Story Summary: You play as Nowa, a young man that has left his home village in order to experience the world and find his place in it. Following rumors of a “Watch” that is looking for volunteers to help with its missions he finds himself in the village of Arlen where he is promptly assigned to a joint expedition between the Kingdom of Grum and the Imperial Empire of Galdean. Their goal is pretty simple: investigate the local ruins and see if they can locate any lenses that may lie within. The mission is a success and a lens is successfully returned for study. Unknown to all that were involved though, a plot to change the course of history has been set into motion, one that will leave their world teetering on the edge of misery and endless war. Review: I liked this game. Since it’s the spiritual successor to the Suikoden series that makes sense. The same guy directed, though he passed away shortly before release, some of the people involved with the first couple of Suikoden games were involved with this one. They also stated at some point that they were making it as close to that series as they could without running afoul of rights holders. That being said, I think they stayed a little too close to that formula instead of doing their own thing with it. While I was playing I always had the feeling that they didn't quite hit what they were aiming for. All the parts are there, the background story is there, the oddball characters are there to be recruited, the castle is there to be upgraded, etc. I guess that’s the problem. I’ve played that story before, in a world that was built to fit that story. Collect the 108 heroes of destiny and defeat the out of control empire that is trying to control the world because their rune drove them nuts. This game has a different story with a different setup that was a bit jarring since I played the older games. Even the main villain doesn't hold a candle to Lucas. He is more along the lines of the villain of the DS, no i don’t feel like looking up the weird name, spin off. I got what he was saying, he was just extremely misguided about what he was doing. Taken on its own though the story is pretty good, though again with some of the beats its easy to see where they said “it’s a twist!” when compared to Suikoden, and generally flows along at a pretty good clip. I will say though that I wish they had worked a little better on the translation. There are a few clunker lines in there where they should have gone with fiver instead of twofer for their translation services. I know that was a “thing” of older JRPG’s but that was due to the time for the most part. In the 2020’s they could have done a little better job than google translate. Even with these issues the game is still worth playing if you like the setup or have never played the older suikoden games. Graphics: I thought they were good. They communicate the scale of what is going on pretty well and are detailed and colorful. Just short of cartoon but not quite anime. Another throwback to how games looked in the late 90’s / Early 2000’s. Controls: The standard rpg controls. Do what they are made too do. Gameplay / World: For what it is, it does it well. The world is detailed and the sprites look good. The combat animations are decent even if they can be a bit repetitive since there are several characters that the player can choose to have in the combat party. There isn’t any real over the top moves other than Hero combo’s. The game does include a few mini games but they aren't much to write about other than the card game which I found to be the most interesting. The large scale combat scenes are fun as long as you're paying attention and use the legion skills to turn the tide. The game does have duel scenes, which much like the older games could be very annoying if you don’t follow the tells: then sprite changes, here words, that have to be completed to advance the story. If you run into trouble or don’t feel like trying to match up what they are saying to what you should be doing I suggest looking it up. Some of those scenes are long and you have to start over from the beginning if you lose. Also if you want a little more backstory to the game I do recommend playing the Rising prequel. It is a completely different type of game, more like a metroidvania, but it is fun in its own right and a few things do carry over into this game. The DLC for this game doesnt really change or add anything to the game itself but if your interested in a 3 characters that are covered then the backstory contained in them probably makes them worth getting. All in all if you like JRPGs and you like this kind of setup then this is worth playing. If you’ve never played the Suikoden series then give this game a try, its a pretty good recreation of that concept. If you have played those older games then its still worth playing just be ready for some weird Dejavu.
This was a decent interactive adventure / walking simulator in the Sci-Fi / Horror vein. Also, the game earns that M rating and that stuff cannot be turned down or off. I enjoyed the setup for the most part which is humanity played with god's building blocks and broke things now reality is trying to fix itself the easy way for it and the everybody dies around the problem way for everyone else that happens to be on The Helios. Of course, you play as Rose who's 5 W's get re-written pretty quickly once she arrives. The game does have a similar theme / echo of games like Bio-Shock and Singularity or games like those when it comes to its structure, but it focusses more on the exploration / atmosphere/ puzzle side of things. There is no combat but there are run for your life sections. More on that in a bit. The game itself looks good which is part of the problem I had with it. Unless you have a system that is at its recommended specs or above, the game chugs badly. If you turn the settings down, it will run but you are giving up details. I've found in other games that developers compensate for this in some way or another with their puzzles so that they are still doable. Not here for some reason. Either have a guide or use the keep hitting buttons method until something works and / or wander around bumping into walls until the character says something. The puzzles aren't complicated, and the areas aren't that large, but it is annoying if you can't run the game at max settings. The game can also be a bit stubborn when it comes to telling you what you're supposed to be doing / going. Though it does do the ghostly figure thing to show the general area of where the player should go next. Which brings me to the run for your life sections. Whenever these came up I usually ended up taking a deep breath. If you have a good setup, they might be fine. If you don't then turn the graphics down until you get past them. These sections require almost perfect execution. if you are 1 second off you die. Then you are dumped back at a check point that is either right at the start of the section or at 2 seconds in. I don't know why the developers thought it would be fun to do that when the screen goes speed blur, and it is not very easy in some places to make out where to turn on a dime. Also don't bother looking back, if you feel the need just wait for the load screen it will tell you that the big bad was already on you. If you can get past the questionable design choices and rough edges this is a game that has an interesting world and a decently told story even if it the inspiration from Bioshock and a few others is obvious. Constants and Variables, A man, a woman, and a tower along with nature of time things thrown in. Maybe they will make a sequel one day and clear things up with the story but even as a stand alone it is worth going through. I would recommend waiting for a sale though, before purchasing it. Recommend to those who are interested in sci-fi, horror and interactive stories.
