CASHMERECAT'S PROFILE

Let's gooooooooooooooooooo!!!
I'm pretty excited for this. Never participated in it, but hyped! And I'm sort of happy that my picks are slightly different to Frogge's, even though I didn't consult his list to make mine. :)

Here's my list!

1. Deadpool & Wolverine
2. Inside Out 2
3. The Fall Guy
4. Despicable Me 4
5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
6. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
7. Twisters
8. IF
9. The Garfield Movie
10. A Quiet Place: Day One

Dark Horses:
- Alien: Romulus
- The Bikeriders
- Borderlands

author=gorha
What determines whether a game is eligible for an award? To be specific, why does the checkbox for Sleeping Beetle Ninja appear for The Alley, which has 395 downloads, but not Sophia & Shire, which has 33? Also, Soma Union has a working Nominate button despite coming out last year and already winning awards?

That Sleeping Beetle Ninja award thing seems like a bug, but as for Soma Union, the site is programmed as such to accept nominations for any game with a download version uploaded this year, regardless of status. This is because Sgt M uploaded v1.0.7 and v1.0.8 this year.

My nominations at the moment! I don't know if it's against the rules to reveal your votes like this, but hopefully it might inspire some people to check some games out. Some good 'uns here :)

My Computer Wants to Eat Me? by WrathOfWood was a very trippy 3D maze simulator with a bunch of Yume Nikki-like stuff. Great game title in my opinion, but if not that, my runaway contender for "Trippiest Game".

SimCabbie by UPRC was a lovely game jam game that felt like an experiment using SimCity tiles for a taxi simulation experience. Really great. Cute game profile vibe too, and legitimately impressive technicality-wise. It also is a great lawsuit waiting to happen, since it uses SimCity tiles and music.

Life Eternal has some gorgeous visuals. They're all Ronove originals too, as far as I can tell!

Hand of the Goddess is my pick for GOTY so far. I know it's quite a short game jam game, but I can't pick anything else right now that I've played so far that deserves it more. It's a unique and short parable with a great significance. If something else pops up that really impresses me more, I'll switch over.

DZ and Riggy vs the World(s) by UPRC is truly one of the most challenging and vast games submitted. I actually haven't played it, but I've watched hours of different people on Twitch like riggy2k3, dzpg1 and MikeyBlighe struggling through it... extremely entertaining watching them swear over and over again in frustration! It's also very long, too. Lots of content for the "Everlasting Journey" award.

Yoshi Goes to Tesco by Frogge is a shitpost game but it's really funny. Very punny and funny and I like that it exists. I also just love Frogge. For that, I also nominated it for Best Non-English Game and Most Promising Demo, even though it's not... either of those. But I didn't have anything to put there anyway.

A Stolen Love and the Forgotten Promise by Fomar0153 and Indra... is my new favourite game by them! I'm actually surprised I didn't nominate them for more awards. It was actually close to winning my GOTY nom, but that might change, because this and Hand of the Goddess are pretty equal for my favourites, it's just that Hand of the Goddess edged over it by a little bit right now. But on another day, I might nominate A Stolen Love. It certainly seems to be the much more conventionally fun and entertaining game, and a more "meatier" one, but I don't know. We'll see how that changes of the course of the next 3 months.

And that's all my nominations!

Does anybody know how to- have you- can you tr- has anyone tr- Can someone please help me on how to, like, g- To get a fish and how do I get a fish, how can I- has anybody w- has anybody had- has anybody want- to have- to want- to have- to want- to have- to want- to have- to want- to have- to has anyone want- to have- to want- to have- to want- to have- bread- have- bread- have- to want- to have- to want- to have- and, having existed, and having gone, and wanted, has anyone want- and had- and wanted- and haved'd, and wanted to- and haved'd to- and wa- can anybody tell me fish?

