Will Bowerman

The PlayStation Project - 2459 Japanese PS1 Games YouTube video by Virtual Gaming Library - VGL

sourced from www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uas..., this is a *very* convenient resource for someone trying to research JP-only ps1 games lol

screenshot of video of ps1 game "neko no kaikata." shows a flat-faced, fluffy cat on a cat tree with a Japanese sliding door in the background

looking at ps1 games

yeah, absolutely. my first instinct was "make them visible after using them" but that doesn't really feel like it makes any sense for this sketch - at that point, you've basically just created checkpoints with extra steps, where the idea of "secret entrances" is inherently more exciting

still! the core idea is good food for thought, and at the end of the day, there is a New Video Game in the world. Good work!

so yeah, I agree that not only would a greater number of stairways put the focus more on the sketch's gimmick and remove a bit of the heat of difficulty, it would also increase the odds of players realizing that stairs have a purpose to them other than just teleporting you out of the dungeon

like, when I found the first hidden entrance, the way my brain parsed it was "oh okay, this is an alternate exit for me to leave through on the way back," since one-way exits like this are not an uncommon thing in dungeon crawling - i didn't even consider the possibility of re-entering through them

gave up on this one because it felt pretty unreasonably hard, read through the process notes, saw "hidden entrances" and went ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh

more than just having a bit too heavy of a feel of attrition, I think this one suffered from a lack of conveyance for me

ahh right, the non-unicode format is the thing i always forget. everything's lookin good now, thanks!

Ahh man, this looks so cool but it doesn't seem to include the RTP, and I've never been able to figure out how to get the Japanese RTP to actually install correctly.

youtu.be/97Q-iSX1fic NEW VIDEO! This time I took a look at comparatively modern kusoge. Final Sword, a game you can, for some reason, play on your Playstation 5.

Everything looks wrong, nothing makes any sense and marriage is difficult. I hope you enjoy my suffering!

Save 20% on Chrono Gear: Warden of Time on Steam Turn back the clock and fight to repair Time itself in this cinematic action platformer with fast sword combat and time-based powers. You are the Warden of Time, Ouro Kronii - be proud and fight hard!

"CHRONO GEAR: WARDEN OF TIME" AT 20% DISCOUNT ON STEAM DUE TO "hololive SUPER EXPO 2026 CELEBRATION SALE"

GO BUY ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT, WE LOVED MAKING IT

store.steampowered.com/app/3081840/...

Finally, a visual representation of the inside of my mind

oh hell yeah

huge stamp of personal approval on this one, it's extremely design-brained in that way i'm always looking for in rpgs, smartly structured and well paced, creative, clear-thinking, and tons of fun. it's a knockout

Shoutouts to @tunditur-unda.itch.io and @farawaytimes.bsky.social for finally successfully scamming me into making not only an RPGMaker game, but an RPGMaker 2003 game,
as well as to @quinnkdev.bsky.social for helping me figure out how to get this game's core gimmick functioning.

Sword & Squire by Will Bowerman Wrangle your unruly knight in this short RPG! Made for the Cookie Cutter rm2k3 jam.

New game! Manage limited resources - and your unruly knight - in Sword & Squire!

Had a lot of fun putting my personal RPG design theory to the test while making this for the Cookie Cutter RM2k3 Jam - I hope you'll enjoy playing it!

will-bowerman.itch.io/sword-squire

no!! they're nasty little statuses!! it is a "no" of rejection!!

I love how expressive the eyes are!!

red text that reads: "Bad Statuses: Paralyze: no Sleep: that's just paralyze so no"

rpg's done and feels good, here's a peek at my design documentation for it

Finished one of the commissions I just took! This is @ultigonio.bsky.social's character Geena from his project "Unearth"! I'm pretty happy with how the hairstyle came out.

"haha i'll just make a silly rm2k3 game in a few hours over the weekend" i thought to myself, forgetting that i am physically incapable of half-assing anything

I mean, I get it. Vibes-wise it's very charming, solid sound design, the characters are cute and have nice dynamics with each other. Its storybook-esque energy is just very comfortable.

personally though I prefer games that do not have 6 microscopically different varieties of Stun

I actually really like the music choice - paired with the sailing theme and easyRPG's fm synth soundfont, it feels like some sort of lost pc-98 sim game...

Finished this last night and forgot to save my screenshot of the end screen, but this was neat! This is a cool exercise in minimized scope that I think works well - it can feel a little bit trial-and-error-y, but it's small enough that that's not really ever a major issue

game screenshot. a boat which is glowing yellow for some reason is docked a town at the mouth of a river. text reads: "Grunita is north in the Sea Corridor. Balbalap is west of the Souther Lighthouse, and Nouf is east."

this week's rpg sketch "Valdivia"

- features time-honored rpg tradition of 'boat'
- made in 1 hour
- you can play it in your browser
- it is possible to beat

tunditur-unda.itch.io/rpg8

cover of PS1 game "junk brain diagnosis" with Japanese actress Kanako Enomoto wearing a pink dress leaning forward (in a, I think, somewhat flirtatious manner? idk)

went to the doctor today and got a

MAKE AN EMERGENCY DONATION to Trans Continental Pipeline right now.

They are a Colorado based org that helps trans people relocate there and they are overwhelmed with requests. CO borders KS, and TCP has the infrastructure to help get people out.

GO DONATE.

tcpipeline.org

DUNGEON GALS

Rosa the moth, saying: "Didn't you bring some fighting games or whatever? You could at least do something besides just sitting there and whining..."

Wendy, a satyress, standing below a puzzle. There are blocks that used to be color-coded, but are now indicated via visually distinct symbols.

Version 1.4 of the Dungeon Gals demo is LIVE!

store.steampowered.com/app/2864880/...

Changes include:
-Improved player sprites
-Tweaked level design
-Numerous script edits
-Greatly improved accessibility settings
-Faster animations
-More readable font
-Extensively re-arranged music

This is the... NEXT next?

We had a visibility issue with Next Fest, so we get to try again! This time for REAL

And to celebrate, we have an updated limited time demo! Clash with each character's unique play styles, and stack up new Style Bonuses!

store.steampowered.com/app/2697670/...

It's interesting brain food for me as a designer, as well; a combination of puzzle, action, and strategy also make up the bones of Unearth, and being able to pick apart Relooted's approach to this combo is a fun exercise. But it really did surprise me just how high it punches above its price point.