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STORY

Within the ruins of a fallen empire, in a room long forgotten by the world, a swordsman awakens remembering only the words:

"Jurdin Kylor must die."

Thus begins the tale of a swordmaster's pursuit of a shadowy nemesis across a dark continent ravaged by wars and evil. As he travels the lands, he will encounter characters and creatures weird and strange. He will unravel his past and learn of the part he played and will play, of how the world almost ended and how it might yet end again. But that is a long tale that will take many chapters to tell. This is only the first chapter of an epic set in a massive world of aurablades and mages, of elves and demons, of secret societies and ancient cults.

The story begins in the ruins of Myth Laurelin, a once shining city of magic destroyed during a cataclysm centuries ago. The city has since become a haven for mercenaries, misfits, treasure hunters, and grave robbers. Recently, a figure known only as the Sword Lord has taken over this sorry lot and began vigorous excavations for some mysterious purpose. Things were going well for the Sword Lord. He did not count on an unknown swordsman waking up.

FEATURES

*** 1.5+ hour of intense, action-packed story in a dark and vivid world of sword and sorcery.
*** Featuring the Duel Combat System (a customized Yami Symphony) with incredible battle graphics by Richter of the famous Eremidia series.
*** Exotic and beautiful locations from city ruins to underground jungles to the Hanging Gardens of Myth Laurelin, using graphics and tiles by the best artists of the RM community and mapped by the superbly talented Miss Nile.
*** Haunting and heartbreaking music by Darren Curtis, Quigon, Scythuz, Jin Rokudo, and Tam Music Factory.
*** Made with RPG Maker VX Ace.

IGMC ENTRY

This is an entry for the Indie Game Maker Contest 2015.

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  • Completed
  • 1 of ? episodes complete
  • watermark
  • RPG Maker VX Ace
  • RPG
  • 08/06/2015 03:25 PM
  • 02/10/2024 09:01 AM
  • 08/06/2015
  • 50018
  • 23
  • 682

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Posts

Pages: 1
I tried your game in normal mode but had to quit it, because the speed is too high for me. I'm handycapped and have no reflexes and a really bad reaction time.
I'll retry it in easy mode, but perhaps you could send me a version without the deadline while batteling. I will make enough mistakes while tipping - so it won't make it too easy.
I really like your story so far, that why I want to play it.
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@Firefly84, Thank you so much for liking our story! To be fair, I cannot upload an updated version for everyone during the contest period, as people are supposed to play the official version until the contest ends in October. However, I have PM you a NO TIMER version. In this version, in the Swordsman (EASY) mode, there is an additional option to shut off the Timer permanently in the game. You can only choose to do this in the beginning of the game.

This means you can't really vote for us as you are playing an updated version. But that's fine. I just hope you have a good time and support us in the future!
Thanks Watermark,

I beat the game in Easy-Mode with Vengeance-Ending. But even the longer time wasn't really enough for me esp. with 3 foes. The 3 crystal shards were difficult to find, esp. the one in the middle. But the Easy-mode is bug-free. I will try it with your special mode for the other options for a bit more relaxing experience.

Question: in the beginning Jared offers you a relic for 500. But you have to decline, because you never have enough money before speaking with Boris. Then Jared is just watching you. Is this on purpose?
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
Thank you for playing!

Yes, the shards were designed to be difficult to find, glad you found them all!

Regarding the relic:

SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! DON'T READ ON IF YOU DON'T NEED THIS INFO
With Jared, yes it is on purpose. You can still buy the necklace if you do not talk to Irene before Skip and Giles joins you, as the Jared scene will never happen. It is like a mini-side scene that is optional. However, it's really a cheap necklace that's not so good... :p


Regarding the ending:
SPOILER! ONLY LOOK AT THIS IF YOU'VE BEATEN THE GAME
There is only one ending for this game due to the 1 hour judging nature of the contest. Also, this is the first chapter of a much longer planned epic, so there is only one direction. However, the full epic is planned to have multiple endings. But that is for another time.


shayoko
We do not condone harassing other members by PM.
515
Random thoughts

the intro is hilarious!
-i will hunt you down!
-can you kill me???
-i will hunt you down! (again!? :D)
->insert name we might forget< MUST DIE!!! :D

mmhmhmhmhh sexy sword mhmhmhmhmhmh

its raaaapiiiing tiiiiiime!

those spites! so kawaii!

this battle system is quite astounding tho maybe a little long on the battles

the character dialog when you can still move replays when walking over the trigger area.

how did irene see them take her brother too a waterfall up north? this is impossible
because the entire time until you killed them its been blocked off. she could not go there


trees are really annoying in the forest. they block you for no reason. only the root should not the top of the tree.that would be behind it.
small bushes too should be passable

and why are the crystal shards spread out in the forest? if you need it to get in then...it would be inside the cave >.>
by the time you do this fetch quest its bullshit the kid is still alive!
^well they had other plans then just killing?

weird how neither of your characters comment on seeing all those kids buried.

my biggest dislike for this game was not obtaining all of the sleep skills. theres one more i wanted :(

also we never found out who...was the person i assume are character needed to kill.
perhaps that would be answered in a second chapter.


General 2+H
This was a rather entertaining game with unique battle sprites and battle system.
the story was interesting and i mean its RARE that i want more of something.
battles are limited so no grinding! not that would would probably want to with this battle set up.


Overall
i highly recommend this! its quite refreshing!
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
To help everyone who's stuck. Here are some solves. I've made the topics deliberately obscure to prevent spoiling it for those who haven't encountered the events.

