterflies! Wow! That is so so evil! These big guys would definitely live up to the name “Mecha-Bowser”! 

“Hey guys, are you talking about me?”

NO, we are NOT talking about you, Mecha Bowser (with no hyphen) from Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003)’s Bowser’s Castle course! Get the heck outta here! Gosh, some people just don’t know when they’re not wanted!

I am sure after all this you are wondering, they may be mechanical toys but can they do math? The answer is yes obviously! This is Mechakoopa from Mario Party Advance, and they’re a mathematician! They invented Mechakoopa’s Theorem, the very real mathematical theorem that we all used in school! Everyone give them a round of applause!

I’d like to bring up their appearances in the Mario & Luigi games, not because it’s particularly notable, but because of how much I like their sprite and idle animation! Look at the wind-up key spin around and the eyes go up and down! So cute! Oh, and also because in the Superstar Saga remake they replaced the Mecha-Chomp enemies (may god rest their souls)!

Super Mario Maker 2′s final update was an epic win and a #1 victory royale for Mechakoopa fans anywhere, since it not only added Mechakoopas to all four main game themes, but also two brand new variants: the Blasta Mechakoopa (in red) and the Zappa Mechakoopa (in blue)! 

As you might expect, they can Blast (missiles) and Zap (lasers) respectively! I’ve no idea why they added these random functionalities to Mechakoopas specifically, but they’re a lot of fun and some of the most unique projectiles in the game! Zappa? I barely know ‘a! 

Oh, and I almost forgot! They are in Super Smash Bros. as well! Bowser Jr.’s moveset is a treasure trove of little references to Mario gadgets, and even though Bowser no longer tosses these guys from his Clown Car, his son has taken up the job! Only in this game, Mechakoopas explode. Uh oh! They didn’t do that before! Still, I really like popping a Mechakoopa out of its Mechakoopa Compartment just to see it wander around the stage. It’s fun!

Now that’s all I have to say about good old Mechakoopas, but I’d like to give a special shoutout to this guy in particular- the Micro Mecha-Bowser, from Super Mario Galaxy! For a long time, I assumed they were just Mechakoopas with a different design... But this definitely looks like a beefed up version of the Mechakoopa, with their big goofy teeth, their pig nose and their funky cross-hair eyes! These dudes can breathe fire too, so they really are more like Bowser! And if there’s a Micro Mecha-Bowser, there’s gotta be a normal one!

“Whassup? I heard somebody call my name!”

Harumph! Nobody called you, Mecha-Bowser from Super Mario Galaxy (2007)’s Toy Time Ga- Er... hold on a second. You actually are exactly the person I was talking about after all! My mistake! Though I do wish you’d at least give us a heads up when you’re gonna show up, given you’re the size of a small planetoid!

Yeah, the Micro Mecha-Bowsers are named after this big robot from Toy Time Galaxy, Mecha-Bowser (not to be confused with Mecha-Bowser or Mecha Bowser)! Though I have to say, there isn’t much family resemblance! He’s so blue and un-turtle like! Still, this must’ve been my favorite mission in Galaxy as a kid- I’d replay it over and over again just because the idea of climbing on a giant planet-sized robot and dismantling it piece by piece was so cool! It was like Shadow of the Colossus before I knew what the heck that was!

Well that’s about the extent of the Mechakoopa family. Isn’t it fun? There’s a moral to be learned here, and it’s that, uh... little wind-up toys are very charming! Um, I suppose. Look, writing conclusions is hard! 

Mechakoopa

November’s Featured Game: Grimm's Hollow

DEVELOPER(S): ghosthunter ENGINE: RPG Maker 2003 GENRE: Indie RPG, Adventure WARNINGS: Discussions of death, losing a loved one, grief SUMMARY: Grimm’s Hollow is a spooky, freeware RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother. Reap ghosts with your scythe, explore haunted caves, and eat ghostly treats on your journey through death.

Download the game here! Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *BB: My name's Bruno and I did some of the music along with Nat! I’m super happy to have participated in this game! *NW: I’m Nat Wesley, a.k.a. Natbird! I’m a composer available for hire with a few projects in the works. I’m honored to have had the chance to work on the soundtrack to Grimm’s Hollow! *GH: Hello! I go by ghosthunter online; I started developing RPGs with a friend in school when we found out that we both enjoyed RPG Horror. I enjoy art, webcomics, cartoons and narrative-driven indie games a lot. I bought RM2K3 on sale and started pouring pixel art into it, before learning how to do things like chase scenes, cutscenes, etc. I used to fantasize about making my own game, drawing dungeons and ghosts in the back of my sketchbooks, before I finally started Grimm’s Hollow. Now I’m near the end of high-school, and I’m hoping the best for uni!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *GH: Grimm’s Hollow, originally, wasn’t as ambitious or personal. It was simply just going to be “my first game”, something that I could finally put my doodles and RM2K3 skills to. I wanted a game that a younger me would have enjoyed, back when I first discovered the classic RPGMaker games and replayed them constantly for those endings. That was my initial inspiration. It eventually evolved into an action turn-based RPG that relies on timing, yet it’s mostly narrative-driven. You traverse death in search of your sibling, and try to make an escape. There are unexpected pieces of me that ended up in this game, some of which I’m still noticing even now.

How long have you been working on your project? *GH: Since the summer of June 2018.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *GH: Standstill Girl, OFF by Mortis Ghost, Undertale, Over The Garden Wall, and the animation medium in general.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *GH: Many! Making your first game is such a giant learning curve, that the list of challenges goes on. I would say that the most difficult issue I encountered (and that, in some ways, I am still facing after release) is working around the limitations of the game engine I am using. I wanted to see whether creating an engaging but simple 1-party RPG in RM2K3 (without going completely custom) was feasible, and I experimented with quick time events as part of that. I worked around the engine’s built-in formulae so players could see progress when they upgraded their stats - although the game might display as defence as “10”, in reality the game stores it as 40 since the engine splits defence by 4. Since I did not want to create an RPG which was too complex for my first game, I also scrapped traditional staples such as armour or weapons. There were also issues such as having an appropriate “game over” handling event which wouldn’t shoot you back to the title screen after you lost a battle; getting RM2K3 to play a small cutscene where you faint and respawn somewhere else was tricky. I felt that if the player had to reload after a loss, it would disrupt the game flow.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *GH: Like I mentioned before, the game started off impersonal. I just had a soft spot for a spooky cute aesthetic, and I wanted to indulge in that. It was (and in its essence, still is) meant to be a short story, to keep the player invested for the short game length - nothing grandiose. The original draft did not have Baker play a role in the narrative - he was just an ordinary shopkeeper NPC. For a long time during development, Lavender did not even have a name. In the very first draft, she was a silent protagonist the player could name and customize. But she played a very active role in the final outline, so it was hard not to give her own unique voice when one emerged from the narrative naturally. I am glad I did; she grew on me quite quickly! Grimm was virtually unchanged from beginning to end. The only difference was that a close friend suggested that he seemed like he would be into drinking Oolong tea - so that’s what he offers you when you meet him. Timmy also did not go under massive overhauls like Lavender and Baker did, but his relationship with Lavender became much more fleshed out as I wrote the narrative. In other facets of the game’s design, there were not many changes to the original prototype.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *GH: It was just myself, doing the art, writing, programming, etc. But halfway through creating the second cave, I realised I would need a very specific sound for Grimm’s Hollow. So, I contacted Nat for music, but I also created a post on tumblr calling for a composer since there were many tracks to make. I met Bruno as a result! I am very happy with their work and I am so grateful I’ve got to work with them! (Some players are asking for an OST release, which is in the works).

