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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.
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.
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myformerselves
0 post(s)- 09/29/2017 08:25 PM
- 1701 views
- Completed
- myformerselves
- kumada
RPG Maker XP- RPG
- 02/27/2012 07:06 PM
- 04/25/2022 05:20 PM
- 09/21/2012
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CloseI suppose this qualifies as a spoiler so disregard my message if you're interested in uncovering the details yourself but---
I'm not sure of the exact number of battles you need to win, but when I had won around thirty-five battles and equipped the revolver item the gun announces you've learned a new skill. Using this skill transports you to a new area of highly powered titans. You can't return after using the skill either (as far as I noticed) so be careful of not saving over your old file afterward if you want to return.
Fugue
154
ok so the last time i made the complaints about the battles i was level one
now i am level 12 and so are all my delicious chakra.
the battles are not that bad. there is even some strategy to them although the "russian roulette" feeling never quite goes away. the pushpaka (car monster) kicked my ass though. then i escaped it to death? kind of weird that escaping kills enemies.
anyway...
i have 10 nothings. where do i go to complete the game? i have explored most of all of the game's three main areas, i think.
now i am level 12 and so are all my delicious chakra.
the battles are not that bad. there is even some strategy to them although the "russian roulette" feeling never quite goes away. the pushpaka (car monster) kicked my ass though. then i escaped it to death? kind of weird that escaping kills enemies.
anyway...
i have 10 nothings. where do i go to complete the game? i have explored most of all of the game's three main areas, i think.
kumada
3917
author=bargainbinbible
You could take the wings off a hawk and put them on a shark because you want the shark to fly, but where does that leave the hawk?
As the air-shark's pilot, obviously. :)
I understand what you're saying, but Middens is a game that uses collage not just in its art assets, but as a theme to the setting. It feels a little strange to me to then say "this is pure and no one should try to mix it into other things."
And, to clarify, I'm not saying "lift elements from game X and drop them into game Y", because--even without disagreements over the ownership of ideas--that would produce a total Frankenstein. What I'm saying is that if myformerselves worked with a team, I think the end result would be incredible.
Fugue
154
You could take the wings off a hawk and put them on a shark because you want the shark to fly, but where does that leave the hawk? Its somewhat of a spoiled perspective.
good point on the other hand fuck your retarded hatred of flying sharks
: P
***
going to give this another crack today, btw. maybe i'll be able to make more progress. i am just concerned that "free-form exploration with no guidelines or handholding" and "extremely difficult turn based battles" might be inherently non-synergistic design goals. but then again my patience for actually losing battles in RM games is incredibly low. that's because most of the time you're losing because of shitty game design.
most of the time, but not always.
nin8halos
4375
author=bargainbinbible
You could take the wings off a hawk and put them on a shark because you want the shark to fly, but where does that leave the hawk?
Shark hawk sounds awesome!
author=bargainbinbible
On a side note last night I finished the game
I must know how you did this.
Yeah, you could extract all the visuals, dialogue and characters---the breast meat of the game---but its the mixture of the many parts that makes the living animal. Kind of greedy if you ask me. You could take the wings off a hawk and put them on a shark because you want the shark to fly, but where does that leave the hawk? Its somewhat of a spoiled perspective.
On a side note last night I finished the game and I'm uploading some of the talkative gun movies to youtube because, well, they make me laugh. Hope you don't mind?
On a side note last night I finished the game and I'm uploading some of the talkative gun movies to youtube because, well, they make me laugh. Hope you don't mind?
kumada
3917
author=Fugue
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..
100% agree. I felt like Middens ultimately did some very interesting things without committing too heavily to story, but if this art ever joined forces with a detailed storyline and fine-tuned combat mechanics, five would not be a high enough number of stars to rate it at.
-If the Nomad dies and your proxies finish the battle it is intentional that you reach gameover. Your proxies can either revive you to continue the battle or self destruct using the exeunt commands to end the game. The proxies are only projections of yourself(that's what a chakra is) so naturally they cannot live long without you.
