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"Collage is the noble conquest of the irrational, the coupling of two realities, irreconcilable in appearance, upon a plane which apparently does not suit them." (Max Ernst)

Middens is an exploration game using collage and original pixel art in tandem that takes the perspective of a drifter traversing a veritable x-zone. Roving its interminable wastes the nomad chances upon a sentient revolver beside an ominous pile of remains.
The pistol offers its exploit in exchange for a pledge of inextricable companionship. Espousing to be the player's conscience the dubious weapon directs the drifter to a nearby outpost wherein the story further unfolds.

Despite its appearance as a wasteland the rift is home to many strange denizens---
some volatile and others ineffectual. Whatever their disposition the pistol represents the choice to engage them or to spare them. Aggression and passivity have their appropriate times with rewards and consequences being granted to both paths respectively.


Latest Blog

Where They Cremate the Roadkill



A thread of three lives confront the personification of appearances as it grows from larva to adult.

At the dead-end of the future a telepath assists the embodiment of insanity and is marooned in the mind of a flea.

In the primeval past one quadruped forages for food as a sentient cancer swallows the last of Earth’s living tissue.

Between the present’s many crossroads a jobless coolie that cannot die kills for rebellion and revenge.

All this as a desire for sleep returns in the heart of existence.

Where They Cremate the Roadkill is an experimental action-oriented RPG now available on Steam:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/705610/Where_They_Cremate_The_Roadkill/
  • Completed
  • myformerselves
  • kumada
  • RPG Maker XP
  • RPG
  • 02/27/2012 07:06 PM
  • 04/25/2022 05:20 PM
  • 09/21/2012
  • 782313
  • 171
  • 29178

Posts

If anyone experiences trouble starting the game I've included a text file that describes several methods that may assist in correctly launching the program.
author=nin8halos
It's finally here! But I can't see any of the game text.


The game requires the batang font. It's been included in the game file in the 'fonts' folder so all you have to do is copy the file from there into your windows fonts folder.
It's here! I shall play play play!
Neat game, I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.
However, I'd drop the emoticons. It makes it seem unprofessional.
Also, there are tons of passability errors, too many to list here.
author=SnowOwl
Neat game, I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.
However, I'd drop the emoticons. It makes it seem unprofessional.
Also, there are tons of passability errors, too many to list here.


Thank you for that notice SnowOwl. I've actually been in the process of uploading a version with several bug fixes(but my connection isn't the fastest so it likely wont be up until tonight). The size of the game has made it somewhat difficult to police passabilities so please PM me with any that you can name off-hand. I'll stubbornly cling to the use of emoticons though lol ^___^.
If anyone notices anything fishy or latent problems not yet mended please PM and I'll correct these in future versions.
author=myformerselves
author=nin8halos
It's finally here! But I can't see any of the game text.
The game requires the batang font. It's been included in the game file in the 'fonts' folder so all you have to do is copy the file from there into your windows fonts folder.


That probably would've been obvious to me had it not been 5 or 6 in the morning.
i was just popping in to say that the name of this project is the shit

except everything about this project is the shit

like, this is exactly the kind of game i would have made if i had the latitude/time/patience/willpower/artistic talent to make exactly the kind of games i want.

l'edit:

The word ‘Midden’ describes a littered space strewn with the detritus of a departed civilization. The dimension wherein the game takes place is one composited from the remnants of a collapsed world and therefore, in a sense, a midden. The life that abandoned structures assume after their intended occupants have left is emblematic, I feel, of a sort of enigmatic magic. These forsaken places seem to teem with strange spatial energy and embody a lesson, I think, about time’s power to repossess whatever it wants.

<3 <3 <3 <3
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I've only played 45 minutes of this game, but passabilities are the least of my concerns. If I'm still at a loss of what I'm supposed to be doing by the hour-and-a-half mark, well, it's not going to look good on the review.
Marrend,

If you're stressing about what to do then Middens is probably not for you. The intention of the game is exploration and discovery and it isn't intended to be played in the style of a strict directive. You can releax--- there's no "correct" way to play Middens because it is deliberately open ended.
Are you familiar at all with the games Midden's pulls inspiration from such as Saga Frontier, Panic!, Amiga's Weird Dreams, Yume Nikki or even Super Columbine RPG?
author=Fugue
i was just popping in to say that the name of this project is the shit

except everything about this project is the shit

like, this is exactly the kind of game i would have made if i had the latitude/time/patience/willpower/artistic talent to make exactly the kind of games i want.

l'edit:

The word ‘Midden’ describes a littered space strewn with the detritus of a departed civilization. The dimension wherein the game takes place is one composited from the remnants of a collapsed world and therefore, in a sense, a midden. The life that abandoned structures assume after their intended occupants have left is emblematic, I feel, of a sort of enigmatic magic. These forsaken places seem to teem with strange spatial energy and embody a lesson, I think, about time’s power to repossess whatever it wants.

<3 <3 <3 <3


Great thanks Fugue.
author=myformerselves
Are you familiar at all with the game's Midden's pull inspiration from such as Saga Frontier, Panic!, Amiga's Weird Dreams, Yume Nikki or Super Columbine RPG?


