i forgot i played this game 3 years ago - it was kind of a fever dream experience which I think influenced the rest of my dreams for a long time ; honestly though, i think this game is really cool presentation-wise and narratively. it's got a really interesting world and it'd be cool to see more of it
You know I gotta love a game that makes me genuinely piss my pants and also laugh really hard. Just incredibly unique in every aspect and beautifully executed all the same.
This is so charming and interesting in so many ways
Short little game about ghosts navigating through afterlife and sin and that whole mess.
I think one of the most fascinating aspects is how the mechanics of the afterlife emotionally impact all parties involve. Reapers grab souls, goddesses judge whether you're meant for heaven or hell, sin twists up lost angry souls, etc etc. The characterization of the main reaper Zogzo is bizarrely endearing. His job is only to slice up souls and send them packing. But he cares too much, trapping souls in his private castle to try and rehabilitate them before their proper judgment. He quite sincerely wants to do good. But he's limited by his own nature as a Reaper and his own perspective. Near the 2/3rds point of the game, you can obey his final warning and attempt to return to the castle. He's sighing in relief just before he's realized he's already attacked the protagonist. He can only gasp in horror that the instincts he's been fighting the entire game betrays him at such a key emotional moment. It works primarily because his sincerity is so debatable throughout the game. That moment of vulnerability, genuine self-disgust, is just so endearing as a character.
The goddess, by comparison, is sympathetic enough to the plight of humans, but its limited by her own perspective. She can't grasp the idea that Zogzo has good intent by leaving souls hanging around the mortal realm. Judging souls is her job and delaying it is just gunking up her system. Zogzo can delay the issue all he wants, she's not gonna count his rehabilitation sessions for shit. And her alliance with the protagonist is largely to further her own holy perspective on fighting demons. She can't actually think about the actual material conditions of humanity cause that's just not in her view of anything. Its these little nuances that avoid the expected "demons = good, angels = good" twist and center a horrible system as an existence for these creatures.
Gameplay broadly involves running from location to location with your latest items to unlock new doors, but it functions well. Minigame battles connecting all the pieces together, encouraging broad challenges. Its challenging enough without being insurmountable.
My favorite part of the game might be just how much of the game is just not interested in getting into gritty edgy content re: sin and violence. Its just not interested in that. Demons and angels are real, but also so are cute little dragons. Goofy things exist in tandem with the violent. Its not trying to be deeper than that and that's the kind of ping-pong in tone I like to see.
I think one of the most fascinating aspects is how the mechanics of the afterlife emotionally impact all parties involve. Reapers grab souls, goddesses judge whether you're meant for heaven or hell, sin twists up lost angry souls, etc etc. The characterization of the main reaper Zogzo is bizarrely endearing. His job is only to slice up souls and send them packing. But he cares too much, trapping souls in his private castle to try and rehabilitate them before their proper judgment. He quite sincerely wants to do good. But he's limited by his own nature as a Reaper and his own perspective. Near the 2/3rds point of the game, you can obey his final warning and attempt to return to the castle. He's sighing in relief just before he's realized he's already attacked the protagonist. He can only gasp in horror that the instincts he's been fighting the entire game betrays him at such a key emotional moment. It works primarily because his sincerity is so debatable throughout the game. That moment of vulnerability, genuine self-disgust, is just so endearing as a character.
The goddess, by comparison, is sympathetic enough to the plight of humans, but its limited by her own perspective. She can't grasp the idea that Zogzo has good intent by leaving souls hanging around the mortal realm. Judging souls is her job and delaying it is just gunking up her system. Zogzo can delay the issue all he wants, she's not gonna count his rehabilitation sessions for shit. And her alliance with the protagonist is largely to further her own holy perspective on fighting demons. She can't actually think about the actual material conditions of humanity cause that's just not in her view of anything. Its these little nuances that avoid the expected "demons = good, angels = good" twist and center a horrible system as an existence for these creatures.
Gameplay broadly involves running from location to location with your latest items to unlock new doors, but it functions well. Minigame battles connecting all the pieces together, encouraging broad challenges. Its challenging enough without being insurmountable.