Edit: Dang. I was going to give a summary of all the games i played in 2021 on this site but there's so many that i practically derailed what i was initially planning to use it for... anyways! Here's my thoughts on all the games i played this year that have a download uploaded this year XD

=====

ALL GAMES WITH A DOWNLOAD ON RMN RELEASED IN 2021 THAT I PLAYED

"Chicken Blood" by JustAShyDoge
A short game made by Pudding where you walk around in 3D in Unity collecting keys Slenderman-style and dodging a killer chicken. I love it because it's Pudding, but if it wasn't Pudding, I would probably get frustrated quickly! But thank you for making games for us, anyway, Pudding. Every game is a gift <3
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 6.5/10

"Triple Triad: Tournament of the Elements" by UPRC
I absolutely loved this game. I get the sense from UPRC that he considers it a low-effort side project, and sure, there are some things about the UI I would change, like not being able to understand which NPCs are difficult or easy to defeat, but the whole thing is so addictive, and reminded me of Pokemon Trading Card Game for the Gameboy Color! The loop of playing Triple Triad and just cycling through tons of your favourite NPCs from your favourite (?) RPG series is a thrill, and winning a tournament is just *chef's kiss* worthy. Thank you for utilising an existing plugin to make this fantastic, addictive game, UPRC. If there was anything I would change, it would also be things like quests being so far into the map that they're difficult to find, and having more handholding and a larger variety of quests, so that it feels more like a non-linear RPG that I can actually get my head around. But it's the central Triple Triad loop that just makes me so happy, and even if UPRC may claim that that's due to the plugin, it's the way that you can just wander around these gorgeous maps and get lost in the loop of "battle, lose, battle, win, battle, lose" and steal Chocobos from the Chocobo guy! Oh, this game is full of thrills, even if it is flawed. In fact, most of my gripes with the game have to do with how non-linear everything is, so that progression feels really difficult. Even if it is really fun to find that one opponent to battle that you can grift using the Plus/Side rules. However, I think this already fantastic game could be vastly improved by simply making it linear, into a full-length game with a full story and linear campaign, where all of the battles are Triple Triad instead, if it wanted to, it really could. Please do that, UPRC, please do. It would be so glorious. So, so, sooo glorious.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 8/10

"Forest Star" by SeaPhoenix
A very cute game where you guide a monkey across a forest to find a fallen star! Was quite cute, and the graphics are quite nice. Just solidly polished throughout. It takes some risks with gameplay, and I'm not sure all of them pay off. There's no traditional battles, but just individual encounters that can either turn out with helpful or unhelpful consequences, and these affect a vast amount of endings. However, the amount of effort required to get all of these endings is A LOT. So it's quite a nice concept, there's just a few things that hold it back from cohering together, for me. A lot of effort put into it, for sure.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 6/10

"The Disrupted Monarchs" by PsiSteve
This is such a unique game with an ever-oppressive atmosphere! I will preface this by saying that I didn't anywhere near finish this game (just played the first 2 hours) and I was in a highly sleep-deprived when I streamed this, but it was still so unique and like a fever dream! This is developed by zDS' brother, and for some reason there's... similarities in their games? Both are highly moody, melancholic games, except I think PsiSteve's game here seems to have a higher dose of the surreal and Lynchian. It's like... there's so much here that doesn't make traditional "sense" and the game operates on the flow of its own logic. Supermarkets, and a largely non-linear space that doesn't really have too much direction baked into it? It's funny that even after a couple hours of playing, I didn't know where I was going or how I was progressing. Again, it could have been the sleep deprived state I was in, but hey. I still very much appreciate this game for what it is, even if I'm not sure it's exactly the game I like to play. It doesn't push you in the direction you need to go, so a person with the specific brand of ADHD that I have finds it very difficult to understand where to go at a particular time. Plus, I wanted something perhaps a little more emotional in the story department to latch onto, which is just a personal preference for coherence, perhaps. But then again, it could bring it all together in later sections of the game. Yet, when I think back on it, I can't help but be in awe of what's presented, and definitely think about returning to it, that hazy, surrealistic world of confusion and chaos presented. Love it. Thanks for making this.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 7/10