This marks the first time I have ever seen super columbine rpg referenced in a positive light.
I can already tell this game is going to divide people because of the risks it takes(think shirts vs skins), but it ended up being right up the alley. Right now I have about twenty 'nothings' and thirty worms and I'm really enjoying the game's animated day-glow backgrounds.
author=myformerselves
Are you familiar at all with the games Midden's pulls inspiration from such as... Panic!

But where are all the buttons (I'm joking)? You have nice taste in games though, 2 of the games you listed are on my top 5 games ever.

author=myformerselves
The size of the game has made it somewhat difficult to police passabilities so please PM me with any that you can name off-hand.

I'll tell you if I find some in 1.9.

Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
author=myformerselves
Are you familiar at all with the games Midden's pulls inspiration from? Such as Saga Frontier, Panic!, Amiga's Weird Dreams, Yume Nikki or even Super Columbine RPG?

I'm only familiar with Weird Dreams (No, not that Weird Dreams! The other one!), and even then, I'm not sure how much of a difference there was between the Amiga version and the Commodore 64 version that I had. In any event, I observed no such references in my time with the game. It's possible they were over my head, or otherwise, rather obtuse.

author=myformerselves
Marrend, if you're stressing about what to do, then Middens is probably not for you. The intention of the game is exploration and discovery and it isn't intended to be played in the style of a strict directive. You can releax--- there's no "correct" way to play Middens because it is deliberately open ended.

I wouldn't call it "stressing". More like "struggling". This struggle was more in response to the belief that the game has multiple endings. This blog mentions as much. However, it is peculiar that you say this. What I'm getting out of this game is that it is merely a romp in the most bizarre locations one can possibly imagine. From what you're saying, this sounds like a perfectly acceptable conclusion of what this game is.
Marrend,

There are multiple endings but to reach them you first are required to engage and defeat thirty of the game's creatures. There are close to three hundred unique creatures that can be uncovered and fought throughout the game and to initiate into the ending areas you have only to defeat 10% of these. What ending you uncover is based off a host of other tacit factors centered in your choices.
author=kumada
author=myformerselves
Are you familiar at all with the game's Midden's pull inspiration from such as Saga Frontier, Panic!, Amiga's Weird Dreams, Yume Nikki or Super Columbine RPG?
This marks the first time I have ever seen super columbine rpg referenced in a positive light.


it is good art, just not a good game or in good taste.

anyway, playing this today, then doing a review double feature with this and lakewood story. unless this turns out to be substantially epic that i cannot generate adequate impressions for a review in a couple hours of playtime.
unfortunately, while i appreciate the poop out of its diction and aesthetic choices, this game does not play as well as it looks.

battles are quite slow and difficult; enemies, even the "easy" ones have too much health to prevent severe tedium. while full heals from save points are nice, they're not enough to prevent some serious frustraiton. i'd recommend any of the following:

1) a way to tell how tough a given weird looking creature is before picking a fight with it.
2) more numerous healing items at the beginning.
3) substantially lowered enemy health. enemy attack power is high also, but i'm fine with that.
4) this one's important. more combat options for the protagonist and his three summons would make the game more fun to play.

also i have to question the veracity of the assertion that every fight is a unique boss fight. i have encountered multiple non-unique, duplicate foes. most of them have pretty boring attack patterns, also (like just spamming attack).

if there was a game that combined the art style of this game with the battle depth of a crazegame, i might be in heaven.

finally, a bug that caused me no small frustration. if the main protagonist is killed in a battle, and yam, lam, and on prevail, the player receives a game over screen upon completing the battle. this should be changed either so that the player is revived, or so that the game over screen occurs immediately upon the protagonist's death.
author=Fugue
unfortunately, while i appreciate the poop out of its diction and aesthetic choices, this game does not play as well as it looks.

battles are quite slow and difficult; enemies, even the "easy" ones have too much health to prevent severe tedium. while full heals from save points are nice, they're not enough to prevent some serious frustraiton. i'd recommend any of the following:

1) a way to tell how tough a given weird looking creature is before picking a fight with it.
2) more numerous healing items at the beginning.
3) substantially lowered enemy health. enemy attack power is high also, but i'm fine with that.
4) this one's important. more combat options for the protagonist and his three summons would make the game more fun to play.

also i have to question the veracity of the assertion that every fight is a unique boss fight. i have encountered multiple non-unique, duplicate foes. most of them have pretty boring attack patterns, also (like just spamming attack).

if there was a game that combined the art style of this game with the battle depth of a crazegame, i might be in heaven.

finally, a bug that caused me no small frustration. if the main protagonist is killed in a battle, and yam, lam, and on prevail, the player receives a game over screen upon completing the battle. this should be changed either so that the player is revived, or so that the game over screen occurs immediately upon the protagonist's death.


I've managed to get around the unpredictable difficulty levels by saving between every battle. Unfortunately, that means you have to play very cautiously and can't wander around fighting things.
You do get a lot more combat options as you level up. I'm at level 16 now and each combatant has several abilities.
Aside from the Thrones encountered near the beginning of the game, most of the enemies I've fought are unique.
I agree that the game doesn't play as well as it looks. I love the art style and the bizarre creatures. However, I'm one of those people that needs an objective to get enjoyment out of a game. I find this more enjoyable than Yume Nikki, though.