What is the best part of developing a game? *GH: I really enjoyed the early stages of development: creating new tilesets, sprites and maps and piecing them together in the editor, then taking a small screenshot and sharing it with my friend over summer vacation … It was nice to see the game’s world slowly come together. I think that’s what I enjoyed the most from beginning to end: that sense of world-building, that sense of relaxation from making a small cosy game. The latter started to disappear as work and other responsibilities started to intrude, and pressure began to seep into development time - but I never stopped loving making the world and characters. I also want to say that, by lucky chance, I have met a lot of kind people from making my first game. I’m very grateful for that, so thank you to everyone.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *GH: All the time! Other RPG Maker 2003 projects are great inspirations for pixel art tilesets, as well as how to code harder features such as custom menus. They’re also just fun to play.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *GH: Lavender and Timmy are relatable to me in multiple ways. I can’t elaborate on Timmy since that would go into spoiler territory, but I somewhat relate to Lavender’s insistence on managing her life on her own - sometimes to her own detriment. I’d say the most fun character to write for was Grimm. He can be unintentionally silly while speaking in the most formal way, but also very caring too. Everything he does and says was easy to write, whereas I had to think harder for the interactions between everyone else - especially for very crucial scenes regarding their development. That being said, my favourite is still the game’s central two siblings. I can not pick between them for the life of me.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *GH: I wish I started testing even earlier! Not only does it give you a good sense of what’s missing, but seeing people enjoy what you’ve made yet get hindered by bugs is a very strong incentive to fix your game immediately. When I was lacking motivation or was stuck, I found that good feedback and support made me motivated again. I also wish that I could have pushed the deadline a little further, or perhaps released the game on Early Access since it will take me a while to refine post-release bugs - but as it is, the 31st of October really was the deadline for my game due to external circumstances (no, that deadline wasn’t just because it was Halloween!). Other than that, I wonder if using an updated version of RPG Maker would have produced the same game …? It’s hard to tell, but I hope people enjoy it for what it is - I will be working on that post-release patch soon!

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *GH: There are no current plans, but I would be happy to have the opportunity to improve and expand on the game. As it is, the game’s released for free and done as a hobby, so I would struggle to do that by myself.

What do you most look forward to now that you have finished the game? *GH: Earlier on, I was really looking forward to players’ reactions. Games are made to be fun, and I would have felt distraught if my game didn’t achieve what it was set out to do. Yet it was not just about the gameplay; it was about the narrative. I hoped that what I found funny, the player would too; what was heartfelt to me, was heartfelt to the player as well. Like sharing a laugh, or just a good experience together. I hoped they would enjoy the feeling that went into it, despite the struggle of making it against circumstance and limitations. Now, I look forward to resting and sleeping once this over. I want to explore my other interests, improve, and explore new media. I want to relax, and refocus again like I was before the heat of development.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *GH: Bugs! Some are easy to fix, but others are harder due to the limitations of the engine (e.g an error in one ending is caused by an overflow error).

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *GH: Show your game as early as possible, to as many people as possible. As soon as you have something playable, it’s ready for feedback. You’ll see if that game mechanic you spent hours refining works, or if it doesn’t work and why. You’ll understand what players enjoy and what they want more of, but also what they don’t like or don’t enjoy. And you will definitely encounter bugs. You’ll be able to pinpoint and fix minor problems early on that can easily become a larger issue later. You’ll be able to fine-tune your game so its best bits shine, and the difficulty is just right.

Question from last month's featured dev @dead-dreams-dev: Is there anything you’ve added to your game for no other reason than because you’re hoping fans will get a kick out of it? Fanservice, fourth wall breakage, references to other games, jokes, abilities that are just ridiculously overpowered and badass, etc? *GH: It’s hard to say; game design is trying to find the intersection between what’s good for the player, what the developer enjoys, and what’s feasible to implement. Every decision made should be conscious of that … I think a lot of the game’s early light-hearted jokes was not only made because I enjoyed it, but I hoped the player would “get a kick out of it” too. But more so, I think it’s because I would struggle to write a story which is serious and bleak from beginning to end. The game is a little self-indulgent in the narrative that way.

We mods would like to thank ghosthunter & team for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Grimm's Hollow if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

Friday Special #7

January 9th, 2021

So it has come to my attention that when people talk about RPG Maker the series, many aren’t aware of how far back the series goes.

Did you know that series dates back to almost thirty years?

That’s right, next year will be the 30th anniversary of RPG Maker!

So why don’t we have a history lesson into arguably one of the most important franchises in gaming history?

Alright, where does the story begin for this iconic series?

According to sources, there has been games similar to RPG Maker that were made by ASCII (the original company behind RPG Maker) and that were released as far back as 1988, with the following titles:

Mamirin (1988)

Dungeon Manjirou (1988)

RPG Construction Tool: Dante (1990)

Dante 2 (1992)

Chimes Quest (1992)

The very first official RPG Maker title came in the form of RPG Tsukūru Dante 98, released on December 17, 1992. This game, along with its 1996 sequel RPG Tsukūru Dante 98 II, was originally made for the NEC PC-9801 Japanese home computers at the time. It was originally made when ASCII pulled from other games (listed above) and combined them together to create a RPG-making development title with its own toolkit. The genre of RPG specifically was thanks to the rise of JRPGs in recent years like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy to name a few. 

The next major release of RPG Maker was in the form of RPG Tsukūru: Super Dante in 1995, which marked the very first time that the series has landed onto a console. The console was the Nintendo Super Famicom and it was later broadcasted a year later using the Satellaview service. While it did exhibit some restrictions in terms of content due to system limitations, it was famous for providing hundreds of character, monster and scenery assets with color swap palettes to save on memory in the cartridge as well as designing the stats of characters and monsters pre-determined by the player. It was said that the game was popular with players but sources are limited about actual reviews. RPG Tsukūru 2 is the sequel and it was released in 1996 on the Super Famicom as well. 

Windows saw the release of the third installment with RPG Tsukūru 95, which was released in 1997 and was the first of many RPG Maker titles for Windows. Unlike its predecessors, it boasted higher resolution in sprites and tilesets as well as higher screen resolution. It also has the honor of being the first version to have an unauthorized English translation and release due to demand. Also with this version, the number of party members was boosted to 8 people with the first 4 acting as the main battle party. RPG Tsukūru 95 Value! was released not long after with the added bonus of having Windows XP support, which was new at the time and very valuable. 

