Where's Macho Knight Kingdom?
I have become further impressed with Hanako Games' Cute Knight Kingdom. Duh. As if this should be any surprise to you, after I gushed with surprise love for the original Cute Knight. I miss my first-person perspective dungeon, but otherwise I feel the sequel is a worthy successor to the original.

Now I want to see Macho Knight Kingdom! Just like Cute Knight, but you play a dude! Shovel manure just like the Cute Knight, but in a more manly way! And wear armor just like hers, but with, like, skulls and stuff on it instead. Yeah!

Er, or not. Forget I said anything...

Though I make jokes about the pinks and butterflies that make up some of the cosmetics of the game, at it's heart I think the core gameplay is pretty gender-neutral and universally appealing. The thing that keeps impressing me is the depth of choice. While progress is, in true RPG fashion, slow and incremental, there is always the pressure of knowing that your time is finite (see? Another brilliant exception! Except you can't really define much in this game as 'failure.') and the thrill of wondering where your current path will take you. And the knowledge that the week you spend hunting is a week not spent doing something else important. Something that might give you a leg up in an upcoming event, or... something.

The world (and opportunities) seem bigger. And it also feels like it is easier to miss things. The time element means that it's easier to miss a festival going on because you are out on the shore. There's a lot to explore, and while much of the content is static, there are some time-dependent events as well. As in the original, some opportunities for growth are time-dependent. And there are multiple storylines you can piece together or actively pursue - if you so choose. Most of the time, so far (a game does take longer than the original to complete), I've just been catching snippets of stories and relationships between characters that I assume I could more actively pursue if I chose.

Cute Knight Kingdom focuses entirely on two core aspects of roleplaying games - customized character progression and exploration. Curiously enough - from a designer's perspective - the character progression is handled in a procedural, highly repeatable manner. The trainers are fairly static with specific schedules, the job opportunities (earn while you learn!) are regular, the dungeons are positioned thusly, the random encounters off the main roads appear in a consistent manner (and are avoidable!), etc.

While my initial foray into the kingdom of the Cute Knight consisted mainly of geographical exploration - learning where the different pockets of civilization were (I hesitate to call them "towns"), the dungeons, etc. But, as in the first game, exploration in subsequent games moves to what I guess I could call "gamespace." Storylines, unlocked events and opportunities, the magic system, etc. While 90% of the gameplay might be very similar between play-throughs (and if you've only played through a Cute Knight game once, you've not really played it), it's that exploration of that remaining stuff in the game that can't possibly be discovered in a single (or even in a dozen) play-throughs that makes the game fun. And it's a big part of what would otherwise be a straightforward "sim" game and makes it a role-playing game.

And I think it's delightfully clever how the Cute Knight games (admittedly, borrowing from similar titles like Princess Maker) have shifted the balance around. Most RPGs emphasize the exploration or progress through the game world, with character progression being a critical but secondary aspect (tightly limited and "balanced" to make certain you don't "out-level" the content you are supposed to be consuming). In Cute Knight and Cute Knight Kingdom, the (admittedly simpler) plots and activities open up based significantly on your progression choices. It's not exactly revolutionary or anything like that, but it does change things up a bit.

Now, I don't want to be accused of encouraging clones. And I'm a fan of Hanako Games and don't want anybody ripping her off with lame knock-offs. Simply cloning a game is creatively bankrupt, lame, and contemptible. I'm (mostly) joking with my title searching for a "Macho Knight Kingdom." But personally, I think some of the patterns and ideas of both Cute Knight games are really worthy of being pursued by more games. I think there's some ripe territory there, and Cute Knight Kingdom is only scratching the surface.

I can envision a graphical roguelike packed with some hand-crafted storylines, events, characters, and even locations / levels which go beyond the traditional hack-and-slash gameplay and wrap a simple but compelling story around player choice. I mean, that's kinda-sorta what Cute Knight Kingdom is at its core, if you think about it. And squint really hard.

Think about it. And then think of what Dwarf Fortress was able to do with basic concept of the roguelike, turning it into something else entirely. Once you step away from the belief that everything has to be presented with pixel-perfect animation, ten thousand polygons, and professional voice-overs, there's an amazing depth of possibilities to explore. I think Cute Knight Kingdom is just another step away from the beaten path that I hope indies will further explore.

