Ateria - Kontinent der Schatten by Xargoth (german)

 

An attack by a horde of vampires sweeps across the island in the great sea of ​​Gaiana, nearly wiping out its entire population. Young Charon survives thanks to his combat skills and the training his father gave him from childhood. 

He finds his father gravely wounded on the battlefield and receives a small key from him before the man ultimately succumbs to his injuries. The key leads Charon to the cellar of his own home, revealing the entrance to a small room. Inside, he discovers a modified pistol and a valuable elemental sword. He also finds a strange mirror. It turns out that a demon named Dagon is trapped within it; the demon immediately proposes a deal: Charon will gain a portion of its powers if he uses them to kill the vampires. Driven by a desire for revenge against the creatures responsible for his family's death, he accepts the offer.

 

 

Ateria - Continent of Shadows is a Rpgmaker horror game demo created by Xorgoth: the game is basically amystery horror adventure with a single character, a vampire hunter. It features some custom activities and original gameplay elements like climbing, a custom made combat system that lets the player switch between gun and sword, anyway the additions are still rather simple and do not overwhelm the player. The graphics use edited REFMAP assets and there is a lot of attention to light, shadows and atmospherical effects.

Download Link

Rmarchiv.de

Rpg Atelier 

 

Let's Play Youtube Video 

 

Random Fact: although the game includes a monster encyclopedia that can reveal the strength and weaknesses of the opponents, mind that it can be only consulted when in town and not while travelling! A bit odd choice anyway. 

 

Final Verdict: despite the short playtime, Ateria is impressive as an high quality game with great use of lightning, good mapping, many poses, sprites ans features like climbing, monster encyclopedia, slot machines, and more. There are two only issues: the first is that you will often have to travel through the forest and that's becomes boring, there isn't a lot of story, since you are just a vampire hunter hunting vampires! That's it! Anyway it's an excellent demo, and very unique adventure, considering it was released in 2008 it was certainly one of the best games of the time. It's a pity this was never completed.

Don's Adventure 2 - Don's Nightmare by Xargoth

 

Years ago, humanity was terrorized by demonic creatures from the underworld. That changed when a warrior claimed the sword Excalibur and, alongside allies, fought the demons and drove them back to the underworld.  

 Peace ensued, but it was later shattered when the devil Parricada appeared on Earth and killed the wielder of Excalibur. Vowing revenge, the fallen hero's son led a force of one hundred warriors through the gateway to the underworld to finish off the creatures once and for all.  

 

Lilith, Seminex, Umbraticus, and Don Lessus - the only creatures of the underworld capable of working as a team - were tasked with driving back the human force. Despite harboring some reservations, the quartet ultimately accepted the mission.

 

 

The gameplay of this roughly 30-minute game centers primarily on combat and mini-games. Enemies appear as shadowy silhouettes on the map, signaling potential combat encounters. Battles utilize the standard turn-based, front-view combat system found in RPG Maker 2000, enhanced by the display of character graphics during the player's attacks. In addition to standard monsters, players can defeat elemental creatures that grant the main characters new abilities. 

Download Link

Rmarchiv.de 

Random Fact: like you can see from the title, this game serves as a sequel/spin-off within the Don's Adventures series created by Don Miguel. But this time, unlike typical hero's journeys where you play as agents of light, you control a group of underworld anti-heroes sent to hunt down the great hero's son.

 

Don's Adventures (sometimes titled Don Miguel's Sample Game) was created using an unofficially translated/unlicensed version of RPG Maker 2000, and was included in his original unlicensed distribution of that program. If you want to play also that sample game, that I will probably cover with more details in a future article here someday, check one of the links below:

 

Download Link

Rmarchiv.de 

RPG Maker Wiki  

Makerpendium 

 

Final Verdict: a little homage to Don and the Rpgmaker sample game Don's Adventure, this is a really well done funny adventure with many well made edits and good maps. Not a very long game, it's still a quality product that entertains from the beginning to the end. While there were many others Don's Adventure 2 (and even Don's Adventure 3) that will probably deserve their own entries, this is in my opinion one of the best homages to the first Don's Adventure.

