The story is set in a semi-futuristic / medieval world where machines
meet magic. The game begins with the introduction to three seperate tales,
each with it's own protagonist. When evil is amidst, these three have a kind
of bond that seems to call them together to fight the enemy.
However, each ends up in their own tangle on the same day...and soon
each person's story develops into a epic battle tale.
The complete story begins 10 years before the present day, when a power
hungry emperor comes close to taking over the world. His desire for power
also drives the children that he kidnapped to serve him to assassinate him, to
phase in a new era of peace. The day this occurred was further known as
the Medlahm Assassination, and the ringleader of this faction was
Xelan. He lead this faction named Sabre to become the new leader of the
world capital, Imanene.
Exile is a very old Rpgmaker adventure game released in 2002, and one of the first to feature different protagonists in different scenarios: however as the titles says, all three heroes will be exiled for different reasons and this will lead to a series of adventures. Do not expect anything new or original, this was a basic adventure rpg using the classic Rpgmaker system and the default RTP graphics, still it was one of the first works by the author of the great Kindred Saga.
Final Verdict: an ok game if you are very nostalgic, the adventure is however well made but pretty classic and can be still be enjoyable. Anyway being a demo do not expect a real epilogue to the story.
Taking place 5 years after the events of Mike Chan Rocks Out. Mike is finding himself awaking to a reoccuring dream of a woman telling him she will meet him again. To make matters worse, he's working a dead end job and still seeing and talking to George, the lion man that only he can see. After deciding to change his life for the better, his world gets turned upside down as his job is attacked by supernatural entities.
After the attack, Mike awakens in a strange world full of monsters, demons, angels and a mysterious crimson sky. He embarks on a journey to discover the meaning behind the crimson sky, the story behind his dream, why he is in this strange new world and finding the way back to his. On his journey he's going to encounter many strangers that will serve him as allies or enemies. The question is, who should he trust?
This is a classic RpgMaker 2003 adventure with the usual battle system, a large cast of playable characters and many side quests. The soundtrack includes music from Bayside, Bad Religion, Escape the Fate, Metallica, Symphony X, and more. Unfortunately the game was the first half of an adventure that was never completed, since the second half was never released.
Random Fact: the game is a sequel of Mike Chan Rocks Out, that is a totally different game, more like a visual novel extremely linear and without battles or interactions. See below for this prequel.
Final Verdict: while the maps are mediocre (well not all of them, just the ones of the cities, wilderness maps are not that bad), the story kept me involved, the characters were interesting enough, there was humor, and like for other games that did not impress me for the graphical style, I found this an enjoyable experiece. True, this game lacks variety, unlike other titles I reviewed, but this was by no means a bad game. There are no bugs or game breaking problems, no issues with maps, everything goes smoothly and I liked a lot the humor of the many cutscenes and I grew attached to Owl, Katie and the others!
This isn't a bad game at all, but surely it could have been better, with maps more rich of details and some diversions just to make it a more varied experience (but it could've also been worse, that's true!).
So what? Nothing really new or notable, but a decent playable game with a balanced difficulty that you may or may not like. And you will surely love or hate it, depending on your expectations only (and if you like humor/parodies in games or not).
EXTRA - Mike Chan Rocks Out: 15 year old Mike Chan lives a very mundane life. He goes to school, goes to work, fights his stepmother. One day while taking on an important task at work, he meets a strange Lion man that only he can see. From there, shenanigans ensure.
This game is more like a Visual Novel adventure rather than a real rpgmaker game, and it's the prequel of Under a Crimson Sky by the same author as introduces the main protagonists. The game features many edits and 8 bit versions popular'90s (mainly rock/pop) music. The game also has a VX Ace reboot.
Do myths still hold relevance during the darkest of days? Will
nations be driven by technology, to their doom or their redemption?
You will come face to face with your own nightmares in the Scar....
The Scar is a chasm that rips apart nations and oceans. Very few have
seen whats on the other side. However, since its existence, armies have
been deployed along its borders to keep the denizens in check....
As advances are made in weapons designs, the Scar continues to pile on
layers of corpses and broken machines. The enemy always seems to be one
step ahead of mankind...
End of Legends is a dark steampunk adventure with fantasy elements following mainly two groups: one is a duo of soldiers, Biggs and Wedge, preparing for an expedition to the Scar together with an unnamed Captain to reach a researcher that is exploring and studying the area, the second is the young Jaden, an apprentice mechanic that helps his uncle Hubert to work on a plane that the army would like to acquire.