My favorite part of the game might be just how much of the game is just not interested in getting into gritty edgy content re: sin and violence. Its just not interested in that. Demons and angels are real, but also so are cute little dragons. Goofy things exist in tandem with the violent. Its not trying to be deeper than that and that's the kind of ping-pong in tone I like to see.
DUUUUUDE.
I am a bit disappointed that the first person view was dropped halfway through, that was the best part of the game with some really solid horror with a little bit of whimsy, while the second half was more whimsy with horror elements outside of the final boss battle (which was awesome). That said, that second half is still some of the best the horror subgenre of rpgmaker games have to offer, its' just unfortunately preceeded by a really strong and unique start.
I am a bit disappointed that the first person view was dropped halfway through, that was the best part of the game with some really solid horror with a little bit of whimsy, while the second half was more whimsy with horror elements outside of the final boss battle (which was awesome). That said, that second half is still some of the best the horror subgenre of rpgmaker games have to offer, its' just unfortunately preceeded by a really strong and unique start.
this is one of the biggest surprises I've had in a long time, I got into this game expecting it to just have a good time, rest a bit from totk, it'll just be a fun short little game...
it's now one of my favourite games of all time, not only because it's good, but because it feels like it was made for people like me, and that just makes me feel amazing.
I could probably say way more about this game but I feel like the game speaks for itself just fine, so if you wanna listen to what it has to say then pick it up, you might like it, hell you might even love it as much as I did.
it's now one of my favourite games of all time, not only because it's good, but because it feels like it was made for people like me, and that just makes me feel amazing.
I could probably say way more about this game but I feel like the game speaks for itself just fine, so if you wanna listen to what it has to say then pick it up, you might like it, hell you might even love it as much as I did.
this was one of the coolest things i'd ever seen until the last ten minutes or so where it totally lost me with its downright silly ending
feels like it has a bit of an identity crisis but at the same time that quality gives it a certain rawness that you can only really get out of an amateur developer. would eagerly check out anything else by this person in the future
feels like it has a bit of an identity crisis but at the same time that quality gives it a certain rawness that you can only really get out of an amateur developer. would eagerly check out anything else by this person in the future
played oct 25th for rpgmaker october
went for this as soon as i saw it for half off in the halloween steam sale. this may have the most gorgeous art of any rpgmaker game ive played? took my breath away at points. up there for one of the most mechanically idiosyncratic in the engine too, being a first person point and click thru creepy corridors n rooms--for the majority of the game at least--w battle sequences in which you click on the one icon out of 3 with the color that matches the enemy's eyes. the way the game makes its combat encounters feel unique to each other n often flips expectations through them can give the impression that this is a gothier riff on (stupid as this may sound im being serious) undertale, but i think it isnt held back by that as much you might think. for one theres no real moralizing abt anything here, getting graded on how fast you dispatch demons is the closest thing to that and it doesnt have nearly as drastic an effect on your playthrough (tho on this note there is a sneakiness to the grading system hiding another definition of getting "perfects" on every battle that i kinda love). also the particular tongue-in-cheek playfulness zelle has towards it systems has a gory n darkly funny flavor to it that actually contributes well toward its general nightmarishness, rather than feeling like part of a social media comedian routine youre pushed forward through or something like that. basically i think theres more to talk abt here wrt how probable ut influence shaped this than w other similar games, not always in positive ways per se but for the most part i really did like how it made its own strides w those roots. i do think the last third or so drags a bit, also despite a lot of intrigue it generates for its world i dont think it all comes together at the end as satisfyingly as it could have, and those keep this from being a great game when its soooo close to getting there. but its still a very good one. literally the visuals alone would make this worth playing and i dont say that abt many games.
ps can someone PLEASE translate bijutsu kukan, the rpg fuming made before this that looks just as incredible???
