This is a great take on 2-D, turn-based strategy games, very similar in design to the Combat Mission series of games, but with a Fantasy-RPG perspective. The game's core game-play (so far) focuses on the Planning and Execute phase.
During the Planning Phase, you move your characters around the map within the limitations of your characters movement ability in 5 second segments and issue orders to attack based on (typically) 3 different parameters: Auto, Adjusted, and Manual. Auto involves a zone-of-control where any visible enemy that falls within that radius gets attacked, but enemies take less damage; Adjusted allows you to place a smaller attack radius within a certain distance of your character and attacks any enemy that falls within that radius, for normal damage; Manual has no attack radius and relies on direct contact and inflicts the most damage of the three, but requires being able to predict the enemies location precisely.
Once you've planned all your character's actions, you can then hit the Execute button to watch it all play out in 5 seconds of real-time. Rinse-wash-repeat. It takes a little bit of time to get the hang of it, but the game-play emphasizes predicting your enemies movements and attacks (there is an indicator to tell you which character a specific enemy is targeting) which I do like, but can be a bit easy fighting an enemy one-on-one. Fortunately, many of the fights involve multiple characters and enemies to juggle and to me, that's where the complexity lies.
On paper, you would think it would turn into a "they're attacking so I defend, ad nauseam" kind of game-play, but there are things you can do to affect the outcome of battle, like intercepting other enemies and applying an attack or defensive option as they attack a weaker or near-dead character (thereby protecting them), so long as you can get in the way of the enemy. Because of this, the combat doesn't turn into a simple slug-fest and is very refreshing, forcing you to consider many options, and not just in terms of pure statistics.
Graphic-wise, the game has a really nice pixel-art, 8-bit aesthetic, reminiscent of "Sword & Sorcery" (but then again, it could just be the limitations of pixel art games) with beautifully rendered environments and character designs (within the limitations of pixel art, again), with the characters a nice mix of eastern and western influences (it seems). Throughout the game there are numerous little touches here and there (such as on the world map, how the clouds seem to move and part, revealing some areas of the map) that add to the feel and look of the world and give it a level of ambiance that some games are sorely lacking.
Music-wise, they have done an incredible job as well, with the style of music bringing me back to the days of Chrono-trigger, Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy Tactics, not in the sense of a carbon copy, but one that has the trappings and nostalgia of the era, with a personality all its own. The tracks are varied, beautiful, appropriate to the mood, and are a key component in providing a sense of wonder (along with the graphics). They go hand in hand very well.
Story-wise, the game is good, although key elements of the story are not really revealed in the current build of the game (purposely done) and it's understandable since the game isn't complete as of yet. What exists is definitely intriguing, although it's too early to say whether it's something of a standard fare or something different, or maybe a bit of both. I'm hoping it strays more from its JRPG roots to give something less standard, but I also appreciate an uncompromising story told by the author, as long as it is told well.
I personally love the game so far, although it should be said that this game is far from complete and is being made by an extremely small team (of 2, I believe), so you should consider that if you plan to purchase the game. I would expect to see infrequent updates due to the time commitments of the two developers, with patience and understanding being a prerequisite when purchasing this game.
The reason I bought the game was because I tried the demo and loved it, and the $10 price tag was a small sum to pay for an interesting game like this, with the expectation that, as more content is developed and expanded upon, it will be well worth my time and money in the long run (plus a developer needs to eat), but it isn't without it's caveats. Balance and design seems to still be in process, so expect things to change for better or worse, depending on your mindset.
I definitely recommend this game, but only if you are prepared to deal with it's long gestation time and the constraints of the developers. Going into the game like that, it made it much easier for me to accept the 3 hours of game-play that it offers, but if this is a tip of the iceberg, then the rest, once developed, should be a very unique and enjoyable experience.