While assets of the game are mainly custom made, edits or rips from
Final Fantasy VI, the music comes from other sources and one of the most
recognizable is Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura.
Random Fact: the game ends reaching a girl that looks like Sailor Moon and asks the player if he wants to save, after explaining that this is the end of the demo. Anyway she also gives the option to annihilate the party, morphing into a giant demon and attacking the party!
Final Verdict: this is a pretty short demo with many good ideas and interesting
premises, unfortunately it suffers by some errors probably due to the
inexperience of the developer since I am not aware of other games made
by HedgeMage, it would need some works to made it much better, for
example correcting some edits, changing some sprites and making
encounters not on random battles but on touch with wandering enemies.
That's a pity, still it's an enjoyable little demo if you like old
classic adventures and you can overlook the minor errors.
This is a complete rpg adaptation of the masterpiece written by JRR
Tolkien and directed by Peter Jackson. Primarily based on the movies in
terms of script, music, and visuals, but with additional material from
the books, as well as original content. Join Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn,
and many more in their quest to destroy the One Ring in the fires of
Mount Doom and end the threat of the Dark Lord Sauron once and for all.
Delve deep into the Mines of Moria, defend Helm’s Deep from Saruman’s
Uruk-hai army, and explore the toxic wasteland of Mordor.
The Lord of the Rings is a fantastic complete adaptation of the classic fantasy Middle Earth story: the game is clearly a story driven adventure that follows closesly the events of the movies and of the book (for example it includes Tom Bombadil, that was removed in the movie adaptation), let us play as more than fifteen characters and features exploration, battles an minigames, but also some uncommon additions such as combo-skills, bribery skill and disguises. The game also includes some optional extra scenarios and locations, that can provide extra loot and experience for the characters. The assets used are both taken directly from the movies and arts related to the game, but there are also ripped sprites from other games, classic RTPs plus edits.
Random Fact: the author of this game seems to be also known as skunkardump or Jason Bystead.
Final Verdict: and excellent adaptation and a really well done and enjoyable adventure. Its only limit is that the game is a bit rough in some areas, and it's sometimes not so easy to understand where you are supposed to go, anyway this is still a well done adaptation, the various maps (more than 300) are mostly well done and atmospheric, there are lots of well made cutscenes and it really is a must play for anyone who liked the book and the movies. Recommended.
Emera.1 - Rest in Peace - Project Mother, which entrusted local administration to advanced artificial intelligence, has been scrapped, but the recovery of the developed AI, "Mother Core," is not progressing at all.
Meanwhile, Ragon Bernhard, an auditor for the World Government, notices a mysterious woman.
This woman, carrying a large suitcase, has come to the place to fulfill a promise made in the past…
This is a near-future sci-fi dungeon-crawling RPG. As you progress through the levels, the atmosphere and stage mechanics change, and you will face over 10 bosses, including a hidden boss. There are branching endings and several hidden elements. You can also freely build and strengthen the protagonist's combat style to a certain extent. The estimated playtime is 3-5 hours for the original version, 3-7 for the reboot version. The reboot is a significant upgrade in graphics, scenario, and system compared to this work.
The reboot was the winner of the 11th Freem! Game Contest for "Commendable Effort Award"
Emera.2 - Odds and Ends - The old world, which boasted an outstanding scientific civilization, perished long ago—an era where magic and mystery thrive, and legends of dragons are told. In a world that celebrates the earth and respects the mana of nature…
This city was an anomaly, emitting an eerie glow of inorganic matter and high-tech.
This RPG unfolds from multiple perspectives within a single city. This work consists of multiple chapters, with characters and settings changing in each of them.
This game is different from the previous because it's a series of scenarios with multiple protagonists: here the focus is on the story, although main characters can improve their skills and stats by spending experience points gained through combat. Encounters happen on touch with wandering enemies, but there are also the usual mandatory boss fights. The playtime is approximately 10-16 hours.
Awarded the Silver Prize in the RPG Category at the 12th Freegame Contest.
Misia, a direct descendant of the old royal family, is tired of living a life that is all about studying.
He took the "rusty treasured sword'' and planned to run away from home.
He is easily brought back, but an incident occurs soon after...
This is a complete fantasy classic rpg with a main hero, unlike the previous title that was more focused on story of different characters. During your journey, you will make friends and you will be able to form a party.
Please note that there is no so-called field map in this work. Like in the previous entries battles are initiated touching wandering enemies, aside from the obligatory boss battles. There are several locations and characters returning from the second games, anyway it's a stand alone adventure. The play time is about 15-20 hours.
