[b]My Playtime:[/b] 13.5h (100% achievement, finished the game)
[b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No.
[b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (42 achievements).
[b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No.
[h1]Intro[/h1]
[b]Project "Fire"[/b] is an [i]RPG Maker[/i] game set in a fantasy world with a lot of optional content. You'll play as Alex, a fire mage that is accompanied by his friend Maya.
[b]Pros:[/b]
- A lot of optional contents
- Multiple ways to solve some quests
[b]Cons:[/b]
- Unable to backtrack to previous areas
- The game can be too hard at the beginning areas
[b]Specs[/b]
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
[h1]Should you play this game?[/h1]
[b]Yes.[/b]
[i]If you don't mind the state that the game is in and its rough start, it's actually a decent [i]RPG Maker[/i] game.[/i]
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[h1]In-Depth Review[/h1]
[h3]Visuals[/h3]
[b]Project "Fire"[/b] uses a lot of combinations between default [i]RPG Maker[/i] assets and custom ones. Cutscenes are the first one that comes to mind - the game pays a lot of attention to them. You'll see a lot of movie-like cutscenes to describe whatever happened to the story, accompanied by music that helps to increase the hype. Although some cutscenes, especially near the latter half of the game, start to drop in quality, it's still tolerable for the asking price.
[h3]Story[/h3]
This is the one aspect where I had a split opinion in. I like that the game has a lot of species, but the introduction is kinda lacking. Some species will be introduced into the story as if it's a common occurrence and I couldn't seem to grasp what the worldbuilding is because there isn't any sort of relation from each other. There are books that you can read, but instead of giving general information about how the world works, it ends up telling either some fanfiction or the history of a certain location. I don't feel compelled to read them, and as such, I'm not that immersed in the game.
On the other hand, I enjoyed the story. It doesn't sound too rushed - although some dialogue feels off, the overall story is enjoyable. It tries to explore the aspects of the whole party members little by little while still trying to advance the story.
That being said, the "ending" feels rushed. To be honest, I'm not sure whether the game has been finished or not. For starters, the name of the game seems like a project title that was meant to be changed later, and even though it has an ending, the said ending doesn't seem to answer some mysteries, especially the one that the game is revolved to. It even introduces an antagonist at the end, signaling a potential sequel or something.
[h3]The Game[/h3]
[b]Gameplay[/b]
[b]Project "Fire"[/b]'s gameplay is divided into two sections: dungeon-delving and town-exploring. The first part is pretty straightforward, while the latter part consists in taking quests and talking to everyone. It might sound similar to other games, but the town in [b]Project "Fire"[/b] is just too vast, forcing you to spend some time just to get everything done. To be honest, I prefer to have a smaller town and focus the game more on other content, especially since some optional content only comes down to talking to someone to get an achievement or item.
Some quests can be finished in different ways. It applies to some optional quests and one main quest, allowing you to choose different rewards that suit your needs. Most of the time, the only difference that you'll get is an achievement, although the dialogue is also worth seeing sometimes. Sadly, either option is only doable by choosing different dialogue options, making the choice too obvious.
[b]Combat[/b]
The combat is a standard turn-based with a wait ATB system. There is a bar that shows your character's speed, allowing them to attack whenever it's full. The enemy will pause once you can choose any action, giving you time to choose your moves. Combat is quite repetitive with you having to use the same strategy to the enemies. That being said, the game isn't a walk in the park.
You'll definitely have a rough time at the beginning. Most normal enemies can kill you, and because of the random encounter system, you're bound to get more enemies than you can handle. You'll be forced to run away from battles until you can find a checkpoint or some sort, which turns out to be far away than you imagined. It's going to last until a boss battle or more if you decide to do its optional content, forcing you to use items and having to make sure that your supplies are enough.
Strangely, the game starts to become easier after you reach the first town. Sure, enemies might give you trouble in some areas, but it's nothing that you can't handle. The ones that you'll have trouble with will be in the form of touch-based encounters and can be easily dodged. I can't understand the decision of making a game difficult before the players are adjusted to it.
[b]Length and Difficulty[/b]
I finished the game in 13h, and that's including the time I spent writing a [url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/198824-project-fire/faqs/80562]guide[/url]. You'll spend most of your time finishing the sidequests, which can make the game last shorter if you decide to skip them. As for the difficulty, it can be tough at the beginning, although it will become easier as you play.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
Despite feeling incomplete, [b]Project "Fire"[/b] is still a nice contender if you just want to play [i]RPG Maker[/i] games. It has an enjoyable story and a lot of optional content. Moreover, the difficulty is just right if you don't count the first few areas. The quality might drop down sometime near the end, but it's more because of its abrupt end rather than anything else.