Necropolis by Jude

 

Take on the role of Marcus, an aging war veteran who awakens under peculiar circumstances... he has joined the ranks of the undead! Battle your way through a gothic necropolis of skeletons, vampires, and werewolves to unravel the mystery behind your undead condition. This RPG will feature a unique turn-based battle system, character customization to fit your play-style, and handmade retro NES-style graphics. Fight against your dark fate, restore your humanity, and take vengeance upon the creatures of the night! 

 

Necropolis is not the classical Rpgmaker jrpg since this time we play as a single hero, an aged warrior. The game uses custom handmade retro NES-style graphics and a custom turn based system with skills that allow three possible specializations:  Basic, Finesse, and Power.

 

Download Link

Rmarchiv.de

Internet Archive 

 

Random Fact: it's no mystery that the game is a homage to the Castlevania series, presenting a setting that's clearly inspired to the  popular series. Enemies are also similar, like the journey of a single hero, however the genre is pretty different.

 

Random Fact: it's a really a pity that this game hasn't be completed since it's a promising first half of a bigger adventure. 

Dhux's Scar by Kefka Kun aka Erilex

 

Dhux's Scar follows the misadventures of Elijah, a lowly, mediocre merchant that is suddenly faced with the chance of a lifetime: To earn a huge fortune by betraying the trust of one innocent little girl. Of course, things won't work out quite as smoothly as he intended. Little does he know that he is about to be dragged into a ruthless battle between powers that defy human comprehension. There will be blood. And tears. 

 

 

Dhux's Scar or, as its original title, La Cicatriz de Dhux, is a 2009 story driven, dark fantasy adventure rpg with religious overtones. The game is well known for its challenging battles, because only one of the party members is really cut for battles, the others are a little girl and a weak merchant that can only do some real damage using magical amulets that are in limited supply. The game uses custom assets and includes two possible epilogues to the story.

 

Download Link (english)

Mirror Link (english)

Rmarchiv.de (english and spanish versions)

Rpgmaker.net (english version)

Gamejolt.com 

TvTropes

Youtube Playthrough 

Random Fact: the game was originally made in Rpgmaker 2000 using RTP assets only, then the developer introduces some custom graphics: facesets, charsets, enemies were changed and some slides with custom art were introduced, giving the peculiar look of the game, that still includes some default Rpgmaker graphics. See for example below how a particular scene looks now and how it looked before.

 

Last version of the game was also translated in traditional chinese. 

 

Final Verdict: oh I liked a lot "Dhux's Scar", even if this game was punishing with its Megaten difficulty (from Shin Megami Tensei. Yes, if you did not play that game note that it was pretty hard, and Dhux's Scar is pretty difficult too especially due to some really tough boss fights! And the bad placement of the save points!). Nonetheless what I just wrote enjoyed playing this game, even if its strongest point is clearly the engaging story with its mature themes and incredible twists, complemented by lots of custom made assets that makes the game pretty much recognizable with its unique enemies and cutscenes. And the characters? Well, all the cast is very interesting and still none of these individuals is a classic stereotypical rpg archetype, because this game is not a classic rpg game, of course. But is it good? Very good, not perfect due to the flaws mentioned below, but still excellent!

Death Proclaimed II - Valerie's Letter by Fidchell

 

DP2 - Valerie's Letter is a subscenario focusing on Valerie and her endeavors before the arrival of Cory. While being stalked by a mysterious power, Valerie wakes up in her room to another day of hopelessness. She is surrounded by a ghost town, and the only beings she knows exist around her are the violent, overprotective spirits of her siblings.

Valerie has no idea what to do with her empty life. A strange presence lingers in the depths of her damaged mind, forcing her eyes to see horrible things that defy the reality Valerie is familiar with. 
She tries hard to endure this strange force within her each day, until one day she receives a strange letter from under her bedroom door. It is signed by her close friend, Leah, who lives in a large mansion nearby the Bhamen Village. In this letter, Leah summons Valerie to her for reasons unknown.

Valerie, carrying new hope that her life is not completely demolished, goes on a desperate search for answers. 