went for this as soon as i saw it for half off in the halloween steam sale. this may have the most gorgeous art of any rpgmaker game ive played? took my breath away at points. up there for one of the most mechanically idiosyncratic in the engine too, being a first person point and click thru creepy corridors n rooms--for the majority of the game at least--w battle sequences in which you click on the one icon out of 3 with the color that matches the enemy's eyes. the way the game makes its combat encounters feel unique to each other n often flips expectations through them can give the impression that this is a gothier riff on (stupid as this may sound im being serious) undertale, but i think it isnt held back by that as much you might think. for one theres no real moralizing abt anything here, getting graded on how fast you dispatch demons is the closest thing to that and it doesnt have nearly as drastic an effect on your playthrough (tho on this note there is a sneakiness to the grading system hiding another definition of getting "perfects" on every battle that i kinda love). also the particular tongue-in-cheek playfulness zelle has towards it systems has a gory n darkly funny flavor to it that actually contributes well toward its general nightmarishness, rather than feeling like part of a social media comedian routine youre pushed forward through or something like that. basically i think theres more to talk abt here wrt how probable ut influence shaped this than w other similar games, not always in positive ways per se but for the most part i really did like how it made its own strides w those roots. i do think the last third or so drags a bit, also despite a lot of intrigue it generates for its world i dont think it all comes together at the end as satisfyingly as it could have, and those keep this from being a great game when its soooo close to getting there. but its still a very good one. literally the visuals alone would make this worth playing and i dont say that abt many games.
ps can someone PLEASE translate bijutsu kukan, the rpg fuming made before this that looks just as incredible???
Severely underrated gem of a game. 5/5 on art alone.
very sweet!!
Zelle is a very simple but honestly told piece lightly touching on sin, pushed towards audiences going through loss or angst with its charm. It's nothing particularly crazy or awe-inspiring, hell it only barely got me to tears by the end of it, but it's got a ridiculous amount of charm and care into every single piece of the adventure. Even with its very budget artstyle I was spooked and unnerved, and there wasn't a point where I ever felt it dragged. Its really only issue is that the zenith it hits is never particularly interesting, and honestly if I wasn't so brought in by the game's heart I don't think I could recommend it as much as I am doing so right now.
But, since I did, I hope that you consider picking it up and experience the ride yourself.
But, since I did, I hope that you consider picking it up and experience the ride yourself.
This review contains spoilers
|Non-Spoiler Section|
Zelle is a very... interesting game. It doesn't define itself as a horror experience, instead choosing the term "occult adventure", which is much more generous. However, it does try to create a rather tense atmosphere throughout it's runtime.
This atmosphere never really hit me in the way I had hoped it would. The "scares" were all rather predictable, and though the art is very well done, nothing shown gave me any sense of dread for the situation our protagonist is in. This could just be due to me being intimately antiquated with the horror genre, but I was never shaken by the games' events. I find that games need to give you something within the plot that feels unnatural and tense to achieve the vibe Zelle was going for. However, the premise of "boy goes outside room when he's not supposed to and meets demons" wasn't nearly enough to get me invested.
While the game tries to make some commentaries on sin, heaven, and hell, all it's observations remain surface level, and never dig down to the core of the discussion. Perhaps with a longer runtime this issue could have been mended, but I feel that a longer runtime would also sacrifice player attention-span, with the barebones mechanics of the gameplay not leaving much room to be expanded upon. I wish the gameplay was entirely reworked from what it is, as the shortcomings from this game's tiny length don't end at it's inability to make any greater points.
A major intention of the second half of the game is to try and get you invested in the characters of the world, but again, with such a short runtime it's VERY hard to give any of the characters meaningful dimensions, leading me to not care about what happened to any of them, even our own protagonist. The shift from first to third person that also occurs in the second half is an interesting gimmick, but does absolutely nothing to enhance or change the player experience. The developers seemed to add this feature only so that they could insert short "cutscenes", but with this being made in the RPGMaker engine, all the cutscenes were extremely stiff, and the lack of connection between the player and the characters means I didn't care much for what was occuring in the first place.
|Spoilers|
The boss fight with the reaper (I forget what his real name was because I did not care about him) was the only time in the game the gameplay actually felt slightly tense. However, this tension is INSTANTLY brought down by the fact that directly after, you fight the final boss, which you win with, you guessed it, the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!!!!........ Without any explanation or reasoning, a little dragon baby turns into a big dragon and finishes off the final boss for you! Yay!?!? This could have MAYBE been a cool moment if it was explained a little??? But even then, AGAIN, it is SO hard to feel any emotion towards any of these characters when they are so two-dimensional and underdeveloped, so a character-driven finale felt EXTREMELY underwhelming.
