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Thanks! Yeah, the old engines were surprisingly versatile, if you knew how to code well enough.

After some feedback and review, it seems that v0.7 save files are NOT compatible with v0.8. There are some differences in how the new version handles inputs that prevents player movement upon loading a save file from the older version.

While this is fixable with a small patch, there are other issues with compatibility as well. Certain weapons and armors will not function correctly, and some areas may not load properly. For these reasons, please do not use v0.7 save files with v0.8. Either start a new file, or continue using v0.7 if you still have it downloaded.

Apologies for the inconvenience. I will take steps in later releases to ensure greater backwards compatibility.

Version 5.1 is available. There was a bug that would prevent the player from progressing any further mid way through the side-mission "Last Wish." The bug is fixed in 5.1, as well as a few other smaller fixes. In addition, more chests have been added to most dungeons, and the quality of loot has been improved. Sorry for any inconvenience, and thank you for playing!

Bloodstained Hands is available for both Windows and your mobile device through JoiPlay!

... Actually it's been available for a while now. But I realize I've never posted in this section to actually announce the release, so I'm doing it now!

Bloodstained Hands is a full length read-on classic RPG designed with RPG Maker VX.

(I can hear the groans already. Yes, another RMVX game).

But truthfully, I've put a lot of work into this project, nearly 15 years worth of consistent effort. I've taken everything I've learned over that time and put it into creating the most polished, artistic, unique experience possible for an indie project developed during my spare time. And it's completely free. I'm not looking to make a profit, I'm looking to share a piece of art.

The last several weeks have seen a number of updates, and the game is looking better than ever. It is also fully compatible with JoiPlay, so it is now available for your mobile device. So to that end, I invite you to give it a try, if you feel so inclined, and if you're feeling especially generous, I would love to hear your feedback!

But on to the game!

Bloodstained Hands takes place in a fantasy world of monsters, magic, and intrigue. The Ilythean Empire has a rich culture, with intricate politics and a core religion that drives much of the story. You'll be introduced to many different characters, each with their own personality and back story, and a deep plot that will keep you in your toes right up to the very end! The game mechanics have been smoothed out and refined incessantly to create an experience reminiscent of the classics of the golden years of RPG's with a modern feel that remains relevant today. Music by Fesliyan Studios provides an immersive soundtrack that sets the tone beautifully, and the maps that were meticulously crafted using parallax mapping techniques offer a stunning vista to lose yourself in. The game also offers a New Game Plus mode, which allows you to continue on a second playthrough with all your characters and skills intact, while providing a greater challenge than ever before.

But don't take my word for it. Give it a try and form your own opinion. The game is free to download and does not require any runtime packages. Just visit the page using the link below!

https://strak.itch.io/bloodstained-hands

I sincerely hope you enjoy the experience. Thank you for your support, and happy playing!

Just a quick note for anyone who has downloaded this update on August 1st. I discovered a minor bug where enemies would not properly scale in difficulty in certain dungeons in New Game Plus. The bug has been fixed and the downloads updated as of August 2nd, but if you downloaded the game on August 1st the bug may still be present. Apologies for any inconvenience. Thank you for your support and happy playing!

Ah, I understand. I'll try to describe how to get through that without giving any spoilers. The point of the game that you're currently at requires you to escape that battle. You aren't trying to win the battle or level up your spell, it will level up on its own after that particular battle. The idea is to use Shroud to allow your character to survive the battle long enough to escape.

I'll walk you through it if you don't know how to escape battles. Note that battle settings are changed for this mission, so if you had different settings you'll want to reset them after.

At the start of the battle, you'll want to use Shroud. Once Shroud is applied, you will then want to hold the button that allows you to escape combat while your character doesn't have an action ready. If you have everything set to the default settings, the escape button is the "Q" key on your keyboard. If you have an action ready, simply hold down that key and cancel your action.

Once you've escaped the battle your spell will level up.

On another note, if you happen to learn Cauterize during this mission, you'll want to follow essentially the same steps, replacing Shroud with Cauterize to deal with the poison.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more difficulties. Thank you for playing.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll see if I can help you with that. Just a few questions to help me figure out the problem:

First, what level is your Shroud spell?

Second, what level is the character that is using Shroud?

I'll try to respond as quickly as possible.

The game has been updated with the bugs fixed. I've posted in the devlog with all the changes. Thank you for your feedback, and I hope this helps!

I've managed to recreate the bug, from what I can see it only occurs if the battle wait mode is set to Full. Changing the wait mode should fix it, battle settings can be changed in the System menu. I will work on a fix for this for all wait modes in the mean time. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I hope you'll continue to play. 