 

 

If Death Proclaimed II was an upgrade of the first game with a different story, this Death Proclaimed II - Valerie's Letter makes little difference: the game still offers a classic survival horror adventure in real time focused on exploration and combat. It's a prequel of the second game, where many characters of the previous adventure return, anyway it's suggested to play the at least that game to enjoy fully this game.

Still, there are new enemies, weapons and additions to the usual system.

 

Download Link (1.1 version)

Download Link (1.2 patch)

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Guide/Walkthrough 

 

 

Random Fact: Death Proclaimed II - Valerie's Letter is a spin-off but it can be considered a third episode of the series, anyway it's the only entry which is focused more on ranged battles rather than melee. This doesn't mean that the protagonist won't get in close combat with some opponents, however some bosses may only be fought from distance.

 

Final Verdict: Death Proclaimed II: Valerie's Letter offers the ultimate and best version of the action battle system introduced in the first game, unfortunately to understand the story and have fun you also have to play the previous episodes, of course! Good combat, but also good story and good scares, and good puzzles too. And also a great atmosphere, I was really surprised by this and how this series has reached a really good quality (just look at the maps in the pictures I posted: they're much better than the previous ones, and also better than the locations of many other horror rpgmaker games) that makes me give a better rating than the previous episodes. Really well done!

Death Proclaimed II by Fidchell

A young man named Cory lives with his aunt in a deep part of the woods near the city Winterveer. Cory has absolutely no recollection of his days before he was eight years old, but for the years after, he has lived peacefully with his aunt with no troubles.

One night, his aunt goes to Winterveer and does not return home for at least two weeks. Cory, not used to being alone for such an amount of time, takes it upon himself to venture out to the city and find her himself. It quickly becomes evident, however, that this trek is not going to be as easy as he thought. His simple journey to Winterveer will reveal itself to be the path of a horrible darkness, and one that seems to have a purpose in helping Cory remember his past.

 

Like the first Death Proclaimed, this is another solitary survival horror adventure in real time in which we have to survive the monsters that infest the misty city. The game uses an improved system compared to the first game, with a better inventory menu and 

Download Link (2.0 version)

Download Link (2.1 patch)

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

 

 Guide/Walkthrough

Random Fact: the second and third game are quite separated from the first, and coincidentally they are the only ones that have a guide. To be honest, the first one used to have a guide/walkthrough included with the game, anyway the developer said it's really outdated and useless.

 

Final Verdict: Death Proclaimed II is more of the same compared to the first one, but adds some welcomed improvements that makes the game more interesting and enjoyable. There are still some aspects that could be improved, like the puzzles and some areas, but for the most part it was a pretty fun dark adventure with some interesting moments. The game encourages replays since apparently there is more than one ending (and also you need to replay the game to unlock the boomerang, anyway I played through this game only once). 
This is an old game, but yes, after playing the first game I think that progresses were made. Clearly it's not new or original, but being a sequel it was pretty much predictable and unavoidable! Anyway it's pretty good!

Death Proclaimed by Fidchell

 

A young woman named Alice returns to her hometown to end the haunting visions and grotesque dreams that plague her constantly. Her mind was filled with unanswered questions and the only way she believes she could put them to rest was by visiting the town once again. When she arrives to the desolate town, she discovers strange and hostile creatures lurking within. Still motivated by her quest for answers, Alice fights past the monsters with the sole incentive to ease her troubled mind.

 

 

With many influences by Silent Hill, Death Proclaimed was the first game of a trilogy, and probably not the best, but still one good introductive chapter, even if a bit rough: in fact this game features a Custom Battle System and Menu System. It also features a Custom Health Bar, intense gameplay, and a gripping story. This game has three endings that depend solely upon how you play the game and what certain items you are able to get.

Download Link (1.0 version)

Download Link (1.1 parch)

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

Random Fact: this series was quite liked by Gibmaker, the author of The Longing Ribbon, that gave an ok score to this entry, an excellent score to the sequel and even playtested the third game.

