RMMV Pitch Black Secrets of Epiotica (Demo Available)

[ToshTrufeld]

Pitch Black Secrets of Epiotica is a Renaissance fantasy turn-based RPG in development inspired by SNES and PS1 classics with detective twists and tons of sophisticated narrative.

Play a five-hour demo for Windows on Itch right now!

Video​

Spoiler

Demo Launch Trailer


First Teaser Trailer

Key Features​

Spoiler

⚜ Detective Story.Unravel intricate plots and events behind gruesome murders. Talk to people, notice inconsistencies. Pulling one thread can reveal something unimaginable.

⚜ Recursion. Listen to the stories of random strangers and play as them inside their memories. Everything is interconnected.

⚜ Captivating Lore. Immerse yourself in the nocturnal world of the Neuctian Republic, with its masquerade deceptions, political intrigues, and complex human destinies. Everyone has something to hide. Nothing is as it seems.

⚜ Tactical turn-based battles. Engage in clashes with whimsical creatures in the valleys of Epiotica and the marginalized denizens in the dark streets of Parletto City. Challenge the archaic darkness lurking in the corners! Your weapons are knowledge: medicine, music, science of bestiaries, astrophysics, and the mysterious energy of the Carnival.

⚜ Sophisticated Arsenal. Inspire the blacksmith with old tales to create masterpieces of weaponry, invent cutting-edge medicines and poisons, fill bottles with new liquids, exchange empty ones for money with the Glassblower, or simply throw those glass at them who fear it!

⚜ Rich Cuisine of Epiotica. No more potions, ethers or elixirs! Savor the most exquisite delicacies and drink the finest wines to restore your strength and abilities.

⚜ The Ultimate Selling Point. You can pet all the cats and dogs in the game!

Synopsis​

Spoiler

Grotesque murders are happening in the Neuctian Republic, lit by the moonlight. The task of solving the mystery falls upon a swift and slightly arrogant warrior named Triché, who flies through the night skies on a giant bat and belongs to the Order of the Sisters of the Glaive. As she delves deeper into a world of dark streets, carnival masks, and strange creatures, Triché begins to understand that every secret leads to another, each one more terrifying than the last.

Sources of Inspiration​

Spoiler

Conceptual landmarks and sources of inspiration included vintage masterpieces such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI & IX, Persona 2, Lufia II, as well as European texts imbued with the spirit of carnival and adventure, primarily Nocturnes and Fantasy Pieces in Callot's Manner by E. T. A. Hoffmann and Gargantua and Pantagruel by F. Rabelais.

Screenshots​

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Bestiaries​

Spoiler

You can download the demo for Windows from here.

 

[TESTOSTERONE]

Wow, this came out of nowhere. The screenshots look gorgeous and this looks like a project made with a lot of love.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

Wow, this came out of nowhere. The screenshots look gorgeous and this looks like a project made with a lot of love.

Thank you so much, this story is really important to me indeed. Hope you'll like the demo too!

 

[ShadowDragon]

I did play around a bit, and it looks really nice, just eaten some breakfast after
2 soldiers being a sheep

not to mentions, I love how the character holds the cat, which is nice.
there are low games that use character animation or low like that, I did
some seen other things doing so (a huge pro) as I know its time consuming,
but it is worth in the end when done nicely.

when I found anything out of place (bugs/glitches), I let you know.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

I did play around a bit, and it looks really nice, just eaten some breakfast after
2 soldiers being a sheep

not to mentions, I love how the character holds the cat, which is nice.
there are low games that use character animation or low like that, I did
some seen other things doing so (a huge pro) as I know its time consuming,
but it is worth in the end when done nicely.

when I found anything out of place (bugs/glitches), I let you know.

Thank you, my friend, I greatly appreciate that!

 

[ShadowDragon]

I played further and stop for today after examine the Tiger Lily drawing and
find my way to the "Court of Miracles" + finding that thief for a fight.

but is a bit of a puzzle to think around and I like how its done so far.

