Born Under the Rain
is an RPG Maker VX Ace RPG by Housekeeping with an entirely original soundtrack.
Masud was cursed to wear the Mask of Odion, which forced his soul into the body of the mummified Odion, and left his original body stuck in Odion's tomb. Now he travels to break his curse by finding and breaking Anuket's Tear.
This game provides examples of:
- Absurdly High Level Cap: Without using Tabia to gain levels, the end of the Northern Desert Sphinx would be reached at around Level 16, and there's no sign of a level cap other than the RPG Maker standard of 99, but levelling isn't hard. Experience Points from Level 18 to 19 is three of the hardest boss refight, but it can be defeated in about 9 turns on Easy, at most, but the boss can be stunned for 5 of those turns.
- Cardiovascular Love: When interacting with the "Masud?" located in the mirror beyond the Sphinx's Final Riddle has a pulsing collection of 5 Heart Symbols above his head, arranged in a X shape, with the center one being bigger than the rest, along with the face accompanying the symbol, blushing and has more red Heart Symbols and a "DoKi DoKi" written out, Japanese Written Sound Effect for a heart beating.
- Catching Some Z's: The sleeper on the table in Iris's bar emits Zzz when interacted with.
- Death by Childbirth: After the third boss, Rashida talks about Masika's parents, that her dad "Knocked up some girl, then when she died giving birth to Masika, he dropped her off here and ran for the hills."
- Difficulty Levels: There are the Easy and Hard difficulties. There was Normal but it wasn't different enough from Hard, so was removed in Version 1.2.
- Disappeared Dad: After the third boss, Rashida reveals that Masika's father abandoned her not long after she had been born.
- Door to Before:
- Right before the Sphinx, a obelisk can be activated which spawns a rope to the entrance room of the pyramid.
- C4cophagus can make shortcuts, as well as accessing new rooms.
- Dramatic Irony: Due to the game interface, we know everyone's names, but after the third boss, Rashida reveals the name of Masika's father, who is Masud, but only the player knows who that character is.
- Escape Rope: The Enchanted Snake Rope, which you use to return to town.
- Equipment-Based Progression: Character Levels give 1 of each stat for the most part, so the stats from Relics are more important until closer to the Absurdly High Level Cap.
- Flaming Skulls: Odion appears as a skull that's on fire.
- Flavor Text: Most objects have some descriptive text, like the Jade Scarab's "Like skittery little Fabergé eggs. Some people like to collect these".
- Healing Potion: A red potion named as such, "Fully heals an ally".
- Heart Container: The Black Pearl, since it's an item that boosts Hit Points upon acquiring it:Swirling black mist obscures the interior.
Masud gains 50 Max HP just by possessing this. - I Was Quite a Looker: Cutscene in the bar after the second boss, pauses being places where the player has to trigger the next phrase.Odion: I'll have you know that I was quite striking. Lean muscles. [pause] Gorgeous hair. [pause] I smelled great, too. [pause] Imported fragrances from the west. [pause] You get that kind of stuff when you're pharaoh.
Oh, my body was amazing...[pause]until I died and they cut my dick off and put it in a jar.
How's that working for you?[pause] Cha-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka!
Rashida: [flushed and red-nosed from drinking] Ahahahahaha!
Masud: [Pictorial Speech-Bubble of ...] - Life Drain: Rashida's Bloodspatter "Drains HP equal to damage done." But actually only drains as much health as the enemy can lose. Damaging an enemy for 2 HP with it, when they only have 1 left, heals for 1.
- Mana Potion: A red potion named as such, "Fully restores an ally's MP".
- Magic Enhancement: The Enchanted Snake Rope, since it's "enchanted", and is called a "magic rope" when it can't be used.
- Mummy: What Masud's body is, after he wears the Mask of Odion.
- My Name Is ???: Unknown relics are listed as ??? in the Relics list.
- The Namesake: A Secondary Character Title. As revealed after the second boss, the name Masika means "born under the rain". Which is what most baby name sources will say too, except they usually use "during".
- Notice This: Places where items are found and other interactable tiles, have sparkles that flicker on the tile.
- Once for Yes, Twice for No: After the second boss, Masika comes up with this of Masud tapping on his mask. But after the third boss, he uses it, but the other person doesn't understand since they haven't been told.
- Percent-Based Values: The potions, with the percent being 100%. A Healing Potion "Fully heals an ally", while a Mana Potion "Fully restores an ally's MP".
- Plot Tunnel: When the party is trapped and can't run back to town until they defeat the enemies blocking their way, they can't save either, and trying to use the Escape Rope item gives the message:The magic rope isn't responding...
- Pocket Dimension: Possessing Bastet's Eye turns mirrors into Magic Mirror-type Portal Doors into self-contained rooms.
- Pre-existing Encounters: They stand still and in your way, and look like flames.
- Save-Game Limits: You can save anywhere, and you have 24 save slots.
- Secondary Character Title: The title is the meaning of a secondary protagonist's name. That character is Masika, which is revealed in The Namesake fashion.
- Shout-Out:
- The Hand of Cofagrigus, to the Pokemon, Cofagrigus, debuting in Pokémon Black and White, since it it's basically a sarcophagus with black hands, and the icon for the Hand is a black hand.
- The Cloak of Storms is a reference to the Stormcloaks of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which are the rebels in that titular frozen land:Once worn by rebel forces in a distant frozen land.
Crackles with electricity. Skill: Paralystorm.
- Standard RPG Items: There's Healing Potions, Mana Potions, a revival item, and an Escape Rope.
- Suspicious Video-Game Generosity: Before the first boss, a chest that refills all the consumable items to full is provided, as they're basically necessary to defeat the boss.
- The Voiceless: Masud.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: Akhenaten VII, with his Suspicious Video-Game Generosity beforehand, is the boss that demonstrates that items will be necessary in Hard difficulty, since his increased damage and Hit Points mean that the party will need either more healing and/or revival that can be supplied by character abilities to survive before Akhenaten VII admits defeat, unlike on Easy.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: The Paralyzing Fear of Snakes is a possibly-random effect applied when there's snake enemies. It doesn't count Naga or Serpent Priests, however.
- Wrong Turn at Albuquerque: After getting "Anuket's Tear?", which turns out to be "Akhenaten's Tear" and learning that it's not actually Anuket's Tear, Rashida says that they should've taken the other path at the fork.
