@pig has alerted me to the english language translation of Random Dungeon by hamsuta_rpg. can't vouch for the english translation since i haven't checked it yet, but i will say this is one of those rpg maker games that pushes the default battle system in the engine to new frontiers.
and zakuaku is even wilder.
contrary to the title, Random Dungeon isn't "random" or procgen-ing the maps ala Spelunky series. instead, it's cycling through a series of maps where you grab items fast and immediately go to the next floor. i've not played the game deeply enough, but it does strike me as a Diablo-lite where you try to equip some cool items and get to hitting some bosses. this game is quite grindy and if you dig it, you'll really dig it.
i'm only familiar with its "sequel", Zakuzaku Actors, which is a far more successful and popular title. that game has a 50 hour-ish main scenario replete with interesting combat design, a light city-building simulator that affects the RPG stats of your characters, and (as of this writing) 150 hours of postgame content. i've only played 50 hours of the postgame content so far and there's a boss fight with this kickass theme that really broke my mind. marion will just wipe your party in the first turn if you are not prepared. that's the kind of boss fight postgame zakuaku does lol.
hamusta_rpg, the creator, is kinda like the RPG Maker version of ZUN. he's never really designed games or even drawn characters, so there's an amateur vibe to it. in Random Dungeon, he never used anything original; he used assets from the default RPG maker tileset and music packs from teams like rengoku teien. however, he took it upon himself to try something original in Zakuzaku Actors by learning how to draw and tell stories. so zakuaku starts from being this middling jrpg story to something rather grandiose and kinda nice looking at the end. the game is the most Doujin Soul i've ever seen and it's ... free.
and this SOUL was so powerful that it garnered a really strong fandom. this is the only free game i know that got an akiba themed cafe for example. i can only compare its reputation to the likes of Homestuck lol.
i haven't checked the translation of Random Dungeon yet, so i can't say if it's faithful. i've not even gone that far into the game to really say much, but i do like zakuaku. it's one of the most interesting rpg maker games out there, even if many people probably won't like it. def check out this stuff at least.
p.s. lol at the translation team wanting to take on zakuaku but having to pause because the game is in fact still being developed.