The town is really damn nice, there are some cons to it, but mostly pro's,
so far, I didn't found any bugs or issues so far, except a slightly thing when
you got the blood jewel to "equip on the harness in your arsenal" which wasn't
there, and got confused me a bit, but had it equiped on equiping on of Divey.

setting this scene as crime and talk/walk around to solve it is really well
put together, I could backtrack and go to the north (maybe I need to go there),
but I see that later when I continue.

so far I played it, 9+ (which I dont give out fast), but this is really nicely done.
keep up the awesome work on this game, it's amazing how you put it together.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

I played further and stop for today after examine the Tiger Lily drawing and
find my way to the "Court of Miracles" + finding that thief for a fight.

but is a bit of a puzzle to think around and I like how its done so far.

The town is really damn nice, there are some cons to it, but mostly pro's,
so far, I didn't found any bugs or issues so far, except a slightly thing when
you got the blood jewel to "equip on the harness in your arsenal" which wasn't
there, and got confused me a bit, but had it equiped on equiping on of Divey.

setting this scene as crime and talk/walk around to solve it is really well
put together, I could backtrack and go to the north (maybe I need to go there),
but I see that later when I continue.

so far I played it, 9+ (which I dont give out fast), but this is really nicely done.
keep up the awesome work on this game, it's amazing how you put it together.

Thank you for such an encouraging appreciation! It really helps me to move forward and get the whole story done.
Regarding the equipping process in your arsenal - it is a little bit clumsy mechanic indeed, I think I need to make more clear explanations for it.

Since you've already examined the drawing, behold the The Secret of the Gordillac's Hotel arc (the biggest segment in this demo), hope you'll enjoy that one ^_^

 

[ShadowDragon]

I got stuck for some time and got time to play (didn't beat the demo yet)
but looking for "Santi" and the stuff around it

but I did found an issue and some suggestions:
2 suggestions:

1) when fighting, it deals 0 dmg, but can 0 be changed to "miss".
there is a snippet around to do that (or minimum dmg to 1) up to you.

I hated that Duchess fight though. but the floor and basement trick is
really nicely done (fighting 5x the black rats with no effect!) untill I figure
it out how to eliminate them!


2) when Becco died (I think that was the doctors name, the sprite for idle
was still there, no deadsprite? or are those the same?


as for the 2 small issues I found (nothing major).
1) the horse when interacting flips fast (easy fix is direction fix on).


2) I think you missed a space here:


Once time allow, I try to search for the painting.

also the puzzle clock got me stuck for 15-30min of searching for the key,
and I should have checked this first when I found a cogwheel in the first place.

when the key was hidden, I thought I need to search outside at "Quarter to Noon"
so I searched everywhere, but this was tricky and when I figure it out by reading
the letter 5x, I thought it was a bug because 24H was wrong as it was set for
the 12H (which can be used for both), but the puzzle was clever and I like that.

so kudo's to it.

I continue tomorrow when able and see where I can find the next person.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

I got stuck for some time and got time to play (didn't beat the demo yet)
but looking for "Santi" and the stuff around it

but I did found an issue and some suggestions:
2 suggestions:

1) when fighting, it deals 0 dmg, but can 0 be changed to "miss".
there is a snippet around to do that (or minimum dmg to 1) up to you.

I hated that Duchess fight though. but the floor and basement trick is
really nicely done (fighting 5x the black rats with no effect!) untill I figure
it out how to eliminate them!
View attachment 278662

2) when Becco died (I think that was the doctors name, the sprite for idle
was still there, no deadsprite? or are those the same?
View attachment 278663

as for the 2 small issues I found (nothing major).
1) the horse when interacting flips fast (easy fix is direction fix on).
View attachment 278664

2) I think you missed a space here:
View attachment 278665

Once time allow, I try to search for the painting.

also the puzzle clock got me stuck for 15-30min of searching for the key,
and I should have checked this first when I found a cogwheel in the first place.

when the key was hidden, I thought I need to search outside at "Quarter to Noon"
so I searched everywhere, but this was tricky and when I figure it out by reading
the letter 5x, I thought it was a bug because 24H was wrong as it was set for
the 12H (which can be used for both), but the puzzle was clever and I like that.

so kudo's to it.

I continue tomorrow when able and see where I can find the next person.

Thank you so much for your comments and points!
1) I think "min dmg 1" is a better decision here since 0 and Miss are technically different conditions. Thanks for the tip. Anyway I should revise the balance once again (and definitely not for the last time), I see you leveled up pretty fast there .
2) Yes, unfortunatley I didn't manage to make the deadsprites (nor other battle sprites) yet, and it can confusing, sorry for that.

