Alex Lemley's Showcase Showtime

Well, this might come out of left field, but for the last week I’ve actually been experimenting with music creation.

I’ve released my experiment as a Soundcloud playlist.  One week of experimental chiptune music, originally released about daily.  I think I got some good tunes out of it, and it convinced me that I want to start pursuing music a bit more seriously.

LAUNCHED TODAY!  A sneak-preview of my latest project, Welcome to Asset Club!

A sort-of spinoff to Sanity Check, Welcome to Asset Club follows the adventures of a ragtag band of stock VN Maker assets in their quest to make the best visual novel of all time.  Things quickly fall apart, and the player will have to decide which of the warring plot threads gets to be pulled through to the end.

And so we reach my latest creation and current most-active project!  The Quest of All Worlds is a unique tabletop card game in which four players compete for glory as they quest together though a string of fantastic locales.

Players must first select a hero, each with their own stats and special abilities.  (Note, all art is placeholder art not intended for use in the final game.  It’s just things I found meant to convey the general atmosphere I would intend in the finished project.)

From there, players take turns adding Locations to the quest, with each player trying to build an adventure that plays best to their stats and skills.

This game is currently in active testing and development (plus it’d help if I could find an artist or two).

So not only do I create webgames, but I’ve also prototyped a few tabletop card games over the course of the last year.  My first ever was Masquerade Brawl, a multiplayer battle game in which players take turns attacking each other (with dice) in an attempt to be the last one standing.

However, this being a masquerade, everyone has a secret identity that they can reveal at any time to turn the tables.

This game is currently in playable prototype form and all art is temporary.  Early playtests have been positive, though, and I hope to do more soon!

And now my latest computer game project, playable in-browser now on Newgrounds!  As the oh-so-eloquent description goes...

“Sanity Check is a game about the creative process, game design, and what it means to be an artist in the modern age. But...more specifically, it's a game about power-mad demon ladies, showboating skeletons and elder gods who just can't stick to the script. A hapless creator's first RPG Maker game spirals out of control as the stock assets take over and begin running the show.

Beat the combat scripting out of enemies to learn their moves! Experiment with unique equipment that radically alters your playstyle! Encounter hilarious monsters, each fight with its own unique dialogue! And maybe even find some secrets!

It's time for a Sanity Check!”

Hero.ROM has a new home, and it’s itch.io!  Not only that, but it’s now a full 2.5 chapters deep with a solid “several” hours of content packed within!

For any newcomers out there, Hero.ROM is a text adventure RPG in Twine, set in the grim cyberpunk future of what was once a vibrant fantasy kingdom.   Swords and sorcery have been replaced by nanomachines and cyberspace, and the gods that used to rule the land...well...no one's heard from them in a while.So, what happens when an ancient evil reappears to spread some old-school havoc on this brave new world? Well obviously, some destined hero is going to need to rise to save humanity.

This project is currently considered “On-Hold,” but is already massive in scope, with each chapter building upon previous releases to create a seamless narrative experience.

It’s Hero.ROM!  Again!

So this project has undergone a bit of a shift.  In the interest of making this project manageable, Hero.ROM is going to become an episodic series!  And so, I’ve retooled the initial offering into the standalone first episode, Wrath of the Gang Queen.   There have been a few upgrades and changes if you played it before, but if you haven’t, give it a go!

Interested in seeing some of my previous work?  I wrote a short-(ish) story called The Princess which currently appears on Blogger.  It’s a horror story inspired by the recent trend of video game creepypastas that have been appearing all over the net.  While I don’t really consider it a “creepypasta” myself (it’s much too long, for one thing) it’s a spooky tale that might give you a bit of pause the next time you boot up your favorite game.

So here’s the project I’m currently working on, Hero.ROM.  It’s a TWINE RPG, and it’s going to be a very ambitious game once complete.  For now, though, I’m putting the demo out into the world in order to get some reactions and see if there’s any interest in this project continuing.

Hero.ROM is a cyberpunk comedy set in the absurd dystopian future of what was once a vibrant fantasy kingdom.  Magic and legend have been replaced by cyberspace and nanomachines.  However, the old ways die hard, and now some destined rando must be called upon to save the world from an ancient evil that has risen from its slumber.  That rando...is you!

EXPLORE THE RUINED STREETS!  DRINK SODA FROM TUBES!  SUPLEX A GANG LEADER!  ENGAGE IN A UNIQUE COMBAT SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS FOR DYNAMIC BATTLES WITH ONLY TWO TRACKED STATS!  This may just be a demo, but it’s a beefy experience in its own right (covering the first area up to the first boss) and gives you the freedom to play with a number of game mechanics.

Enjoy some screenshots my computer decided to compress all weird...

And if you can’t get enough, it might interest you to know that the game is a sequel to an early TWINE adventure of mine...

Hero Room

Hero Room was a game I made a couple years ago when I first encountered TWINE and fell in love with how simple it made the process of game creation.  It was so simple, in fact, that it put an idea in my head.  “I wonder if I could make an entire game completely stream-of-consciousness.”  And so, over two weekends, Hero Room was born.  It’s a very different experience and more of a parody of adventure game and fantasy tropes.  However, it contains vital lore for understanding Hero.ROM.  (Well, not really, but you’ll get a chuckle at how they connect.)

Give ‘em a play, why don’t ya?  I’m really interested to hear feedback.  You can leave your comments here or find me on Twitter at @Rocketlex or ask.fm/Rocketlex too.  There’s lots of ways to get in touch with me and I encourage people to give me their thoughts on this project.  Also, feel free to share!  I can’t promise the finished Hero.ROM will be free, but the demo is absolutely for sharing to your heart’s content.