Lisa And The Rubies of Donn

[+ JuJu 73]

 

 

"I'm not much of the hero type, but doing what's right... that's something beyond the realm of heroes and villains. That's just being human."

 
 

In a world parallel to our own, Tochiko Island is the last magical place on earth. The humans there can live up to three times as long as a normal human might, and the stuff of legends and myths roam the grasslands and forests. 
 
Lisa, a human woman from what Tochikoans call "the mainland", was kidnapped by a suave pirate captain and forced into a strange whirlwind marriage. But that's another story for another day. Shes lives contently on the island, having made friends with the other Humans that live in Tochiko Town.
 
But bad times are about to befall the town, as children-- usually so well kept after -- have gone missing. The Fae, magical beings akin to fairies that have lived longer than the stones in the earth, are anxious about a growing threat from the North: Witches. A true war of the ages is brewing, and standing in ignorance at the heart of it is Lisa, who's determination to do the right thing at any cost has thrown her into mortal danger. Along with her new friend, a ghostly child named Simone, she'll embark on a perilous journey into the unknown to find out what's happened in the North.
 
Based around Celtic mythology and culture, but with a modern-day twist and characters that you might see in a Saturday morning cartoon, this game features a story-driven plot with puzzles and lessons about what it really means to understand and love others as you might yourself.

Lisa, the Pirate's Wife:
the main character (though she'd rather not be). Cynicism is her nature, but when you were raised in poverty and had to fight to survive, it comes naturally. The youngest of three sisters, she cut ties with the eldest-- a conceited girl who married into money and never looked back. Her second sister left to work in the city and always sent money home, but it was never enough. Lisa was never able to go find her fortune due to having to care for her ailing, elderly mother; still, she bore the responsibility as "something that had to be done" and gave up any dreams she might have had. She chopped off her hair and dyed it, brawled with sailors, and grew callous as the years passed.
 
She traded her life to marauding pirates in exchange for her mother's last years being a life of ease, with more than enough money to get by and someone to take care of her. The captain was intrigued by her personality and odd hair color, and declared her to be his wife. She was taken back to Tochiko Island, where her first major lesson was that nothing is as it seems. The charismatic devil she found herself wed to-- known across the mainland for pillaging ten villages in the span of a morning-- was really a kind, gentle oaf with an eccentric sense of humor. Magic existed in everyday life, things that weren't human acted more humane than things that looked beautiful and kind. Slowly, she found herself relaxing and eventually loving the new place she called home and the family that lived there, scurvy and all. 
 
All in all, she gets by the best she can. 
 


Simone, the Ghost: Simone is, for all intents and purposes, deader than a door nail. Her life was tragically cut short at the ripe age of seven and 3/4s when Witches attacked the secluded village she lived in. Her soul's last thoughts were of her mother's instructions to run as far and as fast as she could, but when she looked back she was dead and- even worse --she was alone. She's now on a quest to find her mother's spirit and be rejoined with her for eternity. The only problem is that she needs help, and no one can see or hear her! No one except those that wear rubies of Donn, Lord of the Dead. 
 
Despite being dead, she's still cheerful and bubbly. She understands what's happened to her (apparently being dead gives you a surprising amount of wisdom, being able to see things in a different light), but she's still only seven at heart and can't be expected to stay solemn for long. She misses being able to touch things like flowers and feel their petals, but she enjoys floating wherever she pleases.
 

Norio the Pirate Captain: the infamous pirate captain of legend. Ageless and fearless, he plunders and pillages as he sees fit, offering no mercy unless gold is brought out by the wagon-full. Or so they say, when there's stories told of him. In reality, Norio is clumsy and goofy, with an odd maturity that only comes from being in charge of a group of even clumsier, goofier men. He relies on his first mate to keep him grounded and spread the rumors about him. He's actually only pillaged two or three villages as a whole, and the awful stories he spreads, along with his honed charismatic skills, have people throwing gold at him before he has to lift his sword once.
 