So when did the West finally receive an official version version of RPG Maker?

On November 27, 1997, Enterbrain released the following title RPG Tsukūru 3 for the original Playstation and chose to release the software simply as RPG Maker in the West three years later on October 2, 2000 under Agetec. This was the first time the West would finally receive a version of RPG Maker and experience the magic of RPG development, but it was reported that a limited run of copies were released outside of Japan. It was also one of thirty games that utilized the now-rare Playstation Mouse (which is usually an arm and a leg to import). Players got to customize their own assets using the Anime Maker that was also built into the game and, like the original Super Famicom versions, utilized color-swap palettes to save on memory. Another cool feature that was a first for the series was saving your created game onto a memory card so that you could share your creation with your friends.

One of the most beloved and popular versions of RPG Maker is next on the list and it is RPG Tsukūru 2000 for Windows on April 5, 2000. Despite the popularity, it was Japan-exclusive and it featured a lower resolution for graphics and assets overall than its RPG Maker 95 predecessor. Despite this, it boasted more functionality with unlimited sprite sheets and tilesets.

The last in that trio was RPG Tsukūru 2003, first released only in Japan in 2003 before being released worldwide in 2015. Improvements to this version included the side-view battle system that was popular in Final Fantasy, and interchangeable resources. From this point, the development company Enterbrain would take over RPG Maker as it was part of the ASCII company. 

Starting with the released of RPG Tsukūru 5 on the Playstation 2 in 2005, Enterbrain was starting to look into developing the series for an international audience of players. They would beginning to craft titles that are now iconic in the RPG development community, with the first of these releases being RPG Tsukūru XP (RPG Maker XP as it was known world-wide) released on Windows in 2004. While many of the simplified features have been removed from this version, it was the first RPG Maker game to use Ruby, a type of programming language first seen in 1995, and it was the first title to distribute assets online amongst the community thanks to the rise of the Internet. It allowed greater control over sprite size other gaming aspects, which helped it become more versatile than previous titles. However, a drawback is the steep learning curve, which was intimidating to new players. It was released to Steam in 2015.

The next modern RPG Maker title was the release of RPG Tsukūru VX (RPG Maker VX as it was known world-wide) in Japan in 2007, world-wide in 2008. It has the one-up over XP for its more user-friendly layout and faster framerate of 60fps over XP’s 40 fps. The programming was completely done over to be more accessible in scripting and the battle systems were now similar to Dragon Quest with a front-view battle system and detailed text. Because of these aspects and other improved features, it became a popular choice for modern developers since release. However, one of the biggest drawbacks was the lack of support for multiple tilesets when mapping that frustrated players. It was released to Steam in 2016.

Right after that, RPG Tsukūru VX Ace (RPG Maker VX Ace as it was known world-wide) was a direct sequel to the version mentioned above. Described as an “overhauled version of RPG Maker VX”, it removed the multiple tileset issue that plagued players in the previous version and re-introduced battle backgrounds during battle scenes. Magic and skill systems were re-worked to have their own recovery and damage formulas in the programming, and a new set of music tracks were accompanied in the database files. It was released to Steam in 2012.

Having the distinction of being released by Degica for the first time world-wide, RPG Tsukūru MV (RPG Maker MV as known world-wide), underwent quite a few adjustments by introducing multiplatform support as well as side-view battles and high resolution features and assets. For the first time, JavaScript replaced Ruby as the default programming language. Players also saw the return of layered tilesets, which were missing from the previous installments. Not only was it released for Windows, but also for PS4 and Nintendo Switch (A XBox One version was planned but unfortunately scrapped), giving players new ways to share games. It was released to Steam in 2015.

The newest installment to the famous series is RPG Tsukūru MZ (RPG Maker MZ as known world-wide), and it was just released last year in August of 2020. Reviews for the game were mixed as players noted that the trailers leading up to release were very similar to RPG Maker MV. It did have some positively-received features such as autosave functionality and XP-style autolayer mechanics. It was released to Steam in 2020. 

So with the history side taken care of, what about some of the most iconic games ever made using the software?

Good question! Given the extensive list of successful games to come out of RPG Maker, that will be a separate Friday Special so I can cover them more in-depth. Maybe next week perhaps?

So there you have it, a comprehensive history of RPG Maker!

(Now, there were some older Japanese titles that weren't mentioned because of lack of sources, I do apologize. I also wanted to stick more to the major installments of the franchise itself.)

Thoughts From The Head

I was formally introduced to RPG Maker by some mutuals of mine on Discord a few years ago when I expressed interest in wanting to create scenes like a movie of sorts. My software of choice is RPG Maker VX Ace as it was suggested to me for being better at creating events than any other version. It's understandably intimidating at first, especially for newcomers, but there are hundreds of tutorials on Steam, Youtube and all over the internet.

I also have other copies of RPG Maker, including the PS1 version of RPG Maker and even RPG Tsukūru: Super Dante for my Super Famicom that I just received a few days ago! It's definitely wild how much the series has grown and improved upon over the years.

From what I have been recommended by friends who are long-time players of this series, either go for RPG Maker MV (if you're interested in mapping) or RPG Maker VX Ace (if you're interested in creating events). From what I have seen, those two are some of the more popular choices. In terms of platform, always go for Steam (and get them on sale when you can) because you will have better accessibility and it's more user-friendly than the console versions. The abundance of community-generated assets also help.

To end this post, here's some pics from RPG Tsukūru: Super Dante!

wondering what to make next still

5AM and just felt the need to vent again I guess

Just a very depressed day for no real reason, still brought down by how stagnant things are I suppose- My creativity, my situation, lots of things

Drew Lain fanart, got a nice group of people following me on twitter thanks to it. It’s silly to worry about things like follower count, but it’s sort of addictive at the same time- I feel like I know the ways to do it, if I wanted, but I guess I just don’t really want to just chase followers with fanart- Feels like Tsukumizu fanart’s the way to go after Lain if I did more fanart, but mann, even if I did, still wouldn’t know what to draw.

I admire artists, like that one Diva artist that draws nun arts, or that one Avogado artist, people who draw constantly, consistent themes, but also a form of ongoing narrative, or something. Not only drawing so often, but each piece being its own. Diva especially, the way there’s so much packed in every scene, with an ongoing narrative in each piece, it’s admirable.

I really want to draw- but I lack that story element. That writing ability. I used to have it, where I could brainstorm and write pages and pages of notes. But I’ve lost it, somehow, for years. Last time I remember doing it was when brainstorming the prewrite for Rotten Nyan and coming up with like seven or so chapters (and still haven’t finished one). I don’t know if I just gave up on my writing, or if I just don’t care, or what. Maybe it’s simply depression/anxiety issues that medication could fix.

