ludzu
2019
played oct 25th for rpgmaker october
went for this as soon as i saw it for half off in the halloween steam sale. this may have the most gorgeous art of any rpgmaker game ive played? took my breath away at points. up there for one of the most mechanically idiosyncratic in the engine too, being a first person point and click thru creepy corridors n rooms--for the majority of the game at least--w battle sequences in which you click on the one icon out of 3 with the color that matches the enemy's eyes. the way the game makes its combat encounters feel unique to each other n often flips expectations through them can give the impression that this is a gothier riff on (stupid as this may sound im being serious) undertale, but i think it isnt held back by that as much you might think. for one theres no real moralizing abt anything here, getting graded on how fast you dispatch demons is the closest thing to that and it doesnt have nearly as drastic an effect on your playthrough (tho on this note there is a sneakiness to the grading system hiding another definition of getting "perfects" on every battle that i kinda love). also the particular tongue-in-cheek playfulness zelle has towards it systems has a gory n darkly funny flavor to it that actually contributes well toward its general nightmarishness, rather than feeling like part of a social media comedian routine youre pushed forward through or something like that. basically i think theres more to talk abt here wrt how probable ut influence shaped this than w other similar games, not always in positive ways per se but for the most part i really did like how it made its own strides w those roots. i do think the last third or so drags a bit, also despite a lot of intrigue it generates for its world i dont think it all comes together at the end as satisfyingly as it could have, and those keep this from being a great game when its soooo close to getting there. but its still a very good one. literally the visuals alone would make this worth playing and i dont say that abt many games.
ps can someone PLEASE translate bijutsu kukan, the rpg fuming made before this that looks just as incredible???
went for this as soon as i saw it for half off in the halloween steam sale. this may have the most gorgeous art of any rpgmaker game ive played? took my breath away at points. up there for one of the most mechanically idiosyncratic in the engine too, being a first person point and click thru creepy corridors n rooms--for the majority of the game at least--w battle sequences in which you click on the one icon out of 3 with the color that matches the enemy's eyes. the way the game makes its combat encounters feel unique to each other n often flips expectations through them can give the impression that this is a gothier riff on (stupid as this may sound im being serious) undertale, but i think it isnt held back by that as much you might think. for one theres no real moralizing abt anything here, getting graded on how fast you dispatch demons is the closest thing to that and it doesnt have nearly as drastic an effect on your playthrough (tho on this note there is a sneakiness to the grading system hiding another definition of getting "perfects" on every battle that i kinda love). also the particular tongue-in-cheek playfulness zelle has towards it systems has a gory n darkly funny flavor to it that actually contributes well toward its general nightmarishness, rather than feeling like part of a social media comedian routine youre pushed forward through or something like that. basically i think theres more to talk abt here wrt how probable ut influence shaped this than w other similar games, not always in positive ways per se but for the most part i really did like how it made its own strides w those roots. i do think the last third or so drags a bit, also despite a lot of intrigue it generates for its world i dont think it all comes together at the end as satisfyingly as it could have, and those keep this from being a great game when its soooo close to getting there. but its still a very good one. literally the visuals alone would make this worth playing and i dont say that abt many games.
ps can someone PLEASE translate bijutsu kukan, the rpg fuming made before this that looks just as incredible???
2011
played october 24th for rpgmaker october
i almost went for desert nightmare, an earlier game by kelven, instead of this. cant help but be glad i didnt, bc i dont think i couldve suffered thru something worse than or of the same quality as this, while also not being short like this game thankfully is. whatever few good concepts that this might have had get squandered so bad. silly but not nearly enough to be endearing, so little good comedy to be found in this silent hillified divine comedy. except maybe for the part where you commit arson to distract someone and even after you get done what you needed to do, theres no option to hand him a fire extinguisher thats just a door away. besides that, just all around forgettable.
i almost went for desert nightmare, an earlier game by kelven, instead of this. cant help but be glad i didnt, bc i dont think i couldve suffered thru something worse than or of the same quality as this, while also not being short like this game thankfully is. whatever few good concepts that this might have had get squandered so bad. silly but not nearly enough to be endearing, so little good comedy to be found in this silent hillified divine comedy. except maybe for the part where you commit arson to distract someone and even after you get done what you needed to do, theres no option to hand him a fire extinguisher thats just a door away. besides that, just all around forgettable.
