The evil General together with his henchman Ashura commands the alien invasion of planet Earth. But the humans are ready, Tetsuya Tsurugi, the pilot of Great Mazinger, the robot designed by Dr. Kenzo Kabuto is the one that will start the counterattack to save Japan. However to defeat the alien army he will have to recruit other pilots and their robots: Hiroshi Shiba with Jeeg, Ryo with Getter Robo, and many others.
Robosaga is a homage to the robots of the anime, presenting a character able to recruit various heroes. And there is a reason to do this, since each robot has some kind of power, like being able to repair items, move boulders or swim in low water. This allows to reach normally unreachable areas and progress.
The game also uses a side-view custom battle system, a couple of years before Rpgmaker 2003 made its default system.
Random Fact: enemy robots have often silly names, like Gutalax, that's very similar to Guttalax, a stimulant laxative medication used for the short-term treatment of occasional constipation.
Final Verdict:a classic Italian fangame developed using RPG Maker. It is most
prominently featured in the Italian indie and fangame development
community (such as on the Rpg²S Forum) as an example of what can be
built using the engine's older iterations.
The protagonist is Hiromi is a meek girl who can't adapt to office life.
A series of murders begin to occur around the protagonist and her
friends, who are far from normal, and the situation escalates into a
major case. In the meantime a police detective starts investigating on
the murder cases and will cross paths with Hiromi and his strange
friends, that include a
cross-dressing character in a race queen costume armed with an
umbrella, a boy obsessed with voyeurism, an old man, and a psychic
pyromancer.
In
the beginning, the story progresses comically with a mix of quirky
characters, but the atmosphere of the game changes as the truth is
revealed.
WARNING: the game includes sensitive themes like suicide, sex, violence and death.
Psycho
Platoon & Psycho Platoon Final is basically single adventure in two
episodes made by Kazuyoshi Hashimoto aka Bokkyguy. The first game in fact will end in media res, while the
second part has various possible endings that may be positive or
negative for the protagonist and his friends. The game is in fact pretty
linear, except for the later parts of the second episode that will
determine the epilogue. This is basically a visual novel with the
occasional battle, but there are no optional encounters, no levels nor
equipment, battles are fixed and characters are upgraded automatically
after some important events.
Despite
this semplicity, the game is absolutely incredible from the visual
aspect, since it uses 100% custom made assets, and has a peculiar anime
style that goes from humorous scenes to dramatic and even tragic
situations.
Random Fact: while the protagonist is Hiromi , the
game also include different scenes in which the playable character is
the middle age detective and his assistant that are investigating on the
murder cases. These parts also includes different party members and
battles against different enemies. This happens in both games, however
most battles aren't to the death, and are just clashes to set matters
straight: for example the detective will have to fight a cleaning lady
to access a floor she just cleaned and continue the investigation.
The
second part of the Psycho Platoon follows the events after the "Pervert
Tournament" and the search from a place called Paradise. However, even
after defeating a moyor opponent, the murderer is still free and Hiromi and his group of friends will face even more dangerous challenges and tragic situations.
The game plays basically like the first one, the only difference is that the playable characters gets some upgrades, obtaining more special moves while the rest of their characteristica, like the hitpoints, remain the same. The game is quite more serious in tone than the previous one and has more than one possible ending.
Random Fact: some
endings of the game tie to another game that's also in two parts,
called Bikini Smoker - ビキニスモーカー , another adventures a different cast,
that was realized before by the developer. Some party members of that
game in fact appear in the Psycho Platoon series as Npcs, like two other
characters from another game, Armored Knights - 機甲騎士団. In an optional
section that takes place in a sort of "developer room" it's possible to
play an extra battle encounter with these two characters.
Final Verdict: An
excellent short series with a peculiar unique story, really complex
characters and excellent custom made assets. Battles are more
time-wasters that really enjoyable, but the effects, sprites and
animations are worth watching them, luckily they are also pretty easy
and won't take much time. The focus of the game is the story, a unique
blend of comedy and tragedy.
Romancing Walker is a romantic RPG that follows the story of Ryle, a
young man looking for his purpose. Leaving on a journey of
self-discovery, Ryle eventually uncovers not only the secret of his
past, but one of world-shattering importance. Joining Ryle in his
travels are a bevy of lovely ladies who he may choose to romance and
bond with through interactions within the story.
Romancing Walker was made in Rpgmaker 2000 and utilizes hand-drawn anime
sequences in battle, as well as pictures during important cut-scenes.
The biggest draw of the game, however, is the dating simulation which
allows you to bond with the other party members. The choices you make
during certain scenes will either draw them closer or push them away.
