1873 by LouisCyphre

 

The year is 1873. Law-enforcement is non-existant in the small trail town of Tombstone, Texas. Bandits, drunkards, crooked gamblers, and killers walk undeterred. Crimes are committed without regard to consequences, because there ARE no consequences.

 

Enter Mardsen Dustine. With his handful of allies, he is charged with clearing out the filth from Tombstone. Each month of the year 1873, you'll bring in various bounties and wanted men, cuminating each month with a showdown with a particularly dangerous opponent. As you progress and your fame grows, the rewards you reap will grow as well - but so will your notoriety and the danger it entails. Can you survive a year in the West?

 

 

1873 can be defined as a western-themed rpg/adventure: the game in fact consists into a linear series of missions that our bounty hunters will take. Sometimes they have to capture a dangerous criminal, others they have to rescue someone, in any case all boils down to dungeon delving adventure, fighting bandits, solving few puzzles and facing enemy bosses. Restocking is possible in some cases even during missions.

Battlers are custom made by the author, that also made all the graphics for a game posted previously, Speak no Evil. 

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Random Fact: this game is more a prototype than a real demo and it includes some unnamed and non-interactive characters that were supposed to enable some extra optional quests and features.

Final Verdict: I admit, despite some lack of polish this game is strangely addictive, maybe for the simple and fast battles or the wild west charm, a very unusual occurrence in rpgmaker games. I only wish maps were a bit more refined and populated, but I know that this is a demo of a cancelled game, still it was a promising prototype! 

Speak no Evil by LouisCyphre

A young man receives a call from his girlfriend, inviting him over to watch a movie or two. The couple, laying about on the couch, watches the actors onscreen portray their roles as the hours pass. Midnight arrives.

The world ends.

The sky is cast a dark red, and the sun turns as black as coal. Where once the streets were walked by people, they are now host to beings of night, unclean creatures that seek the flesh of the living. 
The couple discovers their talent to fend off these creatures, and they flee for their lives.

"What's going on? Are there any survivors? How did this happen? Is it just our city, or is it the entire state? The country? The world? What do we eat? Where do we sleep? 
...Can we ever be safe again?"

 

 

 

Speak no Evil is a game inspired by Shin Megami Tensei: a group of survivors have to face demonic creatures in a desperate battle that will determine the survival of the human race. The adventure is focused on exploration and battles, where the importance is exploiting the elemental weaknesses of the opponents. The game is pretty challenging, and uses all original assets. Music was also original, composed by Relyt.

 

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

 

Random Fact: even if the game is already challenging, finishing it once unlocks the Hardcore Mode, that makes is even more difficult.

 

Final Verdict: survival horror made using Rm2k3? Oh yes and this is a hard, unforgiving game, but mercifully there is no way to screw things (except at the very end!) since you can re-play areas and grind until you are ready. There are also many save points so you when  you die because you are unprepared, just reload, win and survive... until next combat, probably! It's not a game for everyone, combat is really brutal and unforgiving (the two magi you meet one-shotted my characters before I learned the skill I had to use. Then Alex and Victor one-shotted them in return because they had the right skills to dispose of them!). The enemies are total bastards that can stun or steal energy points, so make no mistake, the game is hardcore even without the unlockable Hardcore Mode.

Unfortunately I found some bugs and errors in some parts, some small, others game breaking (like the blue box on the hotel that always ). Pity, because the base idea, graphics are cool, and the story is captivating. There are even some missions that are about collecting food and eradicating monsters. I liked the story and characters, I appreciated the custom graphics and I find interesting this kind of game even if it may appeal only a selected few. For better or worse this is a game that stands out.