EDIT: I've found a way to fix the bug on all wait modes, I'll be releasing an updated version with the bug fix within the next 24 hours. Thank you for your patience. 

Strange, I'll look into that. There shouldn't be any reason for that, but I'll double check and see if I can duplicate the bug. Thank you for the information.

I can definitely understand why you might be struggling. There are a number of different strategies you can employ for combat, and different strategies may work better in different circumstances (e.g. against singular enemies as opposed to groups). Here are some things you might consider looking into to ease the difficulty:

• Adjust the battle speed and wait modes. If you are still set to the defaults, you may find your slower party members taking less turns and reducing their overall contribution to the party. If you have a bit more of an active wait mode with a slower battle speed, your mage and fighter classes will get more opportunities to act with less penalties, but you may have to plan around queued enemy actions. My personal favourite battle settings are a battle speed of 30% and a wait mode set to Actions.
• Train your spells. If you use the training dummy in the sanctuary, you can level your spells to increase their effectiveness. Spell tomes can be bought in certain cities as well. Equipping a spell tome will grant access to a level one spell, and when used ten times in combat, will level up and become a permanent addition to the users spell list. Some of the tome spells can be invaluable when facing difficult enemies, especially in the late game.
• Grind. As painful as it may be, you might simply be underleveled for the enemies you're facing. Going back to the dungeon you can manage the best and gaining experience and levels may make all the difference.
• Update your equipment. If you have access to a higher tier of weapons and armour, I would strongly recommend taking enough side missions to accumulate the resources to afford the best possible gear.
• Try new things. Your assassins are your fastest characters, but not necessarily your strongest. If you were to dedicate them as support roles, healing allies with items and applying whatever status ailments they can, you may find your survivability dramatically increasing.

If you are looking for specific combat strategies, I'd be more than happy to help give some suggestions, but I encourage you to develop your own style of playing and learn what works best for you. The combat is designed to be challenging, but with the right methods nothing should be impossible. I'd suggest starting with adjusting the battle speed and wait modes. Learning how they work and getting familiar with them can create a world of difference depending on who you're facing.

Thank you very much for the feedback! I hope you enjoy the game, and if you have any additional questions or points of feedback, I'm absolutely open to them. The prologue/tutorial does have some impact on the story, so I haven't really considered adding an option to skip it, although I can understand why it might be tedious to veteran players. I will consider that for a future update. Something that you can do to breeze through the dialogue in most scenes is simply hold the dash button. The same button that is used to run in the game is also used to skip dialogue. When using that, it can cut the introduction and tutorial down to about five or ten minutes, assuming you at least know where to go. As for the controls themselves, I have encountered trouble with that myself. RPG Maker VX uses a system where if you've adjusted the controls on one game made with that platform, all games made with the same platform are similarly affected. But, since different games may have different scripts that change how certain buttons function, there is no baseline for determining what key does what. For example, the default key to escape battle in this game is the Q key, and only works when no players have an action ready. In a different game, someone could have the Q key open the menu. I am addressing this however, and will be releasing an update tonight with a Readme document in the root folder, explaining how to get started and configure the controls to best suit your needs. In the mean time, there is an in-game guide that can be accessed from the menu that explains the controls in depth. You can also figure it out by pressing F1 once the game loads to open the Game Properties window.

Also, something that may be of interest to you is the aforementioned update. There will be an update made live tonight, September 17th, and the update will include a few quality of life improvements, including the Readme going over the controls. I will be posting in the Devlog of the game when the update is live with all the added benefits. The one that you might find most enjoyable is the adjustment of the encounter rate in most dungeons, as it was turning into a bit of a grind. You may find yourself a bit under-leveled at certain points, and might need to take on some extra missions or do a bit of training to get caught up, but at least you won't be swarmed by enemies at every turn. At any rate, thank you for playing, and feel free to offer any additional feedback! I'll do my best to address it in a timely manner.

Greetings!

I am an indie game developer out of Alberta Canada, and I'm looking for feedback on my project. Bloodstained Hands is a full length RPG made with RPG Maker VX, with an artistic approach. I tried to take the typical fantasy cliches and prove that a game can be a cliche and still good. I've put about 12 years of work into this project, doing everything possible to improve the mechanics, dialogue, story, graphics, and overall quality of the game. The game is free to download, does not require any runtime packages, and received updates for bug fixes and quality of life improvements that are compatible with previous saves.

Anyone interested in giving it a shot or providing feedback, please feel free. Just follow the link here: https://strak.itch.io/bloodstained-hands

Thank you! Happy playing.

The game has actually been remade almost entirely. It's a vastly different experience, with little compatibility to old saves, so unfortunately no, your previous saves would not work with this version. I welcome you to start a new file if you so choose! And thank you for playing, I appreciate the support.