Hell on High Heels

Intro

"Hell on High Heels" is a short turn-based RPG/comedy game developed by pianotm and Red_Nova using RPG Maker VX Ace. And this was one of the many entries for the Swap in 3 Middle with You event that ran between the middle of August 2022 to late September of 2022. An event where one developer starts off a project while another is tasked with finishing it. A process that can lead to games that are rather uneven in my opinion since the first half might setup story expectations that aren't delivered upon in the second half, but I suppose that is part of the charm of these kinds of games. Though, I'll admit the main character has me asking a few questions. Though, I suppose I'll get to that in a bit since I'd like to summarize the game's plot line before that.

Story
Summary

Story wise the game kicks off with a bunch of demons invading the Kingdom of Khandee in order to burn it down. After all, this should be a relatively easy mission for Demon King Mephistopheles's three greatest generals. Though, I'll admit one of the generals being named Jim is a bit odd. After all, it's hard to make such a common name sound intimidating. Why do you think Tom Riddle calls himself the Dark Lord Voldemort? It's because no one is going to be intimidated by the name Tom. If anything they'll confuse you with the guy that runs the bar at the Leaky Cauldron. At any rate the two experienced generals decide to set off for the castle in order for Jim to terrorize the defenseless townspeople.

It's at this point were introduced to our main character, a spoiled brat named Princess Nia, whose power comes from just how entitled she is. I suppose she is the ultimate stereotype of the spoiled, rich, white girl. Unfortunately for her "friends" this means this princess always gets what she wants. And unlike some other spoiled princess like Princess Mint from "Thread of Fates" or Princess Elise from "My World, My Way". This character really doesn't learn anything from adventure or grow as a character. On the plus side her self entitlement has granted her the power of Power Word Kill. So she's more than a match for the demonic hordes trying to ruin her tea party and take over the kingdom.

Questions

My main question is what exactly is the inspiration for Princess Nia since this character archetype is rather common. So I'm curious if she was based on a video game character I'm familiar with or will become acquainted with in the future since my list of titles to Let's Play at some point in the future is rather extensive to say the least.

Weaknesses

There are a noticeable amount of spoiled princess characters in the realm of video games. It's just that most of them have some level of depth to them as characters or grow as a result of their adventure. Sure Princess Elise from "My World, My Way" gives up her dresses for armor and trims her hair to become an adventurer in order to win the heart of the hottest adventure in the kingdom, but at least by the end of the game she grows beyond the need for a hot boyfriend. Though, I'll admit her ability to warp the very fabric of reality using her pouts to spawn dancing forests and lakes in the middle of the world's hottest desert means her abilities are far beyond those of Princess Nia.

And while Princess Mint is super entitled we do see shades of depth to her when she lends a hand to help others a bit. Though, I'll admit she probably never goes beyond being deeper than a kiddie pool, but that's still more than we get from Princess Nia who threatens to kill her "friends" if they don't attend her tea party.

Strengths

The game's short runtime means Princess Nia's ability to curb stop enemies by simply telling them to off themselves at maximum volume manages to avoid getting old. After all, this isn't a joke that would stand up very well overtime since Princess Nia really doesn't have that many offensive options seeing as how she's a level 1 weakling. So it's nice that the developers could see this and made the game short in order to prevent this aspect of the game ruining the rest of the jokes.

Gameplay

The game features the standard turn-based combat system used by RPG Maker VX Ace as such I don't have that much to say about the system itself. If your familiar with this engine you'll know what to expect. And for those unfamiliar it means you'll gain points in a secondary type of MP over the course of a fight which can use to active certain types of special abilities. You also have your standard pool for MP as well for casting certain types of skills as well. Albeit there aren't that many skills in this game with the only characters having them on your first run through the game being Princess Nia and her bodyguard.

The only other things of note is that battles in this game are super easy. While you will suffer a game over if Princess Nia dies. This is highly unlikely to happen considering she can spam a skill that makes it impossible for enemies to target her and most regular enemies in this game going down in a single sword slice from your bodyguard. So getting through this game on the combat front is super easy. So much so the game even comments on it at one point. The only other thing to keep in mind is that battles are triggered by coming into contact with enemies roaming the map.

And finally the game gives the player access to additional endings upon completing the game for the first time. Though if anyone would want to take Princess Nia to hell in order to make the devil head for Georgia is anyone's guess. I know I'll probably take a crack at that task at some point in the future, but I'd rather work on other projects in the mean time.

Graphics and Sound

Graphically the game largely relies upon the RTP for RPG Maker VX Ace, but it does include a bit of custom work for Princess Nia. Though this artwork exists for the sake of a joke about the princess being super vain since she needs a custom frame around her one facial expression.

On the sound side of things the game also relies on the RTP, but does include a few voiced lines on the title screen where Princess Nia demands the player to stop wasting her time and start the game which makes me think of "Akalabeth: World of Doom".

Conclusion

"Hell on High Heels" is an amusing ride, but the game's low difficulty means I was never able to utilize Princess Nia's ultimate ability which is rather disappointing in my opinion. I suppose I might get my chance if I ever get around to exploring New Game+, but for now it remains a let down. That being said if you want to watch a spoiled brat terrorize demons and make them poof out of existence with a few words. This is probably the game for you.