PSA: GO PLAY RUINA: FAIRY TALE OF THE FORGOTTEN RUINS

So Ruina: Fairy Tale of the Forgotten Ruins, an RPG Maker game released back in 2008, was translated into English just a few months ago. I wrote a Twitter thread on the game here and interviewed the translator here. But I still don't see that many folks in the English-speaking RPG Maker community talking about the game! This is a huge bummer because Ruina is one of the coolest, most idiosyncratic games ever made in the RPG Maker engine.



Ruina: Fairy Tale of the Forgotten Ruins is an RPG Maker game that takes influence from tabletop RPGs and gamebooks. It is packed with stuff that most RPG Maker games do not have. Custom art? Ruina's loaded with it. Custom menu systems programmed in RPG Maker 2000? Ruina has it. A Dragon Age Origins-style background system that lets you play through four different perspectives? With an additional job system layered over that which lets you either play into or defy those roles? Ruina's got them. Defined encounters that play out based on your characters's stats and skills? Countless hidden secrets to tease out over multiple playthroughs? Ruina's pretty substantial, as well--the game's 20-30 hours long, but there's a decent amount of variance based on your character's build, the choices you make etc. Ruina is a monolith.



If you like RPG Maker games, western RPGs, Etrian Odyssey or games made by Craze, this game is required reading. Also, please help me out because I'm stuck fighting that evil guy on a horse down on the island. How do you beat him?? I have no idea. Please help me, RPG Maker community.