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2015 "OFFICIAL" MISAO PREDICTIONS/DISCUSSION THREAD
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CashmereCat
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It's that time of the year again, and we're getting nearer to the Misao Awards. Whether you have played many or few games this year, feel free to discuss which games deserve to nab each award category, or explore the variety of games discussed. Don't forget to point out underrated gems, and explain their strengths/weaknesses. Provide exposure for games that would otherwise go under the radar. This is a free discussion; everyone's opinion is valued. Try not to self-promote or discuss your own games, and definitely don't hesitate to download and play some of the titles that catch your eye. Overall, have fun!
Note: Feel free to suggest new additions to the list.
 | No, you can't date the Dragon. | |
 | Blank Dream is a freeware horror-exploration game by Kanawo (of Teriyaki Tomato) made in RPG Maker VX Ace. | |
 | Why does the jackal run from the rain? | |
 | What better way to spend an evening than gathered around listening to a classic tale of a brave hero saving a princess from a sinister demon lord bent on ruling the world? | |
 | A multi-path game of research and management. | |
 | Explore an abandoned moon lab after a very unusual accident... | |
 | An RPG-Maker Point n Click Adventure. A tale about games, darkness and memories. | |
 | The story of Escalia starts 21 years after Caelmor's defeat and follows Fayhe Corin, Olivia's magically gifted daughter, and her friends Lumia and Seyfer as they find themselves in a series of unfortunate events that could spiral out of control quickly and will decide the fate of the whole continent. | |
 | A Final Fantasy fangame that faithfully recreates the mechanics of classic Final Fantasies, with a light-hearted feel. | |
 | InFree Spirits, you’ll bump up against bootleg brewers, visit with vain vaudevillians, and come across even more colourful characters. Using your silver tongue, intimidation, and even baked goods, it’s your job to convince ghosts that it’s time to make like the wind and blow on outta the land of the living. | |
 | You play the role of someone overseeing and influencing the actions of five survivors during the very first day of the end of the world. | |
 | Gather clues, discover useful items, and slay foes in swift 1-on-1 battles to uncover the full mystery of the Shrine. | |
 | Two Brothers gain the power to witness the adventures inside of their books. | |
 | An evil Politician has gained immeasurable power. Defend the world from evil! | |
 | The puppetman is a creature that wanders the earth, unseen by almost everybody who is not close to death, but always ignored. | |
 | To retrieve the king's scepter, Nora has to set out to get the Spirit Blade, the only weapon that can kill the Mirror Queen. | |
 | Fight monsters under the bed to save a dying world. | |
 | Is Ally willing to risk her life for the people that abandoned her in the first place? | |
 | A girl wakes alone in a forest, a voice telling her to nurture The Tree in order to regain her memories and return home. | |
 | It should be just another easy paycheck, but sometimes, the same old story turns out differently. | |
 | This is but another story of struggle and humanity in the infinite vastness of the Frontier. | |
 | Three foolish mercenaries go on a journey for fortune. | |
 | A sci-fi RPG Maker 2003 game using only RTP, oh my. | |
 | ~kawaii style dungeon crawler~ | |
 | EVILGOD has stolen all adults... now it's up to the kiddos. | |
 | The Last King of Hyrule is RMN's collaborative Zelda game made in SMBX, playing like a cross between Zelda 2 and Mario 3. | |
 | Two Heroes save the world! |
Who I think should win the Misaos, along with some recommendations.
My personal top picks
Best Storytelling and Direction
Best Characters
Best Game Title
Best Setting
Best Atmosphere
Best Graphics & Artwork
"Lawsuit Waiting To Happen" Award
Most RTP Game Award
Best Sound & Music
Most Technical Prowess
Best Level/Dungeon/Puzzle Design
Best Gameplay Mechanics
Best Interface Design
Most Promising Demo
Best Game You Can Beat Under An Hour
Most Humourous Game
Most Horrific Game
Most Puzzling Game
Most Adventurous Game
Best RPG
Best Non-RPG, and Game of the Year
My personal top picks
Best Storytelling and Direction
My pick: April Was a Fool.