 

 

Final Verdict: while this last version is still far from perfect (again, I often mentioned the problems that has Rpgmaker 2000/2003 with making action/real time games, that are realized a bit better with other engines, no matter what), it corrected several issues and flaws. Anyway even if the gameplay was not the top for me (especially when bosses are encountered, maybe I'm too bad ehe! But I also hate those teleporting enemies) I cannot deny that graphics and atmosphere where pretty much very good, and music and sounds complemented all of this. The effects, like the lights and darkness and the atmospheric phenomenas are also used very well, where, for example, many other horror games exceed with the use of fog and darkness. On a last note, there isn't really anything visually disturbing except for the occasional dead body or spray of blood, still the atmosphere of dread and impending danger is pretty effective. Not bad. 

Sinfonia & Ruptured Souls by Legion aka Max McGee

 

Reg Fontaine is a troubled young man that has an appointment with a psychologist... things start quiet that evening, but suddenly everything becomes strange and dark. Is this all true or these are just hallucinations? 

 

 

Sinfonia or Backstage 3: Electric Boogaloo is a mini-scenario linked to the Backstage series (some characters of the previous games are mentioned and another is seen in a cutscene), it's little more than an intro situation (made in 4 hours by Max McGee) released for an event, that ends leaving just some hints about what's going to happen next. Good music and great atmosphere, as usual. 

 

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Random Fact: some maps of Sinfonia were reused for Ruptured Souls, another short horror prologue, this time for an unfinished game. Since Sinfonia is very short, here's also the derived game, that you will find it below as an extra. 

 

 

Final Verdict: Sinfonia is like one of these gourmet dishes that are really a small quantity but they're so good! Both aestetically and also in terms of substance. Still they are never enough for a complete meal and that makes me sad. Anyway great job with this setting and mapping, the atmosphere is dark and powerful, I also liked the little details like the animation of the protagonist smoking in the beginning. All is really done in a professional way with great attention to the details. Pity there is no game here... still better than a bad game, I guess!

 

EXTRA - Ruptured Souls (demo): you are Mason Lansdale, an American private detective investigating the disappearance of a 17 year old girl named Kyra Leighton. The case has taken you all the way to London, England, to investigate a private medical research think tank called Wingate Medical that has recently requested the records of Kyra and 4 other girls just like her who disappeared.

At first, Lansdale is concerned primarily with breaking into Wingate to find evidence that will make the case, but as the night goes on the situation quickly evolves into something far more sinister, and terrifying and your primary goal becomes survival.

 

In the end, the most potent and relevant weapon you have is your wits.

 

Ruptured Souls is basically an adventure game where you have to be caregul since a wrong move can lead to the protagonist's demise. The final parts becomes a sort of choose-yout-own-adventure segment, but unfortunatly it ends with a "to be continued" leaving a mystery about who or what is pursuing Mason.

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Random Fact: unlike the Backstage series, that is a supernatural kind of horror inspired by Silent Hill, Ruptured Souls is instead a non-supernatural horror game that was inspired by the Resident Evil series. But no, it's not a zombie game, more like a thriller adventure, but there is a symbol very similar to the Umbrella Corporation logo. Not a coincidece, of course.

 

Final Verdict: another demo from Mac McGee that shows a lot of potential. It's good, and it's peculiar how the game starts like Sinfonia, with the protagonist smoking a cigarette, and ends with the image of a building that the protagonist of Sinfonia enters at the end of that game! Oh yes, this little demo is so full of details and other little things if you care to explore and interact that I was impressed. A very interesting demo with a great atmosphere, in my opinion!

Backstage & Backstage II by Legion aka Max McGee

 

Tom Keller is an average enough guy, although one badly down on his luck. On the evening this nightmare begins, he's coming home from a fancy dinner with his wife, at a nice restaurant- where she took him to tell him she was leaving him, and where he still picked up the check. She's kicked him out of the house and had the locks changed, and he's had quite a bit to drink after dinner, and wants nothing more than to call her and give her the piece of his mind. He's already checked into a seedy hotel down town, where he plans to sleep it off after making a phone call. However, he is about to step through to the other side of a mirror that will warp and destroy everything he thought he knew about his life.

 

Tom Keller is lost. He has gone astray, and become trapped in a nightmare world that is a twisted mirror image of our own, tormented by horrific abberations, haunted by shattered memories. He is alone behind the world, and to escape, he must come to terms with all of his sins. 