2014
played october 23rd for rpgmaker october
not that deeply deep or anything, also the dev's radio show is a misstep, but can't argue w how effective the horror is, straightforwardly speaking. has the scariest stuff out of anything i've played so far this month, and maybe out of anything i'll play after for how much it revealed what a big baby i am. nothing even really happened up to this point but when the bunny girl tricked me w the adonis myth that immediately told me i should not be playing this at night. part of why i split this over a couple days even tho its short😅
not that deeply deep or anything, also the dev's radio show is a misstep, but can't argue w how effective the horror is, straightforwardly speaking. has the scariest stuff out of anything i've played so far this month, and maybe out of anything i'll play after for how much it revealed what a big baby i am. nothing even really happened up to this point but when the bunny girl tricked me w the adonis myth that immediately told me i should not be playing this at night. part of why i split this over a couple days even tho its short😅
2010
played october 22nd for rpgmaker october
this one i knew going in it would be way too long to finish, so i went as far w it as i thought i could. backstory on this was too tasty to pass up: music brazenly taken from other games/anime/etc and cgs pinched from deviantart put thru the pixel compactor (true rpgmaker vintage)? stuffed to bursting with features as the rest of the game is held together w duct tape to make it work?? sporadic updates since it first came out in 2010 up until at least 2017 to add even more features??? spirituality in its lore n themes that supposedly influenced the creator to write a book on his own self-made religion called aiken AND independently publish it???? insane n utterly based obsession w putting guys in dresses????? sounds like a dream but unfortunately after less abt an hr or so of being stunned that it exists, you realize you have to play the rest of the game. from there it doesn't do as much to stand out from being like a lot of other creators' overambitious rpg projects in the engine as youd hope, not to say its /particularly/ bad or boring (on easy lol) but you'd expect it to be more consistently wild w the pitch it had, so it's disappointing. i stopped after getting stuck in a forest maze and then having the game crash in a battle (which happened twice in total, less than i expected tbh!!), n maybe i'll see if there's more to offer some other time but not for now. if nothing else i can't say i don't appreciate that i can play something like oracle of tao, a barely functioning bloated mess that someone clearly rly deeply cared for making. and the game's theology is still so fascinating w the context of the author, despite how easily it can be taken as the usual jrpg concepts for its world it has a certain level of thoroughness that's hard to write off, and that alone is what's enticing me to look further into it in the future.
this one i knew going in it would be way too long to finish, so i went as far w it as i thought i could. backstory on this was too tasty to pass up: music brazenly taken from other games/anime/etc and cgs pinched from deviantart put thru the pixel compactor (true rpgmaker vintage)? stuffed to bursting with features as the rest of the game is held together w duct tape to make it work?? sporadic updates since it first came out in 2010 up until at least 2017 to add even more features??? spirituality in its lore n themes that supposedly influenced the creator to write a book on his own self-made religion called aiken AND independently publish it???? insane n utterly based obsession w putting guys in dresses????? sounds like a dream but unfortunately after less abt an hr or so of being stunned that it exists, you realize you have to play the rest of the game. from there it doesn't do as much to stand out from being like a lot of other creators' overambitious rpg projects in the engine as youd hope, not to say its /particularly/ bad or boring (on easy lol) but you'd expect it to be more consistently wild w the pitch it had, so it's disappointing. i stopped after getting stuck in a forest maze and then having the game crash in a battle (which happened twice in total, less than i expected tbh!!), n maybe i'll see if there's more to offer some other time but not for now. if nothing else i can't say i don't appreciate that i can play something like oracle of tao, a barely functioning bloated mess that someone clearly rly deeply cared for making. and the game's theology is still so fascinating w the context of the author, despite how easily it can be taken as the usual jrpg concepts for its world it has a certain level of thoroughness that's hard to write off, and that alone is what's enticing me to look further into it in the future.
