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The insane kinda-RPGs of MDickie

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I noticed that a new MDickie game just hit the Steam store, and realized that we don't have an MDickie thread yet. This must be remedied.

MDickie is a solo developer who started out making 3D wrestling games for PC, then switched to developing for mobile and made 2D versions of his older 3D games.

Now he's back on PC, porting his 2D games to Windows, and seems to be working on a new 3D game too.

Most of his games are open world life sims with RPG elements, where your stats increase or decrease based on your actions. They all run on his two wrestling game engines (one 3D, one 2D) and copy their combat systems... which means you can basically pick up any object in the game and beat people up with it.

The result is completely insane games where everyone just ends up in fistfights all the time. But the games are also trying to be life sims where NPCs have complex relations with each other. They're a total trip.

Here's a selection of MDickie games on Steam:





The You Testament has you play a character during the time of Jesus. You can play as one of his apostles, or create your own character.

School Days has you play a teenager in school, trying to get good grades and graduate.

Hard Time has you play as a prisoner who has to make it through his/her time in prison.

Extra Lives is a post-apocalyptic zombie dystopia where multiple factions fight against each other and you can pick a side.

The games qualify as RPGs because of the Elder Scrolls style learning by doing skill progression. There's also a system of choice and consequence: NPCs will like or hate you depending on your actions, the authorities might drag you to court if you're caught doing something illegal, etc etc.

In practice, his games are completely chaotic clusterfucks, which is why they're fun to play.
But they're pretty ambitious in what they're trying to do, and I don't think any other devs are attempting the same thing MDickie is. The most fascinating thing about it is how he uses his wrestling game engine to run simulation games with RPG elements. Insane shit.
 

LarryTyphoid

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Hard Time used to be super popular on YouTube (the original 3D version, not the shitty 2D mobile game that's on Steam). It still makes the rounds on YT and Twitch once in awhile. It's classic kusoge.

Not many people know that The You Testament got a successor with "The Making of a Prophet", an Islamic variant on the same idea: you're Muhammad's right-hand man and he teaches you magic and shit. That one never got much attention like TYT because the YouTubers didn't want to poke the Islamic bear. Neither does MDickie anymore, I guess, since it's been removed from his website and you can only find it on archive.org. MDickie had the same schizophrenic new-age hippie take on Islam as he did Christianity, to nobody's surprise.

Wrestling Empire actually sold pretty well for what it was, I think. It was even on the Switch.
 

Modron

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Hard Time used to be super popular on YouTube (the original 3D version, not the shitty 2D mobile game that's on Steam). It still makes the rounds on YT and Twitch once in awhile. It's classic kusoge.
It's coming eventually, in the meantime.
 
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LarryTyphoid

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ss_737c24c8c1cb5a7826aaf13083e1bb8c25833722.1920x1080.jpg

:lol:
 

JarlFrank

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Not many people know that The You Testament got a successor with "The Making of a Prophet", an Islamic variant on the same idea: you're Muhammad's right-hand man and he teaches you magic and shit. That one never got much attention like TYT because the YouTubers didn't want to poke the Islamic bear.
I found a Let's Play of that one but the guy who plays it seems to be on drugs and there's a TV running in the background :lol:

 

LarryTyphoid

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I just want to point out that The You Testament has my favorite gaming review ever*, as written by a young pastor that reviews christian games.

I would not recommend this game for new Christians as it will only confuse them and possibly turn them into New Age wrestling fanatics.
Even though I stabbed Him in the face with a spike, Jesus still forgave me!
This part of the game is a very accurate Jesus simulation.
 

Tyranicon

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Jesus Christ his games look like actual technical achievements.

Like from that crazy era of flash gaming on the internet where some rando games had more artistic and technical talent than most AAA devs.

Also there's this review of the You Testament 2D. Guy's an artist.

1694562603407.png
 

Bad Sector

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I remember reviewing Hard Time for a magazine back when those were a thing (also put the demo on the cover CD).

For a moment i thought i was remembering some other game since what i reviewed was 3D but turns out he remade them as 2D games for some reason.

Also i remember him having an article about making a "new" 3D character and saying something along the lines "now expect to see him a lot as i will use him in all future games" - asset reuse before it was cool.
 

Konjad

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Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I just want to point out that The You Testament has my favorite gaming review ever*, as written by a young pastor that reviews christian games.
I think Mat Dickie, the game's sole creator, is a very confused person.

*Alright, not like there’s much of a competition in that department, but still, this shit is hilarious:
https://objectiveministries.org/zounds/review-you_testament.html
Okay, I looked at OP and was about to just take a quick look at the thread once and consider the game an uninteresting flash-like garbage, but this review genuinely sold me :salute:
 

vitellus

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this review genuinely sold me

from the review:

First of all, it's built on an engine created for wrestling games and is very violent and bloody
...it lets you beat up any character -- women, children, and even Jesus!
According to the Satan character you can also shoot fireballs out of your hand, but I couldn't figure out how to do that, which is probably for the best since it's unholy
ss-you_testament_attacking_jesus.jpg

wishlisted!
 

Turn_BASED

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This is probably the best showcase of what I think is his best game, Wrestling Empire (upon which the Jesus game was hilariously built). I almost shit myself laughing the first time I watched this.



Longer highlights here:

 

ropetight

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This is wonderful.

I'm having a blast with Wrestling Empire, there is so much detail under the hood.
You Testament 2D combat is brilliant madness in the best tradition of QWOP, game is open world/immersive sim wherever you don't expect it to be.
And it has some kind of Terry Gilliam Monty Python collage surreal quality to it.

Best purchase in years.
 

agris

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what's the deal with the OG 3d games and remade 2d scrollers, are the original 3d better?
 

vitellus

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i would highly suggest picking up the you testament if you can get it under a $1 usd (i.e. right now at the time of this posting). absolutely ridiculous, using a wrestling engine to make an interesting version of the new testament where peter chokes out a centurion and simon beats some dumb bitch to death while jesus gets baptized in the river just at the bottom of the screen.
 
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JarlFrank

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Who the fuck moved this out of RPG Discussion? Infinitron ?

Most of these games have genuine RPG elements. You get to allocate stats during character creation (strength, endurance, etc) and they can rise or fall depending on your actions (increase-by-use system similar to Elder Scrolls).

Hard Time character creation screen:
20230926152836_1.jpg


Extra Lives character creation screen:
20230926153150_1.jpg


The You Testament character creation screen:
20230926153638_1.jpg


Is this not RPG enough for you?
Actual character creation where you customize sex, appearance, and attributes?
With a point buy system that forces you to minmax or go for a balanced build?

That's not enough to qualify the games for General RPG Discussion?

Explain yourself Infinitron
 

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