this week i am dedicating to playing every rpg maker game. i plan to review them and post them as i have a bunch of free time and i need to do something different. i will use this thread for notes as my gaming will bridge several days for some of the longer games.

next game: tale of cloth hathlings or something


tsebaoth 2 nissi

i broke the game, twice. the north bridge starts out right on the exit event so you can go north and see stuff you shouldnt. the other totally shattered my game where i was making my way to kat'kan or something and i loaded up the 3rd card. i went to the guy who forges you stuff then traveled east and ended up in a black room that i couldnt move in. will have to reset now.

just found another big error. when you ask to rally an army, next building you enter you walk to where you sleep. walk right through several rooms and through every object. ups!

this game had a very different feel to it. it was the first game (only game?) to switch between two cards at will. this was a huge pain in the ass if you ran into a game destroying point or needed to reload the whole game up from an extended break. as i played the whole thing in a single sitting (9 hours of playtime aprox), this wasnt too much extra effort and worked out well as the game could backtrack easily (though with bugs and errors).

what i didnt like was the equipment. the entire set was uninspired, contributed so very little to my advancement, and generally was worthless. i had around 70k when i finished the game and i wasnt able to use that money for anything. it languished in my account as i came across shops with 500 bucks as the most expensive items and ones that gave 1-2 point increases over my last. much of the equip gave the same defense but was under a different name which was a mess.

this game is one of the first ive seen to start me off at a level other then 1 or less then 10. i now see why most games start you off at such a low level. through the entire game i only gained 8-9 levels. i faught a ridiculous amount of creatures and they gave generous amount of exp and yet i still only managed to get a few levels. this low level gain also ment that i couldnt sanely grind if i was having trouble with an area. i felt like there was no sense of accomplishments when it came to fight and just button mashed my way through them and wished they would disappear.

i found the forest dungeons extremely well done in this game, even more so then the last. they are by far the best rendition of a natural forest dungeon that i have ever seen so hats off there. i cant even believe rone was able to put so much custom dungeons in one small ass system data.

overall i was satisfied with the game but could see many places that could of been improved. puzzles and other fun diversions where absent in this game which was very disappointing.

Tsebaoth.


i enjoyed playing this game as i did way back when it first came out. the game is aggressively balanced meaning you will be able to defeat everything in a few turns but will need to heal very often. healing items come at you from every chest and are supper frequent from monsters. this is one of the few games where i had to rely on healing items for my recover, as magic healing is scarce and precious.

i really hated that i could sell my status healing items. i had tons which i never used and would of appreciated ditching them at a store for a few extra bucks. i also didnt like getting bombarded with useless accessories. the game gives you so many that they spam your inventory and generally arnt worth it due to their small stat raising or their abysmal resale value.

the story is filled with religious undertones, your main objective to destroy and evil people. the story is very deep, though it gives you the option to research deeper if you choose through the use of the games many books.

many great innovations are found in this game, from the travel as a boat to the fighting as a whole army in combat. the dungeons are done exceptionally well, very few stock dungeons where used making exploration fun and exciting with chests in every nook and cranny.

having 3 expensive shops back to back without any real money making dungeons killed me and made the final dungeon a nightmare that i managed to wade through. i had forgotten about the secret shop or id of gotten some quick cash sooner and not had to struggle so much. im still not entirely sure why i could buy those three homes other then for novelty sake.

overall i enjoyed this game and look forward to my next which will be its sequel. i know this is a trilogy with an unreleased prequel, so too bad there isnt a 3rd game.


notations. 5 hours in now, on second card.

