ProjectTrinity's JRPG Parody

[ProjectTrinity]

With an easily spottable Easter egg for RPG Maker vets near the end​

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The real name of the game is "How Many Gaming References Can You Spot?!" We approach the absurdities of the JRPG-realm with a largely straight face. Definitely let us know if you want to see more by commenting and/or subscribing to the linked Youtube channel! If the numbers spike enough, it'll tell us that yes, the series IS worth continuing sometime soon.​

 

[McTricky]

Well worth having a look, people! I voice on of the characters in this, alongside many other talent voice actors!

 

[Galenmereth]

Warning, personal opinion time incoming: Just because it's referencing the terribad tropes in existing JRPG's doesn't make it funny. It just makes me want to turn off my computer.

 

[ProjectTrinity]

Warning, personal opinion time incoming: Just because it's referencing the terribad tropes in existing JRPG's doesn't make it funny. It just makes me want to turn off my computer.

Personal opinion accepted! Thanks for your input!

 

[9tkitsune]

*whisper to the person sitting next to me*

"I... I don't get it... What am I looking at?"

Cool CG and voices. But... I really don't get any of this XD Is there really parody hidden in this somewhere? Without any reference, it's difficult to point out the humour. ´: ) 

Still, looks like an awful lot of work that was put into this.

 

[Kes]

Clearly a lot of skillful work went into this, but I personally failed to find anything particularly humorous in it; it all seemed rather labored.  For humor to work it needs a light touch, and a sense of timing.  This parody was, I regret to say, ponderous and heavy-handed. 

 

[HawkZombie]

Clearly a lot of skillful work went into this, but I personally failed to find anything particularly humorous in it; it all seemed rather labored.  For humor to work it needs a light touch, and a sense of timing.  This parody was, I regret to say, ponderous and heavy-handed. 

I find I agree with this. This was really a labor of love, and it shows with the production quality and the quality of the voice acting. However, calling it a parody is a bit of a stretch. It was well done, but fell short of its intended mark, I'd say.

 

[ProjectTrinity]

Clearly a lot of skillful work went into this, but I personally failed to find anything particularly humorous in it; it all seemed rather labored.  For humor to work it needs a light touch, and a sense of timing.  This parody was, I regret to say, ponderous and heavy-handed. 

I find I agree with this. This was really a labor of love, and it shows with the production quality and the quality of the voice acting. However, calling it a parody is a bit of a stretch. It was well done, but fell short of its intended mark, I'd say.

*whisper to the person sitting next to me*

"I... I don't get it... What am I looking at?"

Cool CG and voices. But... I really don't get any of this XD Is there really parody hidden in this somewhere? Without any reference, it's difficult to point out the humour. ´: ) 

Still, looks like an awful lot of work that was put into this.

Hi!

If I'm going to launch the actual series, I'll need to take critiques/concerns like these very seriously. So thank you very much for taking the time going into the series blind! Sincerely appreciated!  I won't defend the script as it literally whiplashed the tone past episodes set, but I do need to ask prior to continuing any future endeavors related to the series: Before the 3D was brought into production, it was a 2D voiced Webcomic. The narrative style and overall tone of the series is considerably lighter...I think, and much more in your face with humor attempts. Would you three (and anyone else reading) say the 2D-approach to humor works better for you, or does it suffer from the same problems? I can very easily change things up from the very root if need be! Your smiles are, overall, my endgame! Did embed said video. It's also 3 years old, so....production values may vary!

 

[Kes]

I think the cartoon approach lends itself more to the absurdity of what is happening.  It is all too easy to take oneself too seriously in 3D.

I also think the dialogue works better.  Much lighter and quicker in tone.

I still didn't find it all that funny, but that might be in part because of having watched the other one first.  It took away the 'freshness' insofar as I had a sort of idea of what what going on already and so could not really be surprised - apart from the Game Over but not dying thing.

 

[HawkZombie]

I actually found the pilot video to be more humorous than the one up above. The first video you posted took itself far too seriously, and the 'jokes' when they did happen weren't all that well timed or written to begin with (I will admit, "MY SWORD HAS WEIGHT NOW!" got a chuckle)

Taaj seems to me (at least from the pilot) the one who breaks the 4th wall and at least has an idea it's a game. The others seem to be heavy caricatures of different JRPG tropes and characters.

One thing that might help is to play it up a bit. For me, the problem was they were actually too subtle in their parody, that they seemed more like actual characters you'd find in a JRPG.

Like the narrator/voice from the void. It seemed like you were getting close to having him be funny, but every time he backed off and it just seemed more like a regular JRPG. I personally would have had him be a bit more long in the tooth, maybe even interrupting Taaj as he calls him on some BS

VOICE: You are the chosen one, destined to save all the realms from certain destruction, that only you have been born to stop! Choose your class!

Taaj: Why is there a floating box next to me?!

VOICE: Excellent! You have chosen LANCER.

Taaj: No I did no-

VOICE: Welcome, mighty Lancer!

Something along those lines.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

Hey, there. I also see that a tremendous amount of work and love has gone into this project. The voice acting is actually pretty nice, and I find that to be a rarity.

I think what I'm missing from both videos is a sense of this universe and these characters having their own identity. Even when we're doing something a bit (or a lot) silly, the need to craft relatable characters and connect with the audience is still very important. I think where a lot of parody falls flat is when it relies too much on source materials.

Even though the goal is to parody JRPGs, imagine someone isn't very familiar with them. Would this be very enjoyable? Probably not very much. But even if someone is very aware of JRPGs, they still need something fresh that can stand on its own.

Additionally, I also found that the simplistic cartoon approach meshed a lot better with the delivery style of the dialogue.

 

[ProjectTrinity]

To Ksjp17, HawkZombie, and Ms Littlefish:

All of the advice and tips here make 100% complete sense! I can promise that the series will definitely utilize the help found on this thread for all future releases. If I read everything right from the above, these are more or less the issues to address in future releases?

-My preference for subtle needs to stray a little away from the thin line from traditional JRPG storytelling and make it clearer that it's a spoof. (Like HawkZombie's example) As it is now, there's not much proof that any intentional subtle humor is there - particularly to actually laugh at.

-The 2D comic artist is no longer on board for the Parody. I'll have to better accommodate all dialogue, timing, and visual gags to better accommodate the 3D style. Research may be ideal.

-Give the characters and universe room to grow into their own, make them far more relatable, and make sure Episode 1 (3D) makes it fun for both newcomers to the genre and old time vets.

I believe that's everything, but definitely let me know if I left something out or you have more to add!

 

[HawkZombie]

I think you hit the major nails on the head. I look forward to you next video! The quality certainly is there.