Leomorn Sword: Reverie

Rediscovery:

“Leomorn Sword” has now lain dormant for nearly a decade. After stumbling upon its archives last week, I found myself transported back to a time of creativity, exploration, and enthusiasm—although in real life at that time I was rather facing my own personal struggles and inner demons, battling with depression and a sense of “aimlessness.”

Although I’ve always worked on “some” RPG Maker project since I was about 13, I began the development of “Leomorn Sword” in 2009, and that’s why finding it again almost felt like stepping on an archaeological dig site. Beyond the project’s outer layers, I felt a sense of nostalgia, but also renewed purpose, which made me eager to act, to “give back” to the RPG Maker community, in a sense, but also to give “Leomorn Sword” itself a proper burial place.

“Leomorn Sword” stands as a testament to my vision, creativity, and—in many respects—my own hubris. Although it’s not meant as a critique, I describe myself as an amateur. The appeal of RPG Maker lies in its accessibility: it offers a platform where anybody, regardless of programming expertise, can delve into game development. Like many others who began their journey with RPG Maker, I, too, poured my heart and soul into “Leomorn Sword” by myself, but also relying on the RPG Maker community for guidance, inspiration, and—to some extent—collaboration. Yet, despite the community’s support, the ambitious and complex nature of projects like “Leomorn Sword” require collaborative efforts beyond what individuals can achieve alone, and a supportive community doesn’t mean teamwork.

Balancing stability and innovation:

Perhaps nobody will recall that version 1.6 was the last “stable” iteration of the game, while version 1.7—also never released to the public—was marred by unfinished features to the point of having become unplayable. In the spirit of preservation and reverence for the past, and in an effort to bridge these iterations, I embark on a mission to merge stability with innovation, ensuring fidelity “to a fault,” but also incorporating as many of the later changes as possible into version 1.6. Therefore, the outcome should be a “playable version 1.7,” or an upgraded “version 1.61,” which I will eventually upload on this website.

In the forthcoming posts, I intend to document this journey, laying bare my decision-making process, the challenges faced, the compromises, and—I hope—the successes, too. Each entry should serve as a portrait of the evolution of a project that has shaped not only my own creative endeavours and the collective imagination of the RPG Maker community, but my life, too.

Reflections and lessons learnt: project “Reverie”:

Beyond a mere technical task, this journey represents a quest for closure—a reflection on past failures and missed opportunities, as much as the good memories. While realistic about the audience’s lack of interest in this revival—it’s been almost a decade since I last touched the project, and I doubt anyone’s losing sleep over its rediscovery—I hope that sharing my insights and lessons learnt will offer a glimpse into the world of game development in general—and RPG Maker project development in particular—and serve as a testament to the enduring spirit of creativity.

This “project within a project” represents an additional chapter in the saga of game development, albeit one where I’m not resuming active work on the game; instead, I’m taking a moment to revive it, giving it one final glance and retrospect, before ultimately closing it for good.

I’m calling this last iteration of the project “Leomorn Sword: Reverie.”