Fantastic characters, best story-driven game of the year, practically because that's what the game would sink and swim for, and it swam like Mike Phelps. Worthy mentions are the better second half of Free Spirits, the emotional mind of Resonate ~call out my angel~, the hilarious Sellsword, and the philosophically ponderous Decision. Her Dreams of Fire also gets an honourable mention for trying something new.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~, Sellsword, Decision, Her Dreams of Fire.
Fantastic characters, best story-driven game of the year, practically because that's what the game would sink and swim for, and it swam like Mike Phelps. Worthy mentions are the better second half of Free Spirits, the emotional mind of Resonate ~call out my angel~, the hilarious Sellsword, and the philosophically ponderous Decision. Her Dreams of Fire also gets an honourable mention for trying something new.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~, Sellsword, Decision, Her Dreams of Fire.
Best Characters
My pick: April Was a Fool.
April wins this one again, with its extremely memorable cast of colourful characters, each with well-realized backstories and personalities that kept me wanting more. Fantastic characterization in this game. Also of note are the ghosts of Free Spirits (especially the final confrontation), Resonate ~call out my angel~'s trio of emotions, the wisecracking characters in Sellsword, and the avatars filled with longing that you meet along the way in your adventure through the world of Qui Domi.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~, Sellsword, Qui Domi
April wins this one again, with its extremely memorable cast of colourful characters, each with well-realized backstories and personalities that kept me wanting more. Fantastic characterization in this game. Also of note are the ghosts of Free Spirits (especially the final confrontation), Resonate ~call out my angel~'s trio of emotions, the wisecracking characters in Sellsword, and the avatars filled with longing that you meet along the way in your adventure through the world of Qui Domi.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~, Sellsword, Qui Domi
Best Game Title
My pick: Being Dead Simulator.
With a title like Being Dead Simulator, the game practically writes itself. A title like this seems like a joke, but there's actually a game here, albeit a short and purely experimental one. Other favourites of mine are the hilarious A Man Called Dungeon, the ponderous Zeigfried's Depression Vol 1 (to realize your depression as a series of games is rather geniusly evocative, if not slightly concerning), the hearty Bro Quest, and sentence-long Girl, her brother and his lamp.
Worthy mentions: A Man Called Dungeon, Zeigfried's Depression Vol 1, Bro Quest, Girl, her brother and his lamp.
With a title like Being Dead Simulator, the game practically writes itself. A title like this seems like a joke, but there's actually a game here, albeit a short and purely experimental one. Other favourites of mine are the hilarious A Man Called Dungeon, the ponderous Zeigfried's Depression Vol 1 (to realize your depression as a series of games is rather geniusly evocative, if not slightly concerning), the hearty Bro Quest, and sentence-long Girl, her brother and his lamp.
Worthy mentions: A Man Called Dungeon, Zeigfried's Depression Vol 1, Bro Quest, Girl, her brother and his lamp.
Best Setting
My pick: Free Spirits.
Free Spirits takes place in the 20s, and every art style choice and even decision for usage of dialogue supports this setting. For those who are in love with the black-and-white silent films of this era, you'll be in heaven. For others, you'll still admire to what lengths the developers went to support the setting of their game. Other good ones are the colourful and varied dream world of Resonate ~call out my angel~, the similarly varied and surreal cranial universe of Qui Domi, the vast and open location of The Great Empty, and Born Under the Rain's Egypt-centric imagery and flavour.
Worthy mentions: Resonate ~call out my angel~, Qui Domi, The Great Empty, Born Under the Rain.
Free Spirits takes place in the 20s, and every art style choice and even decision for usage of dialogue supports this setting. For those who are in love with the black-and-white silent films of this era, you'll be in heaven. For others, you'll still admire to what lengths the developers went to support the setting of their game. Other good ones are the colourful and varied dream world of Resonate ~call out my angel~, the similarly varied and surreal cranial universe of Qui Domi, the vast and open location of The Great Empty, and Born Under the Rain's Egypt-centric imagery and flavour.
Worthy mentions: Resonate ~call out my angel~, Qui Domi, The Great Empty, Born Under the Rain.