-infinite drawer of swords
-cant go to world map from house
-when the lumber jack guy joins you he walked several squares before disapearing
-rock just before boss in destroyed town is moved automaticly and any efforts to move it produce two rocks
-dock guard thinks i have a party member before i even meet her
-magician twins still show up, but cant activate
-house door ways are sometimes inconsistant with the other buildings doorways (open walls instead of just a depression marking the door)
-when ya leave the main castle it wants to load the last scen data again ugh!
-last map makes you invisable on it (no boat pick) and you have to navigate blind
-3 shops in a row? ugh!
-beat the game at 7 hours

i have to laugh. i worked my way to the very end of this game and saved at the last point. i even backtracked to get everything and when i came back and went into the final battle, i found that my preparations where totally for naught lol.



i need to put these in some kind of review form, sigh.

I never even heard of the game.

Hmm, between the Mag and Pav, there are about 150 "full" games.

Yeah, have fun with that.

so far i like where this game is going. at first the random battles where horrid but i quickly outpaced the system and now nothing is hurting me and im crushing it all in leaps and bounds. the event sequences are very well done and there is alot of creativity. there is a massive enviroment to explore which can be daunting with the amount of random battles but need. i also enjoyed much of the secret stuff that i found so far.

there was a few map bugs such as the big forested area. in one spot a tree was out of place (half a tree) and the tile portal thing needed to be bumped down a few sqm so the tree line didnt just abruptly start with tops of trees. nothing game breaking so far though.

having everything in capitols sucks and the mini game in the learners area just sucked as i couldnt even win once out of many attempts and the cost was hidden and steep. the gaget thing looked useful but not overly.

out of time so ill stop here for now.

btw, i need a space on the card for a save file. this game doesnt provide that without deleted some data.


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played it a bit more but couldnt finish the prologue before bed so ill have to try it again tomorrow. found the battles to be an outrageous challenge. i spent most of the 2 hours i put in this time (4 total so far) battling the same enemies to earn enough gold to buy the next set of stuff and enough exp to survive more then a few rounds of using my most powerful magic.

i read the guide a bit and i have to wonder if the creator of this game really intended for his players to spent tons of time trying to survive. i had to restart a few times which was an annoyance. the next set of equipment was only marginally better and was significantly more expensive then id of expected. i eventually had enough after the tundra level but i really needed that set going into that area. the reason for the difficulty wasnt the attacks as overall they where majorly weak. the problem was the status effects which either forced me to use tons of supplies or to make an aggravating battle just last longer. the regular magic was a bit powerful but added with the status effects made for a tough fight. i was raped most often by the status buffs which where usually spamed on one enemy and made knock off nearly half my hp in a single shot. the levels came slow so i had to grind to bring myself high enough to survive the area in a single sweep.

without the blaze spell which i got through a spell book, i wouldnt of had a hope in hell of getting through anything and i would most likely been still grinding to survive. had i chosen another spell from the list, i could very well of doomed my game by the start. i used top spells the entire time just to clear through the enemies as regular attacks simply dont do enough. i sold my staff ages ago as the money was of more importance then the damage it simply wouldnt ever do. oh, and im so tired of the regular battle music that i dont even use it in my game - its just overdone and after listening to it for 2 hours im again reminded of the importance of variety and non bloody random battles.

the story itself is still good and the puzzles are half decent. if this whole game is going to be a grind fest then i may need to break it up with something else, perhaps one of the other non battle titles i have to play.

maybe ill try to clear some of the quick and dirty single card games in between so i dont kill myself with the huge epics.

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put a few more hours into the prologue. i have finally beaten that chapter, only lord knows how many more. im starting to regret my decision to start with this game. i discovered that you can get the same magic spell multiple times meaning you can easily miss magic spells - spells that are so cardinal to succeeding at this game that to miss some would be a death null.

ive also come to realize just how much a game can be made or broken on the battle system. ive spent far more time on this first card then i ever should have and the extra padding would make anyone quit in frustration. the final boss on this card was a damn near impossible and it was only by luck that i defeated him (i got enough damage off before he could use either his mass damaging spell or his single player smasher). it took multiple tries and no amount of strategy could influence this battle.

against my better judgment i will continue forward. already i have gotten 18 levels on this card - more leveling them i have ever done to my recollection.


