LudumData

Almost Heroic by xvw

[raw]
made by xvw for LD33 (JAM)
Made with RPG Maker VXace and RME, with love! <3

Play as Alex and go toe to toe with life and anybody who will stand in your way to save your lover Arianne. Under its classic J-RPG appearance, "Almost Heroic" denounce naively some videogame usual but harsh behaviour.

We sought to respond to the theme... subtly... Keep reaching to the end! :)
All the graphics/sound/music is original and have been done during the jam session. <3
We hope you will have fun!


#======================================
# * CONTROLS
#======================================

* F1 to configure Gamepad/Keyboard!

Default Keyboard:
* ARROWS => MOVING
* SHIFT/C => RUN
* SPACE/ENTER/Z => VALIDATION
* ESC/0/x => CANCEL


#======================================
# * TEAM
#======================================

Team members from BilouCorp & RMEx (French/Belgian) :

* Joke (@BilouMaster) - Graphics, Sound effect, Mapping
* Nuki (@nukiFW) - Mapping, Programing, Writing
* Zangther - Programing (Battle system)
* Neha - Musics! <3


#======================================
# * NOTE
#======================================

Torturing a chicken does not release a special event like in Zelda... :'(
We apologize if you spent 10 minutes doing this! :D


Enjoy!
Windows/Source http://biloucorp.com/BCW/LD33/AlmostHeroic.zip
Original URL https://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=57278

Ratings

Coolness 100% 1
Overall(Jam) 3.98 60
Audio(Jam) 3.93 60
Fun(Jam) 3.72 106
Graphics(Jam) 4.28 116
Humor(Jam) 3.55 164
Innovation(Jam) 3.31 295
Mood(Jam) 3.73 139
Theme(Jam) 3.29 644

Feedback

alexrus07
25. Aug 2015 路 17:12 UTC
Looks like the zip folder is corrupted! :( And it looks awesome, too
馃帳 xvw
25. Aug 2015 路 17:48 UTC
We try to fix that! Thanks !
Joke
25. Aug 2015 路 18:30 UTC
It is fixed now...
Thanks! :)
BtheDestroyer
26. Aug 2015 路 01:11 UTC
Hm this looks cool...
Oh... It's an RPG Maker game...
Wait a second... this is a GOOD RPG Maker game!

I wish all games made with the tool were this good! It's a shame that most of them use default settings on everything and bring shame to it!

Loved the NES level graphics and music (I can tell you put the 3 colors per sprite restriction on yourself and it really shows!) The fights as a rhythm mini-game mechanic was a bit interesting... If it were developed more I'm sure it'd be a really cool mechanic!

It's a bit long so I'll have to finish it later, though.

Also, what's with the pervy old man? xD
SinclairStrange
26. Aug 2015 路 10:18 UTC
This was bloody fantastic, I loved it. It looked beautiful, it played amazing and the story/diary elements are great. One of my favourite LD games!
NAL
26. Aug 2015 路 10:22 UTC
Really nice! The first five minutes (one of which was spent seeing if you'd added the Zelda chicken frenzy thing - sadface that you hadn't!) set me up for a standard but well-made RPG... and then the first fight occurred, took me off guard, and from there I thoroughly enjoyed myself! My favourite entry so far.
Anvil0008
26. Aug 2015 路 10:27 UTC
Wow this was awesome, the ending is hilarious. And the combat mechanic is great! Overall well thought out and polished. Great work!
Patomkin
26. Aug 2015 路 10:31 UTC
The fight mechanics are very interesting :)
Quetzakol
26. Aug 2015 路 10:42 UTC
Nice game ! Graphics and music are cute, the fightings are fun and the story is quite funny too. Not bad at all !
toni343
26. Aug 2015 路 10:51 UTC
This was the best game I've seen so far. The graphics are very nice and appealing, music is great and the gameplay mechanics suprised me as I tought it would be turn based battles. It's a really refreshing style of RPG. I loved the humor (especially the thing you can read on shelves) and I loved the twist ending. Bravo!
Druid
26. Aug 2015 路 11:00 UTC
Lol, that was pretty good! I really like this entry! Story was amazing, battles interesting and graphic cool!
djfariel
26. Aug 2015 路 11:03 UTC
1st Thought:
What happened to the "you're the monster" theme?

Pros:
I like the timing command based battle system idea.
The music was really well done.

Cons:
I played for like 20 minutes, and still did not see how this fit the theme at all.
With the timing box being at the bottom right, it really takes the focus off the rest of the screen.
Battles were a bit difficult.

Overall:
I will keep this one and come back to it, I'm curious to see where it goes. Good job so far.
馃帳 xvw
26. Aug 2015 路 11:07 UTC
/!\SPOILER/!\
For understandig the theme's correlation, you have to finish the game :)
congusbongus
26. Aug 2015 路 13:54 UTC
Wow, excellent game! The level design is very cozy, I'm betting your team has map design experience because it shows.
Chikoness
26. Aug 2015 路 14:03 UTC
Probably one of my favourite LD33 entries :) Very very well done! Thoroughly enjoyed myself!

