Clockwise from top left: Searina, Illi, Ezel, and Vido.
KAIMA is a short RPG Maker game by NomnomNami. It's a bit different from her previous games in that the setting is darker and it features combat more prominently. The basic story is that the titular world of Kaima is being destroyed by the usurper, Prince Vido. You play as Searina, a little pink demon who is thrust into the whole thing. She quickly meets Illi, a friend of Princess Ezel who wants to avenge her death at the hands of Vido. Together, it’s up to them to save the world.
The game can be downloaded for free here
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KAIMA contains examples of:
- Back from the Brink: Searina saves the entire planet from imminent destruction in some endings.
- Big Bad: Prince Vido, who killed his sister, Princess Ezel, in an attempt to usurp the throne, and is the one destroying the world of Kaima by sucking out all its energy. Except he is actually doing it to seal Ezel, who's been eating the world's subjects all along and wants to destroy the world herself. Upon being released, Ezel becomes the main threat.
- Boss Banter: Vido engages in it, mainly telling you vague things about how he must do what he is doing — or, if you did the side quests beforehand, he reveals that Ezel was not as kind as she seemed to be. Illi in her fight has a mental breakdown, and Ezel has typical villain babble.
- Cain and Abel: In the backstory, Prince Vido killed Princess Ezel to usurp her throne and stop her from devouring her subjects’ souls. She returns the favor in some endings.
- Character Portrait: Everyone has one, including the NPCs.
- Cruelty Is the Only Option: You have to fight Vido, even after learning the truth about him and his motives.
- Darker and Edgier: NomnomNami's previous games were more relaxed and dealt more with characters' everyday lives while either having No Antagonist or a sympathetic one. Here, the conflict concerns the fate of the world as it is slowly being devoured by a genuinely evil Big Bad.
- Face–Heel Turn: If you don't save the girl from getting eaten by monsters, the game's ending will be a bit different. When Ezel reveals her true colors and tries to get Illi to join her, Illi obliges and tries to kill Searina, thinking that nobody will miss a soulless being. At this point, your only option is to kill Illi and join Ezel in her stead.
- Informed Equipment: There are only two equippable armors in the game. One is worn under the clothes and the other is invisible, so neither of them actually change your appearance.
- Lesser of Two Evils: The main plot concerns the end of the world being brought about by Prince Vido and his world destroying monsters. As it is later revealed, Prince Vido actually hopes to stop the incoming apocalypse by killing Princess Ezel before she can devour the world for power. Unfortunately, the only way to gain the power to kill Ezel is to devour half the planet himself, so Prince Vido reasons that sacrificing half the world population is better than the entire world being wiped out.
- Multiple Endings:
- Normal End: If Searina heads straight to Vido's lair before Illi can open up to her, the two will kill Vido without a second thought. The world is saved and Illi and Ezel are reunited, so Searina decides to take her leave. However, she still feels empty inside and doesn't know what to do now that the world is in ruins and her family is dead.
- Indifferent End: If Searina allows Illi to kill Vido without considering that Vido may be right, Ezel is freed from her seal. Illi then leaves the area with Ezel, who pauses to look at Searina on her way out. Searina wonders if Illi is now in danger, but indifferently shrugs it off. Searina, still soulless, then gazes off of Kaima with a smile, with the silhouettes of Ezel and Illi visible in the background.
- Bad End: If Searina stops Illi from killing Vido, Searina manages to convince Vido to undo Ezel's seal. Upon doing so, Ezel sadistically devours the weakened Vido, then reveals that demons have the power to absorb the powers of others via cannibalism and instructs Illi to devour Searina. However, Searina is easily able to kill Illi, still soulless and merely dismissing it as self-defense. Disappointed in Illi's weakness, Ezel offers to allow Searina to join her or remain on the dying Kaima. Not wanting to live on a dead world, Searina joins Ezel. Some time later, Searina and Ezel can be seen walking hand in hand on a darkened Kaima, with Searina having clearly devoured the souls of other demons.
- True End: If Searina stops Illi from killing Vido, Searina manages to convince Vido to undo Ezel's seal. Upon doing so, Ezel sadistically devours the weakened Vido, then reveals that demons have the power to absorb the powers of others via cannibalism and instructs Illi to devour Searina. However, neither of them are willing to harm the other, and instead turn against Ezel, managing to free the souls she was feeding off of and killing her. After potentially conversing with the souls of the dead (including an apologetic Vido), Searina then finally reunites with her soul on the restored Kaima.
- Secret End: If Searina manages to escape the monsters by navigating through the darkness of the devoured portion of Kaima, instead of running through the still-remaining part; she unwittingly walks around the entire world and encounters the sealed Ezel. Vido quickly notices her, but upon realizing that she isn't there to unseal Ezel and only cares about self-preservation, enlists Searina in helping him keep Ezel sealed.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Princess Ezel says this to Prince Vido after learning of what the latter did to stop them.Ironic that you'd seal me from devouring the universe only to devour it yourself. It seems we're BOTH monsters, hm?
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: In the Bad Ending, Princess Ezel offers to make Searina into The Dragon now that her old lover Illi is dead. Searina asks if she will be eaten for refusing, but Princess Ezel notes that leaving her here to die will be just as effective. Either way, Searina agrees because she will certainly die if she refuses.Princess Ezel: Searina... would you like to join me on my journey to devour a new universe?
Searina: Are you going to eat me if I refuse?
Princess Ezel: I could do that... or leave you alone in this dying world. The decision is yours.
Searina: Living in a dead world... that makes it sound like I might as well be dead, too. I choose survival!
Princess Ezel: You're smart, for something without a soul. We'll go far together. Hmhmhm... - Sheathe Your Sword: The way to get the best ending is to stop Illi from killing Vido, and avoid hitting her during the fight with her.
- Soul Eating: Prince Vido and his world destroyers eat the souls of their victims. This is how Ezel gets her powers as well.
- Start X to Stop X: As revealed by Prince Vido, his sister Princess Ezel wanted to devour the entire planet and everyone in it to gain immense power, allowing her to leave to other realms and conquer them. He sealed her away and wanted to gain the power to kill her — but to gain that power, he realized he needed the energy of half the planet. So he starts the apocalypse to stop the apocalypse, reasoning that half the population dying is better than everyone dying.
- Swiss-Army Tears: Illi heals the party with her tears.
- The End of the World as We Know It: The driving force behind the game is Prince Vido's world destroyers eating KAIMA.
- Title Theme Drop: It's the name of the planet.
- Wrap Around: The Secret Ending is found by finding a hidden path in the first room of the game, which will wrap Searina to Ezel’s resting place.
