Beloved Rapture (2023; PC)

[Koby]

Summary

Beloved Rapture is story-heavy RPG inspired by the SNES-era. A game exploring trauma, mysticism, friendship, and LGBT themes.

 

The narrative takes place amidst an epic conflict, yet the interpersonal stories take center stage. Characters challenge not only the next looming dungeon boss—but themselves, and their own demons.

Plot

Johan, an introverted young man from the countryside, finds himself thrown into a conflict beyond his comprehension. The Aeons—an enigmatic religious faction—move ever-closer to his hometown. 

 

Now faced with a threat to his once-elysian way of life, Johan must contemplate the role he is destined to play in their escalating conflict. 

 

At his side are Aiden, the mysterious son of a Shrine caretaker, who has trained since childhood in the mystic arts; and Crysta, a runaway noblewoman intent on ending the war before it reaches her family. 

 

Through their travels, Johan is intrigued by Aiden's increasing fascination with him, as well as the appearance of Draco, an Aeon soldier with a connection to his own mother. 

 

 

Features

• Turn-based combat with a focus on the challenge!
• Six total playable characters, each with unique stats & skills.
• NO random encounters, and no forced grinding!
• A mid-length RPG that focuses on storytelling, rather than filler side-quests.
• Choose from Classic or Story mode(s) to cater your experience.
• A complete 16-bit OST, and SNES-inspired pixel art crafted with love.

 

 

[Koby]

Demo 2.0

Since launching the demo in October 2022, we received a tremendous amount of support and critiques from all across the spectrum.

I wanted to personally thank everyone who's played the game thus far - it truly means the world to us!

Over the past months, Cameron and I dug into all the feedback, and rebalanced many aspects of the gameplay experience itself. In some cases, we added entire new systems (such as swimming & fishing).

The demo will still contain the game's first chapter, but with some significant overhaul & refinement. I believe this version represents a more accurate picture of what the final game might feel like!
 

 

 

A list of changes

• Added GUIDE Menu: A sub-menu allowing the player to check the map, view quests, enemy details, game mechanics, and more.
• Swimming: Certain bodies of water are now traversable! The player can also dive to reach hidden gold, chests or underwater switches!
• Active vs Wait Modes: The player can now CHOOSE if they want battles to run on ACTIVE mode (a FF7 style ATB), vs WAIT (enemies won't attack continuously until the player chooses). This can be changed at any time in the menu.
• Maiden Statues Rebalanced: Statues will now only give a GODDESS TEAR item if the game is running on Story Mode. Otherwise, they only offer a single-use heal.
• Fishing: Use your fishing rod + lure at certain locations throughout the game! Over 15 unique fish to catch!
• Item Messages: The "Item Found" message boxes now will show a small visual icon of each item once it's been obtained!
• Golden Chests: New varieties of treasure. Chests will look visually distinct if they contain Gear/Equipment.
• Stats Rebalanced: Some enemies adjusted according to player feedback.
• New locations: Chapter 1 has been greatly expanded with over 4 new optional areas & hidden treasures.
• Graphical Bugs: Minor visual bugs fixed.

 

[Spoony]

Another interesting looking indie game completely killed by the prominent LGBTQ+ tag.

[Koby]

They announced today that the scheduled release date for Beloved Rapture is Monday, October 7, 2024.

 

 

 

[Zemekis]

On 8/31/2024 at 7:21 AM, Spoony said:

Another interesting looking indie game completely killed by the prominent LGBTQ+ tag.

 

Damn. I saw activity in this thread and started from the top, thinking this looks pretty good. Then I realized from looking at the Western art style that these must be Western Indie-devs and you've confirmed my fears. It's every single time now, isn't it? That's -1 purchase, because I was sold on it at first. Luckily for me, there are so many thousands of games to choose from that I don't need to compromise whatsoever when I see a tag I dislike.

Edited September 25, 2024 by Zemekis
expanded on my nitpicking

[Koby]

Released today. According to SteamDB, only 70 people played the game today.

[Koby]

 

Version 1.01

• Fixed various graphical errors.
• Corrected typos.
• Resolved collision issues.
• Removed "Relica LVL" from the status menu (leftover from older code).
• Fixed a crash when opening the menu after receiving Amaterasu weapon.
• Added a bonus "Lightning Rune" reward to the Wyvern's Kiss quest.
• Added an "Ice Rune" reward for winning Ventti 3 times in a row.
• Fixed the "Rune Hunter" quest completion count in Nysas (Chapter 4).
• Corrected a +50 gold bug with the Shooting Gallery attendant.

 

Version 1.0.2

CHANGES/FIXES

• Added new scenes to credit roll.
• Fixed a bug where incorrect party members are present in final battle.
• Fixed an issue where the first member of the party's stats displayed as all 0s in the status menu.
• Corrected an issue where save time DISPLAY was incorrect when loading game.

POLISH

• Corrected various graphical bugs.
• Corrected multiple entrance transitions.
• Corrected various typos.

 

Version 1.0.3 

• Corrected various collision issues.
• Corrected various typos.
• Fixed audio not playing in Chapter 3 regions/swamp maps.
• Fixed an issue where player is unable to slide upward on bottom left corner of ice sliding puzzle in Omalas Ruin.
• Modified the defense of one of the final boss' forms.
• Fixed an issue where one of the final boss' abilities would soft lock the game if casted on a play who just got their turn.
• Corrected an issue where sometimes Relica was not immediately triggered when wearing the item's LuLu's Keepsake and Relica Ring.
• Corrected an issue where music for Chapter 3's swamp area not correctly triggering.