"Almari" by DemonClaus
The visual style of this game is so unique, and I do enjoy aspects of this game very much - stylistically unique, very oppressive atmosphere and story aspects are so promising! There is, however, one thing that I personally had a lot of trouble with, and that was the repetitive battle structure. There is a lot of spamming attack here, and I found it very difficult to progress at some points, then when I die, I have to replay a large portion all over again. I'm sure future versions will fix this, but this would be my major gripe about an otherwise fantastic premise and story feel.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 6/10

"The Lonely League" by calunio
Calunio has for a long time been one of my favourite RPG Maker developers of all, for their daring story concepts and impressive direction of scenes, alongside some decent pacing and unmatchable commentary on the human condition. THERAPIST: Mind Manager might be favourite RPG Maker game of all time, but I gotta say - this might be giving it a run for its money. It's funny that despite all of the praise I heap upon Calunio for his story and concept work and - oh how that dialogue sings! - I can never shake the fact that I've never considered Calunio to be strong at, well, gameplay. Until... now? I mean, based on the 2-3 hours of this game I've played, it's by far the most fun I've had playing a Calunio game when it comes to pure mechanics, and it's... somehow still backed up by Calunio's masterful storytelling abilities? And somehow his scene direction is more effective than ever? And this might be his LONGEST game yet? The very fact that one of the most promising RPG Maker games I can think of right now is being developed based on copyrighted characters and setting is somehow one of the most RPG Maker things I can think of. I really, really, fricking hope this game gets more players when the next demo comes out. I'd be really disappointed if it didn't, because this game absolutely. Fucks.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 9.5/10

"DELUGE" by riggy2k3
So I think I might be biased here, because I'm riggy's friend, and I helped test this game, but I really enjoyed this. I think it's a neat tale about a skeleton in a town that's undergoing a reaping, and features non-linear roaming where you interact with books and fight with skeletons and there's an oppressive atmosphere. But also it feels quite directed! There's plenty of clues that lead to most of the progression, save for a part where perhaps the puzzle could be ignored by some (sweat smile) but in general, there's spooks to be had! It's a great Halloween game. I played an early demo that was quite confusing and lacked a lot of the story bits but he managed to really up the game and provide a tale of a dying town and a tragedy that lies within. Totally worth it. (love ya riggy XD)
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 8/10

"Everlasting Journey" by PepsiOtaku
Okay, I gotta say... I played this and loved what I played but I'm sorry to Pepsi - I spent maybe half an hour on BlackJack and gambled away all my belongings and ragequit! But I loved it. The BlackJack is awesome but I need to return to it to actually, well, play the game XD Sorry!!!!!!!!! <3
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: benny didn't play it enough but liked the blackjack a lot imsorry/10

"Placebo Love" by Merlandese
WHAT THE ACTUAL HECKING HECK this game is amazing and everyone should go play it, even me because i keep meaning to go back to play it (i've played maybe about 4 hours or so) but it is... so unique and there's so many scenarios. It's a visual novel and scheduling simulator about doppelgangers but it's actually incredibly well-made. Well-written, very very unique! I love the spiritual component to the whole thing, and the relationships are tracked really well. It's like Persona, if there was no walking around or jumping into the TV, and the game was a lot quicker! And written differently in a more mature and grounded setting but still with a lot of the fantastical elements <3 I loved this game and wish to play more but my procrastination lol i'm sorry
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 9.25/10

"ChickenQuest 2K3: Rise of the Chimkin" by codapill
When it comes to comedy in RPG Maker, I think of Mirak, Ratty, Frogge, Punkitt, etc. (sorry if i've missed someone!). These people can make me bust a gut laughing while playing their games, they're so fantastic. Now I can add codapill to that list. What a fricking brilliant and hilarious little game this is. Keep being hilarious, coda. You're lovely to me. If this was expanded into a game that used something other than the usual RPG structure, i would love it even more. Creative mechanics would make this just... an unmissable experience
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 8/10

