The Tale of a Common Man

[b]My Playtime:[/b] 9.7h (100% achievement, finished the game) [b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No. [b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (6 achievements). [b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No. [h1]Intro[/h1] [b]The Tale of a Common Man[/b] is an [i]RPG Maker[/i] game where you play as a farmer and never do any farming-related job in the whole game. It is a combat-focused, turn-based RPG Maker game where you are in a party with people from varied backgrounds with their purposes. [b]Pros:[/b] - Use up to 8 characters in a party of 5 in battle - 4 difficulties - Option to have touch or random encounters, with a customizable random encounter rate - Stat allocation [b]Cons:[/b] - The game can be grindy in a higher difficulty - Exploration isn't rewarding - No respec option - No way to recover MP except to use items [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 want to play a mediocre [i]RPG Maker[/i] game, buy it at a sale. Note that it's in a way lower quality than other [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6842143][i]Aldorlea Games[/i][/url] and feels more like an amateurish work with better quality.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]Visuals[/h3] The game uses a combination of default [i]RPG Maker[/i] assets and customized assets. I recognize some assets to be used in [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6842143][i]Aldorlea Games[/i][/url]' other games, and although I don't mind them, sometimes the assets aren't in the same style as the other. This makes some objects stand out as a result. The indoor mapping also looks repetitive with shops having the same layout with one spare tile in front of the counter and inns having two other exits that you can't enter. Exploring a town becomes boring as a result, especially when most buildings can't be entered. Luckily, the dungeons are way better. Each dungeon looks different in its layout; some might be designed lazily, but others make up for it with their varied design. Despite the straightforward layout, each screen looks beautiful and unique from the others. The area name makes it obvious which map you should explore first, though. It makes dungeons feel small and not confusing to explore in the end. [h3]Story[/h3] To be honest, I had trouble understanding the story at the beginning. It tries to explain two sides of a story that will eventually combine into one. The problem is, the other story looks so distant and hard to understand, especially since they keep on throwing names and facts without explaining the worldbuilding first. You are forced to understand everything that was being told right away while trying to make sense of what happened. Dialogues between the characters are also not polished enough, and it feels odd at times. One character has no reason of tagging along with the party, while the main character looks too innocent and accepts everyone that wants to go with him. However, I liked the character growth. Some characters were focused to change in a certain direction, which end up being important to the plot. The common man part in the title is also made as a focus, making the ending doesn't look as grand as it is going to be. I liked the simplicity. [h3]The Game[/h3] [b]Gameplay[/b] If you have played other turn-based [i]RPG Maker[/i] games, it's going to be like that. The gameplay is a repetition of you going between towns and exploring dungeons, taking optional side quests along the way. Unlike other [i]Aldorlea Games[/i], the transition feels more obvious and repetitive; towns are only used to talk to a certain person to progress the main story, and dungeons are small enough to be finished quickly. Moreover, they hardly hold anything of value; there might be some items that you can buy and side quests that you can take, but they are limited in nature. It's easy to forget which area is which as a result, making it hard to complete a quest where you have to backtrack to a certain area. Exploration isn't rewarded either. There are hidden rooms that are commonly found in other [i]Aldorlea Games[/i], but they tend to give you either consumable items or ingredients. Side quests only reward you with EXP and gold, with some optional stat increase if you manage to finish some of them. The only gears that you can get from exploring will come from optional areas, which are usually where you have to finish most of your side quests. There aren't many that you can get, though. Speaking of gears, it can be costly. You need to buy gears, but money is scarce, especially if you play in the higher difficulty. You'll be forced to spend money to buy items in higher difficulties since enemies hit hard and skills are limited due to the lack of MP regen capability. You need to constantly use items, whether to heal HP or MP, which will use a lot of your money. The game seems to be geared more towards crafting as a result, although I haven't found use for them since I played in the easiest difficulty. One thing to note is that there is a stat allocation in the game. Each level up will give you some points that you can allocate to your party members. However, there is no respec option, so you are forced to either ditch or deal with the allocation if you screwed up. Allocating the stats for all of your party members also can be annoying since you need to do it one by one per each person. [b]Length and Difficulty[/b] I finished the game in 9.7h. The in-game clock states that I finished it in ~7h. I had to save scum several times since I don't want to buy antidotes, and the enemies, especially in the first area, has a high chance of inflicting poison. There is no way to cure it except by resting or using items. As for the difficulty, the game offers 4 difficulties. I started the game at normal at first, but then I stopped at the first few minutes since I figured that it would be very grindy; it even asked me to grind on the first screen with enemies before I could move to the second screen. I ended up restarting the game in easy difficulty afterward, and I have to say that it's... easy. I don't have to worry about stat allocation or enemies killing me except for one fight near the end. I just need to plan some strategy by trial and error for that one. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] Similar to the main character, [b]The Tale of a Common Man[/b] is just a common game. Heck, it even feels like a game made by an amateur, which is kinda surprising since it's listed to be developed by [i]Aldorlea Games[/i]. Well, after seeing the credit, it turns out that it's developed by someone else and being quality checked by the publisher. It makes a lot of sense, though. Both town and kingdom names are too forgettable, making it hard to understand the story. Sometimes the story is just too confusing, although some parts are more polished, which I guess is where the quality check goes since the writing style feels similar to [i][url=https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/3409/Millennium_Complete_Series/]Millennium[/url][/i] games for those. And then there is the combat. I know I shouldn't say anything since I play it in easy difficulty, but I was "forced" to play it in that difficulty in the first place because I know it will be grindy and I don't want to deal with it. Difficulty shouldn't equal grind. What's good about the game, then? Well, if I had to say... it's the ending. I was about to not recommend the game before I see that. It's not as good as those story-heavy games, but it was good enough for a game of this caliber. Initially, I had a split opinion that is more leaning towards negative for this game, but I feel that the ending is good enough to tip the balance. That being said, it's still a mediocre game in all aspects, especially if you are used to [i]Aldorlea Games[/i], so I would only recommend it on a deep sale, and that's if you don't mind playing one with low quality.