I think I’m just going stir crazy- friends occasionally get me out of the house, at least, which is nice of them. But haven’t cleaned in forever, and the apartment’s becoming more and more of a mess I can’t find the energy to do anything about. Every day feels wasted and underutilized, and I still worry about things like blood clots or other health issues or something from how inactive I am. Feel bad for neglecting cats still, though finally got them new food to try to try to help them be healthier. Wish I wasn’t so allergic that I could let them into my room easier.

It’s really hard just sitting here, day after day, doing nothing and having no energy to do anything, and wondering how much of my life I’m going to waste doing this.

Still need to work on my social anxiety, too- lots of that from talking to people again. And I’m still worn out by the internet in general, spending too much time on it probably. Mainly twitter, I suppose, which is my own fault, but I’m too addicted to absorbing information. Sort of inspired me to write something new, but like I said earlier- I can’t write at all. Made two character designs and the broad strokes, but can’t lay out anything at all. Not even a single scene to draw. It’s a weird, self-serving story, that I’d probably make anonymously just to avoid feeling guilty about it. Basic premise is a depressed girl caught up in her simple problem(s?) while observing other characters and their more complex, hard to understand problems. The other main character is a boy with a strong sense of certain social issues to the point of fault, and the girl trying to make heads or tails of what’s right and what’s wrong. Maybe I should just make them two separate stories, though, since they don’t really mix well together, I think. If I even manage to make it at all.

Been trying to play Picross or read manga to escape, but as soon as its over, it hits hard. Today I decided to read that Fire Punch manga I hear a lot about, since a friend introduced me to that Chainsaw Man when I did that one group of six requests a while back, now that CSM is ending next week. Pretty good, bit all over the place, can appreciate how silly ridiculous it could be, though admittedly also felt lackluster to me in places like the ending, though I wouldn’t say the ending saga was bad either. Definitely an interesting manga, to say the least. Disliked the movie girl at first but she became pretty entertaining for the most part, then lost interest in them towards the end of their arc. I think I just wanted to see more of some of the characters they introduced in that part and felt a bit let down because tree things.

I think reading manga’s really the only hobby I consistently enjoy, it just requires finding a good one. Decided that I was going to buy myself a physical version of all the manga I’ve read that I enjoyed/don’t own, but then realized almost none of them have been localized, and the ones that have are the lower priority ones.

Also started playing FF9 again finally, just got to the Black Mage village. I’m also definitely not very good at video games. I’d like to want to play one again, but they’re very hard to get into, especially on my own- I usually just go with whatever other people want to play.

In a few days, it’ll be you&me’s 10 year conceptualization anniversary. Still no progress, and still can’t even feel the desire to draw or sprite something for it. A friend ignited a spark in me to work on it again, but it immediately blew out the next day. I think it’s an impossible dream- I’ve learned RPG Maker 2003 inside and out, and if I could make maps, I’d probably be set. But the fandom’s grown away from me, and it feels almost pointless to make at this point. Been way too worn out from hanging around people who criticize those kinds of games, I guess, myself included.

On a random note, laying down is weird for me, I’ve probably mentioned it before. I feel like I’ve been hallucinating a lot- like half dream, half thinking it’s real and blending with reality. Keep thinking my mother’s still alive, that the death thing was a misunderstanding. Or that my uncle wants me to live with him. I can’t even remember if that really happened or not. The house I dreamt wasn’t his, though. And yet, I’m not asleep when these things happen, I’m lying in bed thinking and aware of my surroundings, and of the fantasy at the same time, thinking of them like memories, or concurrently. My brain is weird. Not only that, but how easily I forget to do things- I’ve set up a reminder on my phone just to remind me to message someone every day, because I just can’t remember to after waking up.

I guess I just don’t want to sleep and be trapped in my thoughts again. But it’s 5:30 now, and I should sleep. I’m scared by how trapped I feel. Still need to find a way to see a therapist about it, but I’m not very proactive about that either.

Got my mother’s death certificates finally after three months. Now I need to contact the bank and stuff somehow. It’s intimidating. Apparently her cause of death was “aspiration pneumonitis possibly due to cerebellar atrophy”, believed to be over the course of months. I wonder what that entails, exactly, and if it could have been avoided in the nursing home she was put in. No sense thinking about that, I suppose, I just know my aunt’s interested in a lawsuit if we’re able, so we’ll see how things go.

People are kind, I get kind messages from people who read these. Even those that don’t message are still kind. Hopefully no one feels obligated to read these, but it is appreciated to be cared about. Thanks, everyone.

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What inspired you to make this game? :)

A lot of things! 

I’m glad you asked. It was a combination of wanting to recreate a certain cozy feeling playing some indie RPGs, whilst also wanting to do something with my knowledge of RPG Maker. Some indie RPGs that inspired me were: 

Standstill Girl:

Although it was made in RPG Maker 2003 (like mine!), it really pushed the engine with a fully customised combat system - that was actually fun! 

Standstill Girl had good pacing. It balanced combat and its story well, with the cutscenes never being too long, but enough to get you intrigued to get to the next dungeon for the next one. Yet, it never felt like playing the game was just a chore to get the next juicy bit of story (a problem with many story focused games). Not to mention, it had great art direction! It was short and sweet. 

My only issue with the game was that despite a decent setup, the ending was anticlimactic and forgettable (in my opinion).

I had a lot of fun in this RPG, but I forgot about it soon after I finished it. A couple of years after that, I had a sudden longing to play something like it again - but with a better ending, a different sense of humour, and a stronger story. I guess you could say Grimm’s Hollow was a response to that. 

Undertale:

A videogame that forced me to think about how game mechanics interweave with the story, and the strengths and weaknesses of “video game logic”. 

There were a lot of conscious game design decisions making Grimm’s Hollow early on that was influenced by that. For example, the RPG trope of unprotected treasure chests containing really valuable loot in a dungeon that’s passed by hundreds of other heroes or travellers. Reasonably speaking, why hasn’t someone taken the loot, if it’s been there for a while? Why is the treasure chest even there in the first place? In my setting, this simply wouldn’t work - so I was forced to come up with logical alternatives. 

Monsters and enemy designs, too - its a sort of standard in the JRPG for your main character to slaughter a bunch of living creatures without a proper in-depth explanation. After Undertale, I struggled to accept that standard - I tried to think of monster backstories that were slightly unique. I’m not sure how well I succeeded, but I’m happy with what I have. 

But mostly, I wanted to play an indie RPG that was different.

Right now, the indie turn-based RPG is a very small niche. It’s also my favourite niche. I felt a need to expand it.

Whilst I’ll always have a soft spot for the older, more traditional fantasy RPGs like Final Fantasy VII, I’ve been craving something else in this genre - and that’s narrative focused RPGs that are downright bizarre. 

We’ve had a couple: Hylics, Undertale, OFF, the LISA series …But it’s a short list.