And thanks for noting the issues, I'll fix those.

 

[TESTOSTERONE]

While solving spooky murders isn’t the genre I choose to play, I couldn’t resist with how good this game looked.

I am still playing through it and will provide more detailed feedback. So far though, I’ve been enjoying this renaissance-type world you’ve built and the presentation really has been excellent. Plus I find being a bad-ass batgirl kinda cool.

 

[ShadowDragon]

I beat the demo, got the mottled coin, going on my way to the court,
ready for a fight, but DAMN you, you should stop the demo there

you are SOOO mean on that, but nevertheless, the story is nice.
and mysterious and I get no chance to see the end as finding "Santi"
is also IMPOSSIBLE because its in the full game.

not sure if you need to go north or where-ever, because I couldn't fly with
the doctor when I backtrack a bit.

I did saw a locked chest, but not sure if you go back later with a key or
an other item required to open it up.

but keep up the good work

 

[ToshTrufeld]

While solving spooky murders isn’t the genre I choose to play, I couldn’t resist with how good this game looked.

I am still playing through it and will provide more detailed feedback. So far though, I’ve been enjoying this renaissance-type world you’ve built and the presentation really has been excellent. Plus I find being a bad-ass batgirl kinda cool.

Glad you liked the setting and the protagonist, will be waiting for your final verdict

 

[ShadowDragon]

which verdict? till you have the full version released?
with I dont know how many crimes to solve (unless the is one long
mystery crime you need to solve to beat the game)?

or is there more? because it ended at the boat half way to the court.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

I beat the demo, got the mottled coin, going on my way to the court,
ready for a fight, but DAMN you, you should stop the demo there

you are SOOO mean on that, but nevertheless, the story is nice.
and mysterious and I get no chance to see the end as finding "Santi"
is also IMPOSSIBLE because its in the full game.

not sure if you need to go north or where-ever, because I couldn't fly with
the doctor when I backtrack a bit.

I did saw a locked chest, but not sure if you go back later with a key or
an other item required to open it up.

but keep up the good work

Thanks for finishing it, means a lot for me!
I wanted to end this first glimpse of the game with a cliffhanger, to drum up the interest

Regarding the locked chest - yes, if you didn't solve the globe puzzle in the Residence, you can't open the chest after Becco joins the party (due to I haven't written the continuation of the story in the Residence with Becco yet); in the full game, of course, you'll be free to roam the Residence any time (and if you looked closley at the paintings, you can guess why ) and find the way to open the chest.

PS: There is also an optional puzzle in Parletto with the birds, but it’s intentionally not too obvious.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

which verdict? till you have the full version released?
with I dont know how many crimes to solve (unless the is one long
mystery crime you need to solve to beat the game)?

or is there more? because it ended at the boat half way to the court.

No, no, I was addressing TESTOSTERONE there, you covered almost everything in the demo, and I owe you my thanks.

 

[ShadowDragon]

I didn't do the bird puzzle yet, but I knew something because they fly away,
and forgot what she said, but painting couldn't be done in the demo.

and the chest I dont know, but there is a cap you could use the bat to fly over,
but once you have Becco, it doesn't have that message, like you need to be
alone to activate the bat there.

but the story is nice so far I play it, quite a challenge too.
I look forward it.

 

[ToshTrufeld]

I didn't do the bird puzzle yet, but I knew something because they fly away,
and forgot what she said, but painting couldn't be done in the demo.

and the chest I dont know, but there is a cap you could use the bat to fly over,
but once you have Becco, it doesn't have that message, like you need to be
alone to activate the bat there.

but the story is nice so far I play it, quite a challenge too.
I look forward it.

I actually deceived you unintentionally in the previous reply: you STILL can open the locked chest after Becco joins (I already forgot that I had this covered in the demo). You just need to buy a proper tool from the Blacksmith.

 

[TESTOSTERONE]

I've finally finished the demo. Here is some feedback for you.