I have a soft spot in my heart for RPGMaker games, so here's another of them! Good story, good hero, cute game. Kinda short and I missed a few things just due to getting a little bit pulled through by the story, but overall very fun. Definitely recommended if you like these kind of games like I do. :)

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Makes me think of some of the old games I used to have on my gameboy, would recommend to anyone who loves RPGMaker games.

This game honestly took me longer than expected to complete. I just completed the game and the only thing I can say is that I was over prepared for the final battle. The dungeon bosses prior to the final area were way stronger than all the opponents in there. Definitely enjoyed the game play, story and finding the secret rooms. Overall, good game.

Interesting storyline with standard turn based fighting.

The Tale of a Common Man очередная jRPG, собранная на RPG Maker. Кто сталкивался с данным движком прекрасно понимает, что его ожидает, вплоть до способностей существ, накладываемых ими эффектов и ролевой моделью. Единственный плюс игры - неплохой сюжет, правда в нём практически нет интересных поворотов, но в целом истории мести всегда получаются как минимум поучительными. У обычного фермера убивают жену и ребёнка, после чего он отправляется на поиски ублюдков по пути решаю проблемы спутников и жителей местных городов. В нашем приключении нам могут помочь 7 компаньонов, среди которых особняком выделяется разумный бобёр. Правда их присоединение выходят сумбурными, из разряда я тоже не понимаю что делаю в жизни, но с тобой мне будет веселее. Теперь о минусах, в игре практически нет запоминающихся сражений, даже финальный босс оказывается группой из 5 обычных людей плюс призванная горилла. Вторая проблема абсолютная линейность в выполнении основного квеста, при этом ряд побочных выглядят куда интереснее, чем заглавная история. При этом одно из заданий имеет интересное продолжение. Третья проблема - ужасный дисбаланс, маги настолько имбовы, что за пару заклинаний выкашивают всех монстров, главное найти к какой стихии они уязвимы. В итоге, не играя в The Tale of a Common Man вы в принципе ничего не пропустите, ну а если всё таки взяли тоже не беда, 12 неплохих часов обеспечены. Середняк, 6.0 из 10.

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