Ending took me off guard, damn it :(
Windmill Games
26. Aug 2015 路 14:04 UTC
I love the feel and style of this game, the graphics are very coherent and the game feels very polished. Great job!
SeaMonster131
26. Aug 2015 路 14:18 UTC
I like this old-style graphics, really nice work.
Drunkteam
26. Aug 2015 路 14:19 UTC
Really great! Funny, entertaining and beautiful to see. It really has a nostalgic vibe to it. I loved the ending.
Better game so far xD
I would have loved some more depth to the mechanics, but you can't make everything in 3 days, I guess. I'd love to play a longer, deeper version of this!
馃帳 xvw
26. Aug 2015 路 23:37 UTC
Your comments have warmed us thoroughly!
We are on the lookout for your critics!
Thanks for all! <3
liquidmedia
27. Aug 2015 路 05:48 UTC
Good Game Thanks.
ohsqueezy
27. Aug 2015 路 19:20 UTC
Pretty fun, nice battle system, nice graphical style. Pretty good sense of humor. After about 20 tries of fighting the Dragon I gave up. I wish there was a way to use potions during a fight. Also you can just walk around the skeletons in the tower leading up to the Dragon, is that intended? Is the idea that your character disregards the other people in the worlds desires? (e.g. stealing peoples jewelry and entering houses without permission)
馃帳 xvw
27. Aug 2015 路 19:36 UTC
Thanks @ohsqueezy, too bad you did not manage to beat the dragon... It is important to pass the "press scape" that appears, actually.

We fought in the team to make the game easier (difficulty was not the goal) but the programmer wanted to give a bit of challenge to the player so we respected that... haha.

The end of the game explicit your intuition! ...rather unexpected way in bonus! ;) :)

For the skeletons, we realized this after the release, we did not want to cheat updates for little things like that. Personally I found it funny that we can avoid them! :D (laugh at his own mistake... lesson # 1 : D)
SecondDimension
27. Aug 2015 路 19:55 UTC
It's good to see an RPG in LD, not an easy task. The music and graphics are great, and the battle system is clever. Good work!
divillysausages
27. Aug 2015 路 22:55 UTC
Really well polished game! Well done!
sorlok
27. Aug 2015 路 23:15 UTC
Very solid: this is a very good use of the RPG Maker Engine! Loved the mood and especially the ending.

The battles were very difficult: the hit boxes for the arrows was about 1/2 tile off, and there was no way to really affect the battles that much. Still, very good overall!
Pierrec
28. Aug 2015 路 05:25 UTC
Good use of the theme and the ending is funny!
glerikud
29. Aug 2015 路 12:34 UTC
10 minutes? It was half the game for me, I was a real monster to those chicken!
Anyways, great game. I was kinda intimidated by the save points, because I wasn't sure how long it will be. I am surprised how much you were able to squeeze in it in 3 days. Good job!
UrbanHelsing
29. Aug 2015 路 20:27 UTC
Very high quality, I enjoyed this
KaiseanGames
29. Aug 2015 路 21:05 UTC
Very well done.
fistmaker
29. Aug 2015 路 21:31 UTC
Wonderful little game! Hard to believe that it's an RPGMaker game, good lofi artwork and sound! Awesome little game! Liked the combat too! Great job!
Empyrealhell
29. Aug 2015 路 22:37 UTC
Awesome game. I loved the rhythm-game-as-combat mechanic, and summary at the end was great.
BeardoGames
29. Aug 2015 路 22:58 UTC
What an incredibly well-polished game! The battle system is well thought out as well. Really great, I enjoyed it a lot!
Supernaught
30. Aug 2015 路 03:08 UTC
Game looks really cool from the screenshots! Too bad I can't play on OS X. :(
BoyWithStick
30. Aug 2015 路 03:11 UTC
I like the battle system, however I gave up in the castle. I'll probably pick it up later and finish it to get the ending. Nice level layout. I had fun torturing the chickens needlessly. lol.
Linus123xbb
30. Aug 2015 路 14:30 UTC
Awesome entry, I didn't have time to finish it but from what I saw it was amazing. It would be nice if you added a scale parameter because the window was quite tiny.
crucknuk
30. Aug 2015 路 14:55 UTC
Excellent entry! The ending (spoiler: with alien) is WTF! xD
Obvious_San
31. Aug 2015 路 00:42 UTC
Really impressive for a rpg maker entry :) Mostly I don't like RPG Maker Jam-Games but this really is something else <3 Gfx and Sound is awesome, story is well written and funny!
crafteverywhere
01. Sep 2015 路 01:22 UTC
So cool, first rpg maker game I player in this ludumdare, the combat system is very interesting.
MFEP
01. Sep 2015 路 14:09 UTC
Love this game, the music, the graphics, the story, the dialogs, it's my favourite so far:)
Biruts
02. Sep 2015 路 01:07 UTC
Very nice project guys, i really love it, please check our game too and if you liked it give us a vote. Look for Road to hell and enjoy.
jlnr
02. Sep 2015 路 18:55 UTC
Just finished the game, loved the style and the silliness (the monad book >_<). 2/5 for Theme, but I really loved the combat system. I'd play a complete RPG with 'arrow fighting' if it was properly beat-synced :P
shawn42
02. Sep 2015 路 19:13 UTC
Great through back the NES days. I was amazed at the amount of quality content you were able to get in this game in such a short amount of time! Great work! (also, loved scaring chickens!)
Nurbs
03. Sep 2015 路 23:57 UTC
Pretty great game!
I feel the message at the end might've been a bit heavy-handed :b
still I really liked the combat, though I wish the presses would've sync'd to the music in the background.

