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A DARK RPG FULL OF PUZZLES AND INTRIGUE


Update 11/4/2020: Now that the Kill the Cutie event is over, I've removed the download and flagged it for testers only. Expect the full version in early 2021 - feel free to subscribe for regular updates!



Young Jamie has been cursed by the darkness and ostracized by her deeply spiritual hometown.

To find a cure, she and her friend Billy will crawl through some of the darkest and strangest dungeons in the world, solving baffling puzzles and fighting tricky enemies around every turn!

They will be aided by Jamie's unique ability to record the thoughts of dead adventurers who tried to escape the dungeon. These poor souls paid the price of failure with their lives, but now Jamie can learn from their mistakes!


Here's my entry for the Kill the Cutie event! The first part has been released and is about one hour long. The second part will be 1-2 hours long and conclude the story; it will be released in November.



Jamie is a traditional RPG that centers on two adolescents, Jamie and Billy, as they battle the rising darkness on the island of Kioka.

Long ago, the archipelago of Kolmesarta was home to an ancient order of magicians called the Telekinetic Sages. These wielders of holy magic served as community guardians, servants, healers, preachers, and even soldiers for the local lords. On the southern island of Kioka, a group of Sages struggled against an invasion of technologically advanced soldiers from a distant land. Desperate to preserve their way of life, many Sages appealed to the spirits of Cygnus, the ancient land of Balance, for dark power.

These new talents came at a cost: to wield the darkness without becoming consumed by it, the Sages had to be careful with their dark powers as well as their innate holy abilities. Many of these so-called Balance Sages died within weeks because the tug of war between the darkness and light proved too big a strain on their souls. Those who lived were eventually driven to madness, destroying friend and foe alike. Although they repelled the invading soldiers, all of the Balance sages died in the ensuing civil war. To prevent history from repeating itself, the Sages kept their numbers small, their bloodlines pure, and their dark past under wraps.

Fast forward to the present. As the talented and loveable daughter of the local Sage, young Jamie has a bright future ahead of her. She is respected by her peers and adored by the townspeople. She is well on her path to being a proper civil servant, much like generations of Sages before her. But there is one person she can never fully satisfy: her mother.

But then something unfortunate happens, and Jamie's entire world turns upside down. How will she cope with her sudden string of bad fortune? And will her best friend Billy, a rising hunter-in-training, stand by her side when the entire region turns against her? With the aid of Billy's older brother, Kiefer, they will eventually find the source of the evil that plagues them - but will it be too late to stop it? And what is the source of the darkness that rises upon Kioka?



* Two hours of gameplay across three dungeons and five set pieces.
* Puzzle-driven dungeons and battles. Every item, weapon, and skill will be important.
* A Passive Skill system that alters each character's playstyle. At several points, characters will have to choose between two passives to learn.
* A Conduit system that allows Jamie to listen to the last thoughts of the dead. The system starts off as a simple hint delivery method and becomes a major puzzle concept later on.
* A simple elemental system that affects both magic and weapon types.
* Old-school creepy dungeon crawling inspired by the Shadow Temple and SNES JRPGs.
* A shocking and polarizing conclusion.



* Game creation: Deckiller
* Presentation plugins: Visustella Core/Message/Menu systems
* Graphics: MZ RTP (with heavy edits), Freepik (@ksushafineart)
* Audio: MZ RTP, Freeware sources (full credits in readme file)
* Testers: Arcmagic, Dethmetal, Pianotm, and Dyhalto

Latest Blog

Another Update

Mapping is basically complete, with the exception of a couple small rooms in the final dungeon. Now begins the long process of fleshing out the combat and eventing all the cutscenes - in other words, the meat of the game. Here goes nothing, haha.

I'll try to get this game out by the end of December, but that's gonna depend on how busy I am during the day.

Posts

Pages: 1
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
Thanks man! Demo soon! It's in playtesting atm.
All right this looks cool but I guess I will wait for the complete release then! :)
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
author=TheRpgmakerAddict
All right this looks cool but I guess I will wait for the complete release then! :)


Yeah it might be best to wait since I will be making a few changes to the first half of the game!
I finished playing the event demo :)

Story and Presentation: 5/5
Excellent art direction, using everything that the engine offers to add tension and emotion to the cutscenes. I love the details in the shrine like the flashing shadows and the rats. The overall presentation is quite inspirational.
The plot is simple and effective. I was really invested into it thanks to the scenes sticking to what’s important. It didn’t take long for me to root for the charismatic protagonists and I cared about what would happen after every scene.

Gameplay: 4/5
The battles and character customization are right up my alley, as expected. Good job on creating lots of strategic fights using a limited number of enemies and gear/skills.
The weapon equipping skills are a clever addition.
I enjoyed the traps and puzzles as well.
I know this is only a demo but I felt that it was a little too linear. Maybe you could let players complete the next dungeons’ rooms in a less linear order. I would have also appreciated if there were one or two secrets to find that rewarded me with better equipment or something.
This demo felt short and I look forward to playing the next part.

Overall: 9/10
In one word: Awesome!

And here’s a passability issue that I found on the corners of railings:

Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
author=Avee
I finished playing the event demo :)

Story and Presentation: 5/5
Excellent art direction, using everything that the engine offers to add tension and emotion to the cutscenes. I love the details in the shrine like the flashing shadows and the rats. The overall presentation is quite inspirational.
The plot is simple and effective. I was really invested into it thanks to the scenes sticking to what’s important. It didn’t take long for me to root for the charismatic protagonists and I cared about what would happen after every scene.

Gameplay: 4/5
The battles and character customization are right up my alley, as expected. Good job on creating lots of strategic fights using a limited number of enemies and gear/skills.
The weapon equipping skills are a clever addition.
I enjoyed the traps and puzzles as well.
I know this is only a demo but I felt that it was a little too linear. Maybe you could let players complete the next dungeons’ rooms in a less linear order. I would have also appreciated if there were one or two secrets to find that rewarded me with better equipment or something.
This demo felt short and I look forward to playing the next part.

Overall: 9/10
In one word: Awesome!

And here’s a passability issue that I found on the corners of railings:


Thanks for the feedback! Ooh, good call on the railings. Will have to fix. I agree with you on the linearity piece: I'll probably add a couple of side rooms in the first dungeon. Perhaps you have to find a couple of things throughout the crypts and use them to get a special treasure.

The second dungeon is a large forest area with a few branching paths. The main path is fairly linear, but once you get a few key items you can explore the rest of the forest/accomplish the tasks in any order.

Third dungeon is a multi-party area. The first tower, which I've completed, is kinda linear, but I'm thinking about making the second tower a bit more non-linear. By that point, the fights won't be as tightly tuned and will feel more like a traditional RPG fare, so I can get away with adding a bunch of new equipment and other goodies.
I like that idea about the second tower. It would add some variety to the gameplay and keep things fresh.
I'll be keeping a close eye on the development :)
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
author=Avee
I like that idea about the second tower. It would add some variety to the gameplay and keep things fresh.
I'll be keeping a close eye on the development :)

There's a chance I may consolidate it into a single tower or have the themes be more story/lore-based than puzzle-based. I think I need to reel in some of the crazier puzzle ideas because I can see development hell becoming a serious concern. The multi-party features should be fun, though, and the game already has pretty strong themes of balance in its story and in Jamie's post-Crypts playstyle.
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