Project: "Tears" is a roleplaying computer game currently being created by supercomputer276. Its development and runtime engine is RPG Maker 2003. Along with SC, other NintenKingdom 64 members that have contributed to the project include Midna (who created Rodney and Rebecca's battle sprites).

Origins

After playing some of the Kirby Warrior fangame series, SC decided to make his own Kirby roleplaying game. The initial project was titled Kirby of the Stars: Omega Max and used characters and locations from both the games and anime. It was originally created in RPG Maker XP, but incompatibity with Kirby's Rainbow Resort's RPG Maker resources and the trial version's time limit quickly ended it. SC tried again in RPG Maker 2003, this time adding a Kirby character he had created some time before, a yellow Batamon (Kirby) with long orange hair named Rebecca. Omega Max's plotline had the Omega Meteor crash in Dreamland and split into several pieces, which flew all over Dreamland. According to Meta Knight, if the pieces were not gathered and reconstructed, chaos would befall Dreamland. Enlisting the aid of Rick, Coo, and Kine, Kirby sought the pieces out. Their progress is hindered by King Dedede and Escargoon, who believe reconstructing the meteor will grant them each a wish. Several characters of both series cameoed in the game, including several bosses and main characters of the anime such as Fumu (Tiff) and Bun (Tuff), along with one-shots such as Escardroid. Rebecca was to be the only original character in the game, as one of the two spirits inside the Omega Meteor, the other of which was the final boss. Rebecca, unable to take a solid form, would only be able to appear to Kirby in his dreams and is his only party member when he is captured and become subject to the Nightmare Wizard's Dream Machine. The game would also feature Flash-animated cinematic scenes. It was these scenes, along with a lack of resources such as RPG Maker sprites for nearly every character, that ultimely led to SC's abandoning of Omega Max and led him to Project: "Tears."

Project: "Tears" was built to give Rebecca her own storyline, but that storyline had to be created from near scratch. Eventually, SC created the main lead character, Rodney Cromwell (the game is based on the Fluxweed characters that feature as both operatives and enemies of the Game Over), a depressed blue Kirby that, as he finds out at the start of the game, was an orphan found by the Cromwells. Shortly after Rodney sets out to learn about his real family, he encounters Rebecca, who has been given the last name Lovelace. After some more work and experimenting on RPG Maker 2003, development began in earnest. The game was originally titled Tears, with Project: "Tears" being the development codename, but the shorter name was later dropped.

Plot (spoilers)

NOTE: As the game is incomplete, this summary only follows the storyline up to the latest Gamedisk demo release.

The story begins nineteen years prior to the rest of the game, where Amanda and Nathan Cromwell are out in the woods when they find a young baby boy inside a hole in a tree. Around his neck is a golden tag with the name "Rodney." The Cromwells decide to name the child Rodney because of this.

In the present, Rodney is a young man that has been known to have depression issues. Now learning he is an orphan, he sets out to find out who is family is, taking little with him. Shortly after setting out, he finds the young girl Rebecca Lovelace and saves her from some slimes chasing her. He later learns during a night at the inn in Blossom Village that she is a princess that escaped when her kingdom was taken over by an army of monsters led by the castle's royal fool, Jester, in a fit of jealousy. She is seeking out the last known member of the Fluxweed clan, a group of powerful warriors that were wiped out ninteen years ago save one young child, so she can ask for help in taking back the Lovelace Kingdom. Rodney and Rebecca deicde to travel together so they can accomplish their goals.

The two then defeat a trio of monsters known as the Trigonomics (the members are Sine, Cosine, and Tangent), they travel to Waddlesburg, where, over a pizza at Pepperoni Joe's Pizza Parlor, they decide to climb Mt. Acuity to reach the massive library of Academia.

Game Data

Characters

Rodney Cromwell: A young blue Kirby with spiky brown hair that suffers from mild depression. When he becomes twenty, his parents told him that he was actually found hidden in a tree out in the nearby forest with a golden tag around his neck. Upon learning this, he sets out from the small Cromwell hut into the world to learn who his real family is. Rodney mostly uses physical attack items such as swords and clubs. His default weapon is a walking stick.

Rebecca Lovelace: A young yellow Kirby with puprle shoes, red eyes, and long orange-brown hair tied in a long ponytail that touches the ground. She is a princess that was forced to flee her kingdom when Jester made a deal with a dark force and took over the kingdom with an army of monsters. After running for days on end, she meets Rodney when he saves her from a group of Slimes. With Rodney's help, she seeks out the last remaning member of the warrior clan Fluxweed. Rebecca is primarily a magic user, capable of learning various magic skills. Her default weapon is a Bubble Wand.

Jester: The main villian of the game, a black Kirby with white shoes in a top hat and red bow tie. Jester was the royal fool of the Lovelace royal court until he was upstaged by Prank. In anger, he made a deal with a dark force to get an army of nightmarish monsters and took over the Lovelace Kingdom. He wants his monsters to bring Rebecca back so he can complete his plan to fully take control of the kingdom.

The Trigonomics: A group of three Kirby-shaped monsters (Sine is red, Cosine is yellow, and Tangent is green) that Rodney and Rebecca first meet outside Blossom Village. After that, the two parties fight periodicy, the monsters growing stronger with every encounter.

Locations

Cromwell Hut: The home of the Cromwell family and the starting point of the game. Nathan and Amanda (the parents) and Emily (the young sister) live her. The party can sleep in Rodney's old bed in the corner.

Blossom Village: The first town in the game, Blossom Village is one of the most rural settlements in the world, but still offers all the services of a shop and inn.

Waddlesburg: The biggest city in the world and inhabited only by Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos. Its claim to fame is Pier Island, the small land mass holding its dock system, and the family-owned pizza place Pepperoni Joe's.

Academia: A city on the peak of Mt. Acuity, Academia is home to many scholers that study as its massive library. The library supposidly holds all the knowledge in the world.

Notable Items

• Golden Tag: the only relic of Rodney's past. He carries it with him throughout the adventure.
• Bubble Wand: Rebecca's default weapon, a blue bubble want infused with great magical power.
• Inn Pass: A coupon good for one free night at any Inn.
• Tarot Cards: The twenty-three cards of the Major Arcana are scattered around the world. Gathering them is worth something.

Gamedisk Demos

Periodicly, SC has released Gamedisk Demos of Project: "Tears" in progress (Gamedisk is the name of the independant files that are created by RPG Maker 2003 so a game created by it can run without having RPG Maker installed).

The first demo was posted to NK on April 14, 2008 and was hosted on MegaUpload. It had the maps up until Blossom Village, but all character graphics except overworld graphics were RPG Maker defaults.

The second demo was released on May 8, 2008. The cinematic and story that takes place during the stay at the inn was added and Rodney and Rebecca were given unique battle sprites created by Midna. Also, unique graphics were created for the user interface. The game ended after the first battle with the Trigonomics.

Thie third (and current) demo was released on July 19, 2008. All the events and maps leading up to Waddlesburg were added.

External Links

current demo available for download (0.3; all areas up to Waddlesburg completed)
old Project: "Tears" NK64 topic (now locked)
new Project: "Tears" NK64 topic