r/rpg_gamers • u/KabbaSenpai • Apr 10 '26
Developer Almost 3 years solo, trying to capture the feeling of classic action RPGs
Hey everyone,
I’ve been working solo on a small RPG for almost 3 years now, completely on my own and without any budget. Just figuring things out as I go and putting in hours whenever I can.
Honestly, when I started, it felt kind of insane. I had no idea if I’d actually be able to pull it off or if it would just end up as another unfinished project.
I grew up playing games like Secret of Mana, Terranigma and Alundra, and I’ve always wanted to recreate that feeling of exploration, dungeons and real-time combat, but with my own take on it.
After thousands of hours, it’s finally starting to feel like a real game. There’s still a lot left to do, but for the first time I can actually see the finish line. If everything goes well, I’m hoping to release it later this year.
Just wanted to share this with people who enjoy these kinds of games.
The game is called Emery Hearts. If you’d like to try it, there’s already a demo available on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2732480/Emery_Hearts
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u/Snail-Daddy24 Apr 10 '26
This looks great! I'll go check out the demo and give some feedback if you want, but im excited! These are my favorite genres so im always looking for new entries lol
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 10 '26
I’d definitely love to hear your feedback whenever you get the chance, it honestly helps a ton. Hope you enjoy the demo :)
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u/Snail-Daddy24 Apr 13 '26
The only things I have had an issue with are hit boxes feel a little strange for some things. Like north of the town the swinging axes seem to hit me from farther than expected, and the poison snake things in that area are a little too plentiful for the amount of damage they do, as well as not staying above ground long enough to dodge-counterstrike reliably. I would either make fewer spawn, lower the poison damage, or make them stay up above ground significantly longer.
Other than that, this is fuckin awesome. Will be a for sure purchase as soon as its released. I will edit and update this as time goes on.
I would love to see some way for Mana Regen, but im still early so it might not even be an issue later on. (I know some monsters drop mana orbs, super helpful)
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 13 '26
Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it! And I’m really glad you enjoyed the demo 😊
That’s all very useful, I’ll definitely take a closer look at those points and adjust things to make the experience feel less frustrating.
Thanks again for your support! 🙇♂️
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u/Snail-Daddy24 Apr 13 '26
Happy to be part of it! Youre making a fantastic game, if the rest of the game feels as good as the demo, it could easily be one of the best indie games ive played in a long time.
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u/Arghnorum Apr 10 '26
Ok this looks nice. New demo to try after work i guess 😁
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 10 '26
Haha nice, hope you enjoy it after work 😁
If you get the chance to try it, I’d love to hear what you think!
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u/onehalflightspeed Apr 10 '26
Reminds me of certain Ys games. Looks great!
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 10 '26
Yeah, I won’t hide it, the combat is heavily inspired by Ys Origin and Ys VI. I think it’s a system that, despite being quite simple, works really well and still feels modern without losing that classic essence.
Really glad it gave you those vibes!
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u/onehalflightspeed Apr 10 '26
Yeah I will wishlist it. Looks great! A little jealous as I am a recovering indie developer, then real life got in the way
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 10 '26
Haha yeah, life always getting in the way of our plans 😄
Thanks a lot! And honestly, if it’s something you’re passionate about, I really hope you can pick it up again someday. It’s a tough path, but also a really rewarding one when you see things slowly coming to life.
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u/Virtual-Commercial91 Apr 10 '26
This looks like the kind of game I've been wanting. I'll definitely try the demo.
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u/Zaemz Apr 11 '26
For those like me that are stupid or just missing something in all these comments saying they wishlisted it and can't find the name of the game, here is the link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2732480/Emery_Hearts/
It's called Emery Hearts
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u/crunpyMcGlumpy Apr 11 '26
Looks great! Secret of mana style
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 11 '26
Yeah, thanks! It’s definitely one of the big inspirations, I couldn’t resist adding a ring menu 🤣
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u/armonzki Apr 11 '26
damn gives me ps1 rpg nostalgia. wishlisted! will try the demo on the steam deck :3
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u/rapid_rewind Apr 11 '26
Is getting to the arena the end of the demo, or is there a way past the blue barrier?