Knuckle Sandwich, Blue Omen Operation, Omori, GLITCHED, Heartbound, Virgo Vs the Zodiac - they all look amazing! But they’re also years in development, and ongoing. So in a way, I tried to fill the hole with making my own, less ambitious, small project. They’ve inspired me to make my own.

Even now, I love browsing other people’s projects! There’s so many amazing ideas and stories out there, but they’re all in development. And that’s OK.

Because I can’t wait to play them once they’re done.

Elsewhere Demo (Elsewhere 0.2.3) - Please kill me. Please.

I’d like to preface this with the notice that this is a demo; it’s incomplete. However, it’s still horrid and I still hate its horrendously disgusting being.

Okay, I’m not going to blunder about trying to explain this thing’s garbage plot. Instead, I’ll get directly into this thing’s horridly disgusting being. So, how would I explain Elsewhere (0.2.3)? Well, it’s basically like.. sitting in a subway tram. A dirty, strangely moist tram. Some hipster walks in, wearing a godawful V-neck and twisting his horrible mustache around. He looks at you, then proceeds to walk over, sweating and blathering about useless dreck. Heh. Hah. It’s pain. You want to die.

Yes, playing Elsewhere makes me want to die. It’s absolutely disgusting. The most disgusting thing you’ll easily spot is the horrible artwork. Awful facesprites, disgusting character sprites, and horrible enemy sprites. These awful sprites.. made it almost impossible for me to even play this entire fucking game. If you can give me a noose, I’d probably begin to hang myself rig

Okay, got sidetracked there. Moving on, I will mention something that also makes me want to die. This game mentions one ‘Yuko’ character. At this point, you’re probably rolling your eyes. “A game mentions a character, so what? Do you hate continuity?” No, I don’t. That’s why I hate Yuko. Yuko is a character mentioned for no apparent goddamned reason other than, I assume, a set-up for later on. However, the main character, Clyde, acts as if you already know who this Yuko is, despite the game never mentioning this Yuko or showing Yuko’s face even once. Not even once. The game can dedicate an entire faceset to Clyde, but not even toss us a paltry image of Yuko.

As I thought about it, I came to a conclusion. “Maybe Yuko is the name of the dev’s player, and they forgot to change it! Yes, that’s it!” Little did I know, that innocence.. it was misguided. 

For those of you who don’t know, RPG Maker 2003 uses a simple system for displaying things like a custom player name. There is a small list of characters within the game that are playable/in there for whatever reason, numbered from 1 to some arbitrary number. Going by this game, “Player” is in number 5. So if the developer wants to make the game output the player’s custom name, they would put this string into the text: “\N[5]”. Unedited, it looks like this: “\N[n]”. What it calls upon is hero number ‘n’ (in this case 5) and outputs the ‘N’, or the name of the hero.

I thought the developer forgot to put in an “\N[5]” and instead misguidedly typed in their test name. However, the textbox mentioning Yuko looks like this: 

“\N[5] and I were sent here on behalf of someone named "\C[14]Yuko\C[00]." You wouldn't happen to recognize the name, would you?” (The “\C[14]” and “\C[00]” determine the color a portion of text; in this case, changing it between gold (the “[14]”) and the default color (the “[00]”).)

Yes, there it is, the contradiction, the elimination of my theory. The developer, as such, either had to forget to mention Yuko, or for some horrific reason seems to believe they don’t need to. I don’t know what would run through someone’s mind to make such a horrid and counterproductive decision, but I fear that may be the reason.

So, let’s assume that someone out there in the around 5 or so people that will read this looks at my ranting, and screams out: “What, no mention of the characters? No discussion on how it fits in with the lore?” Well, I shall talk about the characters. You chose your cyanide, now I must deliver it on your silver platter.

So it turns out that the characters are about as lackluster as the art. By that, I mean they’re absolute garbage. The main character, Clyde, lacks most of a personality other than the leftover traces of the archetypal energetic, excited, and heroic 'personality’ that so many blank and forgettable characters possess. 

They introduce a cat, Syrup, who is basically a more pathetic and depressing version of The Judge. I don’t mean intentionally pathetic and depressing, just so.. bland and sad to witness, it is comparable to watching two unmanned cement mixers smash into one another. I shall speak no more of Syrup.

The final character that is actually mentioned so far is one Yuko, which I already complained about. So there is no character to be mentioned.

Within the game’s files (which I will admit I am liberally digging around in) there exist five other notable characters: ‘Sprinkles’, ‘Copper’, ‘Clover’, ‘SoundTest’, and ‘Password’.

Sprinkles is, as far as I can tell, either a poorly drawn rabbit or a lopsided cat. Their title, ‘Delirious’, does not seem to match their mannerism of walking or facial expressions at all. Whether this is due to a poor understanding of what ‘delirious’ means, or gross incompetence, I shall never know.

Copper is a TV-headed individual whose apparent actual name is ‘CU-713 M.III’ (does the developer even know what ‘M.III’ means? Why is Copper ‘Mark III’ of its type?)  This character lacks a proper character sprite, instead only possessing foul facesprites.

Clover looks like an angel. A permanently annoyed and irritated angel, matching my personal feelings on this game. She (I’m going to bet Clover is a ‘she’. After all, fangames seem to have a penchant for the ‘Zone 3 female follower’ thing.) has the title ‘Saigai’, which, on the note of that, I will thank the developer for forcing me to look up their weeb terms. Apparently, ‘saigai’ stands for ‘disaster, calamity, misfortune’, which sums up my experience with this beta very well.

Of course, I also possess the skill list. Clyde, in my opinion, has a horridly boring skill list, that clearly isn’t complete, given that this game is a beta.

Sprinkles is the healer of the party, and.. none of these competences bear any indication of having healing effects. None of the competences have anything to do with ‘delirious’, by the way, except for two or three.

Copper has competences that I assume are named after the first things that the developer saw when they opened up a ‘Beginning Programming for Dummies’ book, and some sci-fi jargon that is absolutely meaningless.

Clover is still horribly weeaboo, as indicated by the fact that her competences are named after random Japanese terms that mostly bring up anime and shit. Among note of these are ‘Bokusatsu’, which brings up “Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan” as its first result. Bokusatsu apparently means ‘Bludgeoning’ or ‘Eradicate’, and is not just a horrid misspelling of ‘bukkake’. Another random Japanese term I do not need to know, and never wanted to know. Yay.

There’s some random skill called ‘Strangle’. It does 30 damage at the cost of 15 goddamn CP. It’s not even 100% accurate! For contrast, The Batter’s ‘Special Homerun’ does 160 damage at the cost of 15 CP. It’s not 100% accurate either, but at least it can do 160 damage, and that’s not even factoring in variance for either!

I guess I’ll be going on to fitting in with the world of OFF.

I’m strangely disgusted by even typing that, because it’s offensive to OFF to type those words in a review of Elsewhere. It’s rude to OFF to even dare to compare Elsewhere’s shitty, nonexistent lore with the complex lore of OFF.