Spoiler: BINGO SHEET

Spoiler: LIKES

• (++) The atmosphere is simply breathtaking, and the setting is splendid. I was absolutely immersed into the world.
• (++) The mapping, the lighting, the wild life moving around, these are some of the most beautiful maps I've seen. Parletto is just out of this world.
• (+) Your use of zoom is really clever and well executed. Zooming out on bigger maps like the city made it much easier to navigate my way around and I did not feel lost at all while exploring around.
• (+) Mystery is really well executed. There is some really weird stuff going on and I've no idea what the heck is going on and I kind of want to learn more.
• (+) The way you used flashbacks is absolutely brilliant. So much so, that I am penciling this into my to-try bucket. The character also narrating as you play through the flashback is...well I already said it, brilliant.
• (+) NPCs were interesting, with their stories to tell, secrets to hide. It felt like a city full of mystery.
• (+) I was very much invested in Dorothea's story. It was really well done, really WTF is going on. I was bummed when I couldn't get to the bottom of it.
• (+) I could see myself in the mirror in the hotel, and that was like REALLY cool! I've only seen that in TSR's screenshots showing off his plugin.
• (+) Save (almost) anywhere. Couldn't save during flashbacks. Think about adding that.

Spoiler: Improvements / Suggestions

• (-) Main character. She is... flat. She is not very likeable and would like more development from her.
• (-) Dialogue. Holy smokes there is A LOT to read, and to be honest, I did not read all of it. It's also purely made to advance the story. It's missing pizzazz (no pizzas mind you). Especially when the doctor and MC talk.
• (-) I was getting absolutely frustrated when my attacks would miss. They missed too often, even the feints. Please look into it.
• (-) Difficulty-wise, the game starts out ok, and then rockets up in difficulty mostly due to running out of money and not enough healing items to find. Everything felt so expensive.
• (-) So yeah, money is hard to acquire and why can't I sell rat scraps and other loot? Also why even have a Sell option on all the merchants when only the travelling peddler will let you sell?
• (-) While battle system is ok, balancing needs some work. The rat duchess triple strike is brutal. 240 to the MC if she takes it all. Just no. Needs nerfing. I found myself using that IMBA when I made it to the hotel basement because fighting just got too difficult.
• (=) I felt there were too many different statuses and items to heal them.
• (=) Where the heck do I fully recover prior to the hotel? The broken tower outside Parletto did not seem to work. Is it a bug? (Will add to bugs)
• (=) I noticed not all shop-keepers have shop menu faces / busts. I guess that's on your to-add list.
• (=) I'd suggest doing a full heal on level up, and re-designing the battle victory and level up scenes. But those can be added later in development timeline.
• (=) Prior to completing the hotel basement, why make me walk around here?

Spoiler: BUGS

• Nothing game crashing, so great job there!
• When you talk to the main church guy, the game zooms out while you are still inside.
• If you return from the hotel basement prior to completing it, the furniture covering the hole is back in place and the MC and this dresser become one.
• In the tailor shop, the lady wearing all black leaves the shop. But if you immediately come back inside, she is still there.
• After staying the night at the hotel (while waiting to the boat), if you talk to the same lira-exchange man, the gab window will again tell you to go stay at the hotel for the night.
• Saying "no" to the boatman does not zoom the game back out.
• I went to the broken tower outside Parletto, and used the green liquid vase. It said I was recovered... but I wasn't.
• When talking to the prior mortician, the wrong face graphic is used in this phrase.

Final playtime: 3 hours 35 minutes (but I had a few game overs, so we can call it 4 hours).

TL;DR: What a beautiful immersive city you've created. It's full of life, interesting characters and mystery. The game has commercial quality written all over it. Mystery genre is not something I play, but this mystery is really well done and kept me going until the end of the demo. If you can make the dialogue more engaging and the main character more endearing, this game could be an RPG Maker gem.

P.S. You may want to rethink the "rat mutants"... it felt a bit out of place.

 

[ShadowDragon]

you got somethings I didn't try and which broken tower?
did you got the blood jewel for your bat attack?

I didn't had much trouble on battles, but the Duchess was brutal indeed,
but you got a nice list, but I dont get teh bingosheet (maybe a joke)?

 

[TESTOSTERONE]

@ShadowDragon
This broken tower, I guess it's not really broken.

I did not get the blood jewel for the bat. Does that make battles a lot easier? Where do you get it?

I also couldn't figure out the old man's treasure map. I bought green spectacles, and did not know what to do next with those.

Bingo sheet is sort of a joke, but I want to do it for all the games I find and play on here