very nice work.
AsixJin
05. Sep 2015 路 00:40 UTC
This game is put together really nice but I didn't really get it until the very end. The battle system was a cool idea but it was kinda difficult. I'd like to see what this game would look like with some polish!
El Cabaro
05. Sep 2015 路 03:38 UTC
Haha, what a neat and very French game. The graphics were great, though the music was a bit beepy for the rest of the atmosphere.

I enjoyed how the aliens all flew in at the end, the sudden cut to that was comical.
HolyBlackCat
05. Sep 2015 路 05:44 UTC
Great game!
NikB
05. Sep 2015 路 06:20 UTC
So beautiful and so nostalgic!
Pusty
05. Sep 2015 路 12:27 UTC
Hahaha, just played it till the end :D 100% worth it
Was a bit hard but I guess it's ok :D
So nostalgic :D Great music and textures!
Overall awesome
Aaranos
05. Sep 2015 路 12:44 UTC
So sad, I like the game. Nice work with pretty much everything. Control listing and a better menu would be my recommendation for improvement.
馃帳 xvw
05. Sep 2015 路 18:15 UTC
Thanks a lot, everybody! <3

@Aaranos: Haw... I added the "CONTROL" notice in the description! Thanks!
veoviscool12
06. Sep 2015 路 21:02 UTC
Nice, compact little game. I liked how stock encounters and actions in most RPGs were assigned a penalty! My only complaint is that the combat system is good for little periods of time, but doesn't lend itself to long stretches. It also doesn't provide any feedback on how you're doing vs the monster, like (Can't believe I'm saying this) Mystic Quest's degenerating monster sprites. But overall an excellent adventure. I wonder how the hero will stop the aliens now...?
Mase
07. Sep 2015 路 20:30 UTC
For some reason it runs at like 5 fps on my virtual machine. So... I can't rate it. But I just want to say that your graphics look very cohesive & pleasant.
Mase
07. Sep 2015 路 23:32 UTC
Uhh nevermind I got it working.
Anyway. The graphics remain very pleasant.
I found the battles a bit tedious; I wish the arrows corresponded to the music.
Fortunately I was able to use my special powers to change the monsters' HP values in the editor. :D
The writing is droll and amusing.
Good work.
Literal Games
11. Sep 2015 路 18:37 UTC
Wow, really fun entry! Got wacky at the end too! Liked the fights, thought they were just the right difficulty. And impressed at the music and presentation of it all!
dancingmad
11. Sep 2015 路 22:44 UTC
Good little RPG.
The end is quite fun聽!
Good job :)
LastLeaf
12. Sep 2015 路 02:26 UTC
Nice JRPG game with a long story made in short time.
It is a bit hard for me, but still nice.
Insality
12. Sep 2015 路 16:20 UTC
Fight mechanics +
Graphics is great, as a music <3
Good job!
Sparrow
12. Sep 2015 路 19:06 UTC
Awesome game, very clever. So much polish!
pixzleone
13. Sep 2015 路 16:47 UTC
that was awesome.
5/5, i had goosebumps the whole game through.
words cant describe how great it was.
please give me more of this. i love it!
once again, AWESOME job!
igoramendola
14. Sep 2015 路 08:05 UTC
awww <3 your game is wonderful and has lovely graphics!
It took me a few times to beat the Dragon, but it was worth. The ending fits very well with the theme ^^
pirate_shell
14. Sep 2015 路 10:05 UTC
This was a great oldschool style RPG! I love the graphics, as they feel like a natural modernization of stuff like the old Pokemon games while still keeping that Gameboy style. I particularly loved the reflections of the clouds in the water. It really helped the world feel more alive and real. The music was nice and fitting for the game. The writing was overall nice and a good take on the classic video game tropes that have become second nature for most, but are quite monstrous when you give them a thought. Overall, I liked it a bunch! I just wished the combat was a bit slower, but that's mostly my general video game ineptitude speaking xD
OadT
14. Sep 2015 路 18:42 UTC
I love this ending :D The game is quite difficult but fun
PeteGrammarman
15. Sep 2015 路 00:18 UTC
Wow, really good overall! I saw the ending coming (well most of it) but the story was still very compelling. I liked the color scheme and music as well. The main mechanic stayed around just long enough to keep from getting stale and it was surprising/innovative at the start. Great job!
Jupiter_Hadley
19. Oct 2015 路 16:32 UTC
Lovely graphics. I included it in my Ludum Dare 33 Compilation video series, if you would like to take a look :) https://youtu.be/sWM7EbBXpJg