RMVXA Passage of the Hollow Moon Remastered

Introduction

In 2011, YouTube RPG Maker Creator Kelarly finished his fourth RPG Maker game: Passage of the Hollow Moon. While his previous projects were well made, I felt the PHM was where he truly shined. The mapping, the characters, the story; I loved each and every bit of this game.

A few months ago, I had to urge to play through my collection of old RPG Maker games and found myself replaying this very title. I knew that kelarly was no longer actively making games, but he had allowed another user to create both a follow-up and a remaster of another game of his: Castle Oblivion.

Here was a game that I knew extremely well. A game that I'd played countless times, and from a user that had led me to begin working with RPG Maker. I decided to give it a shot, and sent an email asking if kelarly was open to letting me remaster PHM. A few hours later, I had my answer: Go for it.

Now remastering a game is no easy task, but it did let me begin with a completed game as a template. Originally I planned to convert the game to MV, but upscaling the Mack Tiles simply wasn't working for me. I switched back to ACE (still an upgrade over the original game since it ran on VX) and began hammering away at the project.

Here's the plan for now:​

• Dialogue: Kelarly made this way back in High School, and there's a lot of fixes to be done. The story will stay the same, but you can expect richer cutscenes, a professionally edited script, and a more coherent and well paced structure.
  
• Mapping: Kelarly excels at this, but a few maps here and there a bit empty. Additional lighting and slight parallax touch ups will help bring the world of PHM to life. ACE's multiple tilesets will certainly help.
  
• Graphics: Currently I am still using the "small" default character size but I plan on commissioning a wealth of Mack sized sprites to fit the Tileset. Speaking of Tileset, I will need to make some tweaks to remove some graphics that I cannot find the original creator and some that I'm not sure fit the copyright.
  
• Combat System: A complete overhaul of the battle system, with a more fast-paced beat. Lower numbers overall, less slogging through mountains of HP, and reworked skills to make sure each party member feels as important as the rest.
  
• Soundtrack: An entirely new soundtrack, using open-source or commissioned pieces to replace the original mix.
  
• Much More!: A reworked equipment system, expanded character and story arcs, post-game content, and more.
  

Early Work in Progress
Remastered vs Original

Story Background

For hundreds of years, the two City-States of Lazzaria and Zuleika have been at each other's throats, each vying for control of the world's resources. Of particular importance are the three Hidden Powers; magical confluences of energy capable of being harnessed, and used to grant immense powers to those with the will to wield it. Though the origin of these powers remains unknown, the few mortals capable of magic can feel their pulsations, echoing and reverberating throughout the planet's interior.

The stalemate is broken the day Lord Vulcan Jaharas of Lazzaria succeeds in unearthing the first of these Hidden Powers; the Everrock. Wary of the power contained within, Lord Vulcan instead decides to grant a fragment of the power to a company of powerful mercenaries under Lazzarian employ; the Oortas. Each of these members wields a different elemental magic, and is capable of channeling their fragment's power into abilities beyond what ordinary mortals could ever hope to wield.

The Oortas, now possessing the capacity to wield magic, easily tip the war in Lazzaria's favor. The outlying settlements and provinces fall one by one, until only Zuleika stands against the Lazzarian war machine. While its ancient, and magically reinforced walls prevent the Oortas and Lazzaria's troops from invading, they are unable to control territory beyond their walls. With Zuleika unable to mobilize troops, Vulcan orders the Oortas to find him the second Hidden Power.

This is where our story begins...

Characters​

• Renee Parvati, Venus of the Oortas: A young woman seeking only to do what's best for her brother, Venus aligns herself with the Oortas to care and provide for him. Her loyalties are tested as her personal beliefs clash with the Oortas goals.
  
  
• Miken Parvati, Bernharst Dragoon: A young man who cares deeply about justice, and defending those who need it most. He has no love for the Oortas, and worries about his sister's fate.
  
  
• Lord Vulcan Jahalas, Emperor of Lazzaria: A tyrant, Vulcan rules with an iron fist. He seeks only personal gain, and Lazzaria is simply the best tool he has to enforce his will.
  
  
• Salomon, Shaman of the Eastern Border: An aging shaman from Espen Town, Salomon's past is shrouded in mystery. He seeks to study and understand the Hidden Powers, and discover their origins, as well as their true purpose.
  
  
• Noelle, Zuleikan Resistance: Though their city will not fight, Noelle believes a pacifist approach towards Lazzaria will only lead to ruin. She seeks to take out both the Oortas and Lazzaria. Only then does she believe she will find peace.
  
  
• And countless more.
  
  

How to Help

Due to the nature of the project, screenshots will mostly come later as the Script is re-written first. Commissioned pieces will also be made only near the end of the project, once the majority of the game has been remade.

If you would like to contribute to Passage of the Hollow Moon, we are accepting any and all resources. On top of that, if players would like to play the original PHM and provide feedback to us, that would be even better.

Click the image below to be taken to the rpgmaker.net page for the game.



Currently Working On
Opening Scene Maps
Revamped Combat System
Revamped Equipment System

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Very cool! I think I speak for all writers/game creators when I say that sometimes we just wish someone could come along and fix all the little niggles in our old projects.

 

Glad you think so! It's a great opportunity for me as well. I tend to get stuck with writer's block, so a remaster helps me by giving me a complete template to work with.

Definitely a fun thing to do.

Will have more screenshots in the coming weeks!