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spoke too soon. the game is fundamentally broken when switching cards. you have to change the damn card once to the new data, then reset the ps. if you save the game and are unable to load the new data due to computer access then you have to change the data twice and reset the ps again. this is very dumb, especially if you are using one card and have to load up your save on a new card then dl the new. there is so much card changing that it destroys this game utterly. ugh, this sucks.


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no. thats what i say to continuing this game. the difficulty doesnt improve from here and ive no desire to grind for levels just so i can be decimated by magic. i took a quick look at the strategy guide and i see that the creator isnt kidding when he said the upcoming dungeons are only going to be more difficult. its very easy to see why this game is largely unknown. when i get some time i will write a review on it.

my final summery? dont play this game unless your masochistic.

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This would've made an awesome LP.

Have fun with Kung Pow and Where's Vivi.

played it. was a nice fun game. im surprised that so much was made in such a small time frame. to be expected the game was light on additional features. nothing was interactive and there wasnt anything that could pass as a mini game. the game did sport a neat quick and dirty party change system.

the battles where not difficult and i could easily defeat them in one turn using double weapons. i especially like how even my mages could destroy them with their wands. magic was not great but useful in boss fights, though it did come far too fast, overwhelming me with spells. i didnt encounter one boss that i couldnt easily smash into dust. even the battles random battles where well spaced.

overall it was a pretty good game for so little amount of time.

cool to see you doing this.


yeah, but if he reviews them all and posts the reviews at the pav, he has a hell of a shot at winning a new console in our "ultimate librarian challenge" contest.

Played what?

This is starting to seem like a competition between me and Karr.

the game so far has been very fun. the plot is pretty basic, find out where the dew is, which works fine for this kind of game.

levels come so quickly and so easily that mass leveling is the way it should be in a short rpg like this one. the battles can be easily beaten by just attacking which is what your going to do for most of the game. magic only really comes into effect when you get to a tougher boss, which most of the time you can just attack to win. again, i found that i was bombarded with magic spells on some characters, having a ridicules amount to go through to find the one i needed. most where outdated by the time i received them.

im not sure what the honor bar is used for as i havent finished the game but it looks like it could have some potential. the chicken sidequest is rather amusing, and the arena has the right level of difficulty. im actually surprised at how well this game is balanced, at least up until the boss i am at now which destroys me with status effects. i will try it again tomorrow and see if i can get around this problem.

i really enjoyed the super weapons that where a random drop in the enemy corral area, the stone and tempest swords greatly increased my attack power and where a fun bonus. the corral thing itself is neat, having you search around to find the one hidden item in the area. i also likes the evil forest effect where the sun goes down and enemies are hidden. the effect it created was a nice break for the generic dungeons that every rpg is filled with.

if your playing this game for the first time then i recommend clearing the west dungeon in the first town, first. the 6 levels you gain there will make you powerful enough to breeze through most of the game.

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beat the game and got the crappy ending. i "tried to get some" from someone earlier in the game (was this the only person i could try to "get some" from?).

i found the 40 level dungeon to be ridiculously long and not all that great, could of been more scenic, though it was long enough already. i managed to get almost everything, yet i somehow missed a chicken and couldnt find it anywhere. i like how the game told you when you should of found everything, and if you didnt to backtrack to find it. i also liked how the shops where divided up, so items went just a massive list without order.

the battles continued to be balanced throughout the game. after getting 22 levels and fighting for 4 hours strait i must say i am tired of battles. i did like the mix of random encounters and event battles.

the ending was rushed and i found it funny that there was to be a polished version but it was never released at all. there was a twist in the plot that was very lame but what can ya do?

ill take a break from games for a day or so to work on my own.

i was rooting through old posts at the pav and came across a game called black ribbon. its rumored to be excessively long but im willing to give it a try. so this will be the next game on my list when i get some time.


