The RPG Maker Resource Kit

[spoiler]Illuminated Badassery 3: Redemption (or IB3 for short) is the third and final entry in the Illuminated Badassery series, and the only one currently up. It is meant to tie up all the loose ends, expand even more on the concepts and challenges, and overall pick up from where the original two games left off (the intro, numerous scenes in the game and the trailer will tell you all you need to know). It will contain both the side-splitting comedy of the original and the deep, extensive character development of the sequel in conjunction with the full juicy end to cap off the ultimate outcome of the universe. I hope it will not only be the best entry in the series, but an exceptional addition to anyone's RPG Maker library.

Unlike other entries (while they were still up) which are mostly manageable, the game is meant to be very challenging, although mostly later on. It starts off with easy/middling difficulty but will gradually become harder as you go along. The combat requires significant attention and, while having a simple learning curve, is quite difficult to master due to the numerous strategies you can employ, and this is only exemplified by the many tough boss battles. Simply put, this game is not for laid-back players; you must be quick, prepared and willing to use the right spells/weapons at all times. It's nothing overly strenuous, but regardless, be prepared for a fast-paced, difficult experience.[/spoiler]

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[spoiler]The universe... has always been a strange place. That's inarguable. But it's about to get stranger.

As you all know, 2 years ago, Joseph Carter Mard first saved the world from the evil Hairy. Soon afterwards, he saved the universe. One could only assume that peace and serenity soon followed.

But did it? No.

In fact, a whole bunch of awful shit happened; nations went insane, babies were aborted in an instant, politics went out the window, countries were torn apart, and everyone overall became slaves to the evil influence and aura of Hairy. However, two individuals have yet to be truly affected...

Barnes and Paul are those two, of course! Right after the universe was saved for the first time, the two traveled to celebrate a job well done, then somewhere along the line, they "hit a snag", so to speak, and were quickly separated by an unknown malevolent force. By the time Barnes meets up with Paul after killing a strange demon, only questions arise... why is the Earth fucked? Why does the universe feel as though it's going to implode any minute?

Eventually, our heroes decide to embark on one final adventure to fully enact justice upon whoever continues to corrupt our universe. Who could it be? What possible reason could this being have for doing it?[/spoiler]

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[spoiler]Being the last game in the series, many returning characters and new faces are making appearances. This game probably has the biggest roster of IB characters to date, many of them with their own personalities and depth.



The game's main hero. Despite being sarcastic and incredibly violent and having problems with his emotions, Barnes is a heroic man fiercely dedicated to saving everything and protecting his friends and loved ones, no matter the cost. His determination is nearly limitless and unrivaled.


Barnes' best friend who accompanies him throughout the majority of the game. Fairly competent most of the time, though has a large tendency to be oblivious to many things and has weird behaviors he frequently shows, along with saying a lot of downright odd things, much to the chagrin of everyone. Nonetheless, he is a trustworthy ally and helpful combatant with hidden intelligence that occasionally surfaces.


Famous rapper and lech that becomes a deity of God post the universe's implosion. Is very wise and helps the duo throughout their adventure. True to his department, he frequently spouts profanity and goes into rapping tangents that may or may not be related to important events that happen.


One of the few known survivors of the universe's implosion, Doug is a friend of Joe's that currently runs a weapon shop due to having lost his celebrity status, his wife, his children, and basically everything else he had before; the shop is the only thing that he feels gives him a reason to live anymore.


The fellow southern mechanic/storage unit manager, and one of the few known survivors of the universe's implosion. He eventually gets his business back on its feet and is currently operating underground.


A strange new major character that accepts the main characters' offer for help... but seems a little too enthusiastic about helping them. Despite his goofiness and horrible-looking residence, he is very intelligent and the universe's top source of information. Very mysterious, but quite polite and trustworthy/understanding of personal problems.


Gigantic wise old trees that run the population of all life. Without a proper supply of water, they are unable to live, and therefore everyone will die. The duo help them re-hydrate early in the game as the first true part of their adventure, and afterwards become staunch allies. The biggest tree is the wisest, while the other two are snarky and mute.


Paul's wife. She is very lustful and sarcastic, but nonetheless friendly and helpful and cares immensely for her husband. She is also a capable fighter and a former female soldier.


A magician that knows more about the universe than anyone. ANYONE; not even Vector or Ross have the information he has. Stubborn and insufferable, but happy to help as long as you do his errands for him. He eventually warms up to the group.


A strange being that Barnes and Paul meet up with in a sewer. Seems very familiar...


Best friend of Joe and former ally of Barnes and Paul that is currently the holder of the very, very powerful Ball Of Creation. A villain is currently holding him captive and is planning on using the ball to threaten everything. Will the duo save him in time?...


MAKE SOME NOISE! A wacky wrestler with a deceased wife and a host of messed up quirks. Underneath it all, he's a nice guy and will happily hand out info if the situation calls for it.


An extremely mysterious man in a red suit with a robotic voice synthesizer. Joins up with Barnes and Paul sometime after the early portions of the game due to his own personal journey to find out who he is. The duo eventually find out extremely shocking details pertaining to him...


The giant, fiery, vaguely animal-like being that runs the Four Hellsmen, a group of similarly animal-like crime lords throughout the world. After the group does some odd jobs for him, he eventually decides to join them... though this is after the halfway point. Is somewhat hot-headed (no pun intended) and will not hesitate to point out something amiss, whether it be other heroes or villains, but is very nice regardless. He is also extremely strong, able to kill enemies, but has trouble running for long periods of time due to his weight.


Barnes' father. A very kind man, but is extremely incompetent when it comes to his job. Nonetheless, Barnes highly respects him and they mutually love each other deeply.