 

Backstage is a 3 hours and a half survival horror Rpgmaker game,  whose gameplay consists in exploring dark urban locations looking for useful items like flashlight and keys, avoiding traps and solving puzzles. This isn't an rpg, of course, but there are still battles and they happen in real time, bit these are a little weird since you have to avoid the enemy proyectiles and collide with the opponent so Tom will use the equipped weapon, even if it's a gun. Anyway aside for the obligatory bosses (like the lich) there is no incentive to fight everyone. 

The game has more than one ending. 

 

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

 

Random Fact: the game had a sequel planned but only the prologues for the two protagonists of this game were released. In fact this time the game had two different playable protagonists, but the gameplay remained the same of the first game. Anyway see below for this short demo.  

 

 

Final Verdict: Backstage isn't a bad game at all (despite some flaws and imprecisions but few games are without them), on the contrary I found it really inspired and an interesting adventure to play. Well I admit that I did not try to find every single ending, nor I played it more than once except if after a while (when I forgot some details). The story is absolutely the best part of the game. Maybe not the beginning, but as the adventure unfolds it becomes really intriguing, especially after the first half. I was in fact constantly doubting about everything: is Tom really an ordinary guy? Has he already met Alice before eve if he doesn't remember that? Do the monsters really exists or is Tom hallucinating? Who knows! 

 I liked a lot the Revenge ending, and even if it's probably not a game for everyone, if a player is fond of dark and horror rpgmaker games he/she should play this one at least once (puzzles aren't that difficult, and it's impossible to get stuck). Not the best game by Max McGee, but still a good one.

 

 

 

EXTRA - Backstage II (demo): in this game you have to choose between Racheal the Prodigal or Tim the Prophet, anyway their separate paths are going to cross at a monastery. 

One thing about the two protagonists: the Prophet's adventure is a bit more interesting because it has a sort of prediction about what will happen next (well... he's a *prophet*!) while the poor Racheal is instead thrust inside a difficult situation without many explanations.

 

Backstage II is a game that aimed at improving what was done with the first game, offering better maps, better assets, two protagonists, but a similar gamemplay. Both prologues are pretty short (15 minutes each more or less, for a total of 30 minutes, 10 of actual gameplay and 20 of dialogues) and give just little informations about what was going to happen next, but at least mapping is much better than in the first game.

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

 

Random Fact: the demo of Backstage II wasn't the end of the series. Despite being unfinished there was a last tale related to the setting and the mysterious entity know as Mask. But this is another game for another time. Very soon. 

 

Final Verdict: it's really a pity that Backstage II was cancelled because all aspects hinted that this was going to be a better game than the previous one, and I liked Backstage, it was a pretty good horror adventure, even if there were some parts that could have been better, of course. And Backstage II was really going to improve and correct all the parts that weren't exactly good, and improve those that were good. Mapping, story, gameplay... all here looks better, pity that this is just a short introduction to another adventure in a dark world of horror. But still better than nothing, I guess!!!

Sainth by Neok

 

Years after the events of "Wraith", a young girl named Lily, has a chance encounter with someone familiar. Following that, she soon finds herself stranded in a strange place with nary a soul in sight. As she struggles to gain her bearings, a voice echoes inside her head. It is the World Tree, telling her to seek out her memories from long ago... 

 

Wraith: The Second Chapter ~Sainth~ follows the story of Lily Collins whose life has changed after the disappearance of her friend Kana Alywin from the prequel and once again meeting her after 3 years.

Sainth, or Wraith: The Second Chapter, is a sequel of the he survival horror Wraith that focuses on a secondary character, the blonde Lily. This time the game is a visual novel adventure with exploration and searching for items, plus many dialogues, and this makes it pretty different from the first game. Anyway what's still here are the mystery-horror elements, the game is in fact dark and like the first one it includes two different possible endings.

Download Link

Mirror Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

Internet Archive 

 

TvTropes

 

Random Fact: the game uses a side-view platform-like style that was already used in Alter Aila Genesis. While the setting and the game is completely different, the exploration of the maps is pretty similar to the other game, making this game even more different from the prequel.