-very hard begining without ring.
-more healing needed at the start, 10 potions need to be sooner.
-make sure you set the move location to a spot above the return event else problems hapen.
-next char story line i was stuck on a door but could get off, looked wierd.
-i didnt like how i couldnt talk to the shop keeper. i had missed an item and had to try again before i could go forward.

-new party now. found the battles to be rediculessly overpowered. forced leveling around a save and heal point is a game breaker.
just feels cheap rather then adds to the game.
-i dont think i can stress enough this point. this would be the place where most people would pack it up and play something else.
i was trying very hard to stay alive and i encountered a game over every two battles just because of the number of enimies.
i am glad flee worked at times but without healing first or giving me a steady supply of healing items (i got less then 10 potions) it was tough.

-the battles just before the town where happening quicker which couldnt of came at a worse time. i was out of healing magic (you really need to add
more magic for that part or healing items to cure mp), and items so i was fleeing everything in a dying hope that id not have to do it again.
-made it to the town. had a hard time finding a shop or inn, or save point. most business like to advertise so more then the locals can shop there *cough*

-first game boss blew me into tiny bits. if your auto char dies then you might as well walk away because your not beating anything this try.

new day

i am angry, angry at the disrespect given to the player. no game, not commercial or otherwise should force the player to die cheaply and continuously for no other reason then to force them to level up endlessly. i can understand the blatant disregard given by most designers who just dont play test but it somehow worse when the effect is directly intended. i am playing your game because ive become interested in it, not compelled, not driven. anyone else with higher tolerance for being raped by face bashing spells, by poor healing items, by lackluster attacks might enjoy this game but i however find it soul crushing.

ive played a huge amount of the games on here but ive yet to come across a game that forces so many consecutive game overs. i really do not want to strategise every battle only to die minutes later to some big group of enemies that i cannot take out because only one of my members can do any form of damage and that damage results in him taking big damage for using his spells and is killed without possibility of revival by some low end enemy with half hp hitting spells.

for the love of all that is holy, dont make games like this or you wont get people to play them. im tolerant, but god some things are too much. ill keep trying to play this but even i have limits.

edit: just discovered a major bug. i ran strait from the save point with leon to the town in hopes of getting equipment. at the in i suddenly received a new character which confused me. now after reading the guide it looks as though i should of traveled left. i guess that didnt work out. im curious if i can get this char twice now.

-the elevator door opens to reveal a nice wall, ups!
-praise the lord i made it to a save point! i would of quit for sure had i wasted that hour just getting there. nearly outa potions too.
-something wrong at the tombstone, the next location activated after i went fully up then back down for some reason.
-so many trips in this dungeon, im glad to finally escape it.
i think im starting to believe the rumor that this game is 200 hours long.

serious bug 2: as i predicted. as soon as i went back into the forest and took the path i never chose i was able to replay the missing scene with falke. the bad news is i had to restart the game because it canceled out my current progress.

-where the hell is the point to switch story? i got outa the factory with my 4th member but i cant find where to go. i am really getting tired of fighting battles, i may choose to cheat and upgrade myself some benefits.

ive recently picked this project back up randomly.

ive managed to fly through a few of the smaller games at the pav and posted some reviews and info. now im working on one thats a bit more beefly.

Aoi Tsunamiden. this game isnt to bad, its a neat little gem that makes some good promises but there is many rough edges that could use some cutting. i might try to find a pav and mag title next so i can get a new review up onto the site here.

after a long absence i decided to pick this little project up again and start with something i hadnt played for 8 years. its only found at the pav but worth a play if your making a modern day epic, using a prehistoric rpg maker lol.


Police State

Description: In a world of modern conspiracy and borderline government totalitarianism, John and his friends find themselves uncovering a mystery that the government will kill to keep suppressed.

Game made by: Terr

Review: The demo took about two hours to play and offered one of the best views of what a futuristic game is like with the rpg maker 1 software.

