Dextera Mortis

[Darkmoon9]

Hi, as the old forums are closing down. I will repost the thread for my first ever rpg maker project, Dextera Mortis. This project has a long history, originally coming from a concept for a novel I came up with at 15, this was 20 years ago. I never actually finished the book, but in the last couple of years I did use a version of this story as the basis of a RPG Maker Game. I learned how to use the rpg maker mv engine during the development of this game, but I think I came out pretty well for a first project. I did commision alot of custom art for characters as portraits in this game, most of the artwork being the work of various artists I have worked with, with the rest being made in the rpg maker mz character creator. I also plan to release an updated version of this game on the MZ engine, with all animated enemies instead of the mix between that and static enemy sprites that exists in the current version. I will post that version of the game when its done, but it might take a couple of years. In the meantime, I thought of posting the current version here. Some of the events of this game might seem similar to whats going on in the world today, but remember, this story was originally conceived decades before these events and this similarity is therefore mostly a coincidence.

Setting and Plot

The year is 2044, in a world where aliens landed on earth and shared their technology with humanity. Foremost among this technology was the creation of androids, fully sentient machines that were near indistinguishable from a human. The existance of the androids were seen as blasphemy by many, believing only God has the right to create sentient life, giving birth to the Android Abolishonist movement in the United States As a result, androids were persecuted and often killed on sight by the Abolishinists. A civil war broke out in the US between those who supported the creation of androids and those who considered them an abomination.

The War ended with the Android Abolishonists acheiving victory, their leader, the charasmatic Clark Lewis declaring himself Emperor and the United States would become the United Empire, a facist theocracy where the Emperor is worshipped as the one true god, a claim backed up by him and his clergy displaying terrifying supernatural powers. Though many who oppose the United Empire believe the Emperor to be non other than the Beast of Revelations. The United Empire since started a war of conquest and now most of the world is under its heel, the people forced to worship the Emperor as their god or die.

But there are those that resist, the story follows Liliian Corvus and Edmund Wolf, members of the underground resistance against the United Empire. A movement sponsored by the very aliens that helped create the androids. They are given a task by their superior to steal a mysterious puzzle box from the mansion of a local prosecutor, an act that will have unforseen consequences.

Meanwhile in Italy, an orphan girl named Nicola who was raised at a local monastery is shown to have the power to perform miracles, to be able to heal any illness with a touch. An abillity that attracts the attention of both the Pope and a mysterious cult known as the Flame of Light. She is contacted in her dreams by one who claims to be God. Who instructs her to travel to the site of the Old Temple in Jerusalem and open a portal to the Empyrean, allowing angels to enter this world. The problem being that since the United Empire conquered the region, the Dome of the Rock has been torn down and replaced by a blasmpehmous temple to the Emperor.

Download Link: Dextera Mortis by Darkmoon6789

Edit. This thread should probably be in completed games. Though I swear the category did not exist when I made this thread. Can someone please move it to that category?

[square_planner]

I played until I got stuck in Chapter 2. After reaching the top of the temple, the game told me to go beneath it, but I couldn’t figure out where to go next.

I had quite a bit of fun with the game while I was playing. The change of main character after Chapter 1 was a really cool surprise.

I also enjoyed the real-world setting, which reminded me a bit of Shadow Hearts.

The battles felt fast-paced and engaging, which I appreciated. One mechanic I never fully understood, however, was the shield system that some enemies have.

My biggest criticism is the lack of consistency in the character portraits. The differences in art style were often distracting and sometimes made it difficult to judge a character’s age or appearance. It also gave the game a somewhat unfinished feel.

[Darkmoon9]

If it is the part I think it is you are stuck in. On the first floor of the Abyssal Temple, there is a stairway leading down, this stairway can only be accessed after beating the boss on the 4th floor. You can use the teleporters to quickly reach the first floor from the 4th. I hope you are able to progress with this information.

As for the shields, its basically a pool of temporary hp that has to be depleted before they can be damaged. Unfortunatelythe plugin I use doesn’t properly display shield damage. It is kinda meant to represent protective force fields. You can either use a skill that disables shields or simply keep attacking the shield until it is depleted.

When it comes to the inconsistcy of the artwork. It is mostly because I commissioned more than one artist, who’s style and skill level vary. Unfortunately the most skilled of those artist did also charge the most for the artwork. Also, only party members and the most important characters even got commissioned artwork. The rest still use character generator portraits. Unfortunately I cannot afford to commission for every character.

Glad you liked the game in any case. If there is anything you are wondering or if you get stuck again, please tell me, and I will be able to help.

Edit. Provided a screenshot of the stairway you need to go to. You can see it in the bottom left corner. This is in the first floor where you first enter the temple.