Oh, and if they do - maybe they could consider including those old first-person dungeons again. I loved that... ;)

If you haven't done so yet, download and try out CKK yourself:

Download Cute Knight Kingdom

Labels: Cute Knight

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 6:59 AM (Permalink) 2 comments links to this post

 
Reconnoitering Cute Knight Kingdom
I bought Cute Knight Kingdom the other night. Good thing I'm all secure in my masculinity and stuff like that. Because - like the original Cute Knight - I gotta admit it's good.

I don't know if I'll ever get to the point where I can run through an entire game in 90 minutes or so like I did in the original. Maybe it's just my inexperience, but games in Cute Knight Kingdom seem to be a bit ... meatier. Still not super-long, mind you - maybe 2x the time to cover three years? Again, I played through Cute Knight / Cute Knight Deluxe many, many times and felt I had much of it "down." I'm still learning the ropes of CKK.

Yeah, there are butterfly silhouettes in the inventory screen. Hey, Hanako, maybe you can add a "beard" option or something for us guys, with an alternate inventory screen with sword imagery or something? Still, while the game is targeted more for players of the feminine persuasion (er, excuse me, Georgina maintains that it's really targeted for an audience of HERSELF, and leaves that open to interpretation beyond as to who might enjoy it beyond that), there's a lot to like here for any player.

Okay - for those new to the whole Cute Knight thing... this is a game that borrows ideas from life-sim type games (especially Princess Maker) and old-school RPGs. You play a girl who has three years to seek out her destiny. Now, nevermind the fact that nobody has their destiny fully figured out at 21 (or 51) - this is fantasy we're talking about here. So your goals are to:

1. Survive and become self-sufficient (at least in Kingdom you can always go back home to your adopted parent's home to crash for free)
2. Don't give up on your dreams and hope (represented by the "dream" statistic, which increases with success, but decreases with failure and fatigue --- I think)
3. Work and educate yourself to improve your ability to succeed in endeavors
4. Seek out life experiences (story arcs) that may guide you towards a particular destiny

The game ends with failure (if you let your Dream score fall to zero), at the culmination of a storyline goal, or at the end of three years. The ending is based on events or on your character's combination of skills and stats at the end of three years. There's no glass ceiling in Cute Knight Kingdom - while I've not verified it, it looks like you can even become queen over all the land. That's a pretty sweet advancement opportunity.

The Cute Knight series (can you call two games plus an enhanced version a "series?") also includes the "Sin" statistic. This is a big deal for those of us who like to choose a life of monster-bashing and dungeon-exploring. Killing living creatures - especially sentient ones - or engaging in unscrupulous activities in the game increases your Sin rating. There are ways of bringing it down as well. So far, I haven't seen how Sin limits your options in Cute Knight Kingdom yet - but in the first game, it was a pretty significant factor if it got too high (and the "best" ending - along with certain other story opportunities and career options - was only available if you took a walk on the dark side).

Cute Knight Kingdom really expands on Cute Knight's gameplay. It offers significantly more breadth of opportunities, with several towns and locations to explore, multiple dungeons, more job options, and what appears to be a metric buttload of crafting and cooking options. And I've stumbled into a few more general "side-quests" as well. There seems to be a bit more depth as well, particularly as success in training and jobs is now a more interactive experience, as you can choose to sacrifice health or spell points to exert yourself or apply extra concentration to tasks. This can be tricky, as in at least one location (a frontier town), the only beds available were less-than-ideal at the local military barracks, which actually cost you stamina points (and corresponding maximum health) in addition to the 10 gp per night to stay there. While very capitalist of the military to offer them, that sure doesn't convince me that choosing military service is an option I want to pursue with my happy-go-lucky farmhand-turned-dungeon-explorer, Katrina.

I still have a lot of exploring to do. The game's got a lot to it, and though a lot of the activities are repetitive, there seems to be a lot to do and find in this game. And it's definitely not for everybody. It is very "life-sim" heavy, so if you are more of a kick-the-door-in type of RPG fan, it might not be as appealing. It's also very open-ended and relies upon a bunch of smaller story threads rather than a single epic story arc. And - well - it's cute. Just in case the name didn't give that away.

