Heroes of Spyria

Overall, the game isn't bad, I'd say it's solidly mid. But better than most RTP games that I see. RTP stands for "run time package" and it basically refers to the default assets that come bundled with the RPG Maker Engine. Good Points: 1. Storytelling/Plot was decent, especially during the narrative scenes. 2. Characters were ok, I liked Winter. 3. Some of the side-quests were simple but also not bad. Weak Points: 1. Graphics/Assets are basically what come bundled with the engine for the most part, and I've seen it a million times. Some of the more custom stuff and the AI art was a lot better in this game, do more of that. 2. The music/sound effects/knock knock noise, standard RPG Maker stuff you see in just about every game for some reason. There's lots of free music and sound effects out there, break out of the box of using what comes with the game engine. 3. Encounter Rate too high, too many status effects. Economy is expensive in this game, so the way I got through was by staying near the cave entrance, fight some enemies, sleep at the inn, start over, repeat, as I was not able to afford anti-poison meds in the beginning of the game. 4. If you're on any monitor that is above 60hz, you'll get inaccurate playtime. There's a plugin called "Accurate Playtime" which will make the gameplay time accurate when saving. Full Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFqvq1kR5QI

This game is overall very fun. The combat is pretty much what I want from a turn based RPG like this, use and counter status ailments, buff yourself, debuff enemies. You can put down quite the layers of buffs/debuffs. Always keep an eye on how many rounds your status boosts will be active for and recast when necessary. The enemies will absolutely punish you relentlessly if you forget. I had a great time fighting in this game. After I started to fully master the best status loops I was able to absolutely crush foes I had no business crushing yet. I love turn based combat and I love using it's mechanics to dominate my opposition. The main story is pretty simple, sealed portal to evil demon thing in hell dimension held shut by several seals of protection, etc etc. Very simple main story quest line, where it shines is the inter character engagements and the individual character stories. A variety of different scenarios keep the game fresh and fun. Breaking into a base and snooping around in enemy territory. Prison break. A fishing mini game. etc etc. Overall good times! Thanks for reading my review!

If you liked Lufia and the Fortress of Doom or early Final Fantasy, you will like this. Highly recommend!

The random encounter rate is ridiculous but what is even worse is the combat in those. Here is a common scenario. Random encounter, all monsters have a turn before you get to act, they CC your entire party and its a wipe without you ever having a turn. It is completely moronic. Every single enemy has some sort of special effect they can apply. Poison, paralyze, silence etc. How smooth an encounter goes is simply luck. If they CC your healer and best dps? Have fun slogging through combat, burning through potions. There is zero balance here. I can't remember playing an rpg with worse encounter balance and for me, it destroys any fun the game have to offer. Absolutely terrible design that honestly, feels like it wasn't properly tested. Also, keep in mind that this is when exploring, having the best gear available and no rushing. It just does not feel right

Extremely good game. Story: It starts of with the protagonist on a job that leads to their deaths, but they'd eventually meet two others. And before they knew it, they were getting wrapped up in a millenia old war. This is a long game. It takes the time to expand on all main characters through side quests and the main quest. Madyln who was once part of the order, that have a hand in the current events. She grew up without a family, and is genunily a good person. Hiro, after losing his father, much of his time is seeking revenge. Though, as he grew he learned from Madyln and the rest. Winter, a person who ran away from an abusive home. Though, because of Madyln, she ends up reconciling with her mother who truly did love her. Davos, the hero. He lost his wife, and held a deep hatred for humanity. Despite this, he chose to seclude himself. He made many decision, did much wrong, but he as well ends up moving forward. Each character ties into one another very well, and their dynamic is excellent. It is a story with much tragedy, but also much joy. System: It uses the RPGmaker defaults for the system. However, it was pretty well thought out how to use it. If anything, the game needed a bit more balance. Near the end of the game though, the protagonist gets quite an upgrade. Art Style: Some are definitely unique, and it is amazing. Music: Amazing. Side Quests: Quite a bit and totally worth doing. Other System: There is fishing late game. Problem Area: High encounter rates. They give you an option to use an Assist Mode to get an item to avoid encounters at the cost of trophies. I just edited the file. Upload save file to the save editor. --> Click the middle option at the bottom to switch tabs. --> Click armor. --> Right before the @c. Type exactly "136":1.0, Yes, the comma as well. This will put the avoid encounter accessory in your inventory. Overall: Extremely good game, and I'd highly recommend playing it. RPGmaker games being this good is rare.

The game has some AI stink about it, but if you can look past it, there is some great creativity, humor, and gameplay to make up for it.

A very solid JRPG with a few frustrating spots. The encounter rate is a bit too high, but the game has some quality character writing and epic stakes. Not enough games focus on that character work these days, so this game is definitely worth a play!

Well worth the money spent.

The game itself is actually quite enjoyable aside from the constant random encounters and the somewhat abnormal pace of some of the characters relationships. So why am I not recommending this game? This game uses A LOT of AI slop art, the art of certain NPC's change art style DRASTICALLY as in their portrait art and scene art will differ. Many of the bromade's make this abundantly obvious where the characters will have messed up fingers. The most egregious example of AI slop is Thief Bromade 4 if you don't believe me which shows Winter with 2 thumbs on her left hand if you're somehow skeptical.

I picked this up during some sale or another, I think. And it sat in my library for a while. But when I switched to Linux, I went on a big RPGM kick (because they run so flawlessly with Proton), and this game was one of many that I installed. I looked at it a couple of times, but kept passing it over because it looked like just your typical RPGM fare. Boy was I wrong. This is a lovingly crafted game, with a surprisingly moving story (bonus points for re-nameable characters, of course). I did, in fact, cry at the end. The combat is fun, and exploring every nook and cranny is rewarding. Pro tip: Interact with EVERYTHING. You never know what you might find. All in all, this is a very strong recommend. I look forward to the next game from this studio.