Well, this was my first preview for a game, and I didn't know what I was getting into when I started playing the demo Mencara Revelle. And, as I'm sure you can already guess, I was pleasantly surprised with the game. But the whole sense of being in a deadbeat, sad, low town really gave a slighty spooky and creepy atmosphere

Rhen shows he knows what he's doing, by using several nifty effects and custom graphics, and a custom battle system. Rhen2002 was an elusive fellow to find, but finally he poked his head out to answer some very serious questions.

1ce: Well, first I'd like to say thanks for finally answering my questions before Fayorei got my head.

Rhen: No problem.

1ce: Mencara Revelle? Isn't that the name of some foreign soup?

Rhen: No, not to my knowledge. It applies later in the story, but Mencara Revelle is a name.
Mencara is the name of a character, and Revelle means tunnel. All will be explained later.

1ce: So, what do we have as far as release dates? Any full versions or demos on the horizon?

Rhen: I am aiming to have the full version by the end of November, and the next demo will be done around Halloween (ironic, isn't it?). The current demo has incomplete dialogue and CBS, which will be corrected in the new demo. The one available now is only a mere shell of what is to come.

1ce: Ironic. So, why should everyone run to their dexdrives to download this game?

Rhen: I have worked very hard on both of my RPGMaker games, and I am confident people will enjoy MR for what it is- my best effort in making a non-RPG on RPGMaker.

1ce: If Charles Riker was fighting.....a teenage mutant ninja turtle, who would win?

Rhen: Depends on if Riker was using the Handgun or the Nightstick. I'd say Riker, because he has a lot of ammo.

1ce: It's not the size of the gun, it's the amount of ammo, they say! Ah ha ha ha. So, gots any other games I should know about?

Rhen: I am working on an RPG, also on RPGMaker. It is called Varmilia 1000: Raven Lords, and is actually very old. I first created the story about 8 years ago, and the game has been in the making for about 4 years now. The first demo will be released after the next MR demo.

1ce: Cool, I would look forward to previewing that. But! I demand you to give me all the information you know about Dr. Pepper! Who is he?!?

Rhen: He is a physician that makes everybody sneeze, but makes eggs taste better. I heard they were going to make a carbonated drink after him, but I don't think that will work out.

1ce: Hey, which is better anyway? N64 or PSX?

Rhen: Being the RPG freak that I am, I'd say PSX. Not many of those for N64.

1ce: You have some nifty effects in Mencara.......tell me your secrets!

Rhen: There is not much to tell-

1ce: Liar liar, pants on fire! Well, do you have an idol?

Rhen: I actually don't have one. I've never believed in idolizing people, but I do give credit to all who have used RPG Maker before me. In fact, if it wasn't for playing games by Dave Carter and everybody else, I would never have even tried to come up with inventive ways to use RPGMaker.

1ce: *Pssst!* Can you give me any........y'know, hints about what happens next in the story?

Rhen: More stuff... alot more. Lets just say all of the events are about to go on a more massive scale. You haven't even seen the Occultists yet.

1ce: Super duper! Hey, which one are you anyway? Sapphire Studios or Creepy Animations?

Rhen: Creepy Animations is mine. Sapphire Blood Studios is an amateur production company headed by Joewoof (his RPGMaker game Abyss of Vinsaga is available for download here at the Mag). SBS creates games from anything, from PC game engines like Game Maker to RPGMaker games like mine. My other game, Varmilia 1000, and FinalFantasyFreak's game Hell Bent (also available here) are also SBS produced.

1ce: I'm very impressed by what I played and I hope others will chek it out. Care to leave with some final comments?

Rhen: Mencara Revelle is only a shadow of its true form as a game on RPGMaker. I am also working on a novel version, which will have the complete story. Be sure to look for that as well in the future.

1ce: Right. Thanks for your time, and uh... get AIM.

Rhen: Shut up.

So, I played my way through Mencara, and it's quite a spooky adventure! The game does an excellent job of keeping a scary, depressing atmosphere throughout the demo. There are nice custom graphics here and there, and a custom battle system! Kick ass!

But not everything is all rosy with Mencara. The custom graphics are there, but they are very boring and not fun to look at. While the custom battle system is there, it's not quite completed. And finally, characters have both last and first names. So, during text heavy conversations with many characters and only getting half a name (for example, Charles Riker is the main character. When he speaks, Riker always comes up, but Charles isn't.). It's not fun trying to piece who is talking and who is who.

Well, the good's outweigh the bad. Some fixing with the battle system and dialogue will help this game out immensely. I'm looking forward to further demos and can't wait to play the finished product.