 

 

Final Verdict: Sainth is a totally different game compared to the first one, maybe not even a game but a story (even if it has two different endings, one of these is very depressing!), anyway I liked its originality (side scrolling rpgmaker? Really uncommon) and the narrative segments. It's probably not a game for everyone, especially for those who want a real challenge, puzzles or a more complex gameplay, but for me it was a good experience. Naok's art skills and style also makes this adventure look unique. 
In the end, even if this game may not appeal everyone is still an enjoyable story if you played the previous game, maybe not a perfect conclusion to the series, but still a pleasant surprise!

Wraith by Neok

 

During a 3-day workshop in Australia, a girl named Kana discovers a dark secret hidden beneath the manor she is staying at. Now she must work against time to save her friends from a fate worse than death. There are two objectives: Solve the mystery behind the existence of the wraith, and live to see the morning sun. Dawn is only a few hours away...

 

Wraith is an adventure with horror elements, the game is about exploration, and includes visiting various locations from laboratories to a lighthouse and a hedge maze, besides the mansion, of course, but there are also puzzles and various combat encounters against some mutant creatures! This is a sort of Silent-hill-esque rpgmaker game! But here we aren't alone since the protagonist will be sometimes assisted by some npcs. Regarding combat the game uses a sort of custom system that gives us different battle options from attacking with a gun (that is only found after the first half of the game) to run away, push enemies back or use items like a flashlight or a lightstone. Another interesting aspects are music, sounds and the custom CG scenes and portraits drawn by Neok, really well done.

 

The game has a good and a bad ending, depending on what happens and if the Wraith is defeated before or after daybreak. Anyway a walnkthrough can be found HERE.

 

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

Internet Archive 

 

TvTropes 

 

Random Fact: Wraith was the first Rpgmaker 2003 game by Neok, and was going to be the first part of a trilogy. Unfortunately only a sequel, Sainth, was made and focuses on Lily, Kana's best friend. The third game was titled Candice, and it seems it was first planned, but later cancelled. 

 

 

Final Verdict: Wraith is an ok game! I liked the story, the setting, the graphics... BUT I was not really fond of the combat system or the puzzles, I enjoyed some aspects of the game (aestetic and story), while I found others pretty much frustrating (the gameplay, and I must admit that while I often enjoyed flawed game with not-so-good mechanics, I could not really enjoy this one!). This does not make Wraith a bad game (but yes, it shows being one of Neok's first games, and also it's not my favourite considered other masterpieces we got from this author such as Alter Aila or Red Syndrome), but probably one that can really be appreciated by some players. So, if you like survival horror games I suggest you to give a try and see.

Gulliver by GDSA team (russian)

 

A group of cosmonauts arrives to an unknown planet and meet some mysterious lifeforms. Unfortunately the encounter won't go as well as expected and the team will have to face lots of troubles.

 

 

Gulliver is a mini adventure that won't take more than 15 minutes to complete, however it's a short story that could technically be translated into a short horror tale, not much differently from other short games already posted here, such as Metamorphosis. The unusual part is that this game also contains battles, while most other horror adventures avoids them, uses only chase sections or real-time survival systems. 

Well, please note that the game is very dark, violent and includes body horror. 

 

Dowload Link

Rmarchiv.de

 

Random Fact: most of the creatures seems to be custom sprites made in the same style of the enemies in Huperternal-2005, however this may be a coincidence. The important thing is that the presence of giant women compared to the little cosmonauts is probably the reason why this game is called "Gulliver", recalling the realm of Brobdingnag visited by Lemuel Gulliver visits in Jonathan Swift's classic 1726 satirical novel, Gulliver's Travels.

 

 

Final Verdict: a really unsettling and dark short adventure with peculiar graphics and a really powerful atmosphere. It's very short but also pretty unique, the alien planet is really a memorable place.

Dead Again by Smokingspoon

33rd day. The streets are still crowded with them... and I have about two days worth of rations. Everyone has left. I saw some amaranth right in the middle of the street, growing peacefully. Plants are starting to mask this city. I have about two days worth of rations... and I don't think I'll last that long.