played october 21st for rpgmaker october
maybe my least favorite jack king spooner (+ jake clover, tho this is the only game w his name on it ive touched so far)? dujanah suffers from being overstuffed n feels kinda ponderous at times but does have some real strong moments, while this also has a few things i liked--the singing in the elevator n future beyonce to name a couple-- n the opaque sci fi texture is sorta neat, i felt mostly indifferent to it. so i guess ill take my frustrations w dujanah over the clinical if not all that deeply negative way i feel abt this. tbf i didnt finish bc i got too tired after trying to figure out the cryochamber code, but i dont feel a strong urge to come back.
maybe my least favorite jack king spooner (+ jake clover, tho this is the only game w his name on it ive touched so far)? dujanah suffers from being overstuffed n feels kinda ponderous at times but does have some real strong moments, while this also has a few things i liked--the singing in the elevator n future beyonce to name a couple-- n the opaque sci fi texture is sorta neat, i felt mostly indifferent to it. so i guess ill take my frustrations w dujanah over the clinical if not all that deeply negative way i feel abt this. tbf i didnt finish bc i got too tired after trying to figure out the cryochamber code, but i dont feel a strong urge to come back.
2013
played oct 21st for rpgmaker october
idk have a lot to say abt this but its like 20 min long and worth a play. thanks for the ending jack <3
also, once again, throw $/£/€/etc at judero
idk have a lot to say abt this but its like 20 min long and worth a play. thanks for the ending jack <3
also, once again, throw $/£/€/etc at judero
played oct 21st for rpgmaker october
this will represent both wyer 1 and 2, as 2 is more like a built in part 2 to the story at this point anyway. went for this after an outcry since jack king spooner was a composer on that (he did a very good job for his tracks on that, even better on this), and gotta say this is my fav game by him out of his stuff ive played so far, which are the ones i played for today + dujanah. v crass and just short of antagonizing, right down to tasks it asks of you or obstacles it puts up to clearly annoy you, but its rly hilarious and certainly makes you feel like you're in hell. and i ran into a glitch/feature where you can skip a lot of stuff n i had to replay up to a certain point to get context again, which felt right w the experience. it feels slightly less heady than other jks games but is far from stupid, n if anything i most liked how it can make the irony tinge n general biliousness so ever-present w/o it overwhelming jack's aphoristic side too much. loved it n very fitting for halloween
btw jack has a game he's recently put up a kickstarter for here! if you arent gonna buy these games at the itch links i provide, at least throw something his way :)
this will represent both wyer 1 and 2, as 2 is more like a built in part 2 to the story at this point anyway. went for this after an outcry since jack king spooner was a composer on that (he did a very good job for his tracks on that, even better on this), and gotta say this is my fav game by him out of his stuff ive played so far, which are the ones i played for today + dujanah. v crass and just short of antagonizing, right down to tasks it asks of you or obstacles it puts up to clearly annoy you, but its rly hilarious and certainly makes you feel like you're in hell. and i ran into a glitch/feature where you can skip a lot of stuff n i had to replay up to a certain point to get context again, which felt right w the experience. it feels slightly less heady than other jks games but is far from stupid, n if anything i most liked how it can make the irony tinge n general biliousness so ever-present w/o it overwhelming jack's aphoristic side too much. loved it n very fitting for halloween
btw jack has a game he's recently put up a kickstarter for here! if you arent gonna buy these games at the itch links i provide, at least throw something his way :)
2022
played october 20th for rpgmaker october
this is one of the few games youll have to pay for that i put on the list (mostly bc i already owned it), n as such it is a game with /serious/ production values. the visuals in general are nice, the music is real good, the prose is sometimes thoughtful in ways that often escape rpgmaker games, and the most impressive thing of all is how i had to constantly remind myself that this game is made is rpgmaker 2003, how difficult alot of what occurs in this game mustve been to program for. this was primarily made, along w quite a few others, by the original fr->en translator of off, and from that you rly get a sense that this is by someone who not just acquired a serious technical knowhow over the years, but an affection for the engine n whats been produced from it to match.
