[h1] Game Summary: [/h1]
I try to give games a fair chance, but with the various issues I encountered in only the first few hours, I refuse to play the game any further. Maybe if you can brute-force your way through, you eventually get to a good game, but I've not been so infuriated by a game in quite a while, and I'm not wasting more time on the off chance the game improves. Besides, not to be snide, but it's typical RPG maker shenanigans: it uses stock enemies and assets, doesn't innovate or present anything new or interesting, and has one of the oddest and poorest stories I've seen.
[h1] Pros: [/h1]
• I'm not opposed to a save crystal system - it's how it always used to be in games. Long as they're placed fairly, I don't see a problem with an RPG doing this. It's not the save crystals I object to, but the inability to return to earlier areas.
• The game defaults to a fast walking speed. Nothing is worse than having to crawl to get anywhere.
[h1] Cons: [/h1]
• When I got into the first real dungeon of the game, both immediately after a save crystal and after I've made it to the point you can't go back to the village for any reason, I encountered enemies that could cast the poison status on my party, which they did in abundance. There weren't any status-alleviating items in the village for me to buy (even if, that ship already sailed) and I didn't have a spell to cure it, so I had to let my characters die and revive them. In this game, the poison status never wears off, no matter how many random battles you encounter. Due to this design flaw, I wasn't able to make it through far enough to reach the save crystal because I inevitably hit a party-wipe. How do I ward off against this poison-status?! The more important question though is who designs an RPG that's so poorly made you might have to start the game over, from the very beginning, because of a poison status effect? I'm not supposed to grind for levels, I can't go backwards to the store (which may or may not help anyways), and who knows if I would or wouldn't make it if I kept charging forward? This unfortunate experience was my [b]last[/b] straw.
• The game has a disclaimer about how you shouldn't bail on this game based on the introductory material, which to me, was very perplexing and bizarre. My very first impression was that the developer was angry at people who'd be buying and playing the game, and based on their attitude and response, am convinced that's the case. Immediately after that, it goes into a stereotypical RPG back story, but it made no sense. The four evil rulers of the world want to destroy it, but if they did, they'd lose the very thing they rule over. They're also immortal? It throws out specific, complicated names, with no images to associate with them. This frantic, nonsensical introduction is dizzying. This has to be the worst way to open up an RPG I've ever seen. If your intro is this [i]painful[/i], don't write a disclaimer, [b]delete it[/b].
• During the festival in the prologue, I went into the bookstore, clicked on an innocent-titled book, with the character saying he doesn't feel like he should read it. I figure, worst-case scenario, I get some weird status, maybe a funny message. Nope - Game Over. You lose, you get nothing (I can make references too)! So I had to play through the entire introductory area again. Yes, I was warned, but that's really punishing, when the object was so innocuous, you get only one vague warning, and nothing up to that point in the game suggested you could die for making the wrong choice like that. I find it so hypocritical considering the developer emphasizes how you shouldn't skip dialogue, and one of the main characters loves books. Read the wrong book though, and it's instant death.
• You're completely unable to return to earlier areas. I understand that some RPGs are linear, but normally you can go back to previous areas, even if there's nothing new or a plot-reason for you to. If you can't, there's usually a rationale given, such as enemies barring your way. Backtracking and double-checking areas for new stuff is part of the adventure. For many places to effectively be a one-way gate you can't cross back through is baffling.
• Many places are expansive and empty, with overly simple, blocky mazes to walk through. I didn't feel like I was walking through natural formations, but a corn-row maze.
• With no signifier to differentiate between the two, some areas you venture through have enemy spawns, while others don't.
• The training dummy sometimes doesn't give experience and money.
• The game has typos.
[h1] Conclusion: [/h1]
Honestly, within the first two hours, my attitude towards this game was as spiteful as the tone that the developer seems to have towards, "Achievement hunters." Call me tilted and salty, but I [b]hate[/b] this game. RPGs should present the player with obstacles they can overcome, options and ways to solve issues, and an ability to stockpile funds and resources to a sufficient amount for success. I can see why power-leveling would be frowned upon, but that's not what I'm even wanting to see here. I just want to be able to play an RPG where I don't have to juggle multiple saves because I went past the one-way barrier underprepared, so now I have to load a previous save and try it all over again, having learned the [b]right[/b] way to do it. The introduction mentioned how this isn't a horror game, but an RPG. Well, if that's true, I shouldn't have to utilize this much trial and error, like it's a puzzle game. You want to be a wise guy about what genre of game this is, then learn how to RPG properly.
