Do You Like RPGs, Music From Older Anime, And Games That Don't Actually Exist? Then This Mix Is For You!

I was trying to take photos of my new Jigoku Engine cart and got some nice ones, but I THINK I accidentally summoned Satan

hatoba tsugu fanart, 2019

strange occurrences in games that don't exist

Once In A Century, developed by Ribbon Black in 1991 for the Nintendo Famicom. An 8-bit RPG that follows one woman’s journey from a hired sword to the greatest knight the kingdom. Great graphics for a Famicom game, being that it was released near end of the console’s life cycle.

I won’t lie, I’m not too proud of the job I did cutting that label out.

Gonkaka Project Breakdown: Efiáltis pt. 1

So, this is something I’ve meant to do for a while! If you’ve followed my music close enough over the years, you’ll be familiar with one of the aliases I use, Gonkaka, and how it’s used for Video Game-styled songs and Chiptunes. One of the things I intend to use that alias for is full-fledged faux-soundtrack concept albums- albums styled to appear like they’re soundtracks for “real” games produced by the “company” Gonkaka works for in the lore of my various music aliases, Nincom- that are supplemented by writing and art to both help sell the concept, and give an indication of what the game would be like if it actually were real (so it’s kinda pulling double duty as fiction writing and design document). I’ve flirted with the concept a couple of times over the years- Battlemania: An Evil Supreme OST and Nightmare Busters Prototype Tracks- but I have accumulated a wealth of ideas for Gonkaka projects over the years that I’d like to work on. Problem is, I’ve… not actually written a lot of those ideas out, even the base stuff I’ve thought up that can be expanded on later. This little writing exercise- wherein I describe one of the most fleshed out future Gonkaka projects I’ve got so far, Efiáltis (which is heavily inspired by Splatterhouse, natch) as someone writing a guide / breakdown of it from the outside- was an attempt to actually start documenting these ideas in some concrete form. It’s not fully complete yet- it only goes up to the end of Efiáltis‘ third stage, as that’s where most of the concrete ideas for the project lie- but it will definitely be expanded upon. I will also be doing similar writing type things for the other Nincom titles I’ve dreamed up, again in an attempt to actually get me to document said ideas rather’n just leavin’ ‘em floatin’ ‘round my brain. Enjoy!

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“Efiáltis” (Εφιάλτης; a rough Greek translation of the name “Nightmare House”) is easily Nincom’s most infamous title. Though the company is no stranger to either the horror genre or for games with somewhat depressing or bittersweet stories, Efiáltis is utterly uncompromising in both aspects to the point that it turned a lot of players off when it was first released in 1990, unto a market and an audience that wasn’t used to games as bleak or as graphic. Also controversial was the game’s choice of protagonist and the character that the plot dictated they were to save; they were clearly depicted to be a Lesbian couple, with no uncertainty. The fact that it has gained a tremendous cult following through emulation in recent years, however, suggests that rather then being an out-and-out failure, it was simply ahead of its time.

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Game Idea: Urban open-world survival game where you play as a suspiciously sapient possum.

It’s Fallout Meets the Secret of NIMH Meets Untitled Goose Game.

The game is set in a few square blocks of an urban environment, with a mix of survival and stealth mechanics. You have all the standard aspect of a survival game, locating food and resources, building or locating shelter, etc,  Humans, depending on who they are, are likely to be hostile and if they become too aware of you they’ll devote time and resources to hunting you and making your life difficult, destroying your nests, laying traps and the like.

Fortunately, you can see in low light, so the night is a cooly lit world brimming with hiding spots. Daytime, by contrast, is swarming with threats and it’s brightness makes navigation and difficult. 

Carefully observing humans can unlock new crafting and skill options, however, making getting near them worth the risk. Early skills fit with abilities a possum might possess, like climbing, playing dead, and opening latches and working door handles. As the game progresses, skills open up like “stand upright”, “craft weapons”, and “imitate human speech.” 

You see, you’re not learning, you’re mutating. Through the course of the game, your aberrant intelligence grows and you connect with a network of abnormally intelligent animals to discover why you are the way you are, and what that means for you and the humans whose shadows you hide in.

Features:

Explore a familiar world turned alien through the nocturnal eye of a small, screaming marsupial. 

Scavenge the leftovers of civilization without the looming bummer of a nuclear apocalypse. 

Alternate playthrough styles including Racoon, Coyote and Skunk, each with different strengths and weaknesses (Racoon has advantages with anything needing hands but is combat-averse. Coyote is good in a fight, is active during the day and is able to work around humans (mistaken for a dog) but is terrible with mobility and crafting. Skunk takes a slight hit on hand-skills but has the spray which is very effective. Draws tons of aggro from humans)

Scavenge, farm, build, steal or fight to survive. Claw your way from scavenger to renowned cryptid, become one special human’s life-changing friend, or reclaim the world in the name of nature’s forgotten. It’s your choice!  Or just wander off to enjoy the survival loops and endlessly torment the human character AI. 

Elaborate branching dialog trees but all your lines are just various hisses. This provides no impediment to understanding you.

EDIT: Cover mock-up, I couldn’t resist.

Apple Quest Monsters!

Over 50 lovingly crafted sprites and descriptions of monsters from a non existant RPG, inspired by my childhood love of reading strategy guides for games I never played.

4 of the monsters here previously appeared in my Guide to Ghosts.

I spent a lot of time on each monster, so I hope you enjoy reading them!

Buy on itch.io here!

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lost property control organization (samidare/hoshibackyard)