Chantlicoatl by Zombiczek (polish)

 

Spain during the reign of King Philip II of Habsburg: with the beginning of naval expeditions to the new land, a golden age began for Spain. But this wealth came at the cost of innocent blood. Over time, colonies began to emerge on the new continent, all paying tribute to the king. All but one — located in the western swamplands and commanded by the renowned and celebrated general Enrique.

Fearing a rebellion that could damage his reputation and pride, the king secretly sends his man — prosecutor Hernando Manzanares — to the new land, keeping it hidden from the other camps. His Holiness Pope Pius IV, concerned about the situation for his own reasons, decides to support Philip II. Manzanares is to be accompanied by a Vatican envoy — Father Inquisitor Adalbert Rivero.

Will they be able to uncover the reason behind Enrique’s disobedience?
A great mystery lies hidden in the swamps, waiting to be revealed.

 

In the game, the player will play as prosecutor Hernando, accompanied by Father Adalbert.
This is a linear adventure where the two protagonsits will have to traverse the swamplands, battle wild animals, interrogate Enrique’s men, visit a supposed gold mine, and even cooperate with the local indigenous people. In addition to the story and adventure elements, the game also features systems inspired by classic RPGs — exploration, finding hidden chests and caches, collecting trophies, trading with merchants, equipping better gear, and learning various skills. Among them: herbalism, lockpicking, and learning the language of the natives. 

Itch.io 

Rmarchiv.de 

 

Youtube Playthrough 

 

Random Fact: the game was originally made and released in 2020, in polish. At the moment an english translation is in the works, along with a game update that will improve the gameplay.

 

Final Verdict: like Ronin, another game from this developer, Chantlicoatl is not a very long game, but has a nice graphics and some neat features. This time the game has more classical rpg aspects, like the avoidable dangerous fauna, still it's a pretty original adventure. 

Tale of Exile - Act 1 by Lastturn

 

In this game the protagonist is Adam, the mercenary called Black Claw, a bounty hunter that is quite skilled but not a veteran yet: the game starts shortly after he kills an assassins and captures his accomplice. Wandering the city the hero will find some optional quests, card games and find himself in a series of different situations. Meanwhile the heir to the throne, Prince Antonius receives the "Great Initiation" after the mysterious death of the Queen...

 

Tale of Exile is a low-fantasy gritty adventure that gives a lot of freedom to the player: the city is fully explorable and there are many secondary quests, for example it's possible, but not obligatory, to try to defend an innocent in a trial, a quest that may be completed succesfully or failed. Then it's possible to explore various areas, solve puzzles and fight enemies in a turn-based custom system. The game uses in fact lots of custom made menus and systems, that sometimes are a bit clunky but quite impressive anyway, and the diary is pretty handy to remember what you are supposed to do and where you are supposed to go.

Download Link (installer)

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de 

Official Site (english/polish)

 

Random Fact: this game was originally made in Polish since the developer is from Poland, however it was released in both English and Polish. The game was originally planned in four acts, but unfortunately only the first was completed. 

 

Final Verdict: far from perfect, but REALLY FAR from bad, Tale of Exile is a wonderful experience. Despite the inventory choices, the diary is really useful to understand what you have to do, and it's impossible losing the thread. The game does not hold your hand and rewards exploration, in this sense it's more of a typical fantasy western rpg (I mean not "oriental Jrpg", not that he has cowboys!). I also liked many references and easter eggs here and there (for example the art gallery hosts pictured by an artist that's clearly a reference to Andy Warhol) and the high level of detail and accuracy of the world, that cleary required a lot of work and effort. 
So this was Tale of Exile. The usual question is: did I had fun? Well, yes, a lot.
Despite the flaws (in my opinion due to the bold experiment to make something akin to a sort of fantasy Fallout rpg) the game is immersive, enjoyable and looks good too.
Recommended!

Sunset over Imdahl by Teo Mathlein

 

The story is about Lohn, a young boy who is the sole survivor of the siege of Imdahl. Wandering the streets in desperation, Lohn meets a nobly-dressed man who offers him a chance to bring his hometown back to life. Without knowing his intentions, Lohn accepts on the man's offer, and the game begins.

 

Sunset Over Imdahl was made in rm2k and utilizes hand-drawn backdrops over tile-based mapping. The game is short, containing only a few hours of gameplay; however, is a completed project of the highest standard. The game is available in English, Spanish and German and consists in a classic linear adventure game with no battles, but includes a couple of minigames.

Download Link

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

 

TvTropes 

 

Random Fact: If you picked up a certain key near the end of the game, you keep it for the next playthrough. This is used to enter the Developer's Room, but if you try to enter the Developer's Room without actually unlocking it properly, the game will detect that the required switches weren't set and freeze you in place while displaying a disturbing image.

Final Verdict: in my opinion Sunset over Imdahl is art, a real masterpiece and a really unique game with incredible aestetics that frame an original and well written story.

Carlsev Saga by Deckiller

 

Carlsev Saga's story centers on the small, isolated monarchy of Carlsev. This nation boasts a formidable army and advanced middle-age technology; a power called the "Essence" fuels the magic-like abilities used by many of Carlsev's inhabitants. However, the paranoid king has been withholding progress in every aspect of human endeavor. Some of Carlsev's elite figures, such as General Saito of East Carlsev, have grown impatient with the monarchy and have taken bold action. With support from his closest aide, Youngwood, the charismatic Saito leads the East into a massive revolt. A bitter civil war ensues, partitioning Carlsev into East and West. The story unfolds during the first major battle of this civil war, though what will ensue is beyond everyone's imagination. 

