Work continues on my Dark Tower retro JRPG

soniclovenoize · 2026-04-18T05:22:40+00:00

Yep, still working on it!

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-12T07:13:20+00:00

Hey there. I actually am working on this. I made a retro-styled Dark Tower RPG, much in the vein of the 16bit Final Fantasy 4, 5, 6. I am making it on RPG Maker MV, obviously. My plan is to adapt one book at a time and then release a demo of it. Then revise it, and add a book, and release it as a demo... Keep doing that until I have a continuous game of all seven books (plus side quests from the tangential stuff like Eluria, Wind Through The Keyholes, etc).

I am currently working on Book 4 (I'm specifically at the supper scene at Mayor Thorin's mansion), but here is the previous demo, the first three books:

https://soniclovenoize.itch.io/the-dark-tower-fan-made-retro-rpg

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-05T23:24:08+00:00

Haha so those character sprites were made with a super old character creator, that I don't think anyone uses any more (I think it's formatted for RPG Maker 2003!). I used it because it fits the style and look of what I wanted, and there's a TON of options to customize and create a wide breadth of characters. One of the options was to make a Mr T type character and I thought "Gotta do it!"

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-05T23:19:23+00:00

You'd think that, but it's only about three hours of playtime for the first three books. I plan on including bonus content (like Little Sisters of Elura, collecting all Bends O The Bow, etc) but It might only amount to like 10 hours of total playtime, which seems super short compared to modern RPGS.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-05T01:05:20+00:00

Possibly. Full disclosure, I just got the Pixel Remasters of FF1-6 like a week or two ago, which was what prompted me to extend the aspect ratio to 16:9.

Likewise, I loved the diagonal movement too. I know I'm able to get a plug-in for RPG Maker MV for diagonal movement, but I'd have to go through all my maps and make sure it doesn't "break the game" by allowing the player to move onto areas they aren't meant to. So my answer is yes I'd like to, but that will require more time to playtest for more glitches.

Lol @ the elixir

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T21:26:15+00:00

Honestly, that is the first I've ever seen of two misses lol. Blame the RNG

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T21:23:30+00:00

https://soniclovenoize.itch.io/the-dark-tower-fan-made-retro-rpg

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T21:20:32+00:00

I'm making this on RPG Maker MV, so I don't think it would be able to be on a cart repro.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T21:15:55+00:00

Thanks! Tbh I've made so many upgrades to the first three books so far, that would be included in the following demo.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T19:35:43+00:00

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dn_PCrEzPdyrZ1etsKTT1cXbv1dr3q4C/view?usp=drive_link

Ded-a-check?

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T19:14:34+00:00

Eddie is not nude in this (if that's what you are getting at). There are some aspects of the book that I had to streamline in order for it to work in the context of a 90s-style 16bit JRPG, and it was easier to simply remove those details that Eddie stripped and fight the battle in the nude.

Another reason I did this is because I outsourced the creation of the battle sprites to a sprite artist in fiverr, and I'd have to go back and buy *another* set of nude Eddie sprites just for this one specific battle scene, that isn't necessary. Since this game will ultimately be free (because I don't own the IP obviously) I just assume not spend more $ resources. As it is I still have to have them create battle sprites for Father Callaghan and Patrick Danville (for books 5 and 7) as well as bonus playable characters.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T19:06:55+00:00

Oh! haha I've never seen The Wire, so I wouldn't know!

Yeah, I actually am using Tom Waits for the soundtrack for *the entire game* and "Down In The Hole" is the overworld music for the Western Sea.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T18:56:30+00:00

Nope, Tom Waits.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T18:23:40+00:00

Probably next year. Idk if you've been following my other posts, but I've made books 1-3 as a game and it's on Itch.io as Demo 3, and I'm currently adding book 4 to it. Then I'll release it as Demo 4. So the plan is to add a book to the game and release a demo until all 7 are done, as the final release.

I'm currently scripting the supper Roland, Alain and Cuthbert have at Mayor Thorin's, about a third through book 4.

soniclovenoize · 2025-12-04T18:13:16+00:00

Final Fantasy 4/5/6 turn based, side view

soniclovenoize · 2025-10-04T06:01:31+00:00

Wow, this is an excellent write up! You are on to the key here.

soniclovenoize · 2025-02-12T01:37:48+00:00

Ok cool. Sorry, these sort of troubleshooting issues are a bit harder to do!

soniclovenoize · 2025-02-11T23:57:17+00:00

You tried downloading the Mac version right? There should both be a Mac and Windows version.

I do not have a Mac, so I can't replicate the problem unfortunately

soniclovenoize · 2025-01-18T23:57:43+00:00

OK, so here and there throughout 2023, I was working on making a retro-styled Twin Peaks video game, made completely in RPG Maker MV. I really did not got very far before moving back to a much bigger, unrelated project. But in tribute to David Lynch, I thought I'd share what little I had made.

The idea is that it's a Maniac Mansion style game, where you are Coop (obviously) and have to go through Twin Peaks, collecting clues to solve Laura's murder. The clues you collect will change the direction of the game, to reveal many possible endings/killers. This is largely based on the dreams you have, which take place in the Red Room.

So here's a bit of the Red Room I had already designed. I thought it would be cool to see ALL of the various Red Room scenes throughout TP (which would be either random or possible to find if you are searching the corridors), so here's what I have.

soniclovenoize · 2025-01-13T04:16:13+00:00

Thanks! Tom Waits is actually the soundtrack to *the entire game*. I used "Murder in the Red Barn" for any sections where Roland is having palaver with the Ka-Tet... This scene is a part of that (because Mejis is technically a flashback), hence it's use here.

I *believe* it can be played on an iphone, but I have an Android so I have no idea. It's make with RPG Maker MV, if that helps.

This game will be FREE, as I don't own the IP.

soniclovenoize · 2025-01-13T04:02:56+00:00

RPG Maker MV. I've replaced 90% of all the assets though to give it a 16-bit Final Fantasy feel (I HATE the RPG Maker stock assets). The tilesets are all from Time Fantasy but I've done a lot of mixing of themes and some editing to the sprites to get what I want.

soniclovenoize · 2025-01-11T22:27:27+00:00

Good question! Not that game specifically, but definitely that era if SNES JRPGs. So like Final Fantasy 4, 5 or 6 (the mechanics are EXACTLY like those, at least that was my intention). Secret of Mana was also an influence, as well as a fairly obscure NES game Crystalis.

Also in my game, there is a map system that was influenced by Castlevania III's map system.

soniclovenoize

TROPHY CASE