The Dread Tower

[pattaq 0]

======================================================
Game Title: The Dread Tower
======================================================

 

Download Link

http://www.mediafire.com/download/ckg7uolchvl2m6u/The_Dread_Tower.exe

 

Abstract: A RPG that challenges you with a new boss to overcome.

Genre: RPG
Game Progression: The game is pretty much done! Please enjoy.
Engine: RPG Maker VX Ace
Gameplay Length: About 1-2 hours

Story:
The world is struck by an evil force of monsters when a mysterious tower magically appears. Many adventurers have traveled to the tower in hopes of destroying it to rid the world of its evil. However, many warriors have not returned from the tower and are presumed lost within its walls. One day, a young adventurer named Tami enters the tower with her magical sword in hopes to finally getting rid of this evil.
 
Character Bios:
Tami: A young adventurer with a magical sword that was passed down to her from her family of warriors.

Elliot: An enchanted sword that embodies the spirit of an ancient warrior.

Allen: A spiritual mage that possesses magical powers.

Mona: An angelic being with the ability to cure and heal.

Credits:
Enterbrain for the RPG Maker VX Ace software
Sprites, artwork, tilesets, music, sounds, etc. created by Enterbrain.
Piano songs created by pattaq

Yanfly for Scripts:
Ace Message System v1.05 Script
Adjust Limits v1.00 Script
Ace Battle Engine v1.22 Script
Battle Command List v1.09b Script

Kread-EX for Script: Skill Fusion - V.1.04 Script

Special Thanks to:
Fomar0153 for skill notes and skill creation (read an article by him)
Yanfly for Elemental Effect Icons
Kaduki for Burst Skill Icons

Features:
- A unique RPG battle system that involves the player to combine attacks
- Fight against challenging bosses
 

Screenshots

http://www.mediafire.com/view/75fsobwjzvaj1mb/The%20Dread%20Tower%20Screenshots.png

 

Notes: I mainly focused on the battle system. Still, critique on the whole experience as well. My dungeons are pretty bland.

 

EDIT: Posted new download link (fixed bugs and smaller download file)

Edited October 28, 2015 by pattaq

[PowerBurger 49]

While your formatting could be much more professional, I'll still give your game a go!

 

(Hint: Your screenshot links to an error  )

 

I'll report back here when I get around to playing it and I'll tell you what I think.

[PowerBurger 49]

Alright, whew, I finally got to playing this, and I decided to stop at the two Gargoyles(which are spelled incorrectly in-game). Sorry, I've been very busy.

 

I'll go over your game in a Pros and Cons format. I entered open-minded and gave the game the benefit of the doubt.

 

Pros

+The battle system, while confusing, is actually pretty fun. While it doesn't start getting interesting until the Dragon boss, and while it needs obvious balancing, I enjoyed it for what it was. The further I got, the more variety I was presented in Action, Burst, Items, etc. Gaining 3 mana per turn, and having mana be the constant resource actually made things engaging, and the Burst options opened up future planning. I also loved the combination attacks, i.e. Slash + Slash. It was very well-thought out, and I strongly recommend you improve on it further. 

+The Dragon boss and the bosses onward were all enjoyable, even if the music was redundant. 

 

Cons

- There is absolutely no draw. The game doesn't get interesting at all for thirty or so minutes, which is a huge problem. 

- The game doesn't properly explain things, and a good chunk of necessary info isn't explained at all. For example, what do the status conditions do? Do I use the crystals or is it automatic? That sort of thing.

- The pacing, while consistent, is very redundant. I got bored quickly.

- The grammar and sentence structure is... full of holes, to say the least. I'd get some help with this one.

- Everyone and everything is so bland, especially Tami. When the characters speak, I don't sense any personality from them, except Allen one time. The maps are also incredibly generic-looking, although them being in the shape of letters was a nice gimmick.

- The plot isn't interesting either. The entire game has a "been there, done that" kind of feel.

- The shop isn't helpful. For example, why can I only buy one of everything at a time? 

- It isn't explained which enemies are weak to which element(other than water being weak to fire). It honestly makes the whole elemental system tedious and not worth exploring, unless you're stuck on a boss. It feels like a guessing game.

- All of the common enemies have practically the same stats. 

- After a certain point, healing becomes obsolete. Why bother healing when my 5 HP characters die in 1-2 hits anyway?

- Speaking of which, why does everyone besides Tami only have 5 HP? Elliot I understand, but they all die so quickly, and I can't do anything about it.

- There is no point to grinding. If I'm only going to gain levels after I kill bosses, why would I waste time and HP fighting other monsters? You usually come out with enough gold anyways, even with minimal grinding. 

- I don't feel stronger after leveling up. Characters don't gain increased stats, just new abilities and a new party member early on. It was confusing at first, and then it got old fast. 

- Is there any point at all to the treasures? The descriptions are funny at times, at the very least.

 

Errors

- "Where's Elliot?" Elliot was failed to be introduced as the MC's weapon, which makes the intro scenes very awkward.

- "Who's Allen?" Some of the abilities have poor, unintentional wording. Allen appeared in the description of Break during the tutorial battles, for example.

- Some of the tiles could have been placed better, such as some of the cracks and decoration.

- When I walked in front of the Dragon, Tami was locked into one direction when she walked.

- One of the 4-enemy forced encounters has an invisible, immortal enemy that forces you to restart the game.

- Allen and Mona only gain 2 MP per turn. Was this intentional?

- Elliot repeats dialogue during the Ogre boss, even if I leave his minions alive.

 

I'm sure I had more to jot down, I just didn't catch everything. This felt like an early Alpha as opposed to a demo. Please don't think I hate your game, it's just lacking is all. I look forward to your improvements!

Edited November 9, 2015 by PowerBurger

[pattaq 0]

Hey PowerBurger! Thanks for all of the feedback. Yes, this game definitely seems more of a "test" project as I simply focused on the combat system. I guess I need to put more effort into the tutorial and explain it better. A lot of the things were done intentionally such as having the players only able to carry 1 of each item, Allen and Mona gaining only 2 MP per turn, and everyone else but Tami having 5 HP. They're a lot of things I'd probably remove/ balance to make things more engaging.

 

Also, the treasures you gain from chests unlock more adventurers in the Guild Room (the room to the right). By talking to them, you can learn a new Combo.

 

Unfortunately, since RPG MV came out I probably won't be working on this as much as I'd want to. Still, it was a fun project and I hope others can enjoy it.