Atlas Wept

no game has convinced me to buy it as quickly as this one has, not even at the middle of the demo i was 100% sure i was gonna buy it and i do not regret it. this is a great game with a beautiful story, had me on the verge of tears on moments. amazing storytelling and gorgeous writing. 10/10 would recommend

If you're like me and have been thinking a lot about the failings of humanity lately. Now's the perfect time to play Atlas Wept. The story's so good I can't talk about it without dumping hundreds of words and just listing out a bunch of themes. Gameplay was admittedly a mixed bag, I have never played a real touhou game so I ate it on every new attack, but It was strangely easy even though I sucked at dodging, I eventually upped the difficulty after both parties got four members, I think my problem was that I could carry too many healing items. I admit I'm not happy with an RPG unless it kicks my face in a few times. Difficulty aside it's a cool battle system. I know you've all seen bullet dodging in a certain turn-based AltRPG before but there's a cool twist in that your hitbox shrinks every time you get hit. I'll talk about unique parts: The Stun Bar and Songs, every enemy has a stun bar, magic attacks fill it faster than physicals and when it's full said enemy can't act and takes more damage until it drains. It's cool if you're a little tired of elemental systems and just want to start blasting. Most party members of the second party know a song as part of their being, extra-diegetically it's the character's motif. Singing is an option in battle and each has an effect, costing no resources, just the action, and singing the same song in consecutive actions boosts the effects. I loved the music a lot, there was a Jazz battle track, there was one moment where the title track played over a fight that got me teary. There's just something moving to me about eight-bit notes that extend exactly long enough.

I can honestly say I love this game. The game play is familiar and not to challenging and it wears its inspirations on its sleeve. The story feels intensely personal, like the devs were bursting at the seams to tell it, and I feel all the better for having experienced it.

WELL worth it. WOuld have been worht it had I paid twice as much.

Excellent indie RPG with a lot of nods towards Earthbound/Mother. Lovely artstyle and dialogues. Recommended!

Despite the reviews of others calling it a bad Earthbound type game, I found it to be a unique and charming original story that only borrows without trying to copy its predecessors once you delve into it. Graphics 3/5: Quirky 16 bit, this is the only thing that it has in common with Earthbound. I know people complained about not entering multiple houses or certain areas and being able to steal stuff but it made the game more realistic who leaves doors open for random strangers to enter and loot? besides most houses like real life are basic boring. Combat 3/5: I found the combat an interesting mix of Undertale, Mario RPG/Paper Mario, it does have a learning curve mostly for melee but once you learn the ropes it becomes the main focus that keeps you drawn to the game. There are no random encounters and the enemies are strong for lore reasons giving the encounters more weight. Story 4/5 : I loved the Characters especially Charlie's quirky nature. the dialogue was carried by children because they are the focus of the story. Many games have children and young teens cast as the heroines and heroes but they start very naive while this cast has a maturity coupled with their child-like wonder that makes the dialogue funny and poignant. Replayability 3/5: Depending on your desire to cover what you missed or master the combat, it would be worth a sit down a few months or year down the line. Price 4/5: for a 16 to 20 hour game it was worth the price even better on sale. Personal Points: This game is NOT trying to be Mother/Earthbound, or Undertale it's it in the Vein but it's much darker and delves into real life issues about self discovery and acceptance.