As someone with a deep love for RPGMaker games (My #1 game on here is one), I really, REALLY wanted to like this game. It has such a unique vibe, but unfortunately that gets ruined by the shift that occurs in the second half, and it never really recovers or expands upon itself in a way that makes the experience memorable. I wouldn't NOT reccomend the game necissarily, as it's runtime doesn't make it a major timesink to be lost, but I would advise expectations to not be too high while playing, and to simply view this as someone's short-and-sweet art project.
Zelle is a very... interesting game. It doesn't define itself as a horror experience, instead choosing the term "occult adventure", which is much more generous. However, it does try to create a rather tense atmosphere throughout it's runtime.
This atmosphere never really hit me in the way I had hoped it would. The "scares" were all rather predictable, and though the art is very well done, nothing shown gave me any sense of dread for the situation our protagonist is in. This could just be due to me being intimately antiquated with the horror genre, but I was never shaken by the games' events. I find that games need to give you something within the plot that feels unnatural and tense to achieve the vibe Zelle was going for. However, the premise of "boy goes outside room when he's not supposed to and meets demons" wasn't nearly enough to get me invested.
While the game tries to make some commentaries on sin, heaven, and hell, all it's observations remain surface level, and never dig down to the core of the discussion. Perhaps with a longer runtime this issue could have been mended, but I feel that a longer runtime would also sacrifice player attention-span, with the barebones mechanics of the gameplay not leaving much room to be expanded upon. I wish the gameplay was entirely reworked from what it is, as the shortcomings from this game's tiny length don't end at it's inability to make any greater points.
A major intention of the second half of the game is to try and get you invested in the characters of the world, but again, with such a short runtime it's VERY hard to give any of the characters meaningful dimensions, leading me to not care about what happened to any of them, even our own protagonist. The shift from first to third person that also occurs in the second half is an interesting gimmick, but does absolutely nothing to enhance or change the player experience. The developers seemed to add this feature only so that they could insert short "cutscenes", but with this being made in the RPGMaker engine, all the cutscenes were extremely stiff, and the lack of connection between the player and the characters means I didn't care much for what was occuring in the first place.
|Spoilers|
The boss fight with the reaper (I forget what his real name was because I did not care about him) was the only time in the game the gameplay actually felt slightly tense. However, this tension is INSTANTLY brought down by the fact that directly after, you fight the final boss, which you win with, you guessed it, the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!!!!........ Without any explanation or reasoning, a little dragon baby turns into a big dragon and finishes off the final boss for you! Yay!?!? This could have MAYBE been a cool moment if it was explained a little??? But even then, AGAIN, it is SO hard to feel any emotion towards any of these characters when they are so two-dimensional and underdeveloped, so a character-driven finale felt EXTREMELY underwhelming.
As someone with a deep love for RPGMaker games (My #1 game on here is one), I really, REALLY wanted to like this game. It has such a unique vibe, but unfortunately that gets ruined by the shift that occurs in the second half, and it never really recovers or expands upon itself in a way that makes the experience memorable. I wouldn't NOT reccomend the game necissarily, as it's runtime doesn't make it a major timesink to be lost, but I would advise expectations to not be too high while playing, and to simply view this as someone's short-and-sweet art project.
