Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
Profile
Locker
Play ListsHOUSEKEEPING'S PROFILE
Housekeeping
3571
Close
My name's Kasey Ozymy. I'm a game designer from Texas. I made Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass and am currently working on Hymn to the Earless God.
Check out Hymn to the Earless God:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2165130/Hymn_to_the_Earless_God
Buy Jimmy:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/706560/Jimmy_and_the_Pulsating_Mass/
Check out Hymn to the Earless God:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2165130/Hymn_to_the_Earless_God
Buy Jimmy:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/706560/Jimmy_and_the_Pulsating_Mass/
Search
Filter
All
Game Pages
User Statuses
Teenage Costume Squad Review
Yeah, yesterday was one of those if-I-work-I-think-my-soul-will-die days, so this was a nice little escape. Also, here's a list of errors that I came across that I didn't see listed on your page:
-I'm guessing the mountains in the northern area of the map are meant to be impassable, but you can walk on them. This means you can walk around Czarina's guard.
-There was a piece of equipment in Darkblade Tower (I...think--either there or the volcano) that was called a vine rod or something in the dialogue and was actually something else (some kind of templar armor?). I had found the vine rod already in another chest by the time I found this one.
-I'm guessing the dialogue upon entry to most dungeons is set to parallel process instead of auto run, as if you hold a directional button, you'll move between text boxes. This means you can leave the dungeon and the text will repeat (assuming you haven't finished the dialogue) when you reenter.
-I'm guessing the mountains in the northern area of the map are meant to be impassable, but you can walk on them. This means you can walk around Czarina's guard.
-There was a piece of equipment in Darkblade Tower (I...think--either there or the volcano) that was called a vine rod or something in the dialogue and was actually something else (some kind of templar armor?). I had found the vine rod already in another chest by the time I found this one.
-I'm guessing the dialogue upon entry to most dungeons is set to parallel process instead of auto run, as if you hold a directional button, you'll move between text boxes. This means you can leave the dungeon and the text will repeat (assuming you haven't finished the dialogue) when you reenter.
All Hallows' Event 2013
Caz, the galaxy is in peril! Only you can activate the Quantum Crystal and prevent the Zyxian hoard from dooming us all! The entire fate of the galaxy lies squarely on your shoulders!
No pressure though.
No pressure though.
The God of Crawling Eyes Review
Alright; I don't really like when authors/developers explain things, but this is also a forum for talking about the craft, so what the hell. I'm just going to say SPOILERS AHEAD.
About the characters: The game was about perception, so your perception of the characters affects how they treat you at the end of the game. If you treat Lily like a sexual object or victim, for example, then she's going to fulfill that horror cliche in the end. Conversely, if you treat her as a person and encourage her to help, she'll present herself as a real person in the end and show that there's more to her than being a helpless victim. Chase has a similar scale that's affected on whether he's seen as a friend or just an acquaintance that you tolerate. You mentioned only seeing one ending, so you might not have seen these characters rounded out, especially if you got Lily's "bad" ending.
About the use of black, white, and red: as I said, the theme of the game is perception, and Max's colorblindness is, in addition to a characterization, a metaphor that represents the theme of the game. As soon as he starts seeing the color red, he begins seeing other things that he wasn't able to see before--namely, the horrifying aspects of the game. I'm not treading new ground or anything; this is a Lovecraftian theme, just told through my characters and storytelling philosophies. When it comes to gameplay, red acts as an emphatic tool. Many of the usable items are colored red to draw the player's eye, and most of the hazards (the mirror creature, the monster behind the principal's door, and the chlorine gas) are colored red or contain red elements to alert the player of the danger.
At the end of the day, whether or not this was successful is up to the players, but I did want to say that I definitely put thought into these areas. I'll also admit that the entire genesis for this game was justifying using black and white since it would be easier for me to draw.
About the use of black, white, and red: as I said, the theme of the game is perception, and Max's colorblindness is, in addition to a characterization, a metaphor that represents the theme of the game. As soon as he starts seeing the color red, he begins seeing other things that he wasn't able to see before--namely, the horrifying aspects of the game. I'm not treading new ground or anything; this is a Lovecraftian theme, just told through my characters and storytelling philosophies. When it comes to gameplay, red acts as an emphatic tool. Many of the usable items are colored red to draw the player's eye, and most of the hazards (the mirror creature, the monster behind the principal's door, and the chlorine gas) are colored red or contain red elements to alert the player of the danger.
At the end of the day, whether or not this was successful is up to the players, but I did want to say that I definitely put thought into these areas. I'll also admit that the entire genesis for this game was justifying using black and white since it would be easier for me to draw.
The God of Crawling Eyes Review
I can see how that mechanic could (has?) become a cliche in horror games, but the horror genre in all media tends to hinge on the fear of death. There are other themes that get explored in horror--in Don't Look Now, for example, the sadness, fear, and confusion that accompanies losing a child are explored to great effect, but the actual scares from that film come from an immediate fear of death. It's what triggers our fight or flight response, so it's arguably an inescapable aspect of being true to the horror genre (before you start moving into, say, a psychological thriller). So, making that fear of death real, while not inescapable, is a viable option for horror games.
