Beyond Reality IGMC [Complete + Download Link]

[EternalShadow]

View the game here:
http://contest.rpgmakerweb.com/game/view/id/237

Mirror download link in case other one doesn't work:
https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#folders/0B5-uN-Yd0D5Wc0dzRzU4YVZGb0E

This has been a difficult year for me. In order to ensure financial stability for a few more months and to help me realize my dream of being a game designer, I entered this contest. However, time has not treated me kindly - most of what you see here was actually made in the first week of the contest.

I never gave up hope, however. Despite not having a chance at the top 3 in either category, I still plan to release a finished product of some sort. If it is popular enough, I will expand it into a proper full-length game at some point.

La'lele, the director of the Alpha Omega Company, is selfish.
Despite this, if there is no other choice, she will help those who seek her assistance.
It's a personality trait that results in her being plunged three thousand years into the past, to help a magician.
This magician is the last survivor of a war that has plagued her generation, the Arndale War.

In order to end the war, La'lele is tasked with eliminating the leader of this war, presumed to be a rogue general of their own Government. This government is known as the Arndale Government. However, the truth is not yet clear as to why the Government is attacking their own people.

If La'lele is to be able to return to her own timeline, she must end the war quickly, for someone else is also conspiring against her...!

Spoiler

 

 ​

Spoiler

Game Engine:
RPG Maker VX Ace - Enterbrain


Game Design:
Characters - HotfireLegend
Story - HotfireLegend
Mapping - HotfireLegend


Music:
Aaron Krogh
Kevin Macleod
Ms Littlefish
Scythuz
Kairi Sawler
Joel Steudler
Jasprelao
Subaru
Snowy Fox


Tilesets:
Royal
Futuristic
Modern
Mack
Celianna
COAD/Benben/Hanzo
XP RTP
Ace RTP


Other Graphics:
Futuristic Hero busts - Degica,
Frontier Works
Fantasy Busts - Katakura Hibiki
Light Overlay - Stripe103
Battlers - Chaos Avian, Frontier Works,
Katakura Hibiki
Battle Transition - XP RTP


Scripts:
Busts - Galv
Word Wrap - KilloZapit
Battle System - Neon Black
Party Menu - Yanfly
Save Engine - Yanfly
Save Engine Add-on - Galv
Smooth Camera - Raizen
Splash Screen - Dekita
Smooth Cursor - Zane
State Battlers - Neon Black


Special Thanks:
Alkorri
Ms Littlefish
Scythuz


Beta Testers:
Angel Aburame
Bar Hyuuga
Green Akari
Scythuz
Ms Littlefish
Alkorri
Matseb2611
Frrrosty

 

If you see a mistake in this credit list, wish to have your materials removed for any reason, or would like to be credited differently, please let me know.




Support badge and code:

[img=http://i.imgur.com/SkUUCQF.png]

 

[Alkorri]

It's always exciting to see a game using a new pack like Futuristic Heroes Don't worry about not being good enough for top three, the important thing is that you finished well!

 

[??????]

Yea those bust images are cool.

 

[Zane]

Loving the bust images and the modern setting feel.

 

[shayoko]

Wow did you draw those!? those characters look beautiful!

 

[Alkorri]

@shayoko - Those characters are from the Futuristic Hero and Fantasy Hero Packs

 

[EternalShadow]

Wow did you draw those!? those characters look beautiful!

I wish I could! I'm actually learning digital art so that I will be able to.

 

[EternalShadow]

The game is finished, and what an experience its been. All that's left is the occasional polish, alongside beta testing.


At the start of this contest, I invested nearly 12 hours a day into the game, but as the month drew on, more issues occurred and I ended up with depression at one point. I'm alright now, but the events leading up to that have been a major influence on my game. As a result, I changed the ending.


Tracking down materials, crediting everyone possible, getting permission, back-and-fourth mail, some occasional panics, extensive research, the purchasing of a lot of things, joining skype groups, obtaining beta testers, spending hours of my life sitting at the computer and testing it for myself, screaming at formulas, cursing the inflexibility of the engine at times, hugging cats, braking down in a mess of sweat and tears, and finally obtaining a finished product! That's why I joined the competition - to have an experience not dissimilar to how I tried to make Zendir 1 with the trial (and subsequently bought Ace, of course - I liked the program so much because of that... it allowed me to realize my dreams of game design.)


Now I'm on the home stretch and build is being uploaded, which could've possibly been release candidate 1 were it not for a little thing I noticed AFTER the file was already half-uploaded! Nonetheless, this was quickly fixed. All that needs testing at this point really is the game difficulty. I need to add in a very small shop somewhere too, but that's such a quick task I didn't merit it worth spending a day testing.


But yeah. It's been a heck of a ride. The final build should be live on the 29th. Thank you for supporting this project!

 

[shayoko]

ahh gl with the contest :3

as for sad stuff,i do feel that.even tho they can be painful im glad they happen. it can make a person stronger if they get thru it or break them if they are too weak.

ill leave it at that :3

 

[EternalShadow]

ahh gl with the contest :3


as for sad stuff,i do feel that.even tho they can be painful im glad they happen. it can make a person stronger if they get thru it or break them if they are too weak.


ill leave it at that :3

Well, thankfully I wasn't too weak!

 

[Matseb2611]

Heya. Just finished playtesting your game. It's not bad at all. Has its own nice little story there that fits within an hour, though I do have a few suggestions. I'll send everything via a PM.