Mayor of New Futoria. Is extremely rude and immature on the surface, and runs the place horribly, but it quickly becomes evident that he's using this as a front for his deep-seating marriage problems. He shows his true side soon after the group has a conversation with him.


An arrogant knight that directly opposes Rick Aji and personally plans to overthrow his position and rule New Futoria himself. He quickly comes into conflict with the heroes and has an epic duel with them a while into the game.


The self-appointed guardian of the T-Rolls. He uses a translation dial to understand what they say, and after a while starts to mimic their habits. He comes by frequently, being their guardian, but leaves them alone every now and then due to his personal trust in them.


What the name implies. Nothing is known about him so far, so obviously his occupation leaves him open to many interpretations and assumptions.


The brother of Apollo. Is extremely old and somewhat fragile, having witnessed every major tragedy known to man, but is nonetheless polite and soft-spoken. A much more likable person than his brother, though he still gets along very well with him.


A rather stern, but very caring, officer that leads a quirky police squad. They show up every now and then, both to indirectly help the group and to kill them. Brook himself is arguably the quirkiest of them all, but is a VERY capable leader and fighter.


A female angel that is top class in her partition. Due to personal issues with her master, she enlists the support of the group, and she in-turn helps them out a few times in their adventure.


W-Pool Beach's kind-hearted bodyguard that is a friend of Bloodro despite his ties to criminal activity.


A magician in a black robe with a purple mask accompanied by a horned cyclops. They claim to want to help the universe, but the group distrusts them due to their suspicious behaviors. Zero, being a magician, uses magic while Yiddle Yaddle has Bloodro-par strength and can cause fire tornadoes with ease.


And many more![/spoiler]

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[spoiler]

• This game features the most addicting, fun and polished battle system in the series; the XAS battle system. You are limited to one item and one skill, but you can carry two weapons and a shield. Your shield can be used to reflect or block attacks, though not always. The combo system from the first game returns, and is more robust than ever; although enemies can easily break your combos, if you make an effort to link your attacks and choose quick weapons, you'll come out with some truly insane combos. Enemy and boss A.I. is at its best here; almost every foe you face will have its own unique pattern. Not only that, but enemies level up alongside the party, meaning players will have to constantly be on their toes. You start off with the ability to change your battle equipment (weapons, shields, items and skills) on the fly, so you don't have to wait until halfway into the game to optimize yourself anymore. You can also pick-up and throw things at any point and time, like in the original. And finally, to add some extra flavor to the battles, battle cries are added so your player characters yell something different for most of their actions. Enjoy probably the best battle system in the series.
• Akin to the innovation of the new battle system, the game no longer drops you into a Portal; you instead get a world map and a mission system! There are numerous optional missions to do, along with tons of optional battles to try out if you want some extra challenge.
• Through many trials in my writing process, I have finally come to a mood-balance for the series; there is the perfect scale of humor and drama. No focus on one particular mood.
• You can now jump at any point and time with the ALT button and are no longer limited to just event-specific jumps. However, to add to the difficulty, the Shift system from the original returns in the form of the CT (Charge Tab) system. Most actions you do will drain your radar to varying degrees; running, using your weapons, shielding, you name it. It's best to time what you do to make the best of most situations.
• The game is now in 640x480! I am constantly making the best edits possible so that the game is pretty to look at while being at a higher resolution. In full-screen, now you can play the game in full!
• The game utilizes many different graphic scripts to create the most robust and unique visuals Illuminated Badassery has ever witnessed. Everything, from the weather effects to the backgrounds, are in crystal-clear quality and are nice to look at. Maps in general are also much more cleanly designed than the previous two.
• Outside of combat, there are many other types of things and puzzles to do so you're constantly doing something else or new and things don't get overly repetitive.
• Move commands in general have improved, meaning enemies and NPCs can now diagonally follow you and whatnot.
• First there was Pong... then there was Tetris... then an avoiding-type game... now there's Invaders! The classic game parodies have come to its opus!
• There are many items and different types of equipment overall. Each drastically change what happens to you and what you can do, so you're always experimenting on yourself.
• The bestiary from the second game has returned. However, you don't have to talk to anyone to get your enemy data anymore; you just encounter an enemy and bam, there's your data.
• You can now save via the menu! Don't feel like using the default save system? The game also autosaves so you can just load up where the game last tracked your progress.
• New Game+ makes a triumphant return! You can choose to simply start the game on Normal again, or pick Badass/Illuminated Badass difficulty (effectively the game's Hard and Expert modes).
• The class system from 2 returns! Not only can you level up every class you play (as long as it's the primary one), but you can still keep the properties of a single class as a subclass without having to worry about stat changes!
• You can now move while talking to certain NPCs, ala Chrono Trigger.
• In addition to the class system, 2 brings back the option for your characters to learn extra skills, albeit in a shop this time.
• After the first major area, you unlock the ability to quick-travel to other areas so you don't have to use the world map. Find the area and clear it (all the story missions) first, and you don't have to sail there anymore.
• For the first time in the series, you can distribute points to a specific field of stats, which include Survival, Strength, Durability and Magic. Extra way to beef up your party members!
• Weapons and equipment are now upgradeable through Runes, special pin-like items, to add some other properties to them.
• You can flat-out whip up new weapons from scratch with a specific set of scraps and whatnot.
• You can take screenshots, just like in the first two, with the F8 button, if you want to show off sick records, stats or bugs I might have missed.
• The BGM and background for the GameOver scene constantly changes. You also have additional options for whenever you die so you aren't just forced back to the title screen. The BGM also randomizes before the credits.
• IB3 starts the game on the intro scene right off the bat after a logo, but will start up normally on the title screen after you save (autosaves do not apply).

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The final part of the guide has been completed.