Carlsev Saga is a fantasy game that is focused on the political thriller, like Game of Throne. For this reason do not expect a simple clash between the forces of good and evil, as most of the cast operates in shades of grey. The game is also interesting because includes stealth missions, alchemy and there is emphasis on the use of special items and finding and exploiting weaknesses rather than grinding. Mapping is also particularly well made. This game was supposed to be the first part of a trilogy, and while this was the first and only episode that was fully completed, a new chapter is also in the works, a prequel to this game called Carlsev Zero. It is going to be set thirteen years before the events of this game.

Download Link

Internet Archive

Rmarchiv.de

 

Random Fact: although the second episode of the Carlsev Saga was not completed, a three hours demo was released. See below for it.

  

Final Verdict: an epic low-fantasy adventure that for once it's focused on the political intrigues rather than on moster slaying. Unique for sure and with a finely tuned old-styled gameplay.

 

 

EXTRA - Carlsev Saga - Episode 2: the story begins about two days after part one. This episode doesn't feature as many radical plot twists as part one, but it is still far from dull and predictable. This episode is definitely more character-centered: if part one was all about a thorny, unpredictable plot, then part two is all about equally thorny conflicts between characters, as well as the consequences of a few difficult decisions. 

 

The game starts immediately with a series of battles that are fought against charsets, because this time the game doesn't use battlers like the first, maybe these were temporary sprites that had to be replace or maybe it was a precise choice. The game starts with a flashback about Deckiller, but introduces some new characters.

Download Link

Internet Archive

Rmarchiv.de 

Rpgmaker.net 

 

Ketsuro by sriden (french)

 

The story takes place in 1581, in the remote northern reaches of China. Japanese migrants settled here as early as the 15th century, establishing their own small, independent territory in these forgotten lands. They blended local cultures with those of the Mongols and Chinese, but one aspect of their original Japanese culture remained deeply ingrained: the veneration of the sword.  

 

In short, it is in this mountainous and barbaric environment that we find our hero: Heiden. He belongs to a resistance group of skilled warriors who oppose the sordid regime of Kyôda, a brutal and corrupt tyrant who has been poisoning the territory for 17 years. But an unexpected alliance might hasten the bloody fate of this small territory.

 

Ketsuro is an oriental adventure in which we play as a swordsman that later is joined in his adventures by other warriors. The game is mostly a realistic/historical adventure with battle against human opponents and wild animals, anyway the system is the usual Rpgmaker 2003 with some edited sprites and rips from games like Samurai Shodown and The Last Blade. The game also includes action sections, and saving can be done at the stone lanterns.

Award-winning game at the 2022 Alex d'Or:  - Best Direction   

Download Link

Play Online 

Oniromancie

Alex d'Or

Rmarchiv.de 

Youtube Longplay

 

Random Fact: the hand-drawn portraits are sketches scribbled in ballpoint pen by the author in the margins of his school notebooks between 1997 and 2003,  where he drew these characters, among others, to hone his drawing skills from scratch.  The game's ending was also created using hand-drawn animation.

Inside the game you can also find a drawing school where you may see additional artworks. 

 

There was also an attempt to make the game using only custom made graphics, as you can see in the video below.

 

Final Verdict: an excellent adventure game with a perfectly reacreated oriental setting. Visually really impressive with excellent music and an evocative setting, and it's even a complete story.

Notes on the Etgoesian Crisis by Eike

This adventure starts in 1784 (1914 in the Wesslinger National Calendar), in the small and pacific country of  Edgoes.  The tale follows the terrible person, anti-hero Orson E. Rockefeller, who doesn't seem a terribly bad person, but of course, he does terribly bad things. He will stoop as low as needs be and soar to any heights that he must in his quest to vanquish his foe, the Mayor of Bredfort. It all starts when when Orson comes back from a vavation to find that his house has been burnt down, and sold, by the mayor. Whatever for? Well, as it happens the Mayor just very strongly dislikes Orson. A narcissist with a messiah complex, the mayor offers Orson 13 francs for destroyed home. It is this villainous act that launches our hero on his crusade to get the mayor in a good deal of trouble with the Edgos ruler, Lord Ingram. 

 

Notes on the Etgoesian Crisis is a complete adventure game that is about six hours long. This game has a rather unique setting: instead of a typical fantasy or futuristic world, the story is set in a rural simil-european ,Nederland-inspired country where firearms are rare but still available, where there are no monsters and there is no magic, replaced by science. The game is also low-powered, in fact there are only ten experience levels. Orson may unlock up to twelve different companions that provide lots of extra cutscenes and optional dialogues. The game includes some really well made original custom portraits for the main cast.

 

Download Link 1.1 version

Download Link 1.0 Plus 

Internet Archive

Rpgmaker.net

Rmarchiv.de

Random Fact: this game is set in the same universe of Because We're Here, a visual novel/dating sim created some time later. You can find this game here: https://studio-elfriede.itch.io/because-were-here.

 

 

Final Verdict: this game is still one of my favourite Rpgmaker adventures, and for many differente reasons: the setting is unique, characters are interesting, difficulty is balanced and maybe on the easy side but for an adventure game it's ok, and pacing and lenght are well calibrated. Recommended!