Best Atmosphere
My pick: Peeking at Stars.
Pizza's series of atmosphere-centric vignette games are short in duration (<5mins), but still don't fail to leave a lasting impression on your psyche. Other impressive atmospheres for games were those of the vast The Great Empty, the confusing and labyrinthine Her Dreams of Fire, and creepypasta reboot Townlore 2.0.
Worthy mentions: The Great Empty, Her Dreams of Fire, Townlore 2.0.
Pizza's series of atmosphere-centric vignette games are short in duration (<5mins), but still don't fail to leave a lasting impression on your psyche. Other impressive atmospheres for games were those of the vast The Great Empty, the confusing and labyrinthine Her Dreams of Fire, and creepypasta reboot Townlore 2.0.
Worthy mentions: The Great Empty, Her Dreams of Fire, Townlore 2.0.
Best Graphics & Artwork
My pick: Resonate ~call out my angel~ or Free Spirits.
I couldn't choose for this one, because each art style was distinctly different. Resonate has completely hand drawn maps so that exploration feels like you're exploring through a living painting, not unlike last year's Painted Heart, whereas Free Spirits utilizes crisp portraits and large animated sprites that are full of character. Other mentionables are Mystery Falls, an otherwise empty game that is filled with a vast array of fantastic pixel art, April Was a Fool for its fantastically drawn character busts and backgrounds, divergence for its slick yet beautiful pixel art, and RUIN FRONTIER 0 for much the same thing. Super Pantito is also gorgeous.
Worthy mentions: Mystery Falls, April Was a Fool, divergence, RUIN FRONTIER 0, Super Pantito.
I couldn't choose for this one, because each art style was distinctly different. Resonate has completely hand drawn maps so that exploration feels like you're exploring through a living painting, not unlike last year's Painted Heart, whereas Free Spirits utilizes crisp portraits and large animated sprites that are full of character. Other mentionables are Mystery Falls, an otherwise empty game that is filled with a vast array of fantastic pixel art, April Was a Fool for its fantastically drawn character busts and backgrounds, divergence for its slick yet beautiful pixel art, and RUIN FRONTIER 0 for much the same thing. Super Pantito is also gorgeous.
Worthy mentions: Mystery Falls, April Was a Fool, divergence, RUIN FRONTIER 0, Super Pantito.
"Lawsuit Waiting To Happen" Award
My pick: Pokemon Dawn.
It uses Pokemon sprites and graphical edits. Not much more to say about this one, except that I believe rips are becoming less and less common.
Worthy mentions: None.
It uses Pokemon sprites and graphical edits. Not much more to say about this one, except that I believe rips are becoming less and less common.
Worthy mentions: None.
Most RTP Game Award
My pick: Starship TsukuruNova 20003.
Starship TsukuruNova 20003 gets this one for me, mostly because of its strict usage of the 2k3 RTP to create a game in space. Props for creating a wooden ship to fly galaxy-wide. Sellsword also looks good.
Worthy mentions: Sellsword.
Starship TsukuruNova 20003 gets this one for me, mostly because of its strict usage of the 2k3 RTP to create a game in space. Props for creating a wooden ship to fly galaxy-wide. Sellsword also looks good.
Worthy mentions: Sellsword.
Best Sound & Music
My pick: Born Under the Rain.
With a soundtrack entirely created by Housekeeping, this soundtrack was noticeably professional and fit in with the mood of the game. Well done. Free Spirits and Resonate ~call out my angel also had soundtracks that fit in fantastically with their games.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~.
With a soundtrack entirely created by Housekeeping, this soundtrack was noticeably professional and fit in with the mood of the game. Well done. Free Spirits and Resonate ~call out my angel also had soundtracks that fit in fantastically with their games.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~.
Most Technical Prowess
My pick: divergence.
Coding the game from scratch in Java, it plays well and has a lot of innovative features such as characters fading slowly between worlds. Other technically proficient games include Nora's Tale for integrating so many Zelda-like systems into their game seamlessly, The Great Empty for creating innovative simulation-based mechanics, especially for someone who generally isn't renowned for that kind of thing. Wolf and Kid and Disparity also had fairly innovative and technical ideas going on. Super Pantito is fantastic, too.