-If you're having trouble finding items use your 'Acoustics' ability. There's a ton of hidden items and secret doors that can be uncovered this way.
-Picking a fight with an enemy is intended to be a tad like Russian Roulette, just as it would be if you were picking a fight with someone on the street...except this is a street crossing an inter-dimensional portal. Be cautious and save often as the game recommends you do if you need to be rehealed. Your proxies begin with replenished health and nerve everytime they are revived.
-There's 207 hand made creature portraits in the game and only very minor enemies are duplicated and even those are extremely infrequent.
-You can gain experience by exercising.
-If you lack abilities you should go worm hunting as there's hundreds to be located in the rift and all of them have battle attributes.
-The bartering NPCs will trade you valuable items
-The gun will speak to you based on specific rooms being entered. It gives you clues on its back story and the setting of the game.
-Although Middens does have an easily attainable ending it doesn't have so much an objective goal as an objective realization. The desire to create it was primarily spurred by the popularity of gun related violence in games. It is in a way a parody of games that demand the player to use weapon related dominance to resolve conflicts. The game's conclusion begins where most murder sprees end.
-If you're having trouble finding items use your 'Acoustics' ability. There's a ton of hidden items and secret doors that can be uncovered this way.
-Picking a fight with an enemy is intended to be a tad like Russian Roulette, just as it would be if you were picking a fight with someone on the street...except this is a street crossing an inter-dimensional portal. Be cautious and save often as the game recommends you do if you need to be rehealed. Your proxies begin with replenished health and nerve everytime they are revived.
-There's 207 hand made creature portraits in the game and only very minor enemies are duplicated and even those are extremely infrequent.
-You can gain experience by exercising.
-If you lack abilities you should go worm hunting as there's hundreds to be located in the rift and all of them have battle attributes.
-The bartering NPCs will trade you valuable items
-The gun will speak to you based on specific rooms being entered. It gives you clues on its back story and the setting of the game.
-Although Middens does have an easily attainable ending it doesn't have so much an objective goal as an objective realization. The desire to create it was primarily spurred by the popularity of gun related violence in games. It is in a way a parody of games that demand the player to use weapon related dominance to resolve conflicts. The game's conclusion begins where most murder sprees end.
Seeric
2155
After playing this for a few hours, I have to say that it may be a bit too open. While the influence from Panic! and Yume Nikkiis easy to see, both of those games had a bit more sense of (illogical) structure with a concrete goal for the former and a vaguely understandable goal for the latter. However, for this game I'm just completely lost as to what the ultimate objective is or if there even is an ending. Sometimes the gun pops up and speaks to me (is this tied to specific rooms or does it appear after reaching a specific number of rooms or is it a time thing and does it factor into 'finishing' the game?). Some NPC's ask me for items which I assume are gained by killing other NPC's, but I have no idea which NPC's drop which items and Nothingness poses a vague threat. There is mention of pacifism being a possibility 'with consequences', but the game gives me no reason to believe there is any way to progress other than these odd fetch quests. Basically, a clear goal isn't suitable for a game like this, but it would be nice to have some indication if there is any sort of resolution(s) to strive for or if it's a never-ending sandbox.
I agree with most of what Fugue is saying. I think it would be a good idea to get a full heal after every fight. But one thing:
There's enough skills in the game, but I feel as though they aren't given out early enough. The battles do get more fun after the 30 to an hour mark. I'll give it that.
Art style and dialogue <3
author=Fugue
4) this one's important. more combat options for the protagonist and his three summons would make the game more fun to play.
There's enough skills in the game, but I feel as though they aren't given out early enough. The battles do get more fun after the 30 to an hour mark. I'll give it that.
Art style and dialogue <3
nin8halos
4375
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.
Fugue
154
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.
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.
Fugue
154
author=kumadaauthor=myformerselvesThis marks the first time I have ever seen super columbine rpg referenced in a positive light.
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?
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.
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.
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=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.
SnowOwl
5188
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.
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.
kumada
3917
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.
