And I say HAH! To Max Team for “spoiling” their game for all of you. Well, not really. There’s a good ending in here as well, but I’m not going to spoil that for you at all. Actually, I got a note from the guys (or was it ONE of them? Hmmm. How come you NEVER see Fernando OR Massimo at the SAME time in the same place? Hmmmm?) saying that the game is still being bug tested, but should be done at some point. Hey, it’s a FREE download, so I say take your time, boys. Take your time. If it’s as good as it looks, I don’t mind the wait one bit.
A few years back, I downloaded and played a bit of a game called The Desolate Room, a sci-fi adventure/role playing game starring a sentient coffee machine (named Coffee!) with nicely surreal visuals and hybrid gameplay that made it one of the more unique games I’d played in a while. A bit later, I stumbled upon Iffermoon, another game by talented creator Scott Cawthon and I was even more impressed with his work. This week I find myself staring at his latest game, The Desolate Hope with a grin on my face because it’s probably his best game to date. More or less a remake of The Desolate Room with improvements to the visuals and RPG combat system, TDH is Part retro platformer, part turn-based RPG and all bizarre (in the best possible manner), this is one of those indie games that you’d pay top dollar for if it were on a cartridge back in the day or a disc of some sort now. At a measly five dollars of Steam, it’s one of those games where the price just seems too low for the quality of the visuals and very polished gameplay you’re getting. This isn’t a full-on review (yet), but I say go check this out and prepare to be amused and amazed by what’s here…
Ha and ha, ha. Massimo and Fernando over at MAX TEAM must really hate me. The just ran a fun new reworked intro to their upcoming Monster World RPG the other day and now here comes a big, fat SPOILER video with the game’s bad ending that they tell you NOT to watch if you don’t want to see it. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! I still haven’t seen it and I know YOU won’t click that play button either, right? RIGHT? Yeah, I thought so. In fact, I say let’s give them the pleasure of NOT clicking that video and making it become the least popular one they’ve made to date. That should teach them not to go and do stuff like this ever again. YEAH. We showed YOU two what’s what. The fans have spoken! Or have NOT spoken and NOT clicked on your video! So there.
(Okay, so it’s actually a goofy joke that happens about a minute into the game, so it’s not an actual “spoiler” at all, so you can click away at your leisure and not actually “spoil” anything!)
Massimo and Fernando (aka MAX TEAM) are still debugging their baby so it arrives all ready to download and play, but Monster World RPG just may be the big (and FREE) ticket Sega fans are looking for when it comes to fan-made JRPG experiences. So much work and love has gone into this project that the game truly looks as if it’s a never released Genesis game. Granted, I’ve only played a few demos over the past year or two, but I’m confident that the end result will be well worth the long wait. I think there’s a month or so to go before this lands, but I say take your time, guys… take your time. I want this one to be perfect when I sit down and lose too many hours in it…
Another day, another MWRPG update. Actually, two updates so close together (this video actually dropped a few days back) is a GOOD thing, as it means the boys are getting closer to the end of all the bug testing and the game is going to get a release soon. And yes indeed, bug testing is TEDIOUS work. Strong men and women have thrown themselves from low basement windows up to the pavement while doing this thankless task, but if not for their sacrifices and valor, the games you play today would be chock FULL of issues. Er… well MORE games you play would be chock full of issues, as some of these huge AAA titles that ship out with mandatory online play are lousy with the digital pestilence. But, THIS game is s solo old-school JRPG, so I’d say the chances of it NOT running or being unplayable are slim to none. Huzzah!
Max Team is still hard at work ironing out any problems in their upcoming Monster World RPG. Fans of Monster World IV will get a grin going at this video in particular because it’s based on that a very familiar level in that great little game that never got a US release. Anyway, enjoy the clip, those of you who like what you’re seeing. Everyone else who just doesn’t get it… that’s alright. You’re still cool in my book even if you think we’re all weird or something like that. Hey, everyone needs a hobby, right?
