I'll be releasing version 1.1 of They Took My Beloved tomorrow!

Taking into account the typical judgment process the game should be accessible here by Halloween itself. I'll also be uploading the downloadable version on the RMN page itself (where I got the theme for the game from) and Gamejolt. The Newgrounds version is distributed using RenPy's Web Support, which is still in its Beta phase so it's a bit meh. It will still download the game to your computer when playing but you'll be able to open it with a browser just fine. I've tested that it runs, but it may stutter on lower internet speed. If anyone has experience with RenPy's web version I'd be grateful for any last-minute advice on it, cuz I'm using it for the first time.

This would be the first complete game that I make fully on my own (my buddy pal friendo Reim is also working on a Halloween game on their own). This whole month had been pretty painful because of it. I'll be eternally grateful for all the free-to-use music I dug out of the audio portal. To be perfectly honest, NG's the only place I look for music-wise. It's great.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the animation frames I made for the game. Videos don't run on RenPy's web version for some reason so I had to use 10 FPS image transitions instead (not that I can make anything higher than that lol):

And here's the teaser for the game if you didn't see my last news post. It showcases some dialogue and gameplay:

I've been busy the past few months. How is everyone doing?

The past two years I haven't missed out on Halloween, so I'm making sure I don't miss out this year either. I'll be releasing They Took My Beloved, a short visual novel horror about grief and psychosis (prolly 30 mins to an hour). It's a submission for an ongoing Lovecraft-themed game-making event at RMN but I wanna also include it for NG's spooktober. I'm using Ren'Py and the later versions actually export to HTML/Android so I can get the game up on my account here. It'll also be in Gamejolt and RMN, as usual.

Here's a teaser, showcasing some core mechanics. Apologies for the scuffed video quality, it's YT's fault it's screwed up.

I've come to the conclusion that the infinite loading occurs either because of

a) RPG Maker's HTML export reads files differently, therefore somehow blocking the reading of some files

b) The game is too large to be run on browsers without specific optimization

For either problem, neither I nor Reim was able to find a solution. This is what happens when you put people who don't know how to code together to make a game. We've tried various preload plugins, checked through filenames, re-compile the game countless times but in the end, the same error persists.

I'm really sorry, but it's likely I will pull Errevale Fall off the site. It's disheartening for me to see the game unplayable despite most people seeming to like it. If you still want to play the game, the downloadable version will still be available in RMN or Game Jolt.

We're going to move on to our next game, a fun little platformer built with GB Studio. It's below 1.44 MB in size - if this doesn't run on HTML I'm going to commit a war crime.

Errevale Fall is finally finished and I don't have to spend time getting whacked by abomination rats every time I play-test the game anymore. Rather than describing it in words, here is a little gameplay trailer to showcase most of the features of the game:

We still need to check if the current version is optimized for browser use (i.e. NG) but that should be an easy fix. Look forward to the game tomorrow!

Watch it seriously, it's a serious post 105%.

Also I put it on YT, might upload more mem- I mean, totally serious PSAs in the future.

Little Maddie Dear version 2.1 is here!

As promised, we've released an update to LMD which includes plenty of significant changes. To recap, the game now offers three alternate endings (previously two). The Blind Mode removes the usage of the lantern, making the game tougher in later maps. The new route can be initiated by solving the code to the locked wardrobe in the bedroom. One normal playthrough should be enough to find the code (still need to look for it though, so good luck).

The other main update is the introduction of outfits. You can collect those by finding them scattered on each map (some may be more difficult to obtain than others). By equipping the outfits you change how Maddie looks in her sprite and pause menu pic. Each outfit provides a code so you can unlock them again in a different playthrough. The other updates are mostly for bug fixes and quality of life improvement, more info can be found in the game description.

A secret passage now available in the bedroom

As usual, you can also download the game here.