Since playing the first Cute Knight, I have discovered the Persona titles, which also perform a mash-up of Life Sim and RPG. Cute Knight Kingdom is heavier on the life sim, lighter on the RPG, and much more open-ended than the Persona games. I'm not sure which mix I prefer more. But I am finding this RPG "sub-genre" to be really, really addictive and fun. I want more, please.

I have added Cute Knight Kingdom to the Rampant Games store*, and I invite you to give the demo a try. Many of us in the U.S. are enjoying an extended weekend as of tomorrow, so it's a perfect opportunity. The demo only lets you go for six months into your career - pretty much up to the point where things are finally starting to get hopping and you can "get ahead" in life and choosing jobs and training based on where you want to take the Knight, instead of what you need to do to afford anything. It's a good taste of the game overall, though unfortunately it's also (IMO) the most difficult and least exciting phase of the game. But it's still fun, and gives you a good taste of what's in store.

You can check it out here:

Download Cute Knight Kingdom at Rampant Games!

As always, have fun! And let me know what you think.

(*And I was exhausted and half-asleep when I did it, so please contact me if there's anything awry).

Labels: Cute Knight, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 6:14 AM (Permalink) 0 comments links to this post

 
Cute Knight Kingdom. 'N Stuff
Yeah. I'm a Cute Knight fan. Yeah, that sounds kinda awkward admission, doesn't it? But there it is. The game really does rock. It's a melding of an old-school dungeon-crawler with a life "sim" done in a cute anime style. With a zillion or so endings and huge replayability. While it's specifically designed to appeal to girls, I have to admit that I really enjoyed it, too. It was a fun, quirky melding of ideas into a very fun whole.

The sequel - Cute Knight Kingdom - is now available. And I expect it to be just as fun. Even though the inventory screen to the right here is a little over-the-top. I have not played it yet, as Hanako managed to release it when I am TOTALLY SWAMPED. She did that to taunt me, I am sure. I've only been bugging her about the sequel for like three years.

What are you doing still reading this? Cute. Knight. Kingdom. Don't make her get all medieval on you. She can out-cook, out-clean, AND out-fight you, you know!

Unfortunately, the current version is only available for Windows. But I expect, like the original, we should see Mac and Linux versions soon.

Speaking of the original (well, the Deluxe version of the original), Hanako has decided to reduce the price to a mere $9.95 for it. And making me change the price on my website first thing in the friggin' morning (durn British indies!). If that's what you have been waiting for, you can pick up Cute Knight Deluxe here.

Well - I've been waiting for this one for a while.

Cute Knight Kingdom Demo (Windows Only)

Labels: Cute Knight, Game Announcements

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 5:30 AM (Permalink) 8 comments links to this post

 
Cute Knight Kingdom - Combat & Cooking!
I'm amused that the opponent in this video is a "smoker." In Cute Knight Kingdom, cigarettes not only kill, they turn you into undead monsters! ;)



Pretty close call on the fighting! But when you are done fighting, you can be baking:



The game is looking like a pretty solid sequel to the original hit sim / RPG, Cute Knight. It's also looking like it might not be too far from release. The first one was a surprise for me - I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Hopefully I won't have high expectations disappointed by the long-awaited sequel.

Labels: Cute Knight, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 8:23 AM (Permalink) 1 comments links to this post

 
Aveyond 2 and Fatal Hearts
Rampant Games has two new titles available in the Adventure & Roleplaying section of the site... Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest and Fatal Hearts. One is an RPG, and the other is an adventure game - of a non-traditional sort.

Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest is the next latest epic in Amaranth Games' role-playing game series, which began with the freeware Ahriman's Prophecy (link temporarily unavailable) and continued with the best-selling indie RPG Aveyond. The series uses the RPG Maker engine, and is reminiscent of the classic 16-bit SNES / Sega console RPGs of the early 90's. It has cute characters, lots of dialog, turn-based combat (and LOTS OF IT), a BIG storyline, and a very playful sense of humor that doesn't stop it from getting serious at times.