Upon loading the game you're immediately submersed in a world of modern day commodities as toilets and computers fill houses, and news reflects troubles that could be felt in our own world. But this is not our world, not yet anyway. This is world where Bush resigned office and some unknown power took the presidency; this is a world where the police warp laws and break rights; this a world "high" with conspiracy and one where the government will stop at nothing to suppress its secrets.

To explore this modern day world you start off as John, a scholarship winning gothic on his way to a bright future. You meet up with your 3 friends and enjoy the care freeness of youth and go your separate ways. After nearly a month in your new school a strange event happens during a protest. The government does not take long to show up and they now want you and your friends arrested or dead.

Though short, I did find the plot to be enjoyable. It's a refreshing twist in a maker that primarily sees games focusing on the fantasy end of the spectrum. Most of the modern games I've played only pretend to be modern while offering nothing we would identify as modern without a healthy dose of imagination. The environments, the creative use of stock graphics, and custom sprites helped tremendously in making the plot believable.

The graphics are by far the best part of this game. There are plenty of futuristic graphics that I've never seen in any other game except this one, despite its age. How certain graphics are used and the combination their used in is a good lesson in creative world building. The graphics bring to life many of the areas that would otherwise be awkward looking. Though the demo doesn't show it, there are plenty of other seemingly unused graphics for shops, road signs, and graffiti. If this game where to be finished, these graphics would undeniably underscore the city as a modern day world. Even something so little and easy can add so much to a game.

As great as the graphics where, I did find that some of the scenes suffered the same problems as other futuristic games. Black screens with endless text dominated a few important scenes so it felt like I was just reading rather than experiencing an important event.

Unquestionably the biggest problem, and one which may prevent you from even finishing the game was the battle system. The game was not balanced fairly, and though I discovered that battles where not random, they are still heavy enough to decimate even a decent team. Part of the reason for the difficult lies in both the strength of monster magic, and the damage output of the characters. Initial equipment was absolutely garbage from the start, doing so little damage that it made more sense to use guard rather than attack with them. The shear amount of the monsters was a huge problem as 6 monsters casting dangerous magic could easily destroy half my party before I could even act. Even the very first battle was so hard that it was only by chance that I even survived it, and I burned every item I had to stay alive. Battles need to start out easy and in small numbers so you can build up your war chest and learn how your characters function. Perhaps 80-90% of all rpg maker games fail in this category which will prevent anyone from experiencing the rest of the game.

Some of the other issues I found was that the game gave too much information at once and offered very little from the environment. I couldn't read books to learn about the world's history, I couldn't get a great deal of information out of npcs. Another issue was that items found lying around where absolutely random and many could only be discovered by fluke. I clicked on a random bush and got 3 tents and walked behind a grave and clicked and found a phoenix down. I do like having to look for items but many of the places would never be found unless by complete chance. I didn't find any bugs that prevented me from continuing the game, but I found plenty of graphical errors.

After I experienced trouble with the monsters my game ended up corrupted and I had to restart. I decided to make this game easier on myself and broke opened the game and give myself an instant battle beater. I must say that I was quite impressed with what I found. Every item in the game was finished as well as monsters and spells. Though many had no final stats I could see the organization involved in planning out equipment. Creating all items before you finish the game can help you balance the game tremendously and is something I would recommend to any designer. This is also where I saw how the random battle system was created. At first I thought Terr used rpg makers appearance rate given the number of enemies and the amount of battles I encountered. With an event determining battle you can control exp, and avoid player frustration with exploring. This is also something I recommend for rpg maker 1 games.

Overall I was very satisfied with the game as it was well made for the time period it was created in. It's still one of the best modern rpgs made with the software and was a well promoted game back in the day. Don't expect Police State on your console though, Terr has said that he plans to use other means to make his game.

Every few years I download people's RPG Maker games and refresh my memory. In fact, I was thinking to do something just like this very recently. Only thing is that I don't think I'd have the patience, and would give up on games without completing them. Guess I am picky about what type of games I am into or something like that...?

Good luck!

It's been over a year since the last update to this topic. =P