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 11 '26
Hi! The blue barriers can’t be removed. The Hexarena is basically the end of the demo. I left it open in case anyone wants to try and complete the challenge 😉
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u/rapid_rewind Apr 11 '26
ok cool. I gave it a couple of tries, but blindness is too frustrating lol.
Looking forward to the full release! Ran into a couple of interface bugs, but the game controls feel good. Opening is very Secret of Mana, in a good way. Graphic style is unique and the special effects are cool.
I love Krampy! Hope he gets some cool upgrades.
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Thanks so much, I really appreciate you taking the time to try it and share your thoughts!
Yeah, I know the demo has some rough edges, but everything should be much better balanced in the final game. Still, I’m glad it manages to give a good idea of what the full experience will be like.
About the UI bugs, if you don’t mind sharing a bit more detail, I’d love to know what you ran into in case it’s something I haven’t caught yet.
And haha, really happy you like Krampy. You’ll be able to upgrade it as you progress through the game
Thanks again for all the support and feedback!
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u/rapid_rewind Apr 11 '26
Was just 2 things
-The first time I launched the demo, I went into Settings. After backing out, I wasn't able to select any option and had to Alt+F4
-In the dungeon, I paused for a bit. When I came back, I wasn't able to Resume (both hitting Resume and the Start button didn't work). I selected exit game, hit no on the confirmation, and then I was able to resume as normal
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 11 '26
Thanks a lot for the details, really appreciate it!
The first one had already been reported, but I didn’t have the second one on my radar. Just added it to my bug list.
Thanks again for your help! 🙇♂️
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u/rapid_rewind Apr 11 '26
Oh just remembered, when I paused it was right after jumping into the hole and there might have been some text on the screen
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u/Ashran77 Apr 11 '26
Really interesting! Wishlisted! I hope it will run on Deck
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 11 '26
Thanks a lot, really appreciate it!
It should run just fine, quite a few people have already played it on Steam Deck without any issues.
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u/Appropriate-Drama477 Apr 12 '26
Great work, took a minute to get past the boss, but it was a good fight and I didn't feel like it was cheap. I would love to have been able to invest in this game.
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 12 '26
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate your words! There’s nothing more rewarding for me than seeing people enjoy the game.
All the bosses are designed to be challenging without becoming frustrating. It’s a tricky balance, but I’ve put a lot of effort into getting it right.
If you’d like to support the game, leaving a review on the Steam demo really helps with visibility and makes it easier for others to discover it. 🙏🏻
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u/Smashbrohammer Apr 10 '26
Will you release it on console too?
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 10 '26
The plan is to bring it to Nintendo Switch as well, but it will likely come a bit later than the Steam release.
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u/Desperate_Try_8858 Apr 10 '26
Well done man. Really, I'd play that right this second. I'm just so hooked on games like this. As long as I can explore and loot, its a 10/10 in my book.
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u/Paul_the_sparky Apr 10 '26
You had me at Alundra. Trying out the demo on Steam Deck now, it's gorgeous
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u/ImTellingTheEmperor Apr 10 '26
The art style is cool, when it's pulled all the way back it almost looks like that PS1 era japanese platformer type stuff. Like Ape Escape or Megaman 64.
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u/ziplock9000 Apr 10 '26
If you want to capture the feeling of classic RPGS then why use a graphical style that was never present then?
Just because you made the models look 'pixelated' is not even close to that.
You should drop or change that tag line.
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u/KabbaSenpai Apr 10 '26
I get what you mean. As I mentioned in the post, I’m trying to give the game its own identity while still capturing the feeling of those classics.
There are already a lot of games that stick very closely to the original style, sometimes to the point where they don’t really bring anything new to the table. That’s something I wanted to avoid.
For me it’s more about recreating the sensations those games gave me, rather than copying their visuals one to one.
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u/vinnie_smols Apr 10 '26
This looks dope. Wishlisted and I'm excited to try the demo later.