[b]Playing status:[/b] 100% completion, finished the game
[h1]Intro[/h1]
[b]Lilly and Sasha: Curse of the Immortals[/b] is the first part of the [url=https://store.steampowered.com/search/?term=Lilly+and+Sasha&developer=John+Wizard][i]Lilly and Sasha[/i][/url] series, an [i]RPG Maker[/i] game about twin sisters that are looking for a cure for one of the siblings' curse. Unlike other [i]RPG Maker[/i] games, it focuses more on puzzle-solving rather than battling enemies, with a lot of side quests in between.
[b]Pros:[/b]
- 3 difficulties
- A lot of side quests to finish
- Unique puzzles on each dungeon
[b]Cons:[/b]
- Battles can be quite repetitive
[b]Specs[/b]
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
[h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1]
[b]Yes.[/b]
[i]If you like to play RPG Maker games with a lot of puzzles and amusing dialogues, buy this game.[/i]
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[h1]In-Depth Review[/h1]
[h3]Visuals[/h3]
[b]Lilly and Sasha: Curse of the Immortals[/b]' visuals might look similar to those default [i]RPG Maker[/i] assets, but it actually has a lot of customizations beneath it. The most apparent one is the main menu, which is simplified and made in such a way to provide a lot of information that you need. Area maps, quests details, tutorials - everything is available to help you understand what the game has to offer.
[h3]Story[/h3]
The story can be a weak or strong point in the game. If you are looking for a game with a good narrative, this isn't your game. It tends to skip over a lot of touching moments, giving you an empty feeling to it. However, it compensates it with their amusing dialogues.
The game has a lot of side quests with stories that are not connected to the main story at all. This gives more context on the characters' personalities which I found similar to ours. A lot of fourth breaking wall jokes are introduced, letting you know what you feel about the game through the characters' conversations. The endings to the side quests also tend to be unpredictable, and the silly yet foolish nature of the party give color to the dialogues. I always can't wait to see what the game has to offer whenever I start a new side quest.
[h3]The Game[/h3]
[b]Gameplay[/b]
The game is played like other [i]RPG Maker[/i] games where you can explore the area and fight enemies, except that it also has puzzles embedded in the dungeons. You need to solve these puzzles, which are unique to each dungeon, to continue with the game, and while most of them are easy to solve, some can also give you trouble.
Side quests are abundant. You'll spend most of your playtime finishing side quests which can give you a lot of exp to compensate for your time battling enemies. They are usually in the form of fetch quests with you having to go back and forth between areas. To be honest, finishing side quests is something that I prefer rather than grinding enemies, and the amusing dialogue that was given when you do it helps to break the repetitiveness.
I'm not sure if it's because I played in the easy difficulty or not, but fighting enemies become a chore to me. You'll have to deal with the slow attacking animation that you can't skip, and enemies can be killed in the same way as others. Moreover, your damage is randomized. You'll either get a normal, good, great, or excellent mark on each attack, with it dealing different damage depends on the mark. The thing is, you don't know which one that you'll get - there isn't any weaknesses or resistance formula and the difference between each mark is quite high.
[b]Length and Difficulty[/b]
I finished the game in the easy difficulty in 15h. There are 3 difficulties in total, and I'm glad I chose the easiest one. The repetitive battle just makes me want to avoid it altogether, and surprisingly, the game actually encourages this practice. Side quests give more exp compared to combat, especially since the exp that you'll get from battling enemies will be adjusted based on you and your enemy's level. It should be possible to finish the game without triggering the normal battles at all, although I still try to defeat all enemies at least once.
This might be obvious, but the game is easy in the easy difficulty. Some puzzles might give you trouble, although you should be able to figure them out by thinking and/or trying them out a few times. If you decide to give up, the game also has a manual linked to the store page. You also can use the manual to make sure you're not missing anything out, although I found that most things are not hidden aside from some side quests where you have to search the whole map just to find one person.
[b]Problems[/b]
The game stutters a bit in the first town when I played it for the first time. It fixed itself after I changed the compatibility mode to Windows XP Service Pack 3 though.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
[b]Lilly and Sasha: Curse of the Immortals[/b] might look like those cheap [i]RPG Maker games[/i] at first, but it is actually one of the high-quality ones that I have played on Steam. I liked how you only need to finish side quests to finish the game without even having to worry about grinding the normal enemies. However, the game is not for you if you prefer to play combat-focused games, and since it's a part of a trilogy, it's obvious that the story isn't finished here. As for me, I really enjoyed playing this game and can't wait to start the next one, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/370040][b]Lilly and Sasha: Nexus of Souls[/b][/url] ([url=https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198132503739/recommended/370040]my review[/url]).
