Scarmonde

I love this game. So many options, and replayability.

The game is bigger than you'd expect. There's a lot of viable combinations with a lot of different classes, but you can't change out of your main classes once you start. The story is a bit of a downer once you figure out what's going on, the game starts to hit you over the head with its own plot and it's a bit unrelenting. Skill Orb system very good and interesting.

https://youtu.be/Wi_vR0jhxvQ Crunchy is the most apt description of this numbers heavy grind focused throwback 8-bit RPG that hits all the notes well despite some systems being a bit imprecise in balance.

I was recommended this game because I liked Crescent Tower (and if you like this game consider checking out Crescent Tower). I love me a job/class system, and 12 options was pretty fun. I enjoyed the game from beginning until the final boss... but the postgame is kinda tedious, I might not even finish the postgame because it feels kinda like it's dragging on, but I enjoyed the base game enough to recommend it based on that alone. There are some things I wish would be changed though. 1. Sometimes enemies bypass what should be a 0% chance to be inflicted with a status ailment (the final boss does this intentionally and is balanced around it, but I feel like other bosses and enemies aren't working as intended, but I could be wrong, it's very annoying intended or not though) 2. The battles are very slow, even with a 4x speed modifier it's too slow, 4x feels like it should be the base speed, and it should have options 2x, 3x, or 4x that. 3. As someone who likes to track their runtime... the game's clock runs way too fast, like 3-4 times faster than actual time.

I haven't finished the game yet, but I definitely plan to, everything about it perfectly scratched that retro itch!

Very addicting rpg, challenging in places too. Reused assets got old 60% through the main campaign, but their usage is it's understandable. Music was really good, but a few tracks felt a little out of place (Shaman's ascent one) Post game drags a little bit but the bosses are fair even if you don't grind. Overall fun and rewarding experience!