The Way by Luke Wacholtz (aka Lun Calsari). A series of games created using RPG Maker. The story is so amazing and intricate that you're sort of left in a bewildered state of: "Wait... what just happened here?"
You can download it (for free) here.
I shall now attempt to explain the plot without giving away too much. There is a good article
here.
The story revolves around the central protagonist, Rhue of Landorin, the lone survivor of the Landorin Massacre, who is searching for his long lost childhood friend Serena, who was knocked into the river at said event. At the same time, a particularly brutal mass murderer, known as the Phantom Slasher, is roaming around, seemingly following Rhue. The Way is the name of the world in which Rhue and other inhabit, which is a seemingly neverending stretch of land with mists at the front and rear that slowly move forcing the inhabitants to move with it. People who get caught in the mists are promptly obliterated. People who live on The Way are thus called Wanderers. At the edge of the frontal mists are a group of Wanderers called The Forerunners who set up bridges, signposts etc. Rhue, known formally as Rhue of Landorin, is the main character of "The Way." A rather complex character, he is obsessed with finding his lost love Serena, at any cost. While initially weak, he eventually builds up a respectable number of combat maneuvers before the story is over. Along The Way, Rhue meets a wide array of interesting characters: -
Strata: An amazingly talented sword fighter, who is first introduced when he robs Rhue. After being left for dead, Rhue steals back what is his from Strata. Strata and Rhue develop a fierce rivalry that spans most of the game, and Strata never misses an opportunity to make Rhue's life difficult.
Traziun: A red-haired swordsman Rhue meets early in the first episode. He is quite a talented fighter, and seems to have some connection to the Blood Lyn, an elite group of warriors for hire. His personality is a good compliment to Rhue's for the beginning of the game, and he serves as a good instructor for newer players.
Gaius: A blue-haired man of mystery who has apparently had past dealings with Rhue. He seems nice enough, though there is some part of him that hides his true intentions. Much like Traziun, he may be a far more powerful fighter than he lets on.
Lyrra: A young girl with a love of stories of all kinds. Her passion for fiction, and a very unique and roundabout was of talking, makes her a very entertaining character. Her silly stories though, are her way of blocking out the memories of a painful past.
Cetsa A.K.A, Dancing Violet: This unique character is introduced in the beginning of the second episode. She is a pink-haired beauty who delights in getting what she wants from dazzled men. She is also apparently the leader of the Blue Scarves, a fearsome bandit troupe.
Kloe: A female Blood Lyn who was contracted out to the foreman of a town named Lide. She is very powerful, quite rash, and more then a little violent. At first she and Rhue hate each other, but over time they grow quite close.
Alanthreonus Phillipe Straphachar: Often called simply Alan, he is the rich snob of "The Way" universe. His manor of speech is very confusing, even for the player, so Rhue often has no idea what he is talking about. They cross swords once in a tournament in Lide, but after that all their meetings are friendly, even if Rhue can't stand Alan.
Kygar: A master fighter that travels with Cetsa to cheat towns out of their money. His skill is far greater then Rhue's when they first meet, but he is bested by Traziun. He appears now and again, always changing sides.
Slade: A warrior of justice, known as a Shadow Foot. Slade is viciously powerful and strongly devoted to his cause. Blindly obeying the words of his superiors causes him a great deal of remorse and depression. He also crosses swords with Rhue more then a few times, because both of them are too stubborn to talk.
Scatha: A mysterious woman who lives in the reaches beneath the ground. She constantly wears a mask to hide her face. She speaks very harshly of men, which makes her interactions with Rhue when they meet very difficult.
Dirk: An elderly man who claims he is a legend on The Way, yet none of the other characters have ever heard of him, aside from Scatha. He is somewhat lecherous, and never takes anything seriously, even the end of the world. Make no mistake though, his knowledge of The Way surpasses anything known by any other character we meet, even if we never see the true depths of his wisdom.
Phantom Slasher: A silent killer whose identity is unknown. Appears to be following Rhue.
