Did you make every other part of the game, within RPG Maker, yourself?
I saw the music was arranged by Jeremy Robson. From there, I knew if I could draw simple portraits and write things, I could see this project through as a JRPG, rather than, say, a visual novel which would require more skillful art and writing. I started out seeing if I could even make art that would look okay, so I spent time learning pixel art and drawing sprites, grass, and trees to see if this idea had any legs to stand on. I drew more inspiration from Dragon Quest and Pokemon for the gameplay, though. I hadn’t used RPG Maker before, but I’m familiar with its bigger titles like Ib, Omori, Off, Lisa, Hylics, Ao Oni, and Yume Nikki. Of course, the existence of RPG Maker and its community was what allowed me to make anything as a complete newbie. JRPGs tend to be more story- and character-driven, rather than gameplay-focused, with many established tropes I could utilize as vehicles for the story beats I wanted to hit. That all sounded like a formula for an RPG to me! Though, really, it was my inexperience with game making and experience playing JRPGs that made me choose the genre. There was a story that I wanted to tell with powerful characters, silly NPCs, villains, and magic powers. Why a turn-based JRPG? Did your experience with RPG Maker influence your choice of genre?
