Hey guys, do you remember this? No? Well, about four years ago when I first started into RPG Maker, I made a Resident Evil tribute game simply entitled Midnight. It seemed well liked enough, but frankly it kinda sucked because of how new I was to the world of game creation. I never even got around to finishing it, like so many other new people with their first projects. There was just too many difficulties and bugs, especially since I was designing a manual ABS system and used no scripts except for a message system. But then about two years later, I was invited to make a quick "sequel" of sorts in a contest for the BlizzABS script, and I managed to put together
Midnight: Genesis Project as a non-canon spinoff. It was MUUUUCH better, and got me to thinking how the original would look if I used the same system I did for Genesis Project.
This is the a portion of the result of that experiment. It's a complete makeover of the original project's demo, upgraded in every way I could possibly manage with the knowledge I've gained over four years of using RPG Maker. I've tried to keep it as similar as possible to the original while changing things I had envisioned adding the first time around but couldn't due to inability at the time. RMRK members from back when I first joined might find a number of familiar elements along with the new features and thrills, and even those who haven't seen the original will still likely find this to be a fun game to play.
All that said, here's the remake of my favorite project, Midnight. Admittedly I mostly did this in the hopes of getting nominated for some of the RPG Maker awards, particularly the programming one since most of the game is done via events. Regardless, I hope you enjoy. ^^
"Devil's Island... It's been in the news quite a bit lately. Over the last few weeks, apparently people have been going to the island and just... disappearing from the face of the earth. Some are saying that it's the fault of the dangerous reefs in the sea around Devil's Island that have been tearing large holes in the hulls of boats. Others are saying that the people who went to the island were carried away by the spirits who reside in the 'haunted mansion'. Naturally, the police have searched the island in their investigation into the disappearances, but so far they have turned up nothing. Now it's my turn though to visit the island. I've been commissioned to search for one of the people who went missing on the island, and the only place where I'm going to find any clues is on the island itself. I've heard that there's one last boat leaving for the island tonight, some group of film students or something, so this will be my only chance to make it out there. If everything goes well, I should be able to confirm for sure whether my target is on the island or not before midnight tonight. Then again, I might be in for a long night. I feel like there's a storm on the horizon..." Spoiler for :
You will have no fear of the darkness, but rather what lurks within it. Use your lighter
to explore the dark hallways of the mysterious mansion and face the evils within it.
Your trusty handgun will be your greatest asset against the hordes of the undead that stalk you.
Be on your toes with your trigger finger ready at any moment to draw your weapon and fire.
The old mansion is filled with danger, but you don't always have to face it head on.
Remember, fighting isn't the only way to survive this nightmare.
Even if your gun is out of ammo and all the odds are against you, never give up!
Use your combat knife for quick melee swipes when trapped in a tight spot.
If you're in need of firepower, switch to your shotgun to blast the undead monsters to pieces.
A single point blank shot will almost always kill any normal enemy you face against.
You will be part of a intricate story with many alternate paths. The choices
you make will affect who will live and who will never leave Devil's Island again.
Complex puzzles and locks will bar your way, but using your wits, you can easily
overcome every obstacle before you to continue on your quest for survival.
Deadly traps are hidden around every corner, waiting to darken the daylights of the slow.
Think fast and act even quicker if you wish to avoid an unpleasant death.
WARNING: This should be obvious, but if I was ESRB, I'd be rating this game a definite
M for Mature . It contains blood and gore, strong language, and intense violence. This is all 2D though, so if you can't handle it, you're probably not old enough to be on the forums in the first place.
Download Here The demo is approximately 50mb and last about an hour and a half to two hours depending on your skill level (not including the number of times you die and restart from the last save point, haha). I've included all resources and the drivers so it should be playable whether you have RMXP or not, with no need to download/install extra RTP or fonts. Enjoy
If you're having problems or find that you are dying way too often, here are some general tips about Midnight and survival horror games overall that might help you to survive a little longer:
Spoiler for :
SAVE OFTEN. Nothing sucks more than to complete a large section or challenging puzzle, only to get your head sliced off in an instant death trap without saving. So do yourself a favor and search for save rooms before anything else. They'll be marked by special doors and calmer music, so you'll definitely know when you've found one. Conserve your ammo! There is only a limited amount of ammo in the game, so if you're running low and don't have to kill an enemy to get past it, don't bother to waste your shots. Similarly, conserve the medicine from the save rooms, as you might get screwed if you run out of them. Try to only take a pill when you're in either the "Caution" or "Danger" levels. Oppositely, don't constantly avoid all of the enemies too much. In some areas, more will come around later on and join with whatever you've left behind. If you leave their number unchecked, you might find yourself needing to get through an area that has too many for you to handle. Make sure you reload whenever you get the chance to, such as when the enemies are far enough away or you've cleared a room. You could have over a hundred bullets, but they won't do you any good if you're going into battle with only two loaded into your gun, and reloading while under attack can cost you valuable time. Obviously, your bullets cannot pass through solid walls. It CAN, however, pass through enemies to hit ones behind them, so use this to your advantage! Try to line enemies up so that you can hit multiple ones with one shot. This is one of the easiest ways to clear rooms while saving bullets. Your shotgun is a powerful weapon that can knock an enemy further away from you and take most down in two hits. It's even more useful though when used up close to an enemy. The shotgun provides an additional spread that can hit enemies to the sides as well as in front, and will almost always kill the average enemy with one single point blank shot. Try to use your shotgun sparingly though. There is very little ammo for it, and it will be your best friend when facing any larger enemies or against the headhunter rather than single enemies. Try to save it for only when you absolutely need it, like when surrounded by a crowd of monsters or up against the tougher baddies. Your knife is a pathetically weak weapon that cannot drive back any of the enemies. It can, however, be good for saving you a few bullets now and then if you can get the hang of using it properly. Try using it to finish off an enemy you've shot about four or so times to save you an extra few bullets. Even a few can make a difference when ammo is tight for you. Explore each room thoroughly. Even if you think you already know where to go, take a closer look around. You might find a key item you didn't notice the first time, or a spare clip of ammo or journal. Plus, taking your time to look around a bit will help you to orient yourself with the layout of the mansion so that you spend less time wandering around aimlessly. If a puzzle has you stumped for how to solve it, double check all the items and files in your inventory. There might be a clue on how to solve the puzzle in one of the documents you've found, or perhaps one of the items you found is actually the key you need to proceed. More to come!
Here's to hoping I win something with this. Either way, have fun!