To put it simply, no, Elsewhere does not fit in with the world of OFF. It has a horribly hideous graphical design, and its characters lack any slight semblance of a personality, or even a semblance of a character. Yes, this game lacks what makes a character.. a character.

By the way, on note, I mentioned Yuko 13 times (including this time) and I’m certain that this mysterious character doesn’t even exist in any manner, because I have no reason to.

Should you play this game?

You can’t hear it, but I’m laughing as I type those words. I am laughing, because that question doesn’t even need the slightest semblance of an answer. That question is, in all entirety, already answered by me a thousand times over in this entire horrid review.

No. No, you should not.

What do I think of this game?

Well, it’s shit. It’s a horrible beta, and it looks like sludge and sewer-water. I know it’s a beta in 0.2.3, but it hasn’t even been updated in nearly a year or two! I’m working with what I have, okay?

I don’t hold anything against the developer, okay? They could be a nice fellow, I don’t know them. All I know is that Elsewhere is horrible and disgusting.

As I began to get up, I sighed. A single, upset, disappointed sigh. A sigh made from a place of disappointment and annoyance. All the words in the English language don’t give me as much a way to reflect my sheer irritation, my incredible disdain for this game.

So that, is my final thoughts on Elsewhere’s Beta 0.2.3.

A sigh. A single, irritated sigh.

Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire

Jupiter - Game Boy Advance - 2003

[images from gamefabrique]

Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire is a solid pinball game from when pinball games were still fun and interesting. it's actually a sequel to a Game Boy game, which makes me wonder why we didn't get a sequel to Kirby Tilt & Tumble (we did, actually, it's a minigame in Kirby Mass Attack, most of which could have been sold on their own as DSiWare for good money, but I digress). PP:R&S fuses pure pinball gameplay (i.e. not Mario Pinball Land) with the fun of collecting hundreds of Pokemon, which also gives the two tables in the game a good reason to have most of their gimmicks. (and it was developed by Jupiter, makers of a bunch of other Pokemon spinoffs and The World Ends with You.)

PP:R&S is one of the handful of pinball video games that takes advantage  of the "video game" part. it seems these days to mostly be simulations of the real thing, which I think is boring. there are a lot of board gimmicks that can only be done in video games and a lot of concepts that could be mixed with pinball that haven't been, like, I don't know, RPG elements. maybe it's because pinball is unfamiliar to the audiences of the 2010s thanks to the decline of arcades.

it’s also a good looking GBA game with lots of custom sprites for the tables and Pokemon, and though you can only see half the table at once, the camera stays ahead of the ball and moves smoothly so as not to be jarring. it allows you to remap controls unlike 99% of Nintendo games, it supports rumble on Game Boy Player, and allows sharing high scores with a link cable.

the main draw is, of course, the Pokemon. it includes every monster up to Hoenn, and the boards put as much emphasis on catching them as getting points. catching and evolving Pokemon gives you more points than most other things, and single-screen bonus boards give you the chance to bank millions of points and catch legendary Pokemon like Groudon and Kyogre. switches at the side of the board allow you to change the board's area, which doesn't actually change the board, but it gives you points and changes which creatures are available to catch. the different tables, ruby and sapphire, have some unique areas with table-exclusive Pokemon, the same way each pair of games has some exclusive creatures.

while the table gimmicks encourages you to catch Pokemon, catching them also encourages you to interact with the table: catching requires you to hit the ball into a certain lane then hit the bumpers at the top, evolving requires hitting two lanes then spawns tokens all over the board you need to collect, and egg Pokemon appear after hitting a single lane several times then wander around the table and require you to aim well at a moving target. it asks the player to engage with everything on the table and aim the ball well for something other than score, which makes it a cut above typical pinball.

I don't regard myself at all good at pinball, video game or otherwise, but there are a lot of features that make PP:R&S an accessible pinball game. it's generous with its ball saver and the side drain guards. extra balls can be bought at the store on each table, and falling out of a bonus doesn't end the bonus, it just costs your multiplier and a few seconds. the tables are designed to make tilting more useful -- you can save a ball after it goes down a side drain if you tilt just right, and you can easily tilt the ball to the opposite flipper to line up shots more easily, among other things. neither table is overly complicated, and if you need more help, you can set the ball to move slower.

if you take interest in pinball, whether you're good at it or not, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire is a good choice. it's a star example of the limited pinball genre of video games, and though it may not be the most groundbreaking pinball game, it's good pinball with elegant Pocket Monster additions.

Three free games on Steam, part one

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been scouring the Steam store for free stuff. And by free, I don’t mean free-to-play online games like DOTA or Smite, which are all well and good and certainly deserve their place on the world’s most ubiquitous online storefront, but rather the weirder, experimental indies that exist within the cracks. I was inspired to do this by the trippiness of Doki Doki Literature Club, which I wrote about a few weeks ago. Doki Doki is certainly one of the most interesting projects on Steam that managed to spawn quite the considerable fanbase, all without charging a cent, and I noticed that if you take a deep dive, there are a few similar games out there also worthy of notice. Not all of them are great, but they’re all at least interesting, much in the same way that short stories and student movies are. Many of them are also text-heavy games with the same dark flavor as Doki Doki Literature Club, probably because the visual novel and horror genres mesh well with these small, self-contained free projects. Anyway, here are my quickie impressions on three of the ones I’ve tried out so far. 

Cupid - I really enjoyed this one, and I’m quite surprised that it’s free. If Doki Doki Literature Club is a visual novel that plays on anime harem tropes and then subverts them by going down the path of psychological horror, Cupid is a visual novel that’s also filled with unnerving moments, but more rooted in a dark Gothic sensibility. You play as an 18th century French girl named Rosa who’s grown up under the guidance of an abusive mother and has quite a lot of issues to work through, including crippling self-doubt and a tendency towards self-mutilation. After becoming an orphan, she falls in with a young piano prodigy named Catherine who’s being sponsored by a strange nobleman named Guilleme. Eventually, a death occurs, and we learn that Guilleme isn’t exactly what he appears to be - and the nuances of his reveal actually make him one of the most interesting characters I’ve seen in a game in recent memory. 

I’m perhaps not the target audience for Cupid, since in some of the unlockable development notes, the creator states that she catered towards the needs of queer female players and straight female players who wanted to question their sexuality first. But I can enjoy an intriguing story as well as anyone, and Cupid ended up addressing the nuances of love in a mature manner that really impressed me. And when I say love, I don’t just mean romantic or sexual love, though there’s at least one (very well-written) sex scene along the way - Cupid also deals with parental love, the love between friends and the love that one can have for life. There’s not too much online about the main creator behind this game - all I can find is that she’s an illustrator in Asia and has a team website here - but she wrote a compelling script that reminded me a bit of a cross between Dracula and Fingersmith, a novel and BBC serial from 2005 that I watched with an ex a few years ago and enjoyed. Pretty unique combination, really.