He's still a stickler for tradition, though, so he's well trained in the arts of swordplay and pirate etiquette. He buries some treasure, though the majority goes to the town in order to keep the economy bolstered and pirate widows cared for. As a result, his own house is rather meager compared to others, but it's modest and comfortable: perfect for a pirate captain. He's devoted to three things as a rule: His wife, his men, and his town (in that order). Even if he did weasel his way into getting Lisa as his wife, he still loves her with a single-hearted devotion that true compatibility (and some magic) can accomplish. He does act as a foil for her with his lightheartedness and odd humor, often reminding her of her own faults when she gets on a soapbox. 
 

Berta Yamada: Lisa's best friend and resident town baker. As with all artisans in the human town, she took on the last name Yamada when she took on the bakery. She looks nothing at all Asiatic, with her bright red hair and even brighter Southern mainland accent. Her backstory is a bit of a mystery: she washed ashore one day after a storm and Norio brought her to the town, where she became apprenticed to the previous Yamada. She inherited the bakery on his death, and now its sports her "style", overflowing with bright colors and floral arrangements. 
 
She's plump and sturdy, and many men in town are enamored with her sweet, kind personality. Although she does spend most of the time in a state of saintly patience, she does have a temper as fiery as her ovens and won't hesitate to dress down and even throw something at the patrons that get out of line. She has a soft spot for children and any that come to the bakery will often be given a small treat free of charge and a seat at the table, which is filled with colorful characters from around the island.
 

Riordan Tanaka: If he looks as though he's about to faint, he probably is. Tanaka is the town's seamster and part-time armor repairer. If it weren't' for his astounding skills with a needle, it's doubtful that the town would even tolerate his weird ways. Living in a perpetual state of fear, he won't even leave his shop to get a breath of fresh air. There's a large list of rules for patrons to follow, the strangest of which include "one person in the store at a time" policies. His trademark is a large beige scarf that he hides in when frightened beyond his means. 
 
Tanaka is a hypochondriac, always sniffling and snuffling even if he's not really that sick. His only true friend is Yamada, who brings him food from the bakery next door. Though he complains about her overbearing nature and voices aloud that he wishes she'd leave him alone sometimes, it's well worth noting that he goes out of his way to please her-- though perhaps that's only to make her stop nagging him so much? Lisa finds him annoying, yet harmless, and often ignores him completely unless needing some new threads. 
 

Dr. Suzuki: As one of the Higher Fae, the good doctor Sorcha Suzuki has the oddest appearance of them all. While still resembling a human in most aspects, her long, giraffe-like neck and the extra knuckles on her fingers get more attention than the clear irises and pointed ears. The last Healing Fae on the island, she's devoted her existence to understanding human diseases and, hopefully, curing them completely. 
 
The very portrait of a wise, sagely mother-type figure, she lives at the forest's edge close to the human town, while still in the Faeglades. She doesn't have a good understanding of idioms or the vaguer aspects of Human nature, but she does understand the body and even the soul to some aspect. She uses her magic to keep the townspeople safe and healthy; that is what she feels her purpose in life truly is. 

Scripts: Yanfly, KilloZapit, V.M. of D.T., White Demon / White Mage, SeerUK & OriginalWij 
 
Tilesets/Items/Sprites/Images: Celianna, Ayene-chan, HiddenOne, Looji
 
Music: Joshua Duarte / ReidenLightman
 
Voices: Cait-Powers Page, Gwydion Calder, Bree Page, Jason Thomas, Tatianna, Mellony-Hime, Heather P., Sarah E. Taylor, Katabelle, MatiMalli  
 

- - Get to know townspeople for their unique quirks, and discover new friends! - - 


- - Explore the magical island of forests, snow, grasslands, and oceans! - -


- - See beautiful shops, odd houses, quaint farms, and more! - -

 

• RATING: PG 13- adult themes, mild language, non-graphic violence
• Full Soundtrack, created just for the game 
• Voiced cutscenes
• Collectible concept art and information 
• Story-heavy gameplay with puzzles and battles
• Free world access

 

 
 

Check out some of these awesome tunes! They're just a sample of what you'll hear when playing the game! 

