Bella's Mansion: Director's Cut. GO PLAY THE DEMO!
Howdy, folks! Snappy Bumblejinks here!
I'm sure you've all heard of my older brother Dusty Bumblejinks and his review segment, "Bumblejinks Reviews". Well, I'm his younger brother. I'm also the lucky guy who gets to announce when a project or product here on Bulldozer Studios has made noteworthy progress.
And right now, I'm pleased to announce that Bella's Mansion: Director's Cut just released it's first demo version!
Yeah, after the disastrous reception of the original game, mainly due to ridiculous time constraints, lackluster playtesters, and an inability to fix multiple issues with the ( at the time ) heavily outdated and weak engine ( not to mention illegal ), Bulldozer Studios saw fit to remake the game in a fully paid for version of RPG Maker VX Ace, a significantly more powerful engine that allowed us to fix a lot of the original games problems.
A list of changes from the original version is as follows:
- The body temperature mechanic has been completely removed. - Removed the on-screen "Condition" display and CD-R and Small Key counters, freeing up more of the play area. - Added a new "Inventory" screen, where one can view their current number of CD-R's, Small Keys, and use recovery items. - Added a "Documents" screen, where previously found text documents can be reviewed, ala the "File" screen from Resident Evil. - Added a "Status" screen, which shows Bella's current and maximum Life Force. - Added diagonal movement. - FINALLY fixed the enemies collision detection. There is now a half second delay timer between enemy attacks, so running into one will no longer instantly kill Bella. - Removed the Combat Sword due to an inability to add it into the game without compromising the enemies collision detection. If anybody can point me toward a script that can fix this issue, let me know and I'll gladly add the sword back. - Reduced the enemies movement speed to compensate for the removal of the Combat Sword. - Reduced Bella's walking speed due to the inclusion of the "Run" button. - Removed the "Keystones" in favor of keycards with pre-set security levels ( more befitting of a research station ). - Changed the map layout DRAMATICALLY. There are actual laboratories now! - Changed the character sprites. Bella's a redhead now! - Removed some of the enemies from the original in favor of new ones, such as the new Giant Scorpion. - Added the ability for Bella to be poisoned upon being hurt by a Giant Scorpion ( an icon will appear over her head when this happens ), which will cause gradual damage and, eventually, death, if not dealt with. - Added antidotes to the game to cure poisoning. They're in limited supply, so use them wisely! - Added Life Medicine to the game, which on top of completely restoring Life Force, increases Bella's maximum Life Force by 10 upon being used, up to a maximum of 200. - Removed the difficulty mode display from the save/load menu, but added a display showing where the game was last saved, as well as total game time, to compensate. - The player is now limited to 3 save files, but more CD-R's were added to compensate. - Changed the title screen slightly. - Herbs in Save Rooms now reduce your ranking slightly, but fully restore your Life Force to 100%. - Saving now reduces your ranking slightly. - Added multiple context-sensitive events that change depending on what you've done throughout the game. No two playthroughs may ever be the same!
You can download the demo on the games page, which can be found HERE for you're convince.
It's no surprise that this version of the game will go on to be the definitive version of the first Bella's Mansion game, and lay the groundwork for the two sequels to follow! Assuming they ever happen, that is...
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work on Bumblejinks Adventure: Fluttershy. My goodness, this is going to be one heck of an epic story... eh, see you soon!