Hey everyone, if you haven't already seen this in the beginning of the month, go see it now --

The A Breeze From Home remix contest!!

It's a little remix contest to generate some hype for the game that features @Phyrnna's and my collaborative track, A Breeze From Home, which I posted onto NG some time back.

That game, of course, being Epic Battle Fantasy 5, which has been out on Steam since 30 November of last year. The free version of this very game should be making its appearance on both Newgrounds and Kongregate at some point, and now's your chance to win both a copy of the game and a copy of the game's original soundtrack!!

Click on either the image or the text immediately below it to go to the forum thread containing the sweet deets about this competition, if you'd like to join in the fun! If you have any questions or comments whatsoever, there's always the competition's discussion thread where you can post your queries.

So perhaps some of you are wondering, why Epic Battle Fantasy? How on earth did you get this song into the game in the first place? Well... I guess I'd best start with why I like the EBF series so much.

If you're not familiar with @matt-likes-swords' work here on Newgrounds, he is a shining example of the fact that you can start from absolutely nothing, be crap at something to begin with -- and then dramatically improve, and blow everyone away with your newfound skill. I was pointed to some of his earliest animations (in particular, the earlier episodes of his Red Mages series), some time after I'd played Epic Battle Fantasy 3. Those of you who were on Newgrounds in 2010, 2011 or thereabouts remember the IMMENSE impact that EBF3 had. Everyone and their neighbour loved that game. And naturally, we followed him for the epic ride ahead, with the next two titles in the series that he released. And I'm not even counting Bullet Heaven or Adventure Story; those games are awesome in their own right but I'm digressing right about now.

Basically, look at the skill jump from early Red Mages, to that of Epic Battle Fantasy 3. You gotta hand it to him, that guy's an inspiration and should be an inspiration for every content creator on this very site. Also, EBF is a homegrown series. Outside of the fact that it has a Kongregate presence, and had a DeviantArt presence, it started on Newgrounds as well. Matt and Phyrnna have collaborated together on this series, with Phy writing the music, since the days of Epic Battle Fantasy 2, in 2009. Yeah, they've been at it for a decade, and what a fine decade it's been.

The games are turn-based RPGs, that are basically pastiches of everything and anything -- especially pop culture -- with LOTS and LOTS of good writing, hilarious dialogue, fourth wall breaking... There are a number of walkthroughs and Let's Plays of the game now on YouTube, and the game has gone to really put a smile on many people's faces. And to think that it all began because one person wanted to animate and make games, and another wanted to make music that touched people's hearts, and the two met on NG.

But, enough of me actually speaking and putting screenshots. I think you all ought to see this, and Matt Roszak's own video updates of the game, for yourselves.

(Also inb4 chests must be grabbed. Apparently even the girls want Natalie.)

For my part, I've played Epic Battle Fantasy 5, finished it, and I am now replaying it in French and at double the difficulty. In the description to A Breeze From Home, I go at length about how it came to pass that I had an arrangement that featured in an actual EBF game. I'm still humbled by it all even now...

The series touched me very early on, as I mentioned, in the days of EBF3. I remember attempting to host an EBF-related collaboration here on Newgrounds, gathering art and audio remixes and hoping to get help to put them in this nice little widget to show appreciation for the game and its creators. The collaboration never came to be. There are a few remnants of the collab here and there, especially if one should look for forum threads, or even remixes of the games' soundtrack, or fan art, dating back to 2012.

I drew the occasional fan art of EBF as well, and one such piece, which I called Fireballs and Lightning, was done at a very vulnerable period in my life. There were many people and many things that sustained me over the last few years; EBF was one of the many things.

But outside of these contributions of mine, there are many others on NG who have drawn fanart, made covers (which are also listed with some of Phyrnna's originals), and the like. I think these speak for themselves as to just how many people derived some form of enjoyment from this series of games.

If you're planning to participate in the competition -- I wish you all the very best. To whomever should win -- I hope you enjoy the game and its soundtrack. If you choose to buy the game on Steam, or wait for the release of the free version on Newgrounds -- I hope you enjoy it as much as many of us do.