Dawn's Light Now Available at Rampant Games
This was a busy weekend. I could blame it on vacation preparation, but that really wasn't it. There was just a lot to do. Among them was adding two new games to the Rampant Games store.

Of course, that meant playing them, too. Yeah, my job sucks, doesn't it? :) I already blogged about Eternal Twilight.

But now I want to talk about Dawn's Light.

Obviously, it's a game in the 16-bit console jRPG tradition, using RPG Maker. You can tell that from the screenshot. And I have to say it - it has a boring, generic title. "Dawn's Light." I haven't played far enough into it to know how the light of dawn factors into anything. Maybe it's perfectly appropriate, but the title sure doesn't grab me or anything. Maybe because I'm a night owl, and so "Dawn's Light" to me means, "I should be in bed asleep."

And then the plot sounded pretty generic. Some guy named Harvey has lost everything and is out for revenge. How many B-grade action movies have I seen with that plot? Okay, some of 'em were pretty good. Well, okay, one of them that I can think of off the top of my head - Mad Max. But the concept didn't send thrills down my spine as inspired or anything. To elaborate a bit on the plot set-up: A bad guy - Mordecai - is hunting the good guy - Harvey - since he was a kid. Mordecai already nabbed his brother for some power in their blood when they were both children, and has systematically killed a bunch of the people Harvey cares about. So Harvey's out to avenge his loved ones. Sounds all angsty and trite, right?

Next: The game and storyline turned out to be hella fun with a substantial amount of tongue-in-cheek humor. Really fun and enjoyable.

I'll bet you didn't see that coming, did ya?

Me neither.

The level of enthusiasm Harvey displays when trying to fill his brand new quest journal with accomplishments, to his frustration trying to rescue sheep who are perfectly content to stay where they are, to the general snark and amusing comments characters make explaining the rationale for certain game behaviors, are all humorously presented. The game has an emphasis on fun, and isn't above a bit of goofiness to maintain it.

This has some drawbacks. What might have been intended as a serious death scene early in the game lacks much emotional punch. Of course, the fact that you have only barely met the guy you were supposed to have known for seven years has something to do with it.

Some indie RPGs (even ones I grew to enjoy) really have a tough time getting started with the "fun." You may not even get to the one-hour demo limit before quitting and not feeling compelled to come back to them. Dawn's Light isn't one of them. I found myself immediately enjoying the game, having fun, and being surprised at how much time had passed as I played.

Dang it. I was supposed to get other things done, too....

While I can't say I'm attached to the main character or anything yet, or even invested in the storyline, the charm and attitude of the game has sold me on it. Hopefully it won't turn into a crushing disappointment later on. The game has plenty of other selling points, including an emphasis on puzzle-solving and other non-combat activities to avoid the tendency too many RPG Maker games have of padding out the plot and dialog with endless streams of combat.

Dawn's Light was a pleasant surprise.

Check it out for yourself:

Download Dawn's Light from Rampant Games

Labels: Game Announcements, Roleplaying Games

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