"Amy sees the ghost of her departed mother."
I recently saw my face on pixl-bit’s milk carton and decided to pop up. Normally people have good reasons like being sick, visiting their relatives, or dealing with some heady life changes. I cannot truly boast any of this so I’ll cut to the chase. For the most part I’ve simply been working hard on the game. Since we last talked, I finished the school section. The mansion and forest sections are almost done too. All that’s left is maybe 2 more boss fights, a few new enemies to introduce, 2 new dungeons, and the ending. Well, that’s not entirely true. There’s also the editing. Aka, fiddling with the passability of certain objects as well as checking for spelling errors. (I’m more concerned about passability issues right now.)
"Outside the O'sheely manor proper."
"Not so pleasant surprises await the gang in the high school."
Anyway, I hope those of you played it enjoyed the demo! It’s safe to say things get a lot more interesting later on. I must also warn you they get a lot more disturbing. There’s a plot revelation in the school that may alienate certain gamers and I have no ill will towards the folks it’ll be a deal breaker for. There were parts in certain movies I could not sit through so who am I to judge, right?
Other redundant mentions
Oddly enough,Growlanser WOT is sort of like a Bioware game made in Japan. Aka, you can pursue romances with almost anyone (male or female) and the choices you make have a huge impact on the story. There are three main sides in the conflict (Dealing with angels bringing forth Armageddon and multiple feuding nations) and the game boasts something like 30 endings!
I find it kind of weird this game skated by with a teen rating. If anything WOT is a lot like Suikoden 2 and Suikoden 2 was a very dark and morose experience at times. No one’s life is truly sacred and there are many points where people you care about die in front of you. (There are also plenty of instances where helpless men, women, and children get cut down too.) This is not a game that glorifies war. It shows it off as the ugly beast it truly is.
"The prison segment in WOT is every bit as depressing,hopeless, and teary-eye inducing as the real Auschwitz concentration camp. A side-plot during this part of the game literally made me cry."
Many people may pass this off as an “otaku anime rpg” and that’s a pity. The narrative is exceptionally mature and the combat system is both deep and rewarding. There’s quite a bit of “strategic planning” during battles but not so much people will feel completely alienated and utterly confused. (Though I did feel as if there was one battle in particular where I finally won based upon sheer luck. Saying “It was brutal“ would be an understatement!)
"DEBATE ABOUT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS INCOMING! THIS MONTH IN MISOGYNY WE ADDRESS SKIN TIGHT LAVENDER BODY SUITS AND FETISHISTIC CRYO-SLEEP FASHIONED BEDS FOR ALL THOSE POTENTIAL SCI-FI THEMED RAPISTS PROWLING OUR DEGENERATE STREETS!"
I’ve known many people in the gaming journalism field who would gladly spend a whole 6 page article picking apart Satoshi Urushihara’s artwork as “sexist misogyny” but frankly those people can sit on my middle finger and spin until they’re down to my elbow. Being “politically correct” seems like the new black right now and I’m really tired of it bombarding my sensibilities everywhere I go. Personally I love Satoshi’s work and I don’t think the man in trying to promote a patriarchal conspiracy every time he draws a beautiful woman in suggestive clothing. Whether or not you love or hate Growlanser’s visual style, the female characters in WOT are well written. Furthermore, the “man whore letch” in your adventuring party gets brow-beaten constantly for being such a womanizer. (Though honestly Christopher is pretty awesome on the battlefield!) My problem with “shock jock activists” is they take everything at surface value. This REALLY needs to stop.
Assuming you have a PSP or a Vita with enough hard-drive space, I wholeheartedly recommend picking Growlanser WOT up! If you’re a big fan of rpgs with romances, branching paths, and strategic combat this is one of the best games of that niche to dive into. Whether you enjoy titles like Agarest War or Mass Effect you’ll probably be pleased with this little gem either way!
I was just wondering where Ben had gone too earlier today. Glad you are still working hard on the game! I haven't tried the demo yet, but I might... I might wait for the final product though to get the full experience.
I'd honestly suggest waiting for the final product,Travis. lol.
Missed ya man.
Missed you too,Blake. In a mostly hetero but slightly repressed homo way. lol. Sorry you're getting this response late-ish. Seems everytime I sit down to write someone tries to drag me somewhere. Usually my life is more mellow than it is right now!
I never read too much about Wayfarer of Time when it was released over here. I figured it was another solid JRPG, though the PSP has about a hundred of those so down it plunged to the bottom of my queue. Knowing now that it has a mature narrative grabs my interest so I'll have to look more into this game.
