Introduction

Well would you look at that? The game that, until today, nobody knew about but me just released a demo. I'm super excited about this.

I feel like I first need to address the elephant in the room.

Yes.

This is an RPG Maker Game. I understand the limitations of the engine, but I feel like it was a good fit to tell the story of The Control Group. I also know how to work with the system beyond just the default functions, which should be evident when you encounter the game's puzzles.

What is The Control Group

I originally wrote The Control Group for the subreddit NoSleep. After receiving a positive response on NoSleep, I published it as a novella through Amazon. It wasn't until recently that I realized it would make a fun little horror role-playing adventure. Translating the story's format from print to game has been a fun challenge. The major difference is the interactivity involved. I wanted to make sure the game is one that I would enjoy playing. In order to make the game fun, I changed the pacing and added upon, and sometimes deleted portions of, the story.

The biggest change is that there are now multiple endings. I never liked the idea of "Here are the three bad endings and here is the one good ending." For that reason, I haven't included "Bad" endings and "Good" endings. I like to think that there is only "Your" ending--the ending that each individual player earns after playing the game. There is certainly an ending that is most canonical with the novella, but that doesn't necessarily make it the best ending.

I feel as if I have accomplished my goal to make a fun game so far. Hopefully you will enjoy it as well.

What to Expect

I know that there is a stereotype for a typical "RPG Maker Game." This stereotype includes square graphics, repetitive sound effects, tedious turn based combat, poor grammar, and a number of other features, positive and negative. So here's what you can expect with The Control Group.

• Square graphics. Artistic ability is my shortcoming when it comes to game design. While I consider myself slightly capable with digital photo manipulation, my ability to create graphics from scratch is still very infantile. I feel as if I've done sufficient to do the story justice, but I know that other artists would do a much better job.
• Challenging puzzles. Some puzzles you've seen before and many you haven't. I've always loved logic and had a lot of fun putting together the puzzles you see in The Control Group.
• Good music. While I have no music of my own in the game, I understand the importance of music in interactive media. The music I have chosen fits the moods and themes of the game.
• A good story. I understand my strengths and weaknesses. Writing happens to be one of my strengths. Additionally, the story behind The Control Group is tried and tested. Here are some comments from the finale of The Control Group when I posted it on NoSleep:
  • "It was fantastic. Very few things manage to really move me emotionally, but [The Control Group] achieved that."
  • "WOW! AMAZING! Wonderful writing! Fantastic twist in the story, I absolutely love it! . . . Amazing, truly amazing!"
  • "I will be thinking about this for a long time to come."
  • "I cannot control my feels right now... [The Control Group] opened my mind to what people are capable of."

Game's Current Progress

I have currently finished the first two chapters of the game and am about halfway done with the third, and final, chapter. After that, I have to finish coding all the puzzles in the game, which will take up a good chunk of time. The tentative release date is Early 2019, but I can see the game coming out much sooner than that.

Conclusion

Hopefully you will enjoy playing The Control Group as much as I am enjoying making it. If you enjoy the game, please share it with your friends and check back when the game is finished.

All the best,

-Matt