"Detective Waka" by Mirak
Played this on stream and it was really funny. Really low res (as asked by the game jam) and obviously the fantastic Mirak humour comes in, probably the author for whom I laugh the most. However, there were some portions gameplay-wise that were really REALLY frustrating, particularly the platforming. Also I know this is kinda sinful but I kinda... wish it was a bit higher in resolution, so I could see all these fantastic RMN characters in higher resolution? XD It's just a thing when I'm playing an RMN game I would just love to see fanart of all the characters. Otherwise, still very crisp and lovely short game <3
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 7.5/10

"Our Dark Heart" by Ashes of Emerald
The lighting and smoothness of everything here... oh my goodness. It's so fricking good. The tension? Stellar. The mood? Heckin' good. Finding that note in the attic? Made me want to pull my hair out. But still, very good. So smooth, and the shooting mechanism? Winning. Play this game? Heckin' definitely. I really really want to see where this game goes in future, from the creator of Fey, they're back with a vengeance and they deserve your eyes. Let's see where this one goes <3
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 8.5/10

"Super Mario Death Row" by Punkitt
This is obviously a fantastic Punkitt joke made funnier by the fact Mario is Chris Pratt now. You can't argue with that. But really though, it's a short funny game and I... just wish it was longer and had more substance! I know that's not the point but hey, what can ya do i liked this concept and wanted to see more of it, and that ain't the worst complaint ever, is it? Love ya punky and thank you for my lovely lovely stream avatar <3
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 7.5/10

"Nihilo" by Giznads
Okay, so... this is in demo phase, and it's definitely giving The Lonely League a run for its money when it comes to "Most Promising Demo" in my books. Absolutely polished from front to back, immaculate post-apoc vibes, brilliant dialogue, pacing is on-point and OH MY GOODNESS THE MONSTERS WTFFFFFF. They are so gorgeous and this world is so gorgeous and a lot of the menus and stuff are going to make more sense the more this game is developed but AS IS, it's just... crystalline. Let's go, Giznads.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 9.5/10

"The Lady Puppet" by OldPat
Why do y'all have to confuse me with how good your games are????? WTF????? OldPat you're making it hard for me to choose "Most Promising Demo" here. Okay, it's Lonely League, Nihilo or The Lady Puppet so far. Frick. This game is so tense, and bloody, and beautiful, and... gorgeous? It definitely has that cabaret vibe going for it that's unmatchable. The demo I played perhaps a couple bugs with the chasing mechanics, but in future demos that'll be improved, as OldPat shaves off all the bugs and polishes this to a beautiful sheen. Can't wait to play the polished final product. Wishing the very best for the commercial release happening later on. Bless.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 9.25/10

"The Morning Star" by Ronove
Ah my goodness. This game's storytelling and setting was so intimate and dangerous and... classy. The art in this is wonderful. The storytelling is pristine. The pacing? Gorgeous. You wake up near a bus stop off the side of the road and you're wondering what happened. It just gets more and more involved as it goes, in a masterclass of storytelling and characterisation. Loved this.
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 9.25/10

"Fatal Runtime" by Feldschlacht IV
This game was very, very trippy and it has a really interesting progression as it goes. A sci-fi horror? Very interesting! Fantastic graphics, and interesting scares, I just wish that I left with a greater sense of story, and cohesion. I heard that they created it in a lack of sleep haze and at least the story shows! It's a fever dream indeed, and sometimes the direction can be confusing, but I can't fault it for lacking ideas - there's a ton of ideas here. I'm thoroughly looking forward to this team's further input <3
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 7/10

"Starless Umbra" by dragonheartman/zexyuu
I really love the direction that this is going in. Keep in mind that I never had the chance to play the original - this new update has fantastic gameplay mechanics. There were a few bugs in the version that I played, partially to do with the multiplayer and some passability, but there's so much charm here and the storyline just looks like it's picking up. zexyuu is such a cool person and I can't wait to see what this gorgeous game is going to (re-)turn into!
Benny's Rating, Which Means Nothing: 8.75/10