If you ever played & liked the Persona games or the Suikoden series there's a pretty good chance you'll love Growlanser WOT! I was actually surprised by how deep the characters and writing were. The art style kind of made me expect something more fluffy & stereotypical but as I actually went through the game it got very dark,philosophical, and sad in many places.
yea, Growlancer. I want that.
It's cheap on amazon right now. $16.99 for the psp!
oooo. Tempting.
I just came on thinking of sending you message as one story-writer to another, only to find a blog! I'll just ask it here, since it does kind of relate since you said there's disturbing parts coming into the game later. One of the biggest problems I've had lately, is whenever I feel like writing up another section/scenario for my story, I keep on going back to a really dark, grim, and disturbing section (one I have on here that you've commented on, that's probably enough to remind you) and just feel kinda bummed after remembering or reading it, and lose the will to write that I had just had. Has this happened to you any, and how do you get around it if it has? It's almost like a buzzkill of my urge to write, even though I know it's an essential piece of the story.
Now, onto your game. I'm still waiting for the final product before playing it, and if I have a job by then, or whenever i get one, will happily do a donation for the title if you have a means for that set up. I know you plan on it being free, but setting up something so people who enjoy it can donate if they want would be a good idea I would think. That way everyone can get it, and people who have the spare money and enjoyed it can reward you for your hard work!
Finally, if you want to cut down on some work-load for you, I'd gladly proofread everything you have for your game for spelling and grammar. I am 100% sincere here in saying I'm not trying to brag or anything, but my spelling skills are one of my more natural talents, and I would love to be able to help cut down on some work for you, one friend to another. I just thought I would put the offer out there for you, and if you want to take it, feel free to with no worries, but if you want to do it yourself, don't feel like it's an insult. Just trying to help some! Looking forward to whenever the final product is released!
Same, my sister was a national level speller so that automatically makes me mostly competent at spelling! I would love to help, so long as you credit me as the "Super speller guy that is totally a better speller than his sister".
Hardy-har-har. Very funny. Good try at mocking. I'm offering to help a friend with no charge and even not caring about any credit, and you feel the need to make a lame joke. Congratulations on the immaturity there buddy. Now, no more replying to your comments as I don't want to litter up Ben's blog!
Sorry Ben, you know how some things go!
Whaaa.... I think you misunderstood me! My sister actually was a national speller and I'm really good at it as well. I actually was offering help, not trying to mock; the credit part was a joke! And you're right, no more commenting lol!
Take everything I say with a grain of salt because I don't actually like writing much at the moment. I'm more into level design and learning programming in games. I read a ton but the last time I was truly excited about writing was a few years ago when I did some short stories. One of them was a really heavy horror short story that I threw together in a few hours, it ripped off some plot points from Silent Hill 2 and wasn't an original story, but I was more interested in developing the atmosphere and scenarios and how I described them in my prose at the time or whatever. Some things happened to my main character that made you really empathetic, but by the end you saw him in a different light and understood why he kind of deserved to be in such a hellish place. It was a fucked up story with literally no positive endings for anybody lol. It was distubing to write and I didn't feel good doing it, but it felt like the right thing for the story. I was depressed at the time and needed to vent and create a dark place with my imagination, and that short story helped out with that a little bit.
In regards to your story, it all depends on why writing it is making you bummed out. If you're creating characters that you really like and bad things have to happen to them in the story, you should feel bummed out just like the reader should if they become attatched to the characters. If you really care about characters and the drama that's unfolding is painful, that's likely a good sign you're doing something right. But if you're bummed out just because you're not enjoying writing it, that's a whole different can of worms. That would probably mean you should quit and write something else that is more engaging to you. Maybe come back later or scrap it altogether, depends on how you feel, you're the author afterall.
Ya, I'm not gonna say my story is completely original, as no story is truly original anymore. It kind of rips tiny things from tons of different stories, almost to the point of not really being able to pinpoint what it's taken from, and throws them together into one big story. Probably the biggest thing it takes cues from is a book called "Bunker 10" by I think J.A. Henderson if I remember correctly, and what it takes is mainly how part of the story is the group going through a military bunker where experiments are done, and I didn't really rip it from there, but it also helped me in understanding how to work time-travel without creating a universe-breaking paradox.
