Frederick C. Borromeo (full name Frederick Chavez-Borromeo) is a Filipino avant-garde video game developer and aspiring filmmaker known for its deconstructed use of the favored game engine, RPG Maker MV, which currently developed his feature film debut, Distortion.
In his early life, he was diagnosed with mild ADHD when he was five years old, although he doesn't speak early on his age until six, and his native speech doesn't go more than English, but he began more outstanding for the same subject in his teens. In his career, he was interested in films and video games, as the latter sparked his expression on its story-driven experiences.
Started in mid-2018, he was interested in game making by using Adventure Game Studio, but he decided against it due to his lack of programming and art used for games. He only needs more "simple and minimal" game engine for adventure games, in which he oversaw RPG Maker MV in December 2018. He started developing prototypes in 2019, but none of them were fully released. Thus, he continued to develop more experimental short games with trial-and-error game development for days without a single commercial and longer game he made of.
Despite his development using the RPG Maker engine; Described himself as a "black sheep in the RPG Maker community" after his toxicity and drama through unbeknownst members, including game developers, in the community via "direct messages", he was struggled with ADHD and depression in over three years since the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving his other projects tarnished and underdeveloped except the sluggish-developed project Fading Path, his only significant "passion project" he needed.
He was the founder of Studio Moonchalk, after the following few of previous names as an improvement since March 2019. The namesake of the studio was named after his eponymous short game of the same name.
Outside of video game works, he produced live-action short films under the local name.
Frederick C. Borromeo's works include:
- Lizzie Andersky
- Tetralogy of Night Conversations (formerly known as Project Love and Cafe): an interactive drama game based on an anthology theatre by Dr. Joem Antonio.
- Distortion
- One Map trilogy:
- Moonchalk
- The Trial
- Teenagers at Chester Street
- Fading Path (planned)
Tropes in creator listed:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Explicitly mentioned in Itch.io or Discord when he has a mental condition with this.
- Break the Cutie: Himself. The main reason is the game developer of Lawmage Academy's virtual friendship with him were severely torned apart, after nearly four years prior since August 2019 when they met, resulting of his severe depression in secret.
- Development Hell: One of his prototypes, Fading Path, made in a conception began in mid-2018, introducing as an adventure horror video game. Though it failed to produce after the years over addiction and chronic tiredness.
- Fan Works: Misfortune.gb Enhanced Edition and "unofficial" English translation of Russian game Barugvael`s Mansion: Rozy Nightmare.
- Fade to Black: One of his "Signature-style" trademarks.
- Homage:
- The first installment of "One Map", Moonchalk, is a very short game takes homage of Lars von Trier's Dogville.
- The second installment of "One Map", The Trial, is a mini game takes homage of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Telltale Games.
- Kinetic Novel: Tetralogy of Night Conversations
- Le Film Artistique: Despite its lack of narrative and bad grammar in previous years, Borromeo has a strong passion of experimental and simplified features for his own video games over the years such as Telltale Games-style "timed-choices" and deconstructed action-RPG system, but some of their games he experimented were released while others don't.
- Reality Has No Soundtrack: One of his "Signature-style" trademarks.
- Signature Style: Each trademark for both of his machinimas and video games including, but not limited to:
- Primarily but deconstructed use of RPG Maker MV.
- Slow-pacing movement through cinematography.
- Minimalistic use of RPG Maker tilesets.
- Centered-text message system (with/without faceset)
- Mostly homage to mainstream/independent films.
- Slow in fade-to-black sequences.
- Lack the use of background/copyright music, especially Distortion.
- Slice of Life: Tetralogy of Night Conversations was his only project feature "slice-of-life" elements.
- True Companions: Only a few of major or executive members of the RPG Maker community trusted him as not only friends, but act like ''a flock of white sheeps" in good terms. This led himself to make independent from the community and avoid contact with them on Discord who's unbeknownst to him, began in mid-2023.