Regarding the riddles:
The two books you need to pull in the Sorcerers' Library start with "Man" and "Fear". The books are arranged in alphabetical order starting from the top left so simply go through the books until you find books that start with these words.


Regarding the...bunch of green people:
If you are having trouble getting past the zombie horde scene, you can do two things to make it easier. One, find the Guardian Pendant within the Library and equip it. It will add Life points. Two, during the meditation phase before the zombies, pick the "Let me out." memory to get the Life up perk.


Regarding the Shards:
There are three Crystal Shards in the Gardens. One is by the water on the lower left. Another is on the lower right under a tree. You will have to go to the lower right section and then climb up a vine to get to it. The last one is by the waterfall that you see in one of the game screenshots.


Regarding the Mage:
If you are having trouble beating the mage, there are two things that you can do to make it easier. One, in the meditation phase in the Garden, pick the "As fast as..." memory to get the Speed perk. Two, the "double ranger boots" trick, where you buy and equip two sets of ranger boots from the merchant by the tavern. Both of these will drastically increase your reaction time.


Regarding fighting multiple enemies:
The trick to fighting multiple enemies is to "tie + hurt" by looking down each column. For example, you fight three enemies and one does hack, another does thrust, and the third does thrust. In this case, respond with thrust, you will tie and not get hurt from two while hurting one. If all three enemies does different moves, then use parry. If you need more time use the same speed tricks in the mage section.
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@shayoko Hahaha! Thank you for the very funny random thoughts!

Yes, I was going for the dark, silent, and sexy swordsman (+sword) here.
However, to people who haven't played yet, fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your pov), although there is sexual tension, there are no actual sexual scenes in this game as this is a contest game for healthy kids. Besides, it's way too early for everyone to just jump in bed. It just wouldn't work.

As for the Irene paradox, well, the guards were...uh...taking a pee break when she was there...yeah...that's right! :p

I feel honored to get on your rare list and your recommendation.

Glad you enjoyed the game! And yes, sequels are planned.
Hi there! I have to say, this game really impressed me, especially the battle system. Sir, you just earned yourself a review! :D

I'll try to have it submitted by the next week. Worst case scenario, I'll have it ready for the week next to that. :P
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@llan14 Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the game. Looking forward to your review!
I love the story till the fight where the little brother of that girl (I forgot her name) got captured from the swords man people or so. in the fight against that Mage I really got mad because I never used such an battle system and I always Use T even if I wanted to use H QwQ. Could you please use other battle systems for the following games you make? ^^ I really almost cried because I couldn't do it with this battle system and I am still stuck on the fight with that mage QwQ
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@KokoroNoKuroko Glad you like the story!

There is a strategy guide that gives hints on how to beat the mage! Head to the contest page for the guide link:
http://contest.gamedevfort.com/submission/258#.VffbzMTXeK3

If all else fails, you can always beat the mage using Indrah's 100% sure way as indicated in the guide.

The planned sequel for Blacksword has a different battle system which is less 'arcade' but will challenge the players strategically. The current system is a selectable option for certain duels.

If you like the game please vote for us in IGMC so we can continue the story in the sequel!
Thanks for your help I did it x3
Ps. The Story and all is soo Awwww <3 (this means it is really good O_O XD)
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@KokoroNoKuroko Thank you for playing! I am glad you enjoyed the game.
When do you think the next update on this game will come out? :o
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@KokoroNoKuroko

Thank you for your interest! Yes, we would love to continue Dust's story but it may be some time before this happens.

The next iteration of Blacksword will be on MV (unless a new Maker comes out soon, which is unlikely). We are currently making other games on MV first to learn how to use the engine properly.

The second thing is the next chapter of Blacksword will be a much longer game. In essence, this version is more like a Prologue, with the next one being the official start. We are working on the story and other designs, but no official launch date has been set for the next chapter yet.

This series will definitely continue as it's a favorite of mine. Will keep everyone posted!
I'm probably annoying at this point but, how far are you with the game at the moment? Just curious - Because I can't wait anymore to play Episode 2 :3
watermark
Got me my shiny new MZ
3283
@KokoroNoKuroko Hey, thanks so much for being a fan! I really appreciate it. Don't worry you are not annoying at all. It always makes us happy that people still care about this game.

All I can say for now is still the same as last time: no specific dates. So for now, it would be best to play other games, and tuck Blacksword into a hibernation corner until one day, Dust returns. And return he will.

Also, Watermark RPG is on hiatus due to real life obligations at the moment. We want to come back as soon as possible.

Fast Paced Battle RPG based off rock paper scissors. I've played other RPG's using Rock paper scissors mechanics but this one takes the cake. I have a slower than average reaction time, but I stuck with using mainly thrusts and managed to get thru the fights. Story was extremely cliched. Gameplay outside of the battles had some variety too.

Two things annoyed me a bit about this game. First was the zombie horde. When a bunch of them stack together you cant really tell which mob will attack first and some mobs randomly despawn when theres too many of them attacking. Second was the scorpion cave. The pulsing light was very annoying since I had to stop and wait when its dark so I can avoid the deadly dirt tiles. First time I got into this cave, I went right and completely missed the dialog that explains the deadly dirt, then got very confused on why I was taking damage and dying. That info dialog needs to be closer to the entrance.


Overall though this game has great mechanics and I love it
Still waiting for the day, Episode 2 comes out *w*
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