Geography
Stretches: The Way is divided into stretches of land of varying terrain. Stretches are named by forerunners. Wanderers generally choose a
Home Stretch to refer to when formally introducing themselves to others.
Landorin Stretch: Rhue's refers to this as his home stretch. It was the site of a massacre that forever defined Rhue as a person.
The Rolling Mists: All-consuming, legendary fog that supposedly exists at the far front and back of the Way. Some claim they exist to punish those who remain behind, while deterring those who go too far ahead.
Janwen: An ancient city said to have been so overcome by evil that it was burned to the ground. Has since found a home in wanderer slang and historical study.
Estrana: An enormous city that Rhue encounters halfway through his journey. While seemingly friendly, it has a thriving criminal underground. As Rhue's journey continues, Estrana develops an odd significance.
The Lower Way: A network of underground caverns that is more commonly referred to as the Deeps. It is infested with monsters and the lower parts are dominated by a great sea of lava. It is ruled by the Lord of the Deeps, who is apparently very powerful but remains a mystery for most of the story.
The Upper Way: The heaven to the hell of the Lower Way. Although it is mentioned several times its true nature generally remains a mystery.
The End of the Way: Also legendary. It is said that whoever reaches the End of the Way first will become all-powerful. There are those who say that the End of the Way is very close, but there are still others who believe the Way is eternal and therefore, the End of the Way does not exist.
People/Groups
Wanderer: Any man, woman or child that exists on the way. They are generally divided into
Guided, who follow the will of the Purpose;
Strays, who follow their own will; and
Settlers, who have forsaken the Way and settled down. Some refer to the settlers as
Deserters. There are different extremes of each class.
Paradan: Followers of the path of Para. They are extreme pacifists, and sometimes refuse to kill even animals.
The Vigilante: Those loyal to the Vigilance Council. They are the Way's police force, and have become a very influential establishment. Elite members of the Vigilance Council are known as Shadow Foots.
The Guided: A group devoted to obeying and enforcing the Purpose on the Way, whether people like it or not. Believed to have formed shortly after the destruction of Janwen, they detest settlements. Bitter enemies of the
Blana Sera, they are not to be confused with Guided wanderers, their less extreme cousins.
Lyn: Warriors committed solely to advancing their combat ability. The Plunge has its origin firmly in Lyn culture. Lyn are classified by ability, from common Plyn to the god-like Pharaphalyn, whose abilities were so great that some now doubt Pharaphalyn ever existed.
Blana Sera: Mercenaries that are trained from birth in mysterious Battle Grounds, and contracted out to employers at the age of eighteen. More commonly known as
Blood Lyn. They are bitter enemies of the Guided.
Blue Scarves: A formidable bandit troupe led by Dancing Violet. Its fame has spawned a look-alike gang in the city of Estrana. Its relation to the Blue Scarves proper is unknown.
The Purpose: A non-corporeal entity, much like the Force, that is believed to guide people along The Way. Some people, however, do not believe that the Purpose exists.
The Lord Below: A subterranean demon who was believed responsible for the destruction of the city of Janwen. Whilst some doubt his existence, a number of vicious monsters and lesser demons (known as Lessers funnily enough) believed to be in the Lord Below's service appear thoughout the game.
The Illuminati: A group of legendary seven sword that were believed to have been created by the Purpose, that were said to be the embodiment of pure good. They were created to combat the Lord Below. Whilst a group of warriors wielding these weapons succeeded in wounding him, the Lord Below created a shockwave that corrupted all but one of the Illuminati, turning them into Shadow Swords.
Shadow Swords: The opposite of the Illuminati. These swords are seemingly sentient, as they influence their wielder to act on their baser instincts, such as revenge, and prompt the wielder to commit horrendous crimes. When someone kills another person using a shadow sword, they absorb that person's 'aura' (their soul). If they absorb an aura more powerful than their own, then the dominant aura will take over the body of the wielder. Whilst the wielder of a shadow sword is rendered immortal, once they have collected too many auras, they are driven insane and commit suicide.
Play it. Play it now.
