RMMV Timothy and the Tower of Mu - Hardcore action/platformer (IGMC 2018)

[Macbeth]

DEMO DOWNLOAD

~~ THE STORY ~~

Timothy's grandfather is dead.

But legends tell of a tower so high that disappears above the clouds, built by a god.

If someone manages to climb it to the top, a wish is granted.

Timothy, armed with hope and courage, decides to face this deadly test and bring back to life his grandfather.

The Tower of Mu is waiting for the next victim: are you enough nimble, strong and smart to overcome this challenge?

~~ THE GAME ~~

Timothy and the Tower of Mu is the second episode from the "Timothy" series by Kibou Entertainment. Mixing elements from old-school games like Kid Icarus and Faxanadu for NES, the game is going to challenge even the most proficient platform-lover with puzzles, action, a curious lore and RPG elements.

The Tower of Mu is waiting for you: prepare yourself.

~~ FEATURES ~~

- Inspired from classics like Faxanadu and Kid Icarus

- 1 hour of gameplay

- Hardcore platform action: die a lot, learn from your death, overcome your limits!

- Game Boy feeling with scanlines and 4:3 ratio

~~ KIBOU ENTERTAINMENT TEAM ~~

Simone "Lord Macbeth" Granata - Eventing/Programming/Story writing/Game design

Dave "Mishima" - Character design/Artwork design

Feedbacks are appreciated as usual!
See you into the infamous tower!

 

[FKAexe]

This is one of the best things I've seen here, I'm looking forward to play it!

 

[Macbeth]

This is one of the best things I've seen here, I'm looking forward to play it!

Thank you FKAexe! I hope so hahaha if you give it a try let me know your feedback!

 

[Macbeth]

Hello again fellow developers remember to rate the game for IGMC 2018! Link HERE

 

[Kwerty]

I love this @Macbeth very cool

 

[Macbeth]

I love this @Macbeth very cool

Thank you Kwerty! Ah you love it now... but you're going to hate it haha it's very difficult, i really wanted to make an hardcore platformer with some Faxanadu/The Legend of Zelda II ideas! Let me know if you try it!

 

[Kwerty]

Most of these style platform games are difficult, so i would expect that.

congrats with the game release and good luck for it. i was literally smiling all the way through your trailer - nostalgia overload

 

[Catog]

Hey @Macbeth ! Just did a bit of a playthrough of everything, and wanted to share my thoughts!

Now, I only got as far as the boss, so take all the stuff I say with a grain of salt!

WHAT I ENJOYED:

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- The presentation. This is a damn slick game, with killer 8 bit music, and a great Gameboy aesthetic. The title screen art is fantastic, and the boss monster is visually very impressive.
- The world. The Tower of Mu is a really cool concept, with you encountering a bunch of people who have given up on the way. My favourite are the Pig People that tried to climb the tower to revert back to their original forms, but gave up because their "king" decided it was better for them to stay put so he could rule. So keen on that.
- The design. It was obvious that you'd taken a lot of time to figure out how your systems could best interact, and each room presented a different puzzle. And it boggles me still that this was made with RPG Maker. It goes to show that we're not limited to the constraints of our engine.

WHAT I DIDN'T:

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- The HP bar. As far as I can see, its only use is to indicate fall damage, which I will get to. The problem is that it's rendered useless by the hazards placed around that game. Now, I see where you're going with this, with your "hardcore" design philosophy, but it means that the player is given a meter for a single system that doesn't carry over to the rest of the game. Traps and hazards, I can understand as one-shot kills. But the monsters around (especially when it comes to the boss) are destructible, and respawn wherever they were killed, thus leading to points when I'm trying to jump up on a platform and suddenly this bird respawns and one-shots me, which seems less "difficult" and more "unfair".
- Fall damage. I have no problem with this as a concept, but at times it felt wildly inconsistent. I could fall into a side hole slightly lower than the one I was meant to, and end up taking fall damage, even though earlier I fell onto a roof slightly off-screen and was fine. Some tweaking, maybe increasing the amount you have to fall to take damage, and this could be a good system, forcing people to stop and think more.
- Sliding. So when you land on a platform, there's always a little bit of "slide". This is became the bane of my existence when it came to the fiddlier platforming sections, as I would land perfectly on the platform, and then slide off. Perhaps making it so you slide after dashing, but not after a regular jump, could mitigate this.

POSSIBLE TWEAKS:

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Spelling

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- "The old man fell ill" instead of "feel"?
- "Will be rewarded with the possibility of resurrecting?" In the opening this line was worded a bit awkwardly, I felt.

Mechanics

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- If dying is so easy, maybe make it immediately continue to the last save point instead of having to go back to the title screen every time?
- Some of the smaller moving platforms have wider hitboxes, making it difficult to jump up to them, as you hit your head on an invisible hit box.
- Moving platforms sometimes "jolt" you when they change direction, sometimes bucking you off.

Visual

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- Healing fountain could be a bit clearer, instead of seeming like set dressing - maybe some sparkles?
- Sometimes the platforms don't stand out, usually because they're just lighter boxes over the background. Distinct lines would definitely help with this.

TL;DR:

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A great start for a game that uses an engine unconventionally, with an already strong sense of style and world, but definitely needs more refining to make the game difficult without seeming unfair.

Thank you for showing off your game, Macbeth! I look forward to seeing more of it! Best of luck in IGMC2018

- Caleb

 

[Macbeth]

@Catog thank you very much for your feedback!

Must say i'm really amazed from your words, and really interested into fixing the obvious problems you pointed out.
I've tried to make the best in one month for IGMC 2018 but i definitely want to complete this game (full version is going to be 6-7 hours) and to make a series out of it if possibile.

Those mechanics (sliding in particular) are to fix into the plugin of course, about fall damage i'm still not sure how to deal with it. Maybe reduce damage taken? Or cut off it completely? HP bar and enemies are a good point: let's see if i can make them giving damage on contact instead

I always wanted to bring RPG Maker on a professional level breaking its core mechanics fingers crossed! And if you want to rate the game and leave a comment on the contest board (this LINK) to bring your feedback to the public i would love that!

Thanks again and let me know when you finish the demo!

 

[Macbeth]

Most of these style platform games are difficult, so i would expect that.

congrats with the game release and good luck for it. i was literally smiling all the way through your trailer - nostalgia overload

Thanks again Yes the trailer was made like that on purpose! I'm glad we got the right feeling!