Escaped Chasm is a 2019 adventure game developed by Temmie Chang. As a test project, it was released on April 2, 2019, as freeware on Itch.io. The game is set in an abandoned house and follows an unnamed girl whose parents never come back. Previously known for her illustration work on Toby Fox's Undertale (2015) and Deltarune (2018), Chang used the game as a way to practice using the RPG Maker MV engine. Escaped Chasm received praise from reviewers.
| Escaped Chasm | |
|---|---|
 Itch.io game poster | |
| Developer(s) | Temmie Chang |
| Composer(s) | Toby Fox |
| Engine | RPG Maker MV |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | April 2, 2019 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay and plot
editEscaped Chasm is a exploration-based adventure game with four different endings. The player controls an unnamed girl who lives alone in her parents' house. Without her parents, the player can freely explore the house and progress through the game by writing down events in a diary. Sleeping lets the player watch a dream sequence and continue to the next day.[1][2][additional citation(s) needed] On the second day, the unnamed girl meets a man with a demonic appearance named Zera, who warns her that the house is slowly descending into chaos. As time progresses, the house gradually falls apart. Zera reveals that the girl’s parents are gone and offers the opportunity to save them by taking the girl to another world. Despite knowing she will lose memories of her parents, the girl accepts Zera’s offer.
Development and release
editEscaped Chasm was developed by illustrator and animator Temmie Chang, known for being the lead artist of Toby Fox's Undertale (2015) and Deltarune (2018).[3][4][5] It serves as a test project and Chang's first attempt at using the RPG Maker MV engine.[3][6][2] Chang worked on art and animation while Fox composed the soundtrack for the game.[3] Chang also had contributors help with additional music and sound design, with James Roach providing the supporting music.[7][4][1] Her initial goal was to form a storyline and practice game development to create better projects in the future.[1][6] Escaped Chasm was released on April 2, 2019, as freeware on Itch.io.[1] On July 10, 2020, Chang released Dweller's Empty Path, an RPG Maker game that takes place within Escaped Chasm's universe.[8][9][10]
Reception
editMultiple reviewers praised Escaped Chasm for its animation, visuals, music, and themes. Fraser Brown of PC Gamer called the game "brief but striking" and described the visuals as "lonely and occasionally unsettling". Rock Paper Shotgun's Dominic Tarason described it as heartfelt and liked the juxtaposition of red and blue color schemes in one of the game's cutscenes. Tarason said that it made the story feel "too real and oppressive" and contrasted it with the in-game pixel art.[1] Reviewers commended Fox's music[3][1] and compared the game to Undertale from its similar themes and dialogue.[2][11]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Tarason, Dominic (April 2, 2019). "Escaped Chasm is a short, sad, free story by Undertale's artist". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c Shigeta, Yūichi (April 4, 2019). 『UNDERTALE』のアートで知られるテミーが制作したADV『Escaped Chasm』がPCで配信開始！孤独でネガティブな少女が奇妙な夢を見る [The adventure game “Escaped Chasm” created by Temmie, who is known for the art of “UNDERTALE”, is now available on PC! A lonely and sad girl has a strange dream]. IGN Japan. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Brown, Fraser (April 3, 2019). "Escaped Chasm is a free game about loneliness from Undertale's artist". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Khan, Imran (April 3, 2019). "Escaped Chasm Is A New, Small Game From Undertale's Lead Artist". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ ChewbieFR (April 3, 2019). "Temmie Chang, artiste sur Undertale, publie son RPG" [Undertale Artist Temmie Chang Releases RPG]. Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Archived from the original on June 11, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ a b Dale, Laura (April 9, 2019). "Escaped Chasm is a Free Game By Undertale Artist Temmie Chang". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Bailey, Dustin (April 3, 2019). "Free games: Undertale artist Temmie Chang has released her own RPG". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Lada, Jenni (July 11, 2020). "Undertale Artist Temmie Chang Releases Dweller's Empty Path". Siliconera. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Chang, Temmie [@tuyoki] (July 10, 2020). "Hooray!! It's all finished! You can play my newest RPGMaker game here: 🐕 https://tuyoki.itch.io/dwellers-empty-path… 🐕 -- ☆Story/Art/Animation by me ☆Music (arrangement & Production): @cametek ☆Music (melody & chords): me, @tobyfox, @cametek" (Tweet). Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Young, Rory (July 10, 2020). "Undertale Artist Temmie Launches Name-Your-Price Game". Game Rant. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Glagowski, Peter (April 3, 2019). "Undertale artist releases free game Escaped Chasm". Destructoid. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2024.