PRICE - This one’s an “escape the room” horror game that kinda feels like something you might find on a Flash website, but it certainly has higher production values. You play as a Dane (or German?) guy named Ivry who wakes up in his sister’s room and has to get out, and he just might not be alone in there. It was made by a tiny Chinese team, and the voice acting and sound design is surprisingly great at creating some spooky vibes. It’s even got some degree of replay value, since you unlock a second area after you beat it the first time, and the true ending doesn’t become accessible until then.  The gameplay’s of the point ‘n click variety, and it’s a tad hit and miss since the game is very dark and it’s not always clear what you can interact with and what you can’t. The story’s also something of a mixed bag - it’s certainly got great style, but at times it feels like a mish-mash of random concepts borrowed from shoujo and horror manga that the creators thought were “cool,” ie - a brother and sister who are a little too close, a flowery European setting, and lots of macabre paintings featuring skeletons and other vaguely devilish characters. There are some references to Hans Christian Anderson that caught me by surprise, though, and the game is great deal better than an actual escape room that I recently went to in real life, so there’s that!

Yume Nikki - Yume Nikki (the title translates to Dream Diary) might be the most well-known game on here, since it’s one of the more famous projects to be created with RPG Maker 2003. It first came out in 2004, and was actually one of those rare indie gems that accumulated a substantial following in the days before indie games were mainstream. In the years since, it’s inspired light novels, lots of comparisons to Earthbound and Undertale, and quite a bit of speculation on who its mysterious creator, known only as “kikiyama,” actually is. (It’s a secret to everybody!) When it was released for free on Steam a few weeks ago the reviews quickly shot up into the very positive range, largely thanks to old devotees gushing about how they’d loved it when it had first come out. Later, it was revealed that the game’s release predated a remake/semi-sequel of sorts that is decidedly not getting the same glowing reception, so it’s clear that the original Yume Nikki means a lot to quite a few people. 

For me, someone who didn’t experience the game upon immediate release, this one falls squarely into the “interesting, but I’m not sure if it’s for me” range. All you do is control a little girl who’s wandering around surreal dreamscapes, and the experience is meant to communicate the strange and often horrific nature of the things our minds create when we’re asleep. It’s purely about exploring and drawing your own conclusions about the stuff you see around you, and while I can appreciate the intent here, the actual execution left me a little bored. I guess I’m one of those people who just likes to do stuff in games, though I can see how a moody exercise in wandering around and occasionally encountering frightening imagery might be appealing to some people. It’s certainly impressive considering the limitations of RPG Maker 2003, and I have a feeling I might’ve enjoyed Yume Nikki more if I’d first played it in 2004, as an impressionable 16-year-old who was also messing around with RPG Maker and had more time on his hands to simply explore.

I’ve got a few other free titles queued up, including a game styled like a 16-bit RPG that tells the story of a Syrian refugee, and will likely write a part two to this post once I’ve worked my way through them. Overall, it’s an oddly enjoyable experience investigating the often unnoticed free section of the Steam storefront. It feels like getting a glimpse into an underground subculture, or at least like attending a university’s niche film club weekly gathering. (Actually, it’s better than the one time I did attend my college’s niche film club. I nearly fell asleep watching Death in Venice, ugh.) 

Screenshots all taken from each game’s respective Steam page.

July’s Featured Game: Melon Journey 2

DEVELOPER(S): Froach Club ENGINE: RPG Maker 2003 GENRE: Story-exploration SUMMARY: Melon Journey 2 is a story-exploration game about revisiting a town full of adorable animals with eccentric personalities. Yet under its cute and nostalgic surface lies a dark tale of crime and corruption... Play as Honeydew, an employee of a huge melon factory, and travel to Hog Town where melons are illegal. While searching for a missing friend, you'll have to explore the town and its surrounding areas, and speak with suspicious characters in dangerous situations to uncover the truth.

Download the demo from the discord server here!

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! We're Froach Club! (Mario - @markeryjane, Karolina - @minipete, & Simon - @carpetbones) Our CEO is rude little roach who goes by the name of Froach. We've all been making games together and separately for a quite a while now and we're currently working on our magnum opus... To see our other games check out froachclub.itch.io & carpetbones.itch.io

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *Froach Club: Melon Journey 2 is a story of crime and political corruption in a town where melons are outlawed. It's a sequel to our (Mario & Karolina) very first game we ever made back in 2012. Back then we had no idea what we were doing and were pretty awful at using RPG Maker 2003, so we had the idea to do kind of a remaster of the game. We accidentally expanded it so much though that it became a huge, fully-formed sequel.

How long have you been working on your project? *FC: Almost 2 years now.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *FC: Columbo, The Big Sleep, Chulip, Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak, Kino's Journey, Twin Peaks, and Shenmue!

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *FC: This is our first real large-scale project, spanning multiple years of development, so staying organized was a huge challenge. At first we would just work on whatever we felt like, jumping from one part of the game to another. But once Simon became more involved in the project, he taught us his amazing organization skills and we learned how to use to-do lists efficiently and and keep our files straight. And now that we have, things go much more smoothly.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *FC: We started with a really bare-bones story, and as we built up the world by adding more characters, side-quests, and subplots to the main storyline, the game’s scope began to grow. The world of Melon Journey 2 is now much more detailed and immersive than we originally imagined.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *FC: Back in 2012, when Melon Journey 1 came out, we were just a two person team (Mario and Karolina). We continued making games together for a few years until we started calling ourselves Froach Club and added our 3rd member, Simon. We worked together on u1f439 (https://carpetbones.itch.io/u1f439) and Fish Fly Fever (https://froachclub.itch.io/fish-fly-fever) and now Melon Journey 2!

What is the best part of developing a game? *Mario: Making the music, when a scene comes together and the music fits the tone perfectly it's really satisfying. Karolina: Coming up with crazy ideas in the beginning and thinking of all the possibilities! Simon: Creating any form of a dense or rich world for people to interact with or experience.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *FC: Back when we started out, we played a lot of RPG Maker games on rpgmaker.net and it was a big source of inspiration because it helped us feel like our ideas were doable without any previous knowledge of programming or game making. Yume Nikki in particular gave us a lot of ideas on how to make the most out of RPG Maker 2003, like hacking together menus out of pictures, and creating complex animations using multiple charsets.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Mario: Bailey is my self-insert character kinda. Karolina: Lily. She has really strict Russian parents (who are actually based on mine) and she has a hard time finding a place where she feels like she truly belongs. She goes through a lot but never truly stops caring about what she believes in. Simon: I actually am Ham Ghost Jr.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *FC: At some point the project kind of outgrew RPGMaker 2003 and we really regretted using it, but we've come to appreciate the limitations and they've helped to shape the game in some ways so we regret it less now, especially since discovering easyRPG which we're using to port the game!