In Aveyond 2, you control a party centered around the main character, an elf named Ean. Ean comes from an elven community in a place called the Vale that has been magically secluded from the rest of the world. But when your best friend, Iya, disappears without a trace, and everyone's memory of her but your own has been completely erased - as if she'd never existed - it is up to you to leave the safety of the Vale and rescue her from the clutches of the Snow Queen. And that's only the beginning! Your quest soon gets you embroiled in events that threaten the entire world.

Many moons ago, I had an interview with Amanda Fitch, the creator of this game. She's an awesome person to chat with, and is frankly an example to me of what an indie game developer ought to be. She's driven, professional, and yet devoted to her community and fans. If you missed the interview, I recommend checking it out here:

Interview with Amanda Fitch

The other game is Fatal Hearts, by Hanako Games, the studio behind the other hit "casual" RPG, Cute Knight. I would describe Fatal Hearts as being more on the "Adventure Game" side of the fence, but even that doesn't begin to describe the game. It could be described as a "visual interactive novel" done in anime style.

For me, I draw the parallel with the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" book series of the 1980s - stuff I kinda grew up with, back in the days where the "home computer" concept was still waiting to catch on. Well, okay, I could play Zorks and Ultimas on my computer, but I still read / played the books. In the books, you'd read a page or two of story, and then you'd be presented with a choice. Your choice would have a page number you'd be instructed to turn to in order to continue the story.

Fatal Hearts does the same thing, but with the advantage of memory of past actions. So your actions may not have a major impact on the story immediately, but may come back to haunt you later. In addition to this, there are several challenge sections - often puzzles are clue-hunting adventure sections - that you may need to solve. For example, you may come across what appears to be a journal, but it is locked with a concentric-ring combination-lock style puzzle.

Fatal Heart's story deals with a fifteen-year-old girl with mysterious dreams, the supernatural, and murder. Because of its subject matter, it is not recommended for young children. The developer has recommended it for teens and above. And older male gamers like me might find it a little trickier to get in touch with their inner teenaged girl mindset of the game. But hey, I can imagine myself a battle-hardened athletic super-soldier with supernatural speed and resistance to damage in dozens of games, so how much more of a stretch is it?

I've interviewed Georgina Bensley, the principle designer / developer of Fatal Hearts, in the past. She complained before the interview that she didn't think she actually had anything interesting to say about herself, but then immediately proved herself wrong. If you missed the interview, you can catch it here:

Interview With Georgina Bensley

If either of the above game descriptions tickle your fancy and you feel you'd like to try them out, you can download the demos and try them out right away. Let us know what you think!

Download Aveyond 2: Ean's Quest

Download Fatal Hearts

(Vaguely) related opinions offered absolutely free and worth every penny:
* Aveyond 2 First Look
* What Makes a Good "Casual" RPG?
* Guest Post: Survey of Top Indie Graphic Adventure Games
* The Evolution of Computer RPGs

You can post comments here, or in the forums.

Labels: Adventure Games, Aveyond, Cute Knight, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 6:16 AM (Permalink) 0 comments links to this post

 
Cute Knight DELUXE Available from Rampant Games
Cute Knight Deluxe is now available from Rampant Games! And the free demo of Cute Knight Deluxe is now available as well.

This is the new and improved version of the best-selling "casual" indie RPG, Cute Knight. The new version includes new items and secrets, improved graphics (particularly the monster and end-game art), and an improved Wizard's Challenge mini-game. (Incidentally, the mini-game is actually something Georgina - the game's creator - mentioned in her interview here at Tales of the Rampant Coyote, as a part of the game she was unsatisfied with.)

If you haven't heard the spiel before, let me get my indie-game-evangelizing hat on for a minute. The original version of Cute Knight was the winner of 2005's Indie RPG of the Year from GameTunnel.com. It is kind of a blend of old-school pseudo-3D dungeon crawlers (think Wizardry, Bard's Tale, etc.) meeting the Princess Maker series - and done casual-friendly.
In Cute Knight, you play a young, 18-year old girl who has three years to decide what she's going to do with her life in a world of fantasy, monsters, and magic. Throughout town, there are several "sim" like opportunities for her to explore. She can take odd jobs to earn cash, attend school (assuming she has enough money to pay for the classes), participate in the various festivals and other events taking place in the town over the course of the year, unravel secrets and mysteries, find love, and of course gear up and explore the local dungeon.