all this to say i didn't really like it in the end. an outcry has the opposite problem of fragment:AM; this is a game w much greater n more ambitious grasp over its engine, and is capable of making some rly crafty decisions w that knowhow (outside of the combat which is so defanged for story purposes as to make it a predictable slog to get thru), and yet is not that interesting at its core. considered prose does not necessarily equal effective writing, n i felt there's not as much to this game's ideas as it likes to think there is. it must seem so sexy to know abt foucault or brecht or whatever but this game just regurgitates the usual 101 shit abt them and acts like its some grand point to make. and it rides so hard on its allegory but its so unchallenging of the audience and itself, even as it tries to drum up some urgency abt not playing into fascists' hands it just doesn't invite any like unique or substantial investigation into what fascism is. as far as rpgmaker goes hello charlotte 3 eats this things lunch wrt its analysis on that front, and that was only one aspect of that game. for an outcry that's like all it has!! ig there's a few bits on how miserable living in vienna is i could kinda like but ultimately, amts to a lot of nothing in an ornate wrapping.
this is one of the few games youll have to pay for that i put on the list (mostly bc i already owned it), n as such it is a game with /serious/ production values. the visuals in general are nice, the music is real good, the prose is sometimes thoughtful in ways that often escape rpgmaker games, and the most impressive thing of all is how i had to constantly remind myself that this game is made is rpgmaker 2003, how difficult alot of what occurs in this game mustve been to program for. this was primarily made, along w quite a few others, by the original fr->en translator of off, and from that you rly get a sense that this is by someone who not just acquired a serious technical knowhow over the years, but an affection for the engine n whats been produced from it to match.
all this to say i didn't really like it in the end. an outcry has the opposite problem of fragment:AM; this is a game w much greater n more ambitious grasp over its engine, and is capable of making some rly crafty decisions w that knowhow (outside of the combat which is so defanged for story purposes as to make it a predictable slog to get thru), and yet is not that interesting at its core. considered prose does not necessarily equal effective writing, n i felt there's not as much to this game's ideas as it likes to think there is. it must seem so sexy to know abt foucault or brecht or whatever but this game just regurgitates the usual 101 shit abt them and acts like its some grand point to make. and it rides so hard on its allegory but its so unchallenging of the audience and itself, even as it tries to drum up some urgency abt not playing into fascists' hands it just doesn't invite any like unique or substantial investigation into what fascism is. as far as rpgmaker goes hello charlotte 3 eats this things lunch wrt its analysis on that front, and that was only one aspect of that game. for an outcry that's like all it has!! ig there's a few bits on how miserable living in vienna is i could kinda like but ultimately, amts to a lot of nothing in an ornate wrapping.
2021
played october 19th for rpgmaker october
this is a nepotism pick: i know conecvltist a bit n he talked abt making the game as i played (ty again for that cones). made in a dream diary game jam and w that in mind theres def signs of more the author wanted to do w it that the rush for deadline wouldnt allow. also its not particularly detailed n is a little on the nose for whats going on w meiko for the most part. but i wanted to do this for a look at how an rpgmaker project worked at a basic level n got a bit of that out of that! that in itself was kinda fun, its a modest yet thematically thought thru little game that works for a warm up for engaging w yn fangames, or coming to yn itself maybe. cute backgrounds too, esp in doodle world and that one scrolling mc escher.
this is a nepotism pick: i know conecvltist a bit n he talked abt making the game as i played (ty again for that cones). made in a dream diary game jam and w that in mind theres def signs of more the author wanted to do w it that the rush for deadline wouldnt allow. also its not particularly detailed n is a little on the nose for whats going on w meiko for the most part. but i wanted to do this for a look at how an rpgmaker project worked at a basic level n got a bit of that out of that! that in itself was kinda fun, its a modest yet thematically thought thru little game that works for a warm up for engaging w yn fangames, or coming to yn itself maybe. cute backgrounds too, esp in doodle world and that one scrolling mc escher.