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *FC: We like to joke about making Melon Journey 3D, but who knows, it might actually happen one day! We are leaving the ending of MJ2 a little bit open ended~

What do you most look forward to upon/after the release of a project? *Mario: Being able to start a new project. Usually by the end of one project the only thing motivating me is getting it out of the way so we can start on the next thing. Karolina: Seeing if people enjoy our game! I dream about people making fanart and silly deep lore videos. That would seriously make everything 100% worth it. Simon: I cannot wait to get started on a new (maybe even bigger) project!

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *FC: All three of us have an intense fear of something going horribly wrong on the day of the release. That's honestly the scariest part of making a game - saying that you're officially finished with it.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *FC: Try your best to get your game done and limit the scope! Even if it's not perfect or exactly like how you imagined it, the experience and growth you get from releasing a game is the most important thing.

Question from last month's featured dev @midnighttrain-project: What do you value most in a game? (story, gameplay, art,...) Is that an important aspect of your game? *Mario: I think the interplay of the elements of a game is more important than what the individual parts are like on their own. Like, a simple animation can be transformed by adding a really good sound effect to it, so it's hard to separate elements or say that I value one more than the other. Karolina: I value the story most in games. Even when the art or gameplay is great, if there are glaring plot holes I always spend too much time focusing on them and get pulled out of the experience. That's why we spent so much time making a super well thought-out world and characters for MJ2! Simon: I really enjoy gameplay over most parts of any game, especially if the gameplay is well designed and interesting.

We mods would like to thank Froach Club for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Melon Journey 2 if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

Otherworldly F.A.Q. (Currently Outdated - will be updated soon!)

And so am I! I'm Space Communist, the sole person working on this game. Hopefully I'll be able to answer things in a more concise way than *he* can. :P

1. What is “Otherworldly”?

Otherworldly takes place in a universe where there are two main races of humans - man and magician. When Earth (the home of mankind) suffers from a great catastrophy, the Boxer - humanity's champion - must travel to the realm of magicians in order to save the world. As the Player, you have the power to help him - and so he requests your assistance to complete this mission.

Together, you'll travel through different areas, meet strange individuals, make terrifying enemies, learn about the nature and histories of magicians, and find out what it means to truly be a champion as you take on Akirakon, dark king of the magicians.

2. What are magicians?

It's just like it says on the tin: folks who can use magic.  Of course, it's not entirely fair to label them as humans - magicians have a wide range in form and ability. You'll be finding that out in-depth as you journey through the magician's realm. For now, however, I think it's safe to rely on the man-magician dichotomy, don't you think?

3. What is the world of magicians like?

It's a realm distant from Earth that, by its very nature, starkly contrasts the universe around it. Fundamental alterations and alchemies to the elements of the realm have rendered it so bizarre and alien to the senses of the sane that, if a normal man were to look upon it, they would go MAD!...with indifference, probably.

4. Altered...? Oh, so is that why the trees in that image look so weird? No, it’s because I’m a terrible sprite artist. :S In all seriousness though, despite the poor artwork (depending on your judgement of course ;P), every design in this game has its purpose. Some things that don’t meet the eye very well might just look that way for a good reason... 5. What kinds of characters can I expect to meet?

And those folks are just a tiny handful of the individuals you'll be meeting on your journey!

6. Hey, this looks an awful lot like [game]! Is this a ripoff?!

No, by all means, this game is not intended as a ripoff of anything you've seen! While this project was originally intended as a fangame of the popular Belgian RPG "OFF", it has since become focused on being a game and story in and of its own right. As such, you may see heavy similarities to that game, along with other games that have had an influence on this author over time - however, the ultimate goal of this project is to create a unique game on its own merits, rather than as a copy or ripoff of another game. Hopefully, by the game's completion, it will be distinguishable as something unique!

7. What game engine does this run on?

Otherworldly is being built with RPG Maker 2003, both to create a retro effect and due to the game being a former OFF fangame project that has since been turned into its own thing. Game Maker Studio was a bit too expensive, and more recent RPG Maker systems are a bit...well, *odd* in the way the frames work.

8. What is the combat system like?

As with all RPG Maker 2003 games, combat works on an ATB (Active Time Battle) system. Here, PCs and opponents do not take "rounds" or "turns" but rather fill a charge meter. When full, they may select an attack to fire. There are no time or turn based limits on how to attack, and as such many can see this as a hinderance - however! There is of course an extra sidebar allowing for selection between Manual, Auto, and Flee options, where nobody (ally or foe alike) can charge their meter, giving the player some time to think about their next move. For players who find combat too tedious (we've all been there before!), there is the aforementioned Auto function, allowing your allies to attack on their own - but they may not always make the best strategic choices, so be wary!

9. Will there be a demo/beta?

Yes! Some time in development, I plan to release the first level as a playable demo/beta/whateveryawannacallit. It'll be free, and feedback would be greatly appreciated!

10. Will the game itself be free, or will I have to pay?

Unsure - I've been so busy trying to get the darned thing finished, I haven't put much thought into it! If I do end up wanting people paying for it, then it's probably gonna be at a low price (max $5.00 USD). I might set up a patreon (without anything to warrant one...:/), or I might even put up a kickstarter (without a need to use the money...). As I said, my focus is currently on finishing the game before monetization is considered (if at all).

11. Where can I download the game?

As it's currently unfinished, Otherworldly doesn't have a download site yet, ya dingus! When it's finished, I do plan on trying to get the game greenlit on Steam for maximum visibility, but all the same the file will probably be available on a website of its own (I'll probably add a post about it if/when the website goes up). If not a website, then probably on this tumblr.

12. Who all is working on this project?

Just me, Space Communist! I'm working on the game alone here - meaning, all the music, sprites, story, etc. are of my own creation. At some point in the future I may get some custom sprites from friends or from a poll or whatever, and if times get tough I may request some assistance, but at the moment it's a solo project.

13. How can I contribute to the game?

The biggest thing you can do is SPREAD THE WORD! Get your friends hyped up for Otherworldly, tell people all about it, whatever you can do to attract attention to this project will be a great help! Except, like, committing violence in the name of the project...I don't think you'd do that, but I'm just saying...please don't do that...

...

...ANYWAY! The more followers and support I get for the project, the more effort I'll be able to put into it (because I really don't wanna let you guys down, eheheh). So please tell people all about Otherworldly! (except for spoilers when it comes out of course :P)

14. Does that include fanart?

Fanart is more than welcome, it's encouraged! I love seeing my work reinterpreted by others out there - not only does it spread the word for Otherworldly, but it's just damn entertaining to see!

15. Will this game break my heart?

I dunno. Maybe?

16. Will it win me the sexual partner of my dreams?

I am currently testing to see if this is an accurate feature of the game. Will report back with results later.

17. What is the code?

15,24,32,69,1

18. Will there be a NewGame+ feature?

Are you sure you wanna find out? **** Welp, that’s it for the FAQ! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I’ll (hopefully) be able to answer! Thanks for having the interest and taking the time to look at my game project! Follow this tumblr to get more updates on the game as it goes through development!

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