القيم بلاي : مزيج بين الالغاز وانك تضغط على شي بسرعة ووقت محدد الالغاز عادية لكن فكرة التضغيط جدا حبيتها وحبيت تنوعها
القصة : قصتها جدا جميلة وفيها كمية غرابة لكن النهاية كانت محبطة وغبية
الجرافكس : جرافكس اللعبة تحسة جاي من الديب ويب.. تصميمهم للمابات واختيارهم للالوان والانماط مقلق للعين واعطى للعبة طعم فريد
الموسيقى : لعبتها قبل مدة سوو ما اتذكرها لكن اتذكر كانت جميلة
تقييمي : لعبة فريدة من نوعها تشبة اندرتيل لكن باسلوب مختلف.. اللعبة اعطتني تجربة جديدة ومميزة وحبيتها جدا
القصة : قصتها جدا جميلة وفيها كمية غرابة لكن النهاية كانت محبطة وغبية
الجرافكس : جرافكس اللعبة تحسة جاي من الديب ويب.. تصميمهم للمابات واختيارهم للالوان والانماط مقلق للعين واعطى للعبة طعم فريد
الموسيقى : لعبتها قبل مدة سوو ما اتذكرها لكن اتذكر كانت جميلة
تقييمي : لعبة فريدة من نوعها تشبة اندرتيل لكن باسلوب مختلف.. اللعبة اعطتني تجربة جديدة ومميزة وحبيتها جدا
a very whimsical horror adventure
One of my favorite games of the past few years. While admittedly short, this game shows some cool gameplay ideas in its encounters, but difficulty definitely isn't why you play it.
In just a few hours, Zelle does an amazing job of building up a heavy atmosphere and keeping up the mysteries of its world, giving you just enough information to want to keep going. It showcases unusual combinations of graphical and gameplay styles, moving nearly seamlessly from a point & click style game to a more RPG Maker-style game somewhere near the halfway point. It's a great experience, solidified by the sheer charm the game has at every point, with how unsettling it all seems thanks to the point of view of the young protagonist and the game's unique presentation.
Maybe not for everyone, but it really was for me! If you like horror(-ish) games with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere, you'll hopefully enjoy it like I did.
In just a few hours, Zelle does an amazing job of building up a heavy atmosphere and keeping up the mysteries of its world, giving you just enough information to want to keep going. It showcases unusual combinations of graphical and gameplay styles, moving nearly seamlessly from a point & click style game to a more RPG Maker-style game somewhere near the halfway point. It's a great experience, solidified by the sheer charm the game has at every point, with how unsettling it all seems thanks to the point of view of the young protagonist and the game's unique presentation.
Maybe not for everyone, but it really was for me! If you like horror(-ish) games with a heavy emphasis on atmosphere, you'll hopefully enjoy it like I did.
Not quite what I was expecting, in a really good way. This is the first time I've seen someone try to hybridize CD-ROM first-person adventure gaming with RPG Maker-style adventures, and it honestly works surprisingly well. The decision to split out parts of the game world between gameplay styles ends up defining a really interesting sense of space.
The horror elements are a bit corny and not really scary, but the undercurrent of creepiness is actually pretty effective. The whole game has a mood that's really interesting.
This is one of the most obviously Undertale-inspired Japanese adventure games I've played, from the music to the combat to the staging. It doesn't feel overly derivative but that inspiration really colours the whole thing.
The horror elements are a bit corny and not really scary, but the undercurrent of creepiness is actually pretty effective. The whole game has a mood that's really interesting.
This is one of the most obviously Undertale-inspired Japanese adventure games I've played, from the music to the combat to the staging. It doesn't feel overly derivative but that inspiration really colours the whole thing.
soul
A ATMOSFERA DESSE JOGO É TÃO TÃO LINDA NOSSA. Fiquei em choque do início ao fim com todas as decisões estéticas do jogo.
ainda bem q a narrativa nunca foi o foco pq o final é. questionável.
ainda bem q a narrativa nunca foi o foco pq o final é. questionável.
Shit like this is what keeps me in love with video games. People can just do what the fuck they want and make these interesting art pieces. Its a huge mish mash of so much shit its extremely charming. It reminded me of 90's edutainment point and clicks, it made me think of modern "dark twist undertales", but it was also had so much of its own shit. I highly recommend this if you love seeing what independent artists are making.
ta bien pero necesita un menú y me daban bajones de rendimiento en algunas partes
Absolutely beautiful art style, looks amazing throughout. Fun too. But the writing's kind of cring cring e cring cring e.