Raiders of Ruin is a combat-focused RPG about a group of adventurers on a quest to dethrone Erethann, arbiter of the Underworld. Although the game focuses almost exclusively on battle, it’s very long, has lots to do, and a wide variety of mechanics and gimmicks to keep you on your toes.
[u]Let’s Talk About Assets![/u]
As a commercial project, all its assets are either original or free to use. The artwork comes from a variety of sources, notably the enemies are from Ækashics Librarium, so they’ve turned up in a couple other games I’ve played. While the art style isn’t unified, it comes together well enough with no serious complaints.
The soundtrack is fully custom and put to good use. Despite the gameplay being nearly all battling, it doesn’t have a dedicated battle theme. Instead, the theme of each area plays over regular battles while bosses get their own treatment. What theme plays depends on what kind of boss it is, as each chapter has its own boss theme, while chapter bosses share one between them, and special themes exist for the extra and final bosses. These songs get more intense and oppressive the deeper you go, adding to the sense of scale. While the music isn’t especially complex, it’s catchy and effective in its use.
[u]Let’s Talk About Story![/u]
There isn’t much of one to start out, but the plot develops gradually and comes into focus as you get closer to your goal. The hero party consists of five nameless, faceless soldiers whose interactions are limited to choices in pre-fight dialogues, none of which matter outside of the finale, but offer additional context and perspective for the situation. Since any scene can be repeated until its subsequent battle is cleared, you can abandon the fight and choose something else to see what’s said with no consequence.
The general premise is that your group has been sent to invade the Underworld so that your god, Artur, can take the throne in place of his brother, Erethann. People have been attempting this for hundreds of years, never reaching beyond the clifftop into Hellion territory. As you impede further into these forbidden lands, it becomes clear that your quest isn’t exactly noble and that blindly following orders may not be the best choice.
The story is mostly conveyed through dialogue from significant bosses; those of each chapter or gods you can optionally challenge. Naturally, you only get the true ending by taking on every boss, some of which are brutally hard. There isn’t a lot of narrative depth, but it’s interesting how it comes together and slowly morphs out of the valiant romp it initially seems to be.
[u]Let’s Talk About Gameplay![/u]
It’s almost all fights. World map navigation is between icons in straight lines, each setting merely a stage for where the combat takes place. That’s not to downplay the significance of these locales, as each one does have its own sense of atmosphere. They’re just not places you can truly explore as you only go from one fight to the next. There are treasures to find and eventually a shop to patronize, but other than that, it’s all combat.
Since the adventuring is minimal, this game focuses on deep and complex battle mechanics. There are many classes of hero you unlock over time, along with variants of nearly every class. They each have their own battle styles, strengths and weaknesses, and even meter gimmicks. While some heroes have straightforward MP, others have unique meters that fill in different ways. For example, the wizards recover a certain amount of points every turn, so big spells drain them too much to spam while small spells let them recover a bit. Rogues have two points they can spend every turn, essentially giving them three actions unless you choose something potent. Rangers start with limited actions, but their meter builds by 1 per turn, unlocking stronger abilities and releasing their full set at 10.
While things start out more rigid, you can eventually swap classes and party order at will when outside battle. You can have as many or few of each unit as you wish, allowing you to make any number of strategies, which are further multiplied by the immense number of items and special abilities you can find. Despite this variety, some opponents are so tough that you’ll need specific methods to deal with them effectively. You can’t just roll through with the same loadout every time, especially when it comes to bosses.
Since the game features such complicated opposition, comprehensive boss descriptions are offered before each big fight to help you strategize. Details about what moves they’ll use in what order with what effects are laid out plainly, allowing you to plan exactly what to do. You’d think this would make things very easy, but no, some of these bosses are so devious that you’d hardly stand a chance without the intel. While it ruins the surprise factor, reading ahead is often the difference between a fighting chance and abysmal failure.
Common enemies are much less threatening, but have their own dangerous gimmicks that you’ll need to sus out yourself. The nice thing about non-bosses is they’re susceptible to being stunned, which halts their actions for one turn. Most classes are able to stun, so having a variety of them available can keep regular foes locked down. These skills aren’t always useless in boss battles either, as several bosses have non-boss helpers you can stun. While there are many ways to win regular fights, stunning is of such general value that it’s practically essential to any team.
Much of the challenge in combat doesn’t come from heavy damage, but a multitude of status conditions. Keeping track of them all is seriously difficult, but on any hero turn, you can check the statuses in the menu to see what effects they have and what types they are. Some are categorical, like Fear or Curse, which mostly determines what skills can cure them. Other types include Fleeting, which wears off after 1 turn, and Elite, which never wears off until the fight is over. Working around enemy statuses and applying your own is a major component of the game’s strategic focus.
Although the game is merciless in its tactics, it’s very forgiving of failure. Defeated heroes get half-XP at the end of fights, and if you lose, helpful tips are provided as suggestions. Bosses usually have a few bits of unique advice, and since you can flee any battle anytime, you can force the tips out and refine your approach. Party composition is the other biggest component of gameplay, as tailoring your party to suit your opponent is actively encouraged. Personally, I found it a little tedious having to upend my entire party for a single boss that proved too much, but I’m sure there are those for whom this scratches an itch. If you’re the sort of person who loves to formulate *the* perfect strategy and gets satisfaction from watching it play out, man is this ever the game for you.
[u]Let’s Wrap This Up…[/u]
This game fills a particular niche, offering a “single-player raid boss experience,” but it fills that niche very well. The innovative monsters and enormous variety of party options makes for an intense and complex challenge. It may leave RPG fans wanting in certain regards, but it’s a specialized game doing one thing to the best of its ability, and I would say it’s definitely worth the modest price tag.
4/5