 

Version 1.04

• Corrected various typos.
• Corrected various graphical errors.
• Fixed an issue where certain items were purchasable for 0 Gold.
• Fixed a bug that allows you to exceed level up points for stats above their respective caps.
• Fixed a bug where game can crash if loading from save point just before boss fight in Chapter 3.
• Fixed an issue where game was auto-saving just before launching a shop in Chapter 1, causing issues.
• Fixed a bug that can lower Johan's level when rejoining the party in Chapter 3 if player had leveled higher previously.
• Fixed an issue where leaving Playa Omara map before visiting Mt. Apotheo can lock the player from progressing.
• Added a "Rune" reward for catching a catfish in Jethro's pond.
• Added an extra "Rune" reward for finding Playdough in Alexandria.

 

Version 1.05

Additions/Bug fixes

• Corrected various graphical bugs.
• Corrected various typos.
• Corrected an issue where Lance and Karuka are not displayed on screen for ending scenes.
• Fixed an issue where the game can crash in battle when loading from Auto-Save before the boss fight with the Gryffle in Chapter 4. (Players who are currently at this point in the game may need to walk out of the area and back before initiating the boss fight to resolve.)
• Fixed a bug where if enemy and player speeds were similar it could cause the game to crash during battle.

General gameplay and battle balance and adjustments

• Removed HP/MP recovery after level up in "Classic Mode".
• Increased the accuracy of Karuka's attacks from 50% to 70% when in "Fury" stance. Defense is still halved and attack is still doubled.

 

 

Version 1.06

Additions/Bug fixes

• Corrected various graphical bugs and typos.
• Fixed a bug where "Frightshade" enemies in the battle arena could cause the game to crash.
• Fixed an issue allowing "Burn the Bull" quest completion in Chapter 2 without finishing the required task.
• Fixed a bug that could leave the player unable to exit their menu after loading in for the Omalas Ruins map.

General gameplay and battle balance and adjustments

• Increased difficulty and slightly reduced the EXP gained for enemies in Chapter 4 onward.
• Added a new Relica ability for Lance. (Acquired by default when Lance joins party.)
• Added a new Relica ability for Karuka. (Acquired when Karuka joins the party for the 2nd time.)
• Reduced the power for some of Aiden's Relica abilities.
• Karuka's "Valor" now targets a single ally and costs 30% Max MP.
• Rebalanced weapon upgrades in Smithing Shops and increased weapon accuracy.
• Adjusted the potency of status effects applied to allies:
  Poison now deals 3% damage per turn for 10 turns; Burn now deals 8% per turn for 5 turns.

 

Version 1.07

Additions and Bug Fixes:

• Corrected various typos and graphical errors.
• Fixed an issue where Otis was not selling Frog Bait in Awasha after completing a specific side quest.
• Resolved a problem where one of the final bosses did not switch elements correctly.
• Corrected the in-menu location display for the final area of the game.
• Fixed a bug where some spell upgrades incorrectly removed an Ethrel Shard from the inventory, even when not required.
• Addressed an issue where using multi-target healing items outside of battle consumed more than one item.

 

Version 1.08

 

Additions/Bug fixes

• Fixed various typos and graphical issues.
• Implemented coding to alleviate random crashes while in "Wait Mode".
• Implemented coding to alleviate random crashes while opening the menu. ("Invalid Item ID" error).
• Multiple maps edited to adjust music cues.

 

[Koby]

Version 1.09

Additions/Bug fixes:

• Fixed various typos and graphical issues.
• Swapped out "Dark Rune" dropped by Aeon Guard in Zelos Castle for a "Fire Rune".
• Added a "Wind Rune" reward for rescuing Maple in Awasha.
• Party HP/MP is now fully recovered after boss fight in Chapter 3 going into Chapter 4.
• Fixed a bug where stats on level pop-up display incorrectly during duels in the Courtyard.
• Modified Owned/Required sections for Smiths and Rune Shops.
• Added Fairy Wings to Alchemy Bar shop in Alexandria.
• Added a small increase for "Attack" power to Crysta's weapon and upgrades.
• Marked "Wait Mode" as "In beta phase"; Awaiting reports of crashes after version 1.0.8. (Note: If possible, please report any soft-locks or crashes encountered while in wait mode, as this helps us narrow down the root cause of the issue.)
• Added new feature - Player now spawns in outside of the menu after loading a save file. (Note: This will only take effect for saves made after upgrading to patch 1.0.9)

 

Note: After updating to this patch, you may see a black screen on load in; Hit the cancel key twice to remove it.

 

Version 1.1.0

Additions/Bug fixes:

• Corrected various typos and graphical issues.
• Fixed a bug where primary font changes after initiating the "Timed Gate" puzzle in the dungeon of Chapter 3.
• Corrected an issue where music was not being queued properly in Chapter 3.

 

Version 1.1.1

Additions/Bug fixes:

• Corrected various typos and graphical issues.
• Added proper ending message and return to title after end-game credit roll.
• Shooting Gallery mini-game in Alexandria has been adjusted to better help aiming precision.
• Reduced the difficulty of reeling in fish for the Fishing mini-game.
• Implemented coding to further reduce soft-locks in battle while using "Wait mode".