Worthy mentions: Nora's Tale, The Great Empty, Wolf and Kid, Disparity, Super Pantito.
Coding the game from scratch in Java, it plays well and has a lot of innovative features such as characters fading slowly between worlds. Other technically proficient games include Nora's Tale for integrating so many Zelda-like systems into their game seamlessly, The Great Empty for creating innovative simulation-based mechanics, especially for someone who generally isn't renowned for that kind of thing. Wolf and Kid and Disparity also had fairly innovative and technical ideas going on. Super Pantito is fantastic, too.
Worthy mentions: Nora's Tale, The Great Empty, Wolf and Kid, Disparity, Super Pantito.
Best Level/Dungeon/Puzzle Design
My pick: Red Syndrome.
Red Syndrome's levels recall Metroidvanias, and being a very technically minded game, the dungeons themselves maintain a good balance of linearity and non-linearity. Unity's dungeons in Starship TsukuruNova 20003 and the structures of Nora's Tale are also bragworthy.
Worthy mentions: Starship TsukuruNova, Nora's Tale.
Red Syndrome's levels recall Metroidvanias, and being a very technically minded game, the dungeons themselves maintain a good balance of linearity and non-linearity. Unity's dungeons in Starship TsukuruNova 20003 and the structures of Nora's Tale are also bragworthy.
Worthy mentions: Starship TsukuruNova, Nora's Tale.
Best Gameplay Mechanics
My pick: Super Pantito.
Super Pantito's gameplay mechanics are fantastic. They're engaging from start to finish. The vast array of enemy types continually keeps things interesting and fresh and immediate. Also great are Grist of Flies, Sellsword, Super Battle Kiddo Experience!, Red Syndrome, Nora's Tale and Disparity.
Super Pantito's gameplay mechanics are fantastic. They're engaging from start to finish. The vast array of enemy types continually keeps things interesting and fresh and immediate. Also great are Grist of Flies, Sellsword, Super Battle Kiddo Experience!, Red Syndrome, Nora's Tale and Disparity.
Best Interface Design
My pick: The Great Empty.
The Great Empty has a great interface, a minimap along with several icons displaying various sites that you can visit. It's one of the only games I could find that required an HUD, but what it does it does well. Other mentions are the minimap and miscellanea for Red Syndrome as well as the minigame HUD for Disparity.
Worthy mentions: Red Syndrome, Disparity.
The Great Empty has a great interface, a minimap along with several icons displaying various sites that you can visit. It's one of the only games I could find that required an HUD, but what it does it does well. Other mentions are the minimap and miscellanea for Red Syndrome as well as the minigame HUD for Disparity.
Worthy mentions: Red Syndrome, Disparity.
Most Promising Demo
My pick: The Great Empty or Qui Domi.
A tie between two great concepts. The Great Empty is more promising in its innovation, whereas Qui Domi is just a solidly told fable. Looking forward to what either of these games turn out to be. I'm holding out on Luxaren Allure for now because I think that's getting a completed release before year's end.
A tie between two great concepts. The Great Empty is more promising in its innovation, whereas Qui Domi is just a solidly told fable. Looking forward to what either of these games turn out to be. I'm holding out on Luxaren Allure for now because I think that's getting a completed release before year's end.
Best Game You Can Beat Under An Hour
My pick: Resonate ~call out my angel~.
I can't remember if I finished it under an hour, but Resonate seems like the best option here, because it's close enough. Other honourable mentions are 100 Floors, Decision, Her Dreams of Fire, Dule, and Disparity.
Worthy mentions: 100 Floors, Decision, Her Dreams of Fire, Dule, Disparity.
I can't remember if I finished it under an hour, but Resonate seems like the best option here, because it's close enough. Other honourable mentions are 100 Floors, Decision, Her Dreams of Fire, Dule, and Disparity.
Worthy mentions: 100 Floors, Decision, Her Dreams of Fire, Dule, Disparity.
Most Humourous Game
My pick: April Was a Fool.
At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, April was the funniest game of the year for me. Sellsword came a close second, along with Cap_H oddballs On Wednesdays and A Man Called Dungeon.