The premise of this game very is simple: you are a survivor in a city filled with zombies and you have to escape. This is all you need to know.

 

Dead Again is a short survival horror adventure game, with many possible endings. Playing as a lone survivor, the goal is to flee from a city that's infested by zombies. Scavenging for useful items, fighting or avoiding zombies are the many activities that will be necessary to find a way out. The game uses custom graphics and a slightly modified combat system with a distance feature.

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Random Fact: one of the possible endinga links to another short game from this developer: Dandelion. It requires to collect some items so it may not be the first ending you will get, anyway it will make little sense without playing Dandelion.

 

Final Verdict: a mini survival horror with a lot of style. Simple but with many hidden details. 
This is a little game, sure, so don't expect a long story, lots of characters or a detailed survival system. Dead Again somehow reminds to me those games in which you have a limited time but a lot of actions can be done to determinate the distiny of the protagonist.

Grimorum by RedCube

Germany, 26th of April, 1998. The hardened detective Jonas Stark is on a hunt for a brutal killer whos ordered by a secret organization called "the Circle". Yet no matter how close his investigations get, the Circle always seems to be one step ahead and even the killer is much closer than Stark might think. After he loses everything, he decides to solve the case on his own and stop the cirlce from fulfilling their terrible plans but... can he?  

Grimorum is a dark horror adventure by RedCube: the game consists in visual novel sections between many stealth levels and some rare shooting. The game is all in real time and includes various levels in which we play as different characters: from a cop to a professional killer, that are the main protagonists of the story, to a madman escaped from an asylum or a victim. If I have to make a comparison with a notorious game series, this can be equipareted to the Manhunt series by Rocklstar Games, even if Grimorum has supernatural and horror elements.

 

WARNING: the game includes lots of adult content - gore, nudity, violence, and creepy situations that some people can find quite disturbing and unnecessary (most disturbing scenes are visualized, so yeah, be ready for pixelated gore details and a couple of anime gore pics)

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

 

 

Random Fact: originally the first version of Grimorum was made in german and called "Lemtingas Metas", then remade into the game we have today. The inspiration mainly came from crime shows and the horror series Dooms by MR BIG T

 

Final Verdict: If you can tolerate the themes of sex and violence, gore and creepy scenes, (this was not a problem for me) and a gameplay that is surely a clever and courageous idea but far from perfect and sometimes a bit frustrating in play (and this was a bit of a problem for me in some parts) you will have fun, I'm sure. Graphics and story (dialogues, characters, everything is well done with lot of attention to the details) are in my opinion excellent, this is a grim and dark world without powerful heroes, full of frail humans with their weaknesses. In short, this is a nice action-horror game very different from most other Rpgmaker games. 

Anastasia - This isn't the way things are supposed to be & Anastasia 2 trailer by 0rig

Anastasia is an orphan girl that is adopted by the Hyde family, composed by mother and son that live inside a huge mansion. The father, Randolf Hyde, is in fact dead, but he left a book in the house, the Necronomicon. The mysterious man known as Cloak asks Anastasia to recover the missing pages of the Necronomicon, and warns her not to trust her new family. But who is really using her?

 

 

Anastasia - This isn't the way things are supposed to be is a classic horror adventure game that includes exploration and puzzles. The game includes some action scenes like chases, but do not expect the usual battle system, nor the rpg elements of the typical Rpgmaker games. The game is very dark and mappings is ok, anyway the environment well recreates an atmosphere of uneasines.

 

Download Link

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Random Fact: a sequel was planned but never realized. The only thing that is left of Anastasia 2 is the intro cutscene that you can find below.

 

Final Verdict: an ok game, not very good today but at the time it was a pretty interesting game due to the lack of Rpgmaker horror adventures.

 

 

 

EXTRA - Anastasia 2 As I ponder weak and weary: this was the planned sequel of Anastasia, but only the intro cutscene was made. This intro is about Anastasia speaking how she became an occultist, and shows her plus other characters probably central to the game. Mapping and edits seems much better than in the first game. 

 

There is not much more I can say about this, since it's just a short teaser.

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