The dungeon is an optional but significant part of the game. It is randomized, so the layout is a little different every game. The monsters can be defeated by magic or by combat (it is best to be prepared with both, as some monsters are more vulnerable to one than the other), or can actually be "tamed" by your charm and skill - defeated completely nonviolently.

Besides the usual challenges of "leveling up," and accumulating wealth and cool loot, there are two serious factors to contend with. The first is the looming end-of-game.

The game ends one of three ways. The first is by achieving some kind of end-game goal... one of the "winning" or "losing" criteria. There are over 50 different endings to the game (and not to mention several variants for most endings), so there are PLENTY of those to explore across multiple game sessions. The second is for your character to reach her 21st birthday - in which case she will adopt the profession most suited to her combination of skills. The third is by the loss of her "dream" - a measure of her happiness with life and feeling of growth, I guess. Too many failures and disappointing days of meaningless labor will sap her Dream rating in a hurry, and she'll end up choosing a life of a scullery maid. Give her some successes or nights out on the town (or in quiet meditation at the church, IIRC), and that rating will go back to non-threatening levels.

The second factor is "Sin." This is sort of the alignment system of the game. The town is protected from the nasties of the dungeon by a magical barrier that prevents evil creatures (those with too much sin) from entering. That includes people with too much of the stain of sin on their souls, as well. In fact, that can include you if you aren't careful. At that point, you'll be forced to stay in the outskirts of the city until you clean up your act, or reach a game conclusion. Note that there are several endings that require you to have been in this situation (at least briefly), so this is actually be part of the fun. I still want to get the "Queen of Thieves" ending that I've heard about!

Cute Knight is an awesome little non-traditional RPG. The deluxe edition adds some higher-quality art in several areas (particularly the end-game portraits and dungeon monsters),and several new toys to play with. And I have heard rumors of at least one additional ending. I haven't tried the revised Wizard's Challenge, yet. But the core gameplay is the unchanged - just as solid and as enjoyable as the original.

If you still haven't tried it out, I recommend downloading the free demo for Cute Knight Deluxe at the Rampant Games Cute Knight page.

If you have already purchased Cute Knight from Rampant Games, you can upgrade to the Deluxe edition for only $5, simply by following the instructions found on this page (and yes, I've been told that affiliates do count for this offer...)


(Vaguely) related Knight Cuteness:
* Cute Knight Hints, Tips, and Spoilers
* The Purple-Haired Women of Rampant Games!
* What Makes a Good Casual RPG?
* Interview with Georgina Bensley, Creator of Cute Knight
.

Labels: Cute Knight, Game Announcements, Indie Evangelism, Indie RPG News, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 5:00 AM (Permalink) 0 comments links to this post

 
Cute Knight Deluxe Now Available
Cute Knight Deluxe has just been released. This is a new, improved version of the award-winning RPG, Cute Knight, which I have written about more than once in the past.

This expanded edition includes a great deal of brand-new artwork, new items and equipment, an all-new Wizard's Challenge, and new secrets.

If you already have Cute Knight (whether purchased through Rampant Games, because we're so cool - *snicker* - or through Hanako games directly, or even another affiliate), you can get the deluxe edition for the difference in price - $5.

According to the instructions on the official Cute Knight Deluxe webpage, you just need to forward a copy of your order receipt to support at hanakogames.com in order to receive a custom purchase URL and upgrade your game for only $5.

If you remember not too far back in the past, I interviewed Georgina Bensley, the designer of Cute Knight. One of the issues brought up was the Wizard's Challenge - a mini-game involving the subtleties of the magic system that is available as an annual event in the 3-year course of Cute Knight. She admitted that she was never quite happy with how that one turned out. I'm glad to see that the expansion includes a new, improved Wizard's Challenge.