 

[EternalShadow]

Thank you, everyone.


The game is finished.


Now, excuse me while I go and upload it... then go to bed for some much-needed rest.

 

[Cinnamon]

Plays like a charm. Voted!

 

[Cinnamon]

 

It was moreso intended for the judges who were on the hour time limit, and for impatient people who don't want to fiddle with that sort of puzzle. Unfortunately, it's not really possible to cater to everyone in game dev!!

It's fine XD You can always PM me or talk on my game topic 

 

Aaand moved. I see what you mean, though. I had to cut some content myself (there was a level between the graveyard and cabin scenes) because the game got longer than the hour the judges have to fill. The result is that some players feel the ending is "rushed" when really it's the opposite; I removed content. xD

So far your game is my favorite. ^_~ Are there any other games you can recommend me? I'd really love to find another one that's good. Like contest-winning-good. The Painted Heart showed promise but that was killed by the gameplay...

 

[EternalShadow]

 

 

Aaand moved. I see what you mean, though. I had to cut some content myself (there was a level between the graveyard and cabin scenes) because the game got longer than the hour the judges have to fill. The result is that some players feel the ending is "rushed" when really it's the opposite; I removed content. xD

So far your game is my favorite. ^_~ Are there any other games you can recommend me? I'd really love to find another one that's good. Like contest-winning-good. The Painted Heart showed promise but that was killed by the gameplay...

Oh wow really, there was an extra level? Let's see it!!

Thanks for saying I'm the fave ^_^ *feelsgood.jpg* :3

Personally I'd recommend Unraveled but its yours lol '

Now let's see... other good games (not played them all yet) would include The Farming One (even if that wasn't really your thing), Ars Harmonia, Maze of the Fireflies, Rozen, Hikikimori, Leviathan, Dust to Dust, The Vendor... And that running cow/pig game. I'll give you more if you want more, lol.

 

[Cinnamon]

Ooh, thank you! MAZE of the Fireflies? If that game features a little boy and his sick sister I'm calling the plagiarism police. Which of these is the most like mine or yours? Kind of unique, fast-paced, RPG with a solid but easy-to-get-into story?

 

[EternalShadow]

Ooh, thank you! MAZE of the Fireflies? If that game features a little boy and his sick sister I'm calling the plagiarism police. Which of these is the most like mine or yours? Kind of unique, fast-paced, RPG with a solid but easy-to-get-into story?

Maze of the Fireflies is literally a maze of fireflies, nothing to do with the book

I will guess and say Rozen is the closest, but I've not played it. After that, Ars Harmonia and Dust to Dust.

 

[Indrah]

Here's my very quick and sketchy take on the game (link for info on why it's so short and all that jazz)




[SIZE=10pt]+It had decent mapping and graphics. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]+Nothing wrong with the concept (going back to the past), but the execution is poor.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-I don’t buy for a second that that young and irresponsible looking main character is the leader of a serious organization. (minor bias)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-A memory puzzle right away? Really? Before ANY other gameplay?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-Salsa Ensalada, what’s her name, is a *****. She just forces people to come along? Am I supposed to care about her plight? Screw you for forcing your wants on me, ho.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-The scene skipping at the end of the intro feels really cheap.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-I felt none of the characters were likeable. A few were flat out asshats, the rest were bland. Worse, they felt tacked on and wholly unnecessary. Maybe mister Morningwood will be good later on, who knows.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-Trying too hard names. (totally personal bias, but STILL)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]-Has no real hook to keep you invested. Intro section too long and not compelling.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]To the developer: I know the feeling of having a nice set of resources you want to use, but these characters neither fit their roles nor feel NECESSARY. Half the cast was completely superfluous and devoid of personality, and the other half felt…weird. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]It felt like this game was compressed too hard and lost its charm. Had it been a paced out adventure with time for the characters to develop a bit it may have been a completely different game, but as it is now it just does not work.[/SIZE]

 

[Silvestre]

I have finished the game and I must say it was quite a fun experience!

Here is a short review, and I'll place it inside spoilers just in case someone who hasn't played comes across the post.

Review:

Spoiler

- I like the character art and style, how they are a matching set, not a mix of random things. It makes a huge difference in my opinion.
- The battles were fun and felt balanced, every character had different sets of skills, and that was great to play with, as opposed to the vanilla skills you always see in games.

- Your maps are interesting, and creative. There are are a flaw or two, but that can always happen when working alone.

I would suggest checking the roof tiles in the Jastamune (is the spelling correct?) city, they don't match a lot. And some cliff part in the same area where you can walk through them, as if they are not there.

- The music was very good at some points, but I feel some of them did not match the scene a lot, or changed too abruptly, but nothing too bad.

- The short storyline was refreshing and surprising, it did feel rushed at some points, but I guess the time limit of production does that when you are not with a team, I know it was a big impact on my own game.

- The message of the game in the end was a great surprise, I'm sure everything will work out for you, as it was said at the closing scene.

Congratulations on completing the game and releasing it, I'll be looking forward to more of your games, best of luck with the contest and your projects.
Take care.

 

[EternalShadow]

I'll check the passabilities in Jastamune City, it is likely to need region ID scripts, thanks.


Also, thanks for the review Glad you enjoyed the game. I'll try not to 'rush' it so much when I expand it! ^_^


I'll get to reviewing yours on Tuesday.