Beloved Rapture News

Whether you've been following this project since the very beginning over 15 years ago - or since the revival in 2014, the rebooted development around 2018, the Kickstarter in 2019 - or at literally any time in this historic production the result is the same:

[h3]BELOVED RAPTURE IS OUT NOW!![/h3]

Often cited as one of the most ambitious RPGMaker 2003 titles of all time, Beloved Rapture is finally fully playable! Boasting a ~25h average playtime, we're confident that it is worth the wait!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
FEATURING:

• 6 playable characters to level up
  
• Classic JRPG exploration
  
• Choose from Classic or Story modes
  
• Active and Wait Mode turn-based combat options
  
• NO random encounters or filler quests
  
• Gorgeous hand-crafted pixel art
  
• A full 16-bit inspired OST

[h2]SOUNDTRACK[/h2]
Speaking of...
A purchasable Steam OST for Beloved Rapture will be available SOON!
This full 47 track OST was composed by the wonderful Andreas Kotsamanidis, spanning well over 2 hours of music.

Final mastering was being done on tracks right up until release, so it wasn't quite ready for out launch. Our apologies for that! That will go live as soon as it's ready, and will be available for $7.99 USD. It will also have a launch discount - and will be offered in a Bundle with the main game (with the ability to purchase the soundtrack separately, while still getting that bundled discount retroactively!)

[h2]KICKSTARTER[/h2]
This update is the most painful to share!
In a perfect world, all Kickstarter backers would have received their copies before anyone else. That was always the plan leading up to release...

Late in September, as we were gearing up to send those keys out, we learned that Kickstarter will actually expire contact lists!!? Suddenly we didn't have ANY names or emails of our backers!

The keys are sitting, waiting to be sent out. Our bottleneck right now is waiting on Kickstarter support to generate us a new contact list. We couldn't have anticipated this holdup, and we're so incredibly sorry to keep you waiting. The minute we have that list in hand, we'll be firing off emails!

tl;dr
If you previously backed the game, please be patient!
Your Steam key(s) will be sent out as soon as we're able.
Thank you for your understanding.

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[h2]NOVUS ORBIS[/h2]
This is Graeme, from 2 Left Thumbs, chiming in to share an upcoming game that I think would appeal to this audience!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2437330/Novus_Orbis/

Novus Orbis is similarly inspired by classic turn-based RPGs, with a deckbuilding roguelike spin, borrowing from genre-defining games like Slay the Spire and The Binding of Isaac. There is an extensive demo available now. Please check that out, and give it a Wishlist!



Also similar to Beloved Rapture, this project has an upcoming Kickstarter, that could use your support. Please give that a follow so you don't miss the campaign!

Hey everyone!

Aaron here, creator of Beloved Rapture.

It feels surreal to say this, but after so many years, we're in the final phase of development!

This is a huge milestone for me—personally, creatively, and spiritually. It's been both the toughest and most rewarding project of my life...

What started as a half-baked RPG idea I dreamt up as a kid has... with a LOT of luck, patience, sacrifice, and years of hard work, grown into something I'm now proud to share with the world.



Looking back on the whole development, I can see all the ways in which Beloved Rapture aspired for that sense of wonderment, escapism, and genuine adventure I loved as a kid—inspired by so many of the classic JRPGs.

But it also evolved alongside my matured life experience.

It resulted in a dark fantasy story that has plenty of lightness, heart and whimsy too.

The game has grown in scope / length over the years also - even beyond my original expectations.

Soon enough, I'll be happy for everyone to experience it firsthand.






[h5]Our final rounds of beta testing have begun, as of last week!

If you're interested in helping with this, please, get in touch with us on Discord![/h5] We still have a few more spots.

(Feel free to also join us on Discord to ask any questions about the game! Or just for general chat, too!)



[h3]Our scheduled release date for Beloved Rapture is Monday, October 7, 2024!

As of this writing - only two short weeks away![/h3]

Myself and my collaborator, Cameron, are still working hard on this, even now - correcting any remaining bugs, testing the final dungeon, & finishing the ending cutscenes.

We're planning on polishing it until the absolute final moments.

We're scheduling this release in such a way where testing the game, and finishing the ending, will happen at nearly the same time! Giving players the chance to get started with it as soon as possible.

Expect more announcements, videos, and details on the game's systems, to be posted frequently in the coming days. As well as any evolving details on the release itself!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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[h2]NOVUS ORBIS[/h2]
This is Graeme, from 2 Left Thumbs, chiming in to share an upcoming game that I think would appeal to this audience!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2437330/Novus_Orbis/

Novus Orbis is similarly inspired by classic turn-based RPGs, with a deckbuilding roguelike spin, borrowing from genre-defining games like Slay the Spire and The Binding of Isaac. There is an extensive demo available now. Please check that out, and give it a Wishlist!



Also similar to Beloved Rapture, this project has an upcoming Kickstarter, that could use your support. Please give that a follow so you don't miss the campaign!

Beloved Rapture is thrilled to be featured in not just one, but TWO indie game festivals this week!

[h2]RPG Direct[/h2]

Hosted by NOKOGODO. Embark on new quests with the latest releases and wishlist upcoming games in our RPG Direct event page on Steam!!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Watch Mother Direct! Over an hour of MOTHER / EarthBound fan projects and Motherlike indie RPGs delivered directly to you!