In case you've missed me talking about Cute Knight - well, I am not embarassed talking about how much I enjoy this game. Maybe I'm just comfortable with my feminine side, but I tend to think that even though this is a very "girl-friendly" game, it is just good fun, and has a significant ... "guy friendly?" ... good ol' fashioned dungeon-delving hack & slash component. Hit the dungeon, bash monsters, gather loot, upgrade your equipment with magical treasure... good classic stuff. Just do NOT forget to change out of that bloody, dented plate mail before attending the ball, because it is just SO unbecoming! Okay, so I didn't say it's pure old-school hack & slash... :) And it is extremely replayable - a full game only takes a couple of hours, but there are radically different paths to take, and over fifty different endings (and variations on each one).

And it's an easy game to just jump into, play for a few minutes, and call it good. In fact, it could make a pretty decent gift to introduce someone to computer RPGs, particlarly without all the gore of Diablo.

Incidentally, I should note the picture above... man, I hate those rock-men when I'm playing a melee-focused character. Magic-focused characters can blow them away easily enough, and I guess taming them works well... which I guess is a good reason to diversify your build. But when armed with only a longsword and starting out your dungeon-delving career, these things are tough for a swordswoman. Swords just don't cut solid stone very well, I guess.

Anyway, its worth checking out. Unfortunately, there is no demo yet of the deluxe version - you'll have to try out the original version without all the new goodies and see how you like it.

You can download the original Cute Knight demo for free HERE.


(Vaguely) related tales of my career as a pink-haired girl:
* Interview with Georgina Bensley, Creator of Cute Knight
* Cute Knight Hints, Tips, and Spoilers
* What Makes a Good Casual RPG?
.

Labels: Cute Knight, Game Announcements, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 7:00 AM (Permalink) 0 comments links to this post

 
Cute Knight Hints, Tips, and Spoilers
This is, I understand, a complete list of endings to the hit indie RPG, Cute Knight.

This is more than just hints and tips - this is out-and-out spoiler territory. Be warned! I recommend not checking this out until you've managed to discover many of these endings for yourself, but that's up to you.

For informational purposes, there are 54 general endings... but most of them have several variants, resulting in some a number of possible endings than can only be measured with triple digits!

And mainstream game reviewers tend to praise RPGs that have, say, THREE alternate endings. The gal with the pink hair can walk all over 'em!

Anyway, no, I haven't come close to getting them all, yet. I've earned about a dozen. Including "Oops," "The False Princess," "Royal Knight," "Hero," "Fighter," "Street Dancer," and several career endings.

I think my favorite was "Oops." I won't spoil what it's about, but it was quite a surprise. Cute Knight is a roleplaying game with lots of surprises.

If you still want to take advantage of these spoilers, here you go:
Cute Knight Hints and Tips

(Vaguely) related articles about my pink-haired alter-ego:
* Cute Knight Download Page: Download and play the free game demo!
* Tales from the Road: Cute Knight
* Play Cute Knight On Halloween!
* Innovation in RPGs

Labels: Cute Knight, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 1:13 PM (Permalink) 10 comments links to this post

 
The Purple-Haired Women of Rampant Games!

Hmmm....



I think it's a conspiracy.











The purple-haired women of Rampant Games conspiracy!

What could it mean?

Labels: Aveyond, Cute Knight

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 12:09 AM (Permalink) 4 comments links to this post

 
What Makes a Good Casual RPG?
Okay - the term "Casual RPG" is practically an oxymoron. Computer Role-Playing Games are normally pretty intense, hard-core affairs requiring a great deal of commitment, familiarity with the genre (generally sword & sorcery style fantasy), and a head for stats that matches that of a hardcore baseball enthusiast.

But I know Aveyond has had some definite success amongst non-core gamers... particularly women who have never really played Role-Playing Games before. And Cute Knight was also designed to appeal to a first-time audience. So I was curious what they did to meet the demands of a "first-timer" audience.

Cute Knight Casualness
For Cute Knight, there were some comments from Papillon, the game's designer, on the RPGDX.NET forums. Some of her efforts included:

* Trying to avoid giving "too much" information, for fear of intimidating her audience in a sea of stats

* Using more everyday words instead of gamer terms. For example, "Outfit" instead of "Equipment" or "Inventory," and "Skills" instead of "Statistics."


