Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, a 2018 JRPG designed and developed in RPGMaker by Kasey Ozymy, is getting a console release with the help from Electric Airship. Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass bas been a cult classic in the RPGMaker community as its slowly made its way into the mainstream. Currently, it maintains a very positive review rating on Steam with nearly 500 reviews.
It’s been seven years since Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass first showed up on Steam, and longer still since Kasey Ozymy started developing the game in 2015. You can view development blog updates on the Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass tumblr account that goes as far back as March 13, 2015. The Earthbound influence should be fairly obvious but Kasey references Final Fantasy V and the Breath of Fire series specifically as influences for the game.
The game takes place in the dream of an eight-year-old boy. When an alien entity appears and threatens his family and the stability of the dream world itself, Jimmy sets out on an adventure to save his family and eradicate the threat of the Pulsating Mass. Along the way, Jimmy will have to work with his family, confront his own shortcomings, and brave the creeping nightmares of his subconscious.
Jimmy is far from the first RPGMaker game to be ported to consoles after a successful release on PC. As recently as two years ago, LISA the Painful was released on consoles with a definitive edition that also included the DLC pack LISA the Joyful. I even reviewed it over on RPGFan, look at me. Likewise, To the Moon received a console release last year, and Ara Fell received an entire rework, moving from RPGMaker to Unity. This is charted territory, but not charted enough that it shouldn’t be celebrated. For those of us celebrating RPGMaker’s successes, this is a big deal.
Starseed Games
Shortly after seeing some success for Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, Kasey Ozymy would go on to found a studio titled Starseed Games. Based out of Austin, Texas, to “draw heavily from the best design ideas from SNES and PSX era RPGs while elevating them with exciting new gameplay ideas.” The studio also began work on its first official title, Hymn to the Earless God. In August of 2023, Starseed Games would launch a Kickstarter to raise money for the project. With a goal of $120,000, Starseed Games was able to raise $139,349 for Hymn to the Earless, and development was off.
Though still unreleased, the Kickstarter still receives regular updates. Unfortunately, April’s update brought some bad news with Kasey stating that they’ve had to take on a second job in order to support themselves during development. Believing that game development is still their life’s purposing, Kasey remains steadfast that the game will cross the finish line, but when is left up in the air.
The world of Gloom balances on the edge of calamity. The creatures devour each other. Corruption runs rampant in the cities. The Verrick assert their dominance. Death knells ring from the Reiken’O village of Shen-Lan. The last of the Sua-Roo awaits her fate.
A demo for Hymn to the Earless God is available on Steam.
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass Key Features
- Full-length Japanese-style RPG
- Classic turn-based combat with some modern sensibilities
- A big emphasis on exploration
- As an empathetic kid, Jimmy gains the ability to imagine himself as several of the monsters he meets, allowing him to interact with the world in new ways
- These different transformations can also be leveled up, granting Jimmy higher stats and new abilities
- A story for adults delivered from the perspective of a child
- Jokes
- Unspeakable horrors
There is currently no release date set for the console release of Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass, but Electric Airship intends to release the game on Sony PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Outside of that, you can sign up for updates on the console release on Electric Airship’s Jimmy portal. If you’d like to support Kasey Ozymy’s efforts at game development, consider purchasing the Steam version, and if you like it, give it a review. I’m greatly anticipating this console release. Keep an eye on MonsterVine as we keep an eye on the console release of Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass and other RPGMaker projects.