Worthy mentions: Sellsword, On Wednesdays, A Man Called Dungeon.
At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, April was the funniest game of the year for me. Sellsword came a close second, along with Cap_H oddballs On Wednesdays and A Man Called Dungeon.
Worthy mentions: Sellsword, On Wednesdays, A Man Called Dungeon.
Most Horrific Game
My pick: Pokemon Dawn.
Pokemon Dawn would have to be my pick here. I haven't played more than half an hour of the game, but it is foreboding and creepy, strangely enough. Other mind-bending games are Her Dreams of Fire (a real mind screw), and Peeking at Stars (atmospheric and creepy), neither of which might be considered horror but both of which are, in a way, terrifying.
Worthy mentions: Her Dreams of Fire, Peeking at Stars.
Pokemon Dawn would have to be my pick here. I haven't played more than half an hour of the game, but it is foreboding and creepy, strangely enough. Other mind-bending games are Her Dreams of Fire (a real mind screw), and Peeking at Stars (atmospheric and creepy), neither of which might be considered horror but both of which are, in a way, terrifying.
Worthy mentions: Her Dreams of Fire, Peeking at Stars.
Most Puzzling Game
My pick: divergence.
Most Adventurous Game
My pick: Sellsword.
Best RPG
My pick: Resonate ~call out my angel~.
I'm trying not to be biased here, since JosephSeraph is a good friend of mine, but I don't think I am. I enjoyed this immensely, and I remember it fondly. It may possibly be because I understand the intentions behind his artistic motivations and thus fill in the blanks for myself, however I can't deprive it of its place as my favourite RPG of 2015. A very close second would be Free Spirits, followed by Sellsword.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Sellsword.
I'm trying not to be biased here, since JosephSeraph is a good friend of mine, but I don't think I am. I enjoyed this immensely, and I remember it fondly. It may possibly be because I understand the intentions behind his artistic motivations and thus fill in the blanks for myself, however I can't deprive it of its place as my favourite RPG of 2015. A very close second would be Free Spirits, followed by Sellsword.
Worthy mentions: Free Spirits, Sellsword.
Best Non-RPG, and Game of the Year
My pick: April Was a Fool.
The most fantastic RMN game I've played all year. I've yet to play what are apparently close contenders, such as Blank Dream, but so far April Was a Fool stands head and shoulders above most of the rest of the games I've played this year. Its story is second-to-none, its characters are believable, and its endings are satisfying. I'm not a visual novel connoisseur, but I'd say it's one of the best visual novels I've played period. Go play the game.
GOTY Worthy mentions: Super Pantito, Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~, Sellsword, Qui Domi and Decision.
The most fantastic RMN game I've played all year. I've yet to play what are apparently close contenders, such as Blank Dream, but so far April Was a Fool stands head and shoulders above most of the rest of the games I've played this year. Its story is second-to-none, its characters are believable, and its endings are satisfying. I'm not a visual novel connoisseur, but I'd say it's one of the best visual novels I've played period. Go play the game.
GOTY Worthy mentions: Super Pantito, Free Spirits, Resonate ~call out my angel~, Sellsword, Qui Domi and Decision.
Can't remember what the categories all are, but I might go something like this:
Best Graphics - Brave Hero Yuusha
Best Level Design - Nora's Tale
Best Non-RPG - Listen
Edit:
Patiently waiting for the full release of Luxaren Allure so I don't need to think too hard about who is going to win.
If you want to use the list of categories in my follow-up post as a reminder, feel free. Also, yeah, I didn't add Luxaren Allure to the list on purpose. Waiting for that release.
Ruin Frontier was actually more enjoyable than O and its 015 too.
Edit:
And nice list, Cash! Definitely will add my nominations later on.
Edit:
And nice list, Cash! Definitely will add my nominations later on.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
Grist of Flies has such great gameplay. Graphics need work and the introduction to gameplay stinks, but holy balls is it great to play!
Free Spirit's graphics kick so much ass. Such a nicely art-directed game.
Uh... I don't play shit enough to give a good rundown on anything. Those two just stick out in the list as things I played and had strong feelings about.
