Intro

"Heavenly Martyr" was developed by LumiRetriever and NunnyDev using RPG Maker 2003 for the Magical Girl Game Jam #6 on itch.io. And this game was the winning entry in that jam. Albeit it did get less ratings than the game in second place, but I'm guessing it managed to eek out a better average score since people only have so much time for playing games as we get older.

Story
Summary

The game kicks off with our heroine getting run over by truck-kun. Truly this truck knows no bounds. Though instead of getting isekaied like a certain spear hero were instead reborn in our original world as a magical girl. A magic girl with a service sister by our side named Reapy since she looks like the grim reaper. Though, I'll admit I'm a bit more fond of Botan from "Yu Yu Hakusho" since her design is a bit more unique as far as grim reapers go.



At any rate it appears we need to hunt down our first target and in order to do so were going to need to look for clues. Thankfully our new abode should drop us nearby the target's actual location. And considering were on the hunt for a truly deranged and sadistic target in order to turn him into a gummy and purify his/her soul so they can go to heaven. I'm sure will find some useful clues in short order.

Strengths/Weaknesses

On the plus side of the scale the characters have clearly defined personalities. Though it does appear our heroine might just doom herself at the end of the game due to her inability to let go of her hatred. Though I doubt she's the first martyr to fall off the path of righteousness.

On the other hand the game never really gives us a clear picture why the other martyr wanted this job. Though considering she was willing to beat the ever loving tar out of us. It's probably safe to guess she also has a personal interest in the target.



After all, the heroine's original name is on this list. And I can only imagine the guy selling their corpses has given birth to a bunch of magical girls over the years. Maybe that's why he's able to be so calm when we confront him.

Gameplay

On the gameplay front the game utilizes the standard combat system that comes with RPG Maker 2003 and even relies on random encounters outside of a pair of boss fights. So the game really doesn't offer that much gameplay wise at first glance, but the game also includes a soul triangle where certain souls trump other souls. So basically the weapon triangle from the Fire Emblem franchise.



Albeit these advantages only apply when using skills to damage your enemies instead of the regular attack. The game also differs in that the player doesn't gain experience or money in a traditional sense for defeating enemies. Instead your granted gummies based on the type of soul possessed by your enemy. And these gummies can't be spent at the marketplace in order to buy weapons, accessories, or useful items. Though, I imagine the best weapon is probably the double polearm since it attacks twice and about half of your battles in this game involve only a single enemy.



Though you'll definitely want to hold onto some gummies since save points in this game only restore your health which can be really annoying at times since it means the only effective method for farming gummies relies on not using your skills and just slugging it out with your enemies using regular attacks. Which can be pretty tedious even on easy mode.

And before I forget the game includes a short puzzle section where you control Reapy and need to navigate through the vents at the factory. On the plus or negative side of the scale depending on your perspective the puzzles are all rather easy. So if you like your journey to include a few puzzles that will test your mental acuity you'll need to look elsewhere.



Graphics

Graphically the game features entirely original assets that look pretty nice.



Though, it's hard to deny that some of the artwork is pretty messed up, but this is a game that comes with a content warning. So it really shouldn't come as surprise that you'll run into a lot of mutilated bodies at certain point in the game.

Sound

Sound wise the game is alright for the most part, but the main character sounds like she's coughing whenever she talks. And this sound effect really got under my skin in a hurry. So much so that I know I complained about it multiple times during the Let's Play for this game. So while most of the background music and sound effects are fine. That one really needs to go in my opinion since it really dominates my opinion on the sound aspect of this game overall as being poor.

Conclusion

"Heavenly Martyr" is a pretty messed up game, but considering this project comes with a content warning both on the game's summary page and in the game itself. It really shouldn't come as a surprise that it contains some pretty messed up content. Though it's nowhere near as bad as "MOMOKA" by moca when it comes to the gore.

Which is a bit odd considering this game is a lot more visual with it, but maybe the detailed descriptions in "MOMOKA" simply allow the player's imagination to run wild a lot easier and imagine stuff that is even worse. Or maybe it's because all of the bodies we come across are already mutilated instead of the player watching their character drag themselves up a flight of stairs while trying to hold their guts in with their other hand. At any rate this game is definitely a better overall package and worth a look if your not too squeamish.