2008
played october 18th (finished oct 19th) for rpgmaker october
14ch eternal gomez, 14ch for short, is another rly profilic creator im checking out. i sampled this, its sequel, and n also played games in the 14/? series--which are 3 games titled 14/?, 14/??, and 14/???, and they arent on backloggd atm--plus a knytt stories level they did that i HAD to check out (which is really good n shockingly expansive!!). and they still have a bunch of games in between all of these that i didnt check out. the games i bring up and the rest, or at least most of them, can be found on their website here and here, if you are interested.
i went for neftelia 1 over its sequel mostly bc i didnt want to futz w whatever that arcade world puzzle was in 2 much more than i did, but i also just find the first game more charming in its blockier n chunkier visual mess, n i like the soundtrack more. yume nikki has been held up as the common reference pt for abstract dialogueless rpgmaker et al exploration games ad nauseum, but i bring it up bc despite certain remsemblances that neftelia has to it, 14ch is i think a good example of someone finding their own identity n goals outside of those expectations. not only for superficial gameplay differences found in neftelia, like effects being replaced w weird little movies to find and watch all over the world, but for how much further these games go to experiment w space in rpgmaker. largely in the sense of changing up the logic btwn each "room", in ways that make the game often conditionally modify rules it had set w/o ever feeling incoherent w itself--mazes may have specific things to figure out abt them beyond "look for the path out", there's an occasional switch to a sidescroller angle, the largest map in neft 1 has a gimmick unique to it, things like that. maybe something to be said for exploring the potential that lies within the transition btwn rooms too, but that may be easier to speak on in other games; neft 1 is not as willing to disorient and let you play around w the environment as its sequel, and neither are as single-mindedly and consistently honed on these ideas as the 14/ games' randomized set of rooms. but, not counting a very annoying feature where id accidentally press shift and be forced to reset at the hub (note: do not ever press the shift keys ever until you want to go back to the hub and/or need to save, fortunately neft 2 fixes this by making you have to hold shift), i really liked this for just how early on 14ch's unique expressions n intents came thru w/o overextending itself too much, even in this rough n not yet deepened form.
quick aside abt the 14/ games: 14/? is very good n has some nice surprises in store, ?? is a step down i didnt love as much, ??? is maybe the most striking distillation of their style to date and is so fucking cool. i would play these in release order though personally
14ch eternal gomez, 14ch for short, is another rly profilic creator im checking out. i sampled this, its sequel, and n also played games in the 14/? series--which are 3 games titled 14/?, 14/??, and 14/???, and they arent on backloggd atm--plus a knytt stories level they did that i HAD to check out (which is really good n shockingly expansive!!). and they still have a bunch of games in between all of these that i didnt check out. the games i bring up and the rest, or at least most of them, can be found on their website here and here, if you are interested.
i went for neftelia 1 over its sequel mostly bc i didnt want to futz w whatever that arcade world puzzle was in 2 much more than i did, but i also just find the first game more charming in its blockier n chunkier visual mess, n i like the soundtrack more. yume nikki has been held up as the common reference pt for abstract dialogueless rpgmaker et al exploration games ad nauseum, but i bring it up bc despite certain remsemblances that neftelia has to it, 14ch is i think a good example of someone finding their own identity n goals outside of those expectations. not only for superficial gameplay differences found in neftelia, like effects being replaced w weird little movies to find and watch all over the world, but for how much further these games go to experiment w space in rpgmaker. largely in the sense of changing up the logic btwn each "room", in ways that make the game often conditionally modify rules it had set w/o ever feeling incoherent w itself--mazes may have specific things to figure out abt them beyond "look for the path out", there's an occasional switch to a sidescroller angle, the largest map in neft 1 has a gimmick unique to it, things like that. maybe something to be said for exploring the potential that lies within the transition btwn rooms too, but that may be easier to speak on in other games; neft 1 is not as willing to disorient and let you play around w the environment as its sequel, and neither are as single-mindedly and consistently honed on these ideas as the 14/ games' randomized set of rooms. but, not counting a very annoying feature where id accidentally press shift and be forced to reset at the hub (note: do not ever press the shift keys ever until you want to go back to the hub and/or need to save, fortunately neft 2 fixes this by making you have to hold shift), i really liked this for just how early on 14ch's unique expressions n intents came thru w/o overextending itself too much, even in this rough n not yet deepened form.