Received the "RPG Special Award'' for the 10th Freeme contest.
Final Verdict: the Emera trilogy is an excellent series that started from a small game and then became a whole series creating a series of adventures that may be played independently, although playing the whole series is far more enjoyable due to the return of some characters, heroes become npcs and npcs become heroes. The system is kept consistent during the whole series, all encounters are fought against avoidable enemies or mandatory battles that are often boss fights, the fame uses the classic Rpgmaker 2000 battle system, but he aestetics are enriched by the many edits and custom art that's especially evident in the reboot of the first game. Overall this is for me one of the best classic japanese rpg series, particularly memorable also for its peculiar cyberpunk/techno-fantasy setting.
Beast,
the blue feral X-man discovers that the X-mansion is under attack: thus
begins his adventure to find and recruit the other X-Men around the
world and save Professor X from Magneto's evil clutches.In fact with the
help of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Gambit,
Colossus, Iceman and Professor X he will have to face various
supercriminals before facing Magneto.
The game begins immediately after a presentation with no instructions,
even if as expected you've to use the classic keys: arrows to move, Z to
attack, X or Esc to open the menu. The menu lets us switch character,
each one with his or her own health bar. The inventory is shared so when we
select one character we may press Z to select e control it, or Esc to
open the menu and equip gear and use consumables and healing items to
that particular party member. Please remember that IF a single party
member dies it's game over, no matter if all the others are unharmed!
The
game includes minigames (for example when Cyclops has to shield the
X-mansion destroying the items thrown by Magneto), puzzles (like levers
and switches you have to activate shooting at them) and boss battles
that require some thinking (for example Mystique takes damage ONLY when
in her (blue) form OR when she has the same form of your character,
otherwise she's invulnerable).
Random Fact: the game has also some odd things, some good like the references to the
developer's other Rpgmaker game about Lord of the Rings (a girl will try to sell
you the book, and there are also televisions that display Gollum's
face!) and some just weird like a plethora of different animals
attacking the X-men in the various levels, like goats and squirrells!
(I'm ok with fighting snakes and wolves besides zombies and mutant
ninjas... but squirrels? Seriously?).
Final Verdict: X-men; untitled is a game that has an interesting concept and some good
ideas, like the minigames and some puzzle elements that are cleverly
implemented, unfortunately the battle system, due to Rpgmaker 2000 bad
AI and limitations, is a bit of a chore. Pity, good idea but as usual
rpgmaker proves to be a game better suited for jrpgs or adventure games
(usually not even the horror chase sections are good due to the limits
of the engine and Ai, so you can imagine how bad can be an arcade
fighting game), maybe it would have been better with higher damage
and/or less health for both enemies and playable characters, I would
have not minded a more lethal experience if this also meant shorter
battles, because as it is there is really no use to fight random
enemies, it's just a waste of time. At least the healing spots are
placed well, but I'd have not minded also finding some mid-level save
points, even if it's true that levels aren't that long.
The nations of Aggreiok and Nagaryu have been fighting for ages.
While Aggreiok has always led battle with swords and military waves,
Nagaryu employees have been studying the art of war the entire time.
Xac Hiroshima is the son od a legendary pilot in the Aggreiok Air Force, that grew up with his brother Dahntay, until one day, while he was out practicising his aim with his bb pistol, a group of Nagaryu soldiers attacked his town, killing his parents. Dahntay was nowhere to be seen so Xac reached the Aggreiok headquarters, where his father told he would have been safe.
Today Xac is a brave soldier in the war against Nagaryu, together with his best friend Vinny Froher and Dragon Debberman, a mysterious and maybe insane warrior.
Meanwhile Dahntay is now the leader of a gang called the Thuds, and also a close associate of the evil President Nagaryu. For a twist of fate the two brothers ended on the opposite sides of the war, and they also take two different sides even for their religious beliefs: Xac becomes a devout Christian, while Dahntaya cultist of Satan.
Abstract Paroxysm is a very old demo, divided into two parts: while the prologue is in common, the demo has two different linear storylines, one where we play as Xac, and the other as Dahntay. They face different enemies and visit different places, but there are some recurring characters, even if the battle among the two brothers never happens in the demo, but it is predictable to be probable in the future. Most charsets are edits from FFVI, but the setting is modern, almost futuristic.
Random Fact: the title screen of Abstract Paroxysm shows the subtitle "fratelli di anima" that's the italian for "soul brothers". Despite these italian words, the entire game is in english.