Now, the reason it's hard to write it is because I care so much about the characters. The whole story started as one dream, and then other dreams, albeit not with the same people, have pieced together to make it the big thing that it is. These are people I have gotten to know in my own little world, really. It's hard writing something terrible happening to a girl who for a time was literally my dream girl. I know from the snippets I've shared, it's hard for others just reading the bits to care about the characters in the way I do, but once I would finally have it all written, and would get it out as a game (if not by a studio I would start, then hopefully Naughty Dog would be up for it with a new type of art style), I would sure hope the people experiencing it would become attached to the characters like I have, and to feel terrible going through certain parts.
Once the game is "complete" I may have someone proof-read it but I'm not 100% sure at this point. Not because there's no trust. Moreso because I think it might spoil any surprises for ya'll! Aka,once you know every twist & turn is there really a reason to go on? Rpgs are very story driven and I don't know if I want to ruin the delight of self discovery for any of my closet friends. Just be warned the school section may make you squirm! However,once that is over with the game eventually starts getting more optimistic again.
Hello. I've been working on my PAX articles so I hope you get a chance to read them. Good luck with your RPG!
You got to go to Pax,Cary? Awesome!
Welcome back back Ben!!! You hath been missed!
Growlanser: I don't remember WHICH game I played, but I do remember that the version that I played had two different Growlanser games within the same package. I need to start paying more attention to this type of stuff. lol
Regardless though, the game was a lot of fun! It was tough, but fun!
I believe you're talking about "Heritage Of War",Chris. Did it come with Growlanser II and Growlanser III? Wayfarer of time is Growlanser 4 respectively. Luckily,you don't need knowledge of the past games to enjoy this one. The story is very self contained. Knowning your tolerence for tough games, I think you'd enjoy WOT a lot! It was on the PS2 and psp but it can also be downloaded onto the Vita.
Figured that was what you were up to and why you'd disappeared. Now go read my blog post about women and gaming. You misused the word misogyny.
Misusing the word misogyny was kind of satirical and intentional on my part,Tami. lol. I'm sure you figured that out a split second after reading it though. I take pride in the fact my readership is intelligent. Moreso, I take pride in the fact my readership is composed of goodhearted worthwhile individuals!
Ben, that is where you have... Been?
Clever word play! You win today's classy monocle,sir! I assume you already have the matching top-hat!
hey Ben! That's awesome you've been working on your game. I'm sorry I haven't played the new demo yet, but in my defense, I've been in kind of slump and haven't been playing anything or writing anything.....
But I'm excited you are nearing the end. There's nothing like making your own shit.
It's cool,Matt. I think it would be better for you to experience the whole thing in one big chunk anyway! Hoping you get over your slump soon. I've been there and it's rough.
Can you give a link to the demo? The game sounds interesting!
Glad you're back and the game is going so well. You have me intrigued by what this dark turn of events in your story will be. I hope you find a way to bring it to Macs! Also, still waiting for a reply to that message I sent you...
I'll get on that reply,daft! My apologies you've had to wait it out so long during my unexpected (yet self inflicted) hiatus!
I picked up Growlanser WOT on PSN a while back. I've only checked it out for 5 minutes but I will play it at some point. Always good to hear from you.. I want to check out the demo.
It's worth sticking with,Pete. Don't feel bad though. It was slow going for me at first too. I didn't get totally invested until visiting the first ruins. From then on I was hooked!
It's definitely a game to set aside for rainy days & vacations. It's a deceptively huge rpg!
Hey, glad to see you back Ben. Can't wait for your game to be completed.
Thanks,Alejandro. I'm shooting for Febuary but you know how development can be. lol.
Sweet! Good luck finishing your game. I'm not too big on rpgs, but turn based rpgs are right up my alley, so I would definitely like to play it sometime.
My rpg is definitely old school,mang. lol. Think Dragon warrior meets the older Shin Megami Tensei games.
Ben! No wonder I havent seen you...I dont drink milk. Now if your face was on a gallon of Morsi sweet tea...I would have seen that! hahahahahah
Then pretend I was never captured and tortured by zombie creating/mecha making terrorists,Gray! It's all good man,all good! (twitch,twitch)
They actually put your face on a milk carton? Hope they used a good pic.
I've yet to try out the demo but I'll get to it eventually. Just have to install it on my netbook. I really need to check out this growlanser game. I really enjoyed the PS2 games that came out from working desgins. I had a chance to get it when it was on sale on PSN but debated about a disc version. Glad to see the game series is still awesome.
Growlanser WOT reminds me of a love child spawned from an orgy involving Chrono trigger,Suikoden 2,Persona 4, FF tactics, and Mass Effect. It really is that good!