Story: You are the Last Castoff, or more accurately the latest castoff. You’ve fallen into a world that has been shaped by a man known as the Changing God. That is the name given to him by the residents of the plane that he has helped shaped over the last few millennia. The Changing God never stays in the same body for very long and due to a flaw in the process he uses when he jumps into the newest body he has created a new personality is awakened in the body he leaves behind. Something went wrong when your creator jumped bodies this time leaving you plummeting into the atmosphere of the planet below and only our enhanced body saved you. You wake up to no memories and two people chattering at you about castoffs. The only clue you have about what you need to do is fix the machine you broke when you landed. At least that is what the ghost in your mind told you before you woke up and also there is something called the Sorrow that has infected your mind somehow and really wants to wipe your from existence. Your journey starts in Sagus Cliffs. Will you continue the legacy of the Changing God or will you create your own path? Game play: Normal isometric RPG controls and UI. The Tides system is what sets this game apart a little. Tides affect the way options are presented, so if someone doesn’t like you they may make the bad option sound like the good option for example. The game uses a pool system that can be used to affect various interactions in the game. Want to nudge a conversation a certain way? Use might or intellect to convince a the person your talking too to see things your way. Want to grab something without being seen use the speed pool to grab it. Careful though if you get into a fight you might not have points left to give you the edge you needed. Graphics: Good enough to bring the world to life. Sound: Gets the job done. Verdict: If you like stories where choices matter check this one out.
This was a fun Fire Emblem like. Buidling a powerful army to cut through the opposing armies makes it worth playing through the game, especially if you like tinking with the different classes to ge the highest squad rating you can. The sound track is great and the controls are fine. They upgraded the character portraits, I just wished they had fixed soem clunky writing the game has. Story starts off strong but kina falls flat toward genericville towards the end. A little bit of a rewrite could have kept it going so whats going on at least makes more sense about why characters are acting like they are. Still a fun tactical game and worth a play or two.
While the plot isn't covering new ground the story is presented in an interesting way. It's somewhire between written like a 90's RPG and a modern day RPG. The game is well written though and I didn't feel the need to smack too many of the main characters upside the head. My only complaint with the story is I wish the developers had provided a little more interaction and exploration of what I'll call the "Original Hero Group" and the backstory of what led to this story's crisis and some more details about some of the characters that wander through the main group. The game play is pretty standard JRPG. The developers did provide plenty of secrets too find and areas to explore (Don't forget to check all clocks), along with puzzles to solve and such. The combat is pretty standard also. The only complaint I have with both the combat and the puzzles is that after a point they can both become a grind. Even if you play by the games rules when it comes to the combat, battles can become a slog. I'm guessing the developers knew this as they put in a couple of "assist" items that make combat skippable except for story events. As far as I could find it's not possible to skip puzzles beyond save scumming. Looking at you Dark Catacombs / Prison Escape. It also feels like the developers planned a bit of a larger game but had to lop some pieces off or the game existed in a differnt form at some point and pieces couldn't be translated to a stand alone game for some reason. Monsters drop monster pieces but there doesn't seem to be a place to use them in crafting as far as I can tell for example. Considering the price and length definetly worth taking a look at if you are in the mood for a well written throw back JRPG.
I found this to be a pretty fun dungeon crawler. The story is interesting enough, even if it does poke fun at itself here and there, and for the most part the characters are interesting if a little one note. I liked the choice the supporting characters, for the most part, are older and have lived a life before finding themselves in their current situation. The graphics in the game are good and the sound is decent. The game has the control scheme of a modern dungeon crawler and the keyboard and mouse can be used or if desired a controller. Gameplay is the usual explore, fight monsters, and find stuff. There are plenty of secrets to unearth in the game. There is also a bit of crafting in the form of potions that can be found. The game also has various tools that can be used to interact with the enviroments. Buffs and debuffs do matter in this game. If you don't use them, for the most part, then the game will be difficult. The only execption to this is that some of the boss fights are simply endurance tests with RNG thrown in. Even if the right abilitis are used sometimes the game just decides that you are going to have to reload no matter what you do. It can be annoying but it doesn't happen too much. If you like fantasy dungeon crawlers give this one a look.
I found this to be a fun little historical based game. The story weaves in actual historical events with the adventures and misadventures of Alfie Banks as he makes his way through the Roaring 20's. There is a lot of detail in the game, even though it can seemed rushed, and it does set the tone well. The puzzles aren't too hard, though there were a couple of bang my head against the wall ones. It's an oddball story, set in a time and place that isn't often visited by video games. Definitely worth checking out if you like point and click / adventure games.
Summary: In a long ago war between the Humans and Daemons, the humans lost. In order to create peace and teach the humans a lesson the world was split into 4 areas using a Great Barrier. The beast folk of the world were given reign over the humans and Daemons ruled over all. The great