 

Don't be a Witch: Show your support!

Edited September 20, 2016 by JuJu

[Whiona 310]

Wow, I'm definitely interested! Goofy characters, Celtic mythology, and a feel-good message? I'm 100% down for that. I like the character profiles, too - you've clearly spent a long time developing these folks, which is a very good thing, given that this is a story-driven game.

 

I'll keep an eye on this, and if you have any sort of support banner, I'd like to pop it in my signature.

[+ JuJu 73]

Wow, I'm definitely interested! Goofy characters, Celtic mythology, and a feel-good message? I'm 100% down for that. I like the character profiles, too - you've clearly spent a long time developing these folks, which is a very good thing, given that this is a story-driven game.

 

I'll keep an eye on this, and if you have any sort of support banner, I'd like to pop it in my signature.

 

Added! I had to actually take the time to make one (I'm bad at banners, haha) 

[Tsarmina 2,612]

Story games are the best! I love how you obviously spent a good deal of time fleshing this out, so I'm expecting this to go far ALSO I LOVE THAT SPRITE POSE IN YOUR FIRST SCREENSHOT AHDFJSDF little things like that mean so much when it comes to quality and immersion!!! <333 Keep up the good work c:

[Nirwanda 323]

I can't help but read this as the rubies of doom. XD

It's good to finally see your project online, Juju. And I wish you the best of luck with it.

If I may make a small criticism: mack+rtp+ds sprites in only one screen don't mesh well togeher, but that's just my opinion, no one else seems to have noticed.

[+ JuJu 73]

I can't help but read this as the rubies of doom. XD

It's good to finally see your project online, Juju. And I wish you the best of luck with it.

If I may make a small criticism: mack+rtp+ds sprites in only one screen don't mesh well togeher, but that's just my opinion, no one else seems to have noticed.

 

They are... sort of... rubies of doom (wiggles fingers like mad scientist) DOOOOOOMMMMM~ 

 

There's a legit, story-canon reason that the Mack sprites are in there. As for the DS sprites: I only use them sparingly if at all, so hopefully it won't be too bad. 

[benja 6]

Is there going to be combat? Or is it a story driven exploration/puzzle game? I mean, if all of the maps were like the screenshot I wouldn't mind just blissfully strolling through the maps with no story whatsoever.

[+ JuJu 73]

Is there going to be combat? Or is it a story driven exploration/puzzle game? I mean, if all of the maps were like the screenshot I wouldn't mind just blissfully strolling through the maps with no story whatsoever.

 

There is combat, but it's not until later in the game. The first 25% of the game is setting up the plot, in a way. 

 

I guess I'm trying to say that it hardly relies on combat in the end, but combat is there. If that makes sense

[Sleepless 26]

Hi Ms. Juju! I saw your game in your signature from your posts on How To Write Good, and looking at the info about the game, I'm absolutely in love with it. My favorite character so far is Simone, but I do like the main heroine as well. I want to add this game to my signature, if that's alright! ^^; 

[+ JuJu 73]

Hi Ms. Juju! I saw your game in your signature from your posts on How To Write Good, and looking at the info about the game, I'm absolutely in love with it. My favorite character so far is Simone, but I do like the main heroine as well. I want to add this game to my signature, if that's alright! ^^; 

Go right ahead! Thanks for the support  

[+ JuJu 73]

BUMP: 8/15/2016

CHANGES:
Addition of menu sprites! See your favorite character's new, fancy portrait!

Updated Credits section to show current commission artwork, etc.

Updated Features section to make it easier to read

[+ JuJu 73]

BUMP 9/19/16

 

CHANGES: 

 

Added music! Hear a sampling of the soundtracks for the game, to get a feel of the atmosphere.