[h2]PixElated Fest[/h2]

The PixElated Festival is a celebration of the very best pixel art games have to offer. From retro-style classics to contemporary indie gems - all in one place! A huge thanks goes out to Brave At Night Games for hosting this event, and for accepting Play Rough as a participant.

✨ discounts
✨ live streams
✨ art contest
✨ demos
✨ developer chats
✨ all centered around your favorite games



[h2]BEETLE NINJA[/h2]
Got an itch for more pixel art indie RPGs? Why not try out the totally FREE Beetle Ninja?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2997890/Beetle_Ninja/

Hi all.
One new feature we added this week, that I thought I'd mention:

[h2]Level Up - Bonus Boosting[/h2]

[h4]After any character levels, the game will now prompt you to allocate bonus points "BP" for a particular stat increase![/h4]

See an example below.

*These changes will take effect only in the final release-date version.



[h5]I was inspired the likes of Super Mario RPG and other titles — but our approach goes a step further by letting the player assign multiple boosts at once.[/h5]


[h5]Each BP can boost one of the following:[/h5]
[h3]

• HP or MP
  
• Attack
  
• Defense
  
• Magic
  
• Speed
  

[/h3]
[h5]Once you choose how to allocate, the UI displays how much it boosts! [/h5]
The amount is based on the number of points allotted, but the exact number is It's not always 1:1 with BP!

We added this for three main reasons:

Customization: Characters have loose archetypal stats, but strategic play allows players to shape attributes based on their preferred style.
Replayability: We aim for unique playthroughs each time. Leveling is no longer a strictly linear process.
Combat Incentive: As players invest in a character's evolution, collecting BP becomes self-rewarding. Boosts are a supplemental bonus, requiring a commitment to see a substantial difference over time.

We're currently testing the game to ensure optimal balance. Enemy strength, EXP levels, and battle frequency may be adjusted. We're aiming for Beloved Rapture to still be challenging on its own terms, so this won't necessarily make the game "easier."

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hey folks,

Aaron here - the creator Beloved Rapture. Just dropping in with some updates for your patient souls. Despite a bit of silence on written updates, the development flow is actually running pretty smooth...and I'd like to share some happy news. We've entered the home stretch, the final 20% of the story!

Myself and the team have been grinding away; drastically expanding the game's world, fleshing out side quests, coding mini-games, finalizing cutscenes - and of course, wrapping up the stories of our beloved characters. It's been a dramatic ride—filled with obstacles and challenges—but also, many creative victories to savor. I can safely say; this experience overall has definitely changed me as a person.

From our humble beginnings on Kickstarter and the RPGMaker forums, things have evolved quite exponentially. Especially in the last 15+ months, thanks to 2 Left Thumbs as our supportive publisher.


While the game still operates on a small budget, even by indie standards—I believe this project has come much closer to including a full-fledged RPG world, just begging to be explored. (Closer, at least, than I could have first imagined!) A world that is a character unto itself; that beckons the player to venture out and soak up the sensations all around them. A game that rewards exploration and curiosity, just as much as strategy and discretion. A kingdom that feels like a real place, not a contrived game level. All of this took countless hundreds, or thousands of hours.

And I have to give credit where it's most due: I would've never been able to accomplish any of this without the help of some new artists, or the addition of Giznads, our battle director and game general programmer.

Also, a general endless thanks to...
Vagrant Pixels and Lijj for the beautiful portrait art.
Fabian for his luminous tiles and pixel environments.
Andreas for the nostalgic and lovingly crafted soundtrack.
Andrew for his story consulting and mapping help.
There are really too many to name in a single blog post, but it's been an honor to be able to work with every one of them.

Beloved Rapture has evolved beyond the simple character arcs I had first envisioned for this story—it’s grown into something a bit more ambitious, to say the least. Yet those central characters and themes are still the heart and soul of the game. They’re still the main thrust of the story, as I hope the players will come to appreciate.







With all that being said, after weighing the options, I've decided to pin the final release window into Q1 of 2024. After many years of investment...it felt like the best decision to go out with a bang! And I'd like the game to be as seamless & polished as it possibly can can be. Having at least a couple of months for beta-tests and revisions can surely help with that goal.

If you've hoped to experience the game *now*, we're still looking for more beta testers. Email me at [email protected], and tell me a bit about yourself and why you're interested. We're taking a dozen volunteers at least - to make sure no corner goes unturned.



In other news - as some of you may have noticed, Demo 3.0 for BR has landed on Steam as of October 2023. We updated the core build last month, so newcomers can play through Chapter I with our most recent coat of paint. Plus, returning players can witness some changes, adjustments and additions we've made. It's far closer to the "final build" that players can experience on launch day.

- Faster Swim Speed Options.
- Battle adjustments, enemy difficulty shifts.
- Adjustments to the Fishing System.
- Extra puzzles, maps, and cutscenes for those who seek them out.
- New dialogue branches.
- QoL fixes, including menu adjustments.
- New items and Gear.

For any casual feedback - good or bad - the Steam discussion boards are a great spot too!

In the coming months, I also look forward to posting some more comprehensive character profiles, trailers, videos and other promo images that can help set the stage for the game's launch.

Cheers,
Aaron / Blind