Free Spirit's graphics kick so much ass. Such a nicely art-directed game.
Uh... I don't play shit enough to give a good rundown on anything. Those two just stick out in the list as things I played and had strong feelings about.
Cash, I think you like Sellsword way too much (it's also not really a Non-RPG?). Then again, I'm more inclined to think any of my work is shit and demonstrates a fraction of what I'm actually capable of.
The curse of being a creative really rubs off on me. >_<
The curse of being a creative really rubs off on me. >_<
I only have 2 nominations so far (I don't play games):
Best Game Title Wheels and the Leg Girl!
Best Graphics & Artwork Champs of the Bocca
Best Game Title Wheels and the Leg Girl!
Best Graphics & Artwork Champs of the Bocca
Wow, someone mentioned my game in a Misao thread!
Maybe I should make an actual game next year. Might get more than 1 pick. Hoo boy.
Maybe I should make an actual game next year. Might get more than 1 pick. Hoo boy.
I've only played a few games this year. but I can say with certainly that my nomination for Most Promising Demo is Ellie Starling's Very Long Walk
author=Ratty524
Cash, I think you like Sellsword way too much (it's also not really a Non-RPG?).
Oh, the final honourable mentions aren't for non-RPGs. My bad. They're for potential Game of the Years. Maybe that makes you even more uneasy but I enjoyed the game a lot, even if you don't believe it's not indicative of your talent. It's a solid RPG with brisk pacing and a wry sense of humour.
author=Pizza
Wow, someone mentioned my game in a Misao thread!
Maybe I should make an actual game next year. Might get more than 1 pick. Hoo boy.
Funny that. Only after I made the pick I saw on the page that its date of completion was at the trail end of 2014, however it had a new download added in 2015, so I don't know what to think about that.
author=SgtMettool
I've only played a few games this year. but I can say with certainly that my nomination for Most Promising Demo is Ellie Starling's Very Long Walk
I saw that game in amongst my travels to find "notable entries". It looked great but I hadn't played it and it didn't have any reviews so I had to pass on it, wondering if it was as good as it looked.
CashmereCatPizzaFunny that. Only after I made the pick I saw on the page that its date of completion was at the trail end of 2014, however it had a new download added in 2015, so I don't know what to think about that.
Wow, someone mentioned my game in a Misao thread!
Maybe I should make an actual game next year. Might get more than 1 pick. Hoo boy.
Hey, if the system is game-able, you may as well game it.
eplipswich
2728
I don't know about this year...The only game that actually stands out for me is World's Dawn (as a demo, of course), though this game is not eligible for nomination...
Or maybe I could check out April was a Fool.
Or maybe I could check out April was a Fool.
author=eplipswich
I don't know about this year...The only game that actually stands out for me is World's Dawn (as a demo, of course), though this game is not eligible for nomination...
Yeah, the download for World's Dawn was added in 2014 but modified in 2015, and the system only detects downloads that were added in the year that the Misaos takes place.
author=eplipswich
Or maybe I could check out April was a Fool.
Definitely do. It doesn't take that long to finish.
author=kentona
I only have 2 nominations so far (I don't play games):
Best Game Title Wheels and the Leg Girl!
Best Graphics & Artwork Champs of the Bocca
I'm with you on the Game title, but only because I can't nominate
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass
author=CashmereCatauthor=eplipswichYeah, the download for World's Dawn was added in 2014 but modified in 2015, and the system only detects downloads that were added in the year that the Misaos takes place.
I don't know about this year...The only game that actually stands out for me is World's Dawn (as a demo, of course), though this game is not eligible for nomination...
It wasn't modified, it was expanded, one of the three available seasons were added this year, it's actually had more than half of it completed in 2015 (tweaking and polishing Summer, all of Autumn and part of Winter as well as the new look due to successful KS campaign) and should be eligible for best demo because of it.
That's not the way the system recognises games though. I just hope Sagitar doesn't finish it on Dec 31st as he's planning that way it will slip over into 2016 for a completed game nomination.
arrghh, sorry double post. Haven't done one of those in a while.
