Inside the Game – Ms. Bella's World

2–4 minutes

From time to time, I check out the game demos on Steam to see if anything peaks my interest. Frequently I’ll find a little game that, after looking it over, I end up adding to my wishlist. Most of these games tend to be lighthearted puzzle games, fantasy or science fiction RPGS, or the ever-growing list of survival games coming out.

Rarely do I add a walking simulator to my list. However, this one was so bizarre, and reminded me so much of something H.R. Giger would have dreamed up, that it ended up there.

The game is called Necrophosis. By the developers Dragonis Ares and Adonis Brosteanu, this game is tagged as Lovecraftian, Surreal, Walking Simulator, and Mystery.

The description of the game, from the Steam Page, reads –

“Necrophosis inspired by Zdzislaw Beksinski is a chilling first-person horror adventure, plunging you into a nightmarish realm teeming with grotesque forms and ominous visuals. Delve into eerie landscapes and uncover secrets in this atmospheric journey through the macabre.“

I had never heard of Zdzislaw Beksinski before, so I looked him up. He was a Polish painter, photographer, and sculptor born in 1929, specializing in dystopian surrealism. And, might I add, he did it quite well.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, he entered what he referred to as his ‘fantastic period,’ focusing on surrealistic, detailed environments of death and decay. Despite the grimness of his work, he insisted many of them were optimistic and was uninterested in hearing interpretations, even going so far as to leave his works untitled.

Like Giger, I wouldn’t call his art pretty, and I wouldn’t hang it on my wall. But also, like Giger, I can’t help but be drawn to many of his pieces. I found myself staring at them for some time in contemplation, wondering what he was thinking as he crafted each piece.

Inspired by Beksinski’s haunting visions, Necrophosis captures a similar sense of grim fascination. In the demo, you’re dropped into the story with very little knowledge of who you are or why you’re there. You have to figure out how to navigate this desolate world of death and decay, where everything that is has already perished and even death itself can die. There aren’t even enemies to fight; you are truly alone in your isolation.

After stumbling around for a while, missing obvious clues as I stared at the dark, graphical feast in front of me, I finally started to pick up the gameplay, just in time for the demo to end.

I was relieved. I wanted more. I needed to know why this world was the way it was. How far into the future was this reality, and was it truly the end of time?

Now, I find myself reflecting on what I experienced in the game so far and eagerly awaiting a release date so I can continue exploring this unsettling terrain. Despite Beksinski’s insistence that he didn’t know the meaning behind his art, I find myself yet searching for some glimmer of it in both his work and the world of Necrophosis.

If the whole game continues as it began, then I highly recommend it for people who love darkly atmospheric simulators that leave you pondering life, mortality, death, and all that comes after.

And if you want to see more, I’ll be streaming the demo later today at 7:30 pm EST on YouTube and Rumble. I welcome you to take the journey with me, and perhaps you too will find yourself wanting to know more.

Until next time …

2–3 minutes

I love trying out many different games, and my Steam library is populated by numerous RPGs and survival games. Yet, amongst those are a handful of programs that I find fun or useful. One of those programs is RPG Stories by Brave Alice Games.

This program is a Virtual Tabletop (VTT) 3D worldbuilder created to allow you, the GM, to create settings for your fantasy, horror, or Sci-Fi TTRPG. It features tools and models to build whatever you want.

Do you need a haunted forest with an abandoned witch’s shack in the middle? You can make that. Want to create a town with a large inn for your adventurers to congregate and plan their next adventure? Go for it. Need a far-future sci-fi setting for your gritty war adventures? You can do that too.

The program, despite being early access, already has an array of models and building places to choose from. You can place them where you want, scale them to fit, mix them with other pieces. There’s also a wide variety of clutter pieces, from tables and chairs to small bric-a-brac to populate shelves and more. And if the program doesn’t have quite what you’re looking for, the community may have it as there’s an active workshop where people add creations, some of them impressive in their own right.

Beyond the building itself, you can import a 2D map of a campaign setting and use it as a template to create the 3D version.

I’ve tinkered with it, creating a large inn, and the controls were easy to use once I figured out what they were. Once I’m a bit more comfortable with the controls, I’ll even do a couple of quick videos showcasing what can be done with the building features.

Now, a 3D setting is nice, but what good is it if you can’t let your players play in it? Well, you can do that too, if you own the GM version and your players own the player version. The initial outlay for the GM will be $35.98 USD + tax on Steam, while each player copy will cost $18.99 USD + tax on Steam. So, while it’s not the cheapest, it’s not super expensive and doesn’t require monthly subscriptions.

With that, you can use the tools available to add mobs to for your players to fight, interactable objects, and even fog of war so nothing gets spoiled before players get to an area. I’m sure there’s a lot more to this, but I’ve not gotten that far yet.

And, currently, they’re running a Kickstarter for an expansion called VTT Expansion: The Wrath of Devs, which will add procedurally generated scenes, VTT exports, pre-built quests, and more. Depending on if you own the game or not, you can elect to fund just the expansion ($25.00 USD), buy a player version along with funding the expansion ($49.00 USD), buy the GM version + fund the expansion ($73.00 USD), and more.

With the developer’s dedication to constantly updating and adding to this program, I’d say it has potential to be a solid Virtual tabletop for most of your gaming needs. I highly recommend heading over to Steam to check out the demo and see if it meets your gaming needs.

Until next time, bye for now!