Somehow, it's almost 2025. Can you believe it!?
First, what I've made in 2024.
Screenshot of the game during development.
Princess Marzipan was a big hit! I took the concept of the game from the Capcom game Quiz & Dragons and just added some gameplay adjustments. I should work on some more arcade-type games.
I was really glad to see even non-English speakers enjoy the game. The questions definitely aren't easy if you're not familiar with what they're referencing... I think the questions cover enough of a wide range of topics to have a little something for everyone.
The game is technically single-player, but it could be multiplayer if you're playing it with a large group. I think the game would work well as a sort of multiplayer co-op/competitive game and I'm shocked nobody else has made any party game where you can import your own questions... you already have Cards Against Humanity with your own importable cards, why not a quiz game with custom questions?
It's a funny story, but I started working on the game as a spur-of-the-moment sort of deal. I was having a difficult time sleeping one night and the idea of the game just popped into my head, so I ended up working on it tirelessly for the next 2 weeks. Link to the game so you can test your knowledge of the various hobbies my friends and I have.
One of the QOL changes I put into Cathrath (a skip button during dialogue)
3 AM Cathrath is about 2 years old now... The game was planned to have a 2nd character (Dyad), but I still haven't put him in (I can't decide how to differentiate his gameplay from Galatea's). Part of why I worked on this was a way to 'warm up' before working on a game again. Also, I've been trying to work on a revamp of the game for a while now so I finally sat down and finished the update. Try out the game here.
Cutscene from the start of the game, introducing one of your lovely students!
Half RPG, half clone of the game Sotsugyou ~Graduation~. Unfortunately, this game was plagued by bugs that I still can't figure out to this day that might be too frustrating to fix. To this day I have no idea what causes events in RPG Maker 2k3 to just loop endlessly (and only sometimes). If I ever end up working on this game again, I'd do a total revamp of the exploration system and also change it so the game takes place over the course of a single year. I think the game was too short for a raising sim, and the bugs didn't help either. I love you RPGM 2k3, but I hate your jankiness. Not really 'complete' of a game, but try it out here.
Games I've played in 2024 and enjoyed.
Pictured, the main heroine
Another Setoguchi VN off the list. I loved Hirahira Hihiru when I read it last year and I like Kira Kira as well, so I figured that I might as well read Musicus. Honestly, the school route felt disconnected from the rest of the game but I enjoyed the game well enough. I think I prefer Kira Kira but Mikazuki is pretty entertaining as a main heroine. Feels like I watched a 10-hour Horse the Band-esque documentary on a band.
A regular occurrence in our town
The original Animal Crossing... A few of my friends were playing Animal Crossing together and visiting each other towns through memory card swapping bullshit so I decided to join in. The villagers really feel like they have more character in the older games, but the gameplay still gets repetitive after playing it every day. At least it was fun for about a month.
Devil May Cry is a certified BROTHERS series
I can't believe I put off playing these games for so long because they ARE amazingly fun and difficult. I have good reflexes but I put off playing fighting games and such because I hate having to memorize combos (but, as it turns out, fighting games aren't so bad to play). I admit to using emulation to my advantage for the more frustrating parts of DMC1 (FUCK you DMC1 nightmare). DMC3 is the star of the show, but the gothic atmosphere of DMC1 is something else. DMC1 Dante is also my favorite Dante design, but that's another story entirely. I like his cocky, young personality in 3 but his slightly goofy and cool action hero type character in 1 is great as well. Dante is so cool bros... I'm not sure if my computer can handle playing DMC V but I wish to play it soon.
Normal dialogue in a Calunio game
This guy makes some of the best RPG maker games in the west. Last year, my friend streamed a playthrough of Polymorphous Perversity and it was a great time so we decided to go through the rest of his games. I can't help but admire his dedication to write about topics that most people would shy away from, especially Therapist and Beautiful Escape Dolls. Some of the few games I've played where you can fully commit to being a vile, vile person. And despite everything, the protagonists still feel like pathetic people that you feel bad about. How does he do it?
Lilith and her flat chest (double). (if you like this character you have no right to complain about lolicon)
I got really into Darkstalkers for about 2 months. I was looking for a new arcade game to try out with my butty and we ended up going through a bunch of arcade games... Darkstalkers turned out to be our favorite fighter. Compared to other fighting games, the fast pace is great, the characters are charismatic, and it has Jedah in it (who is very cool). I remember being really into B.B. Hood when I was younger but I'm a bigger Jedah and Lilith fan now. I also got to play Darkstalkers at an anime convention this year with a real cabinet and it was FUN!
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I used to be really into PSO back in around 2010. I was born a little too late to play it on Dreamcast but the miracle of private servers allowed me to play with friends on SCHTHack. My first character was a RACaseal but I played a FOnewearl this time around. The EXP rate is boosted so as a full-time office worker I can actually play and level up.
Windi my beloved
Some of my favorite exploration and combat systems in an RPG. Like Pokemon if it were good. Has a 'free' exploration system and, to my knowledge, bosses can change depending on what order you fight them. Gives a lot more freedom compared to Demon King Chronicle and is less punishing. The variety of party compositions you can do and how varied the characters is insane. I still need to finish the game and its post game content but I played it for several days straight. I should take a stab at imitating a battle system like Enchant Farm.
First played this game a few years ago and loved it enough to make a similar game. I finally got around to replaying it and loved it even more. It's an insanely punishing game if you play it like a regular JRPG, but if you get used to the pace of the game it isn't TOO bad. It's easy to miss items if you don't check every corner! I wrote a full review of it here.
I'm not going to write about the game she's from I WILL say that Moira is beautiful and I love her very much.
2024 was a fun year and I'm glad that I got to see old friends again and meet new ones. I want to make more games in 2025 and hang out with more friends... I have a few ideas of what I want to work on but I'm not too sure how long it'll take for them to be complete.