Final Verdict: an impressive introduction to a sort of futuristic/military crime rpg, that uses lots of edits and some custom made art to create a gritty and dark setting that's very distant from the usual Rpgmaker games. Interesting also the use of two different playable paths.
Seven years ago a couple of siblings, Renai and Ellis, were hunted by
spectres after their parents were killed... then they met a strange
creature of darkness that cursed them. Anyway it seems that after seven
years they grown up as members of the church... but their traumatic
experience with the occult forces will surely have some dire consequences.
Enters our hero (Leon) or heroine (Mai): Leon starts his adventuring
days hunting monsters that are a menace for the travelling merchants,
helped by Rod, Mai is instead a ninja that is exploring the forest with a
junior ninja called Naru. However both heroes will be soon destined to
face the forces of darkness...
Mystic Legends is 2006 fantasy rpg: it consists in explorations, battles and puzzles, but the game also offers a choice of the protagonist between two different heroes. The plot is also slightly different depending on this choice, but this won't really change the gameplay or the rest of the adventure. Aside from the prologue in the beginning that's linear, the rest of the game doesn't gives lots of guidance or indications to the player, leaving the freedom to explore and progress.
Random Fact: the last version, is the demo version nr. 4, but Title folder of the game contains also the old title screens of the previous versions of the game. These show a different title, Death Bring Angelix, surely the previous title of the game.
Final Verdict: a classic jrpg adventure game and unfortunately one of these that were never completed. Nice maps and pleasant graphics, includes some puzzles and many battles.
In Carpe Diem, the story is about several young adults as
they become entangled in world affairs in the land of Kelevor, menaced by an alien race called Zylacs.
The main protagonist, Skylar, is
a run-of-the-mill swordsman hero, versed in the element of
lightning, except he does not really show any
obsession with "saving the world", and he gets in
trouble with some of the more noble factions at several points in the
demo. His childhood friend, Haru is a two blades fighter and the typical
arrogant hero, putting him
at odds with his buddy at several points. Then other playable
characters are introduced, like the mysterious swordsman Trance, Alkamar
the dark mage courtesan, Ledron the weak boy with regenerative powers
and so on.
Carpe
Diem - The Living Flame, Episode 1, was supposed to be the first part
of a trilogy, but even if this wasn't completed, the demo is pretty long
and will take more than six hours to be completed: this is a pretty
much linear rpg adventure heavy on dialogues and with many playable
characters in a techno-fantasy world full of detail and lore. Mapping,
animations and the music are among the bestaspects of this game. The
walking speed is pretty slow, but pressing the Shift key you can make
the character run.
Random Fact:
some enemy charsets are clearly inspired bycharacters of popular
fighting games: the red and blue ninjas Faron and Daron, that act as
secondary bossed are identical to Fuuma Kotaro and Hanzou Hattori, the
two rivals of the World Heroes series. Then there is Rixtia, that is a
pixelated version of Ivy Valentine from Soulcalibur.
Final
Verdict: with shorter cutscenes, more savepoints and consumables, and
less boring combat this game could have been a lot better. It's a shame
since there
are still many good qualities and ideas. In any case if you like epic Jrpgs with a large cast of characters, play it, it's still quite enjoyable.
After a cryptic introduction about something happened a century before, we start the story with Marjan and his schoolmates visiting the natural reserve of their city. They have to celebrate the graduation camping there, however something unexpected happens: Marjan and Farris find that their friends disappeared, and then a portal opens, sending them elsewhere... to the unknown world of Terra.
Here the two friends will have to reunite with their schoolmates and find a way back home.
The Legend of the Philosopher's Stone is a classic Rpgmaker fantasy jrpg adventure whose plot seems to be inspired by Chrono Trigger. However the game stands out for the excellent use of Rpgmaker rips and Roco graphics, great mapping and locations designed with functionality in mind.
The game also has custom made menus and a refined battle system where you can change the composition of your three-person party, teach your heroes skills using acquired orbs of magic, and equip them with up to four skills.
Random Fact: even if the main protagonist is Marjan, in many parts of the game we'll control other friends like Zsu Zsu or Kris and their respective party... at least until they will reunite with Marjan.
Final Verdict: a game I can recommend, it's an interesting linear demo with few optional areas. And this is the negative. The positive is the great mapping, immersive setting and beautiful locations, fun combat and likeable characters. Really good.
