Ikenfell

This game is so beautiful! It's the queer JRPG-inspired title I've been looking for for Y E A R S and does not disappoint. The game is incredible diverse (especially compared to what you usually find in RPGs) and will likely make a lot of people feel seen. I definitely recommend going into this game knowing as little as possible, so I won't say too much about the characters besides the fact that they're just a charismatic, funny, and loveable bunch. Literally wish I could go to brunch with them, they're so fun lol. Gameplay-wise, this game is much more challenging than I thought it would be. Battles are a mixture of tactics and rhythm gameplay which feels simple at first, but takes some time to fully master. Thankfully, there's not too much going on such that it would become overwhelming. Also, there is an instant victory mode for those looking to simply see the story, but the game is definitely doable. The dungeons have variety and the game definitely rewards you for exploring its depths. There are some...things to uncover for sure, Ikenfell is wild lol. All and all, if you're a fan of fleshed-out stories, tactics gameplay, and/or inclusive games, this is the one for you! Can't recommend it enough frfr.

I have nothing good to say about this game, but I will say that despite everything wrong with the game, it is playable, for whatever that's worth, you can get some enjoyment out of it. So what is wrong with this game? Well, pretty much everything. It wants to be a strategy game but this element gets completely overshadowed due to both the movement speed of the enemies and the quick time events that are attached to every attack that you and the enemies make. If you are good at those then combat is a complete joke and you don't need tactics, if you suck at it then tactics cannot save you. The only saving grace is the option to turn this element off. Then there is the music, which for the most part is passable, until you are suddenly hit with singing voices that are so jarring to hear it pulls you completely out of it. Character design is very hit and miss, some characters look fine but others are just complete disasters and very off putting. The writing and story in this game are just bad, its all just bad, nothing makes any sense. And then there is the ludonarrative dissonance, it is everywhere in this game, you can't play for a minute without noticing another idiotic thing that makes no sense. Even down to the attack animations of the characters, there is just too much to go into so just prepare yourself to not think about anything that you see in this game because you'll just end up with a migraine. I'm not talking about rule of cool here, this stuff just does not work in any way, and all of it would have been so easy to fix too if the makers of this game where not complete amateurs.

Slow, plodding, unrewarding combat with timing mechanics that are as outdated as they are frustrating to read. Some combat skills are entirely negated by missing the timing window, adding insult to injury in an already difficult-to-enjoy situation. I'm hours in and I haven't upgraded gear in a meaningful way from any vendor or dungeon chest, so every battle feels like a losing struggle where enemies are poorly-balanced with larger parties and full-power multi-target attacks and you're _still_ stuck dealing 3 to 5 per single-target attack. Bosses are wars of attrition against mean meanies who are mean because they're mean. Skill descriptions don't say anything that help you learn what they actually do, leaving you to experiment in combat, but you don't want to because one poorly planned move means so much wasted time with a game over. Save cats are poorly paced, sometimes two rooms apart or none in sight before a spike in difficulty. So far, the story is unremarkable with flat characters and no character growth, and too much distracting from material plot development with unnecessary unreciprocated flirting. I feel harassed just reading some of the dialog.

Did not enjoy.

looks like one in thousands average rpgmaker game the music is frustrating typical nonsense enemies