Little in-joke there, but yeah! Spirit Young is BACK with the sequel to his ridiculously amusing RPG parody/satire/whatever he wants to call it that got improved with an update he did later, Epic Elf, a RPG Maker 2003 game that I liked because it made me laugh a wee bit too much. I’ve only put about a half hour into EE2, but it gets the grins going early (specifically if you’re a fan of old school JRPGs) and it looks as if they’ll keep coming for as long as the game is. Oh yeah, the PlayStation 4 came out today. I don’t have one (yet), but it’ll get here eventually. Heck, if SCEA puts in a RPGMaker.net channel on PSN, I’ll get one sooner than later. Anyway, check this game out if you recall the days of 8 and 16-bit RPGs eating up your weekends and free time like a termite nest taking out a cheap Ikea table.
EDIT!Oops. There’s also a gameplay video up that I missed in my hurry to post this news, so it’s now below.
More precisely, I finally got back around to checking up on the boys at Max Team and they’ve posted that video slideshow you’re watching above with one eye as you read this text with the other. How DO you do that, I have to ask? It would sure make my job easier if you could teach me! Anyway, As you can see in that slideshow, the game is coming along really nicely and according to a post on the dev blog, the game is pretty much done save for the long and arduous process of debugging the game so it plays as great as it looks with no pesky issues slipping into the finished code.
The dynamic duo of Massimo and Fernando plan to pump up things in a big way once the game is ready for release and I’m betting fans of Sega’s classic Monster World games (I know a few of them including myself) will be all over this in a heartbeat once that download is posted. I still can’t believe they’re doing this in RPG Maker 2003, but such are the wonders of doing all your artwork by hand and not using only the assets in the program, folks!
Even though the RPG Maker software has evolved over time, many XP, VX and VX Ace games I play leave me cold when it comes to the stock RTP visuals. Sure, the character line art and sprites are much more slick and detailed than the ones found in RPG Maker 2000 and 2003, but there’s often a really generic, SUPER clean look to these games that makes me want to skip them in favor of something a bit more… classic. On the other hand, a bit of custom fiddling and good writing has made many XP and above games truly wonderful, memorable games to play (Garden, Aetherion, Manifest, Exit Fate, Last Scenario and so forth and so on), which brings me to The Cartographer. Here’s a game that works wonderfully thanks to blending a great story, excellent use of music and some fine mapping work by developer Avedan that altogether make for a short but sweet RPG worth your time.
The game tells the tale of a young innkeeper named Rueben who finds himself thrust into the role of hero as he takes on his late father’s former position as Dragon Slayer. Toss in a Alina, a beautiful black mage (introduced in a musically flawless manner) Rueben falls head over heels for and Arcturus, an adventurer who needs the assistance of a Dragon Slayer (not an innkeeper) to complete a certain task, and it’s off to the races. While the game can be beaten in about five or so hours, it’s definitely something you’ll remember and probably go back to for the scriptwriting, humor and very likable characters. As for the mapping here, if you play a lot of RPG Maker games, you know that straight RTP maps tend to look very much alike game to game. Avedan has literally done some corner-cutting here, making maps that are far less blocky and almost organic in some spots. Of course, new players won’t notice this at all, but folks who play or make games using the software will find a lot to like here.
One cool thing about the game is all the work can be taken apart to see how it was done, enabling other users of VX to perhaps make maps just like (or better than) the ones here. Anyway, go check this one out and get ready to do a lot of smiling as soon as you start playing as there’s a lot here to love. There’s supposed to be a sequel in the works, but I’ll report more on that in the future once I get through the pile of games I have here…
I’ll write up a longer review on this awesome RPG Maker 2003 instant classic in a week or so, but check out the video above (ignore the debug stuff at the beginning) and definitely get the game over at RPGMaker.net before its creator, Jude, takes the game down. He’s turning it into a commercial release using MonoGame/XNA, so at some point the currently cancelled version up at RMN will be gone for good. Trust me, the custom 8-bit graphics (which need to be seen full screen, NOT in a window), innovative combo-based battle system (in a turn-based RPG? What the what?!) and overall level of polish make this one of the best NES style RPGs I’ve ever played. OK, let me shut up before this turns into an actual review – go get this game!
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 