After a cataclysm and a flood that destroyed the previous civiliations, new ones arose and rebuilt the world. However conflict is still frequent even in this recent times. In Moonsong we play as a team of outcast in service to the Baron of Ebora. Starting as a group of mercenaries in the back country of a mighty kingdom, the three heroes will embark on an adventure that will take them all across the land, to fight against the forces of darkness.
Moonsong, unlike most other Rpgmaker rpgs doesn't have a set protagonist and intro: the game begins with the choice of our alter ego among six characters of different classes. Each one has his or her own prologue, and later this character will have to choose two companions among the other five adventurers. Each one has a different skill tree, some characters are more combat focused, others can use spells and summon allies. Concerning the adventure, it's pretty linear but not without some diversions like puzzles and stealth sections.
Random Fact: Erik, the temporary companion that appears in all six prologues, is never controllable by the player, enforcing his presence as a side-character. In fact he's basically the recruiter of the six playable heroes, and even if it's possible to play just one prologue each playthrough, it means that all six events took place.
Final Verdict: classic gameplay with a twist and some neat additions, beautiful maps and lots of adventures. My only gripe is that being "First Verse" the game ends in media res, without a real epilogue. Pity.
A group of friends (named Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omega & Gamma!) are fed up with the government that's involved in a war against some rebels. Meanwhile a family formed by Curtis the warrior, Sarah the archer and Mae, an adopted girl that was used in a secret dragon-experiment project after witnessing the destruction of a village become involved in the struggle with the rebellion.
Dragon Saga IV is a classic Rpgmaker 2000 fantasy adventure with several playable characters, like its sequel. It's a very long and complete old game, and has several elements taken from Suikoden, but it's not really a clone. There are lots of edits, little animations and even custom made portraits, that were really improved in the sequel. Well, try it, the links are below.
Random Fact: although there has never been mention of the previous chapters, this game is a prequel of the Rpgmaker XP game Dragon Saga V, that involved some of the characters seen here. You can find this stand alone sequel here:
Final Verdict: one of the first long complete games after Laxius Power. It's an impressive work considering the quantity of custom facesets, little animations and edits, even if it's one of the oldest games I played.
Andrew Salas is a renowned archaeologist hired by Matthew Grant of the the Golden Chain Mining Company to decipher strange engravings found in one of its tunnels. With the help of Eynar, a hulking Nordic expert in industrial machinery, he soon discovers that these engravings conceal a terrible secret.
Sixdolls isn't an rpg but rather an adventure game with action and survival horror aspects. It has a modern dark setting, and the music and maps really well done. There is a custom made interface and two playable protagonists.
Random Fact: this game earned the 3rd place in 2012 at Hellsoft.net Competición de juegos 2012.
Final Verdict: a demo, but a really good one. I like when developers try to do something different from the usual rpg fantasy adventures, if these are the results!
Daideus was a god-like being that used the world as his playground until the five nations of the world managed to work together and defeat the tyrant god. After the victory, the five nations created a sixth nation, called Capitol, ruled by an Archqueen that acted as a mediator between the other five countries.
Centuries after, there is some unrest as the magick-driven country of Sorca and the science-driven country of Neotopia are on the brink of war, while the desert nation of Cilika finds its government impotent against the Thieves Guild, that is taking over the country. We play as Max the brash brawler and Axl the dark elf swordsman, that work as bounty hunters for Dirk, The head of the Hunter's Nest. These two mercenaries will soon find themselves involved in a conspiracy where nothing is as appears, while Daideus's legacy begins to emerge from the shadows.
Money and Power is a story driven adventure in a techno-fantasy setting not much different from the ones of some previous games, except that there is a lot of humor and references to other videogames: The Lost Vikings and Streets of Rages, to mention a couple, but there is more. There are also many edits, and the intro uses original art that is extremely well made. The gameplay is classic, with dungeons and random battles against normal enemies and boss battles with powerful opponents. However the game will occasionally make us play some missions as Schneider, a white haired arrogant but skilled rival of the protagonists.
Random Fact: the game is pretty much linear, EXCEPT for a part where the protagonists have to decide which enemy are going to hunt: this will lead to two different paths, each one takes place in a different location and ends with a boss battle, and it will be impossible to do both. But after this choice, the two story paths reunite and the adventure continues linear. So, yes, it's possible to fight only one of the two bosses, but the plot doesn't change.
Final Verdict: Money and Power is an enjoyable adventure, with just a couple of flaws: the first is that this is a demo that ends with a cliffhanger, the second is that the game would be better with some more... money and power! Loot, equipment and resources are a little scarce, anyway it's still ok.