quick aside abt the 14/ games: 14/? is very good n has some nice surprises in store, ?? is a step down i didnt love as much, ??? is maybe the most striking distillation of their style to date and is so fucking cool. i would play these in release order though personally
played oct 17th for rpgmaker october
did you know that, like underworld capital incident, this ALSO has a manga published (which this also takes cover art from)? and angels of death, the next game by this creator, has an anime??? so its def one of the more known games on the list, by rpgm standards at least. fortunately forest is a much better game than uci! not amazing but does v little wrong, i had some fun. shiori and suga are v sweet, and there's a few surprisingly genuinely creepy moments. also, like quite a few other rpgmaker games esp recently, it has a remake thats currently in production, n seeing some of the stuff it adds--actually being able to visit azaka village proper, for one--makes me kinda curious how it build on the p solid foundation this sets.
did you know that, like underworld capital incident, this ALSO has a manga published (which this also takes cover art from)? and angels of death, the next game by this creator, has an anime??? so its def one of the more known games on the list, by rpgm standards at least. fortunately forest is a much better game than uci! not amazing but does v little wrong, i had some fun. shiori and suga are v sweet, and there's a few surprisingly genuinely creepy moments. also, like quite a few other rpgmaker games esp recently, it has a remake thats currently in production, n seeing some of the stuff it adds--actually being able to visit azaka village proper, for one--makes me kinda curious how it build on the p solid foundation this sets.
played oct 16th for rpgmaker october
did you know this has a manga published? thats what this cover art is from, which was a mean trick to get me to think this could be really cool. fact is its mid as hell brother!!!! has a couple cute gags and that is all i am going to remember abt this. idek what this did to deserve the manga adaptation treatment, that might be better but i dont it has much to work with in terms of improving this.
did you know this has a manga published? thats what this cover art is from, which was a mean trick to get me to think this could be really cool. fact is its mid as hell brother!!!! has a couple cute gags and that is all i am going to remember abt this. idek what this did to deserve the manga adaptation treatment, that might be better but i dont it has much to work with in terms of improving this.
2021
played oct 15th for rpgmaker october
like the oi series by the same creator, this is a game v strictly concerned w the fundamentals of rpgs, except instead of combat encounters its abt exploring an overworld to locate 6 spots where a "georb" can be found. its pretty difficult to get a hang on navigation when distinct landmarks are few and far between, but i eventually did well enough after some time, n its a nice feeling when you can vaguely map stuff in your head. except that the last shrine i need to find, the one for the top left georb space in your ui (+ one last city i didnt find too), is way too devious to spend another hour on, and im just gonna call this done for this day bc i cant listen to the 2 songs in this soundtrack any longer before i go crazy. it was a nice thing to give a good try though
like the oi series by the same creator, this is a game v strictly concerned w the fundamentals of rpgs, except instead of combat encounters its abt exploring an overworld to locate 6 spots where a "georb" can be found. its pretty difficult to get a hang on navigation when distinct landmarks are few and far between, but i eventually did well enough after some time, n its a nice feeling when you can vaguely map stuff in your head. except that the last shrine i need to find, the one for the top left georb space in your ui (+ one last city i didnt find too), is way too devious to spend another hour on, and im just gonna call this done for this day bc i cant listen to the 2 songs in this soundtrack any longer before i go crazy. it was a nice thing to give a good try though
2017
played oct 14th (finished oct 16th) for rpgmaker october
a way of summing up alot of the issues i had w this game is that its doing too much. story is not /bad/ but throws so much text at you that most of it washed over me without inspiring much desire to think abt it too hard. and the puzzles are made up of so many small parts that made them easy to forget how they fit together--along w usual "use a walkthru" gripes that i shouldnt need to repeat everytime i play one of these--that it didnt take too long for me to get annoyed by them. lovely art and atmosphere though. somehow bc of that i think its still ok.
a way of summing up alot of the issues i had w this game is that its doing too much. story is not /bad/ but throws so much text at you that most of it washed over me without inspiring much desire to think abt it too hard. and the puzzles are made up of so many small parts that made them easy to forget how they fit together--along w usual "use a walkthru" gripes that i shouldnt need to repeat everytime i play one of these--that it didnt take too long for me to get annoyed by them. lovely art and atmosphere though. somehow bc of that i think its still ok.