A Casual Gamer's Take on Aveyond
I have a friend, Kelly, who generally only plays "casual" games (Chuzzle is a fairly recent favorite). She became addicted to Aveyond and played it to completion (I still haven't finished it yet!). So I asked her about what she thought, liked, and disliked about the game. Apparently she ALMOST quit on the game early on, but once she got past a level of confusion she thoroughly enjoyed the game and played it constantly for a couple of weeks.

Some of her observations:

* She nearly quit at first because it seemed the game was following a script that didn't give her any options. I find this particularly interesting because common wisdom has it that new players are confused and intimidated by having too many options. At least in Kelly's case, that became a frustrating factor --- maybe because she felt she didn't have a copy of the script and didn't know her lines (or exactly what she was required to do next).

* She got annoyed killing the easier critters over and over again. If the fight would be trivial, the monsters shouldn't attack.

* Lack of mouse controls was frustrating at first, because she's very used to using a mouse in games.

* One frustration factor was "Wishing that my character would figure things out as soon as I do."
* Forgetting where she put her boat, and forgetting the details of certain quests was a frustration factor.

* She LOVED having lots and lots of choices as the game progressed.

* She also loved seeing all the different relationships between the characters play out.

* She enjoyed having the variety of experiences and ways she could interact with the world - like buying her own ship, buying a manor, getting PETS for the manor, flying around on a dragon, and getting optional characters to join her party (particularly a vampire).

* It didn't seem to challenging (which would be frustrating) or too easy (which would be boring),

The most interesting thing to me is that in general, her likes and dislikes match that of the hard-core gamers, too! We love having lots of options, but we hate getting confused about what we're supposed to do next. We (usually) like seeing the personal lives of our characters play out. We love having a variety of activities and ways of interacting with the world - even the useless, silly ones. And of course we like the challenge to be "just right".

Is A Pattern Emerging?
I don't know how successful the efforts were to make Cute Knight more accessible by beginners, but rumors have it that the game has sold fairly well. So I think the simplifications paid off.

And it sounds to me that there's not THAT big of a gulf between the hardcore and the casual with respect to what we enjoy and don't enjoy in RPGs. Our likes and dislikes are fairly universal.

Sounds like these principles could be wrapped into some kind of "Red-Line Analysis" for an indie RPG... "At what point did I get `lost' and unsure of what to do next?" "Were there any moments that made a particular NPC seem more 'real' to me?"

Fun stuff to ponder. Now if only there were more indie RPGs being made and finished!

Labels: Aveyond, casual games, Cute Knight, Game Design, Roleplaying Games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 10:28 PM (Permalink) 6 comments links to this post

 
Tales from the Road - Cute Knight!
So here's some bits of independent game news from Rampant Games. Reported from the road just 2.7 miles from Disneyland.

First of all - I went ahead and tried out the inner of the RPG of the Year Award from Game Tunnel, "Cute Knight" (Kishi Kawaii). This is a sim / roleplaying game from Hanako games. It's really geared for more of a female audience, but I have to admit that once I started playing with it, I found it really intriguing. I bought it thinking, "Oh, my oldest daughter will get a kick out of this," but so far I'm the one who's been playing it :) The promise of over 50 different endings is pretty compelling. So far, I've unlocked five, including 0ne fairly explosive one. I have YET to "finish" the dungeon within the three year timespan of the game.

Anyway, the game is now available from the slightly-redesigned Rampant Games' main page. Check it out! Yeah, even if you are a hardcore RPG gamer guy like me... you may be pleasantly surprised.

Right now the most "winning" solution I've found to avoid an early loss of "dream" is to take dance lessons at the university as your first weeks' action - I'm having trouble finding something else that is self-sustaining. Dungeon-delving on week 1 has proven very hazardous, though it may be reasonable under certain birth signs. Got any more hints for the game? Post 'em here, or email 'em to me at jayb rampantgames com.

(Vaguely) Related Cuteness. Or Knightliness:
* Cute Knight Hints, Tips, and Spoilers
* Aveyond! (another casual RPG)
* Hybrid RPGs

Labels: Cute Knight, Game Announcements

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 4:10 PM (Permalink) 10 comments links to this post