While the game does suffer from 'Engrish' and bad grammar in some parts,
it is considered a classic and one of the few games of its time that is
complete, with a decent epic tale, interesting characters and
interaction between your party. Add in the back-then great graphics in
and out of battle and you have a game that is well-remembered as one of
the best.
Random Fact: this game, created by Flare with Rpgmaker 2000 was made available originally in japanese only, and later translated into English by rm2Kfanboy. It's a sequel to Dragon Valkyrie, another game created by FLARE that has been lost to time and for being on a rare platform, RPG Maker 3 for the PS2.
Final Verdict: what do you get when you mix an RPG with a dating sim, bad spelling, bad stereotypes and all of the Anime? This game. There are still a ton of trashy things in there, which will hopefully make us laugh or shake our heads, in any case a must play for every Rpgmaker jrpg player. Old classic game with a generic plot that, despite this, is still
enjoyable today as it was well designed and combined some innovative
features (like the dating part) with a typical jrpg gameplay. The translation doesn't help much
to improve the game, still this is a unique take on the jrpg genre,
with lots of content for hours of fun.
This demo (or complete first episode of an incomplete series) tells the story of the last humans, now space nomads searching for a new home, as they fight for survival.
The main character
of this game is Actea, the "captain" of the colony vessel/sleeper ship
Hopegate-III, the last and best hope for humanity's continued survival. Actea has a mysterious past, and has sworn to avenge her lover Ashley
who was slain by Nero, the leader of an evil theocracy known as the
Templars.
Anyway, the Hopegate-III quest for a new home suitable for humanity
(and their constant flight from the Templars) and Actea's quest for revenge aren't
without conflict, but together they lead the crew to the planet YY-87.
There, Actea finds the mysterious and powerful android Auhsey who is,
the evil Nero conveniently fills us in, the key
to finding...something...very important called Omega Cerberus.
Omega Cerberus was the first episode of a series created by Sill Vall, the talented artist behind the Barracuda and Knights of Heliopolis comics and author of some cool Rpgmaker games such as Croix Célestes and Le dernier des Xanten, but unfortunately this introductive adventure was never followed by other episodes.
The game mixes some original artwords and sprites with RefMap assets, edits and rips from games such as Albion. Combat is pretty classic, and the game has a very anime or comic feel, with some cool cutscenes.
Random Fact: the game was made only in french, but
Creation provided an excellent translated english version. Oh the review
I made for this game on RMK.net was also my 100th review!
Final Verdict: Omega Cerberus is a game with a great visual style, a nice story and a
mediocre gameplay, but there is nothing really bad, except maybe that
this is a game that was never completed and left me wondering how was
going to end the story, because there are some interesting hints and
ideas. Anyway we'll never know!
But I still appreciate the atmosphere and maps of this rough gem, a
lot. Personally I'd use this style as inspiration if I had to make a
sci-fi or post-apocalyptic game. Not bad at all.
Tomoya Okazaki's story has been a long and arduous journey. The girl from Kyoto, the daughter of an alcoholic former star lawyer, had lived her entire life as a boy. Only when she accidentally saved a goddess one night did she regain her true body. But this unwanted gender swap plunged her deeper and deeper into a feud between her family and the gods.
Finally, when AVoR begins, she believes she can finally end the feud... only to find herself stranded in a strange, primeval forest minutes later. Together with a few friends, she embarks on a journey spanning time and dimensions, always searching for the truth behind this strange voyage and always racing against time. For the power that beats within Tomoya harbors another, terrible secret.
Will Tomoya Okazaki ever find her way home? Why was she hurled through space and time in the first place? Why are so many of her old friends also in this time, regardless of whether they were involved in the feud or not? And will she really find answers to these questions in Tokyo, at this strange organization that calls itself a "faction"?
Alternate - Virus of Ragnarök is a card based rpg with an epic story and many characters involved. The game uses a mix of classic RTPS, edits, rips and custom made CGs to the maximum effects. Lots of custom menus, systems, minigames and puzzles, for many hours of adventure. It's pretty much impressive under every aspect.
In fact in 2012 the game obtained the following RPG Atelier Goldener Deiji awards:
Random Fact: this is a fangame based on the Clannad japanese visual novel series by the software company Key, and focuses on the final parts of the Tomoya saga. The game includes also many cameos of Type-Moon characters.
Final Verdict: a masterpiece. Lots of content, original combat system and impressive animations and cutscenes, it really shines and shows what can be done with Rpgmaker 2003. If you speak german you will enjoy this game.
