RPG Maker Dungeon #4: Helen's Mysterious Castle
Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/418190/Helens_Mysterious_Castle/ (Available for $1.99)
Originally published November 9 2022
Helen's Mysterious Castle begins without ceremony. You are Helen, a young woman standing outside a house. "You mustn't go near the Northern Ruins," says a nearby green-haired man. "They're dangerous." Inside the house, a longbow waits in a chest. Smashing a pot gives a satisfying crushing sound, and a 2 point increase to Helen's health. North, a slime stands in front of a ruined castle. Engage the slime in battle, and the way to the castle opens up to you. There's a sign outside, but Helen can't read it. She says, "?" Occasionally, she says "!"
The player doesn't know who Helen is, or what waits in the castle. But they do know that exploring the castle is a far more interesting proposition than waiting around by the house. Every aspect of Helen's Mysterious Castle exhibits this same thoughtful minimalism. Enemies only give experience, not money. Weapons with distinct abilities and charge times are hidden throughout the castle. Helen fights alone, but is capable of quickly thrashing groups of enemies or tanking deadly blows based on her item loadout. Should she die in battle, a meal of steak back at home permanently raises her health.
Helen's Mysterious Castle belongs to the VIPRPG movement, which famously use the free resources that come with RPG Maker 2000 as a base to create small, experimental projects. The characters, monsters and environments of the game are familiar to anyone who has played a game in the engine. Helen's Mysterious Castle leaves just enough empty space that you might find yourself reading into those elements based on your own experience. But like the best VIPRPG titles, the game is more than a simple nostalgia exercise. Every piece is deployed for a reason. Helen is her own person, even if she doesn't have much to say.
Earlier this year, Edwin Evans-Thirwell wrote a great piece about how "micro-rpgs" break down elements of sprawling Japanese roleplaying games into distinct parts. He cites past RPG Maker games as examples, including "GeaSaga" and "Cataphract OI." I find both of these games fascinating, but I'd go even further and say that the micro-RPG has always been a part of the RPG Maker community's DNA. Who else is better equipped to take Japanese RPGs apart than the hardcore number-crunchers who play too many RPG Maker games?
Of course, I'll always have a place in my heart for those messy, ambitious titles made in the engine. Games that have an airship for no better reason than that the developer figured every role-playing game needs an airship. But then, Helen's Mysterious Castle didn't need an airship, so its creator satsu didn't put one in. That's why it's brilliant.