The past month or so has been quite hectic for me and @ReimHarbert but it's also been productive. We've been working on Errevale Fall as I've mentioned a few times in recent art posts, but we've also been working on some updates for Little Maddie Dear! I've got some things to share in this announcement, hopefully, things to look forward to:

Content Updates for Little Maddie Dear

Though the main reason for the update was to fix bug issues and further balancing, I've also tried to include bonus content and we've come up with two quite major ones. The current version of LMD offers some replayability value with the alternate ending provided, but I've always thought it was more of a done-in-one-sitting type of game. In the update, we're going to introduce a third route players can choose to take in the form of a horrifying Blind Mode.

We've left breadcrumbs in the current version of the game that'll help you figure out how to start the game without the Lantern. I personally dub it the Zero-Sanity Run; aside from being what the name implies, to fully finish this run you need to find new collectibles hidden throughout the maps, all without the help of the Lantern's increased vision range. If finding Paradise was already difficult before, this one is going to be hellish.

Something you will find somewhere in the bedroom.

Aside from that, we're also adding costumes! You can collect these outfits on every map, some hidden away, some placed in key locations. Equipping them will change how the walking sprite looks and also change the photo you see in the pause menu. It was an interesting feature I wanted to try out and I thought it might make the game a little more interesting for those who want to explore every nook and cranny or just feel like putting Mr. Dora in a tuxedo (I'll have fun doing that at least lol).

The update for LMD will release before the end of March, so look out for it sometime next week!

Errevale Fall v1.0 is Released!

In other news, the first version of our RPG-Visual Novel hybrid Errevale Fall is completed! This version, however, was intended to be released for RPG Maker's birthday at the RMN site at the last minute, so we had to make a couple of short-cuts and skip fine-tuning during the process. As such, I refrain from releasing it yet on NG until it is fully completed.

That v1.0 is still available to download however via this link. If you happen to give it a shot, send us some feedback so that we could make sure everything is all good by the time we finish it all up!

Errevale Fall should be released soon after the LMD update, so look forward to that too!

Just in case anyone is finding difficulty finishing the game, here's a walkthrough aWalkThroughLife made on YouTube!

I've also been surprised people are still playing and reviewing the game every once in a while, as well as making play through videos on YT. It's been a really positive experience for me and Reim both, seeing as Little Maddie Dear is the first completed game for both of us.

Happy holidays everyone!

First of all I wanna say thank you to everyone who had commented and given criticism for Little Maddie Dear, they had all been really useful! @ReimHarbert and I had made some updates to the game, including bug fixes and implementation of some advices we were given. Also, the difficulty had been quite significantly reduced with more saves and most importantly the addition of maps provided in chests.

If you haven't checked it out already, please give the game a go and let us know what you think!

The full updates are as follows:

+ Minor dialogue fixes.

+ Relocated some of the monster.

+ Increased save points in storage, kitchen and attic.

+ Changed the color of HP bar to match Strawberry Candy.

+ Now all pictures are shown when Maddie acquired them.

+ Added descriptions to candies.

+ Nerfed the Bogeyman slightly.

+ Decreased the damage of Phantom's attack (the tall man).

+ Fixed the bug where sometimes Maddie can go behind the Bogeyman.

+ Decreased chests containing The Things.

+ Increased chests containing Blueberry Candies.

+ Decreased chests containing Strawberry Candies.

+ Added chests containing Photos (pictures of maps).

I am also collaborating with Reim again for a future project. We're still in a very early conceptual phase so I won't reveal anything yet but I'm really excited to get to working on it.

Thanks for the positive feedback overall for LMD!

Happy Halloween!

This year instead of making an animation I've decided to go with a game submission with my pal Reim Harbert for Spooktacular! Super happy to see it got Frontpaged! Please have a look and let us know what you think.

Thanks to Reim's RPG Maker skills, I finally manage to complete a game. In the future I think I'll keep bothering him to help me publish my games. Hope you can enjoy a little dose of horrors and cuteness this Halloween with Little Maddie Dear.

P.S. If the game lags on Chrome, it managed to crash both Krita and RPG Maker MV on the fifth map too. We hate that map.