I would say what differentiates the instant death scenes in my game from most of the others in this contest is that a player can die once to one of the instant death moments and then can avoid it a second time (with the exception of the ooze scene). Most of the games that use instant death mechanics that I've seen in this contest tend to have events that wander or chase the player and then kill on touch, making it a death based on lack of timing and reflexes rather than careful thought. These types of chase/instant death mechanics were seen in the first horror game of all time--Pac Man--in which an overweight yellow man is chased by ghosts throughout the endless labyrinth of his own subconscious. I don't know if that makes mine better or worse--just different.
Incorporating a health bar would have been more forgiving--and it works for survival horror games like Resident Evil--but since this is an adventure game, that mechanic wouldn't have really worked, as there aren't "small fears" that whittle you down. I stand by the mechanic given the size, theme, and scope of this game, but I do need to add a save point after the dialogue in the library with Chase. I'm going to do that as soon as I get an "okay" from the judges to update my game (or whenever the contest ends).
Anyway, thanks for the review. I disagree with a few aspects, mainly about the roundness of the characters and the importance of Max's colorblindness, but it's pretty ill form for me to contest those kinds of things. I'm mainly just glad that you enjoyed it.
I would say what differentiates the instant death scenes in my game from most of the others in this contest is that a player can die once to one of the instant death moments and then can avoid it a second time (with the exception of the ooze scene). Most of the games that use instant death mechanics that I've seen in this contest tend to have events that wander or chase the player and then kill on touch, making it a death based on lack of timing and reflexes rather than careful thought. These types of chase/instant death mechanics were seen in the first horror game of all time--Pac Man--in which an overweight yellow man is chased by ghosts throughout the endless labyrinth of his own subconscious. I don't know if that makes mine better or worse--just different.
Incorporating a health bar would have been more forgiving--and it works for survival horror games like Resident Evil--but since this is an adventure game, that mechanic wouldn't have really worked, as there aren't "small fears" that whittle you down. I stand by the mechanic given the size, theme, and scope of this game, but I do need to add a save point after the dialogue in the library with Chase. I'm going to do that as soon as I get an "okay" from the judges to update my game (or whenever the contest ends).
Anyway, thanks for the review. I disagree with a few aspects, mainly about the roundness of the characters and the importance of Max's colorblindness, but it's pretty ill form for me to contest those kinds of things. I'm mainly just glad that you enjoyed it.
All Hallows' Event 2013
Question for the judges: can I update my game now or should I wait until the contest results are in? I'm not going to do anything major, but I had the world's most obvious epiphany to add another save point, and I thought I might fix a couple of minor things while I'm at it.
The God of Crawling Eyes
Yeah, when I made the decision to limit saving, I knew that it wouldn't be a popular one, but being able to save everywhere encourages the player to experiment with their surroundings, and I wanted players to be too scared to do that when there were clear signs of danger. I was hoping that the short length of the game would make this more forgivable, but, yeah, I know it's one of those "good in theory, tolerable in practice" kinds of things. If it makes you feel any better, I implemented that before I was done testing, so on the subsequent test playthroughs I had to restart constantly when I ran into bugs and coated my tongue in the chalky, bitter taste of my own medicine.
The God of Crawling Eyes Review
Haha, I just got done watching that video and posting about your youtube channel in the contest thread. I'm glad you enjoyed the game. The mirror event, by the way, is a randomized occurrence that shows up with greater frequency based on the, uh..."spookiness variable." Basically, if you can hear pianos, see six separate eyes on the screen, and run into the little eye-worms, then that variable is at its highest. I believe the mirror creature shows up three out of five times at that point; leaving and reentering the bathroom will cause it to reroll.
All Hallows' Event 2013
I don't know if Fomar referenced this in the thread yet, but he's doing little "let's plays" for the entries. I've watched most of them (I passed over Rust and Blood for now since I don't think it had commentary). They've been a good way to see all the competition in a consolidated space. Here's the link to his channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Fomar0153/videos
There's been an interesting mix of entries. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.
(Also, Fomar: I'm a guy. I don't blame you for referring to me as a girl, though; this is the peril of having a unisex name. Oh, and corn dogs are hot dogs (sans bun) that have been impaled on a stick, battered, and deep fried. They're popular at carnivals and there's currently a pre-cooked 24 pack icing over in my freezer.)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Fomar0153/videos
There's been an interesting mix of entries. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.
(Also, Fomar: I'm a guy. I don't blame you for referring to me as a girl, though; this is the peril of having a unisex name. Oh, and corn dogs are hot dogs (sans bun) that have been impaled on a stick, battered, and deep fried. They're popular at carnivals and there's currently a pre-cooked 24 pack icing over in my freezer.)
All Hallows' Event 2013
author=CARRIONBLUE
5 days left
it is starting to feel like the ring D:
at least my game page was accepted so I can just load up my download when time's up :D I am keeping it hidden until I get the contest download up tho,
do we just post the profile here for the game we submit?
Click "submit" in the upper right of the "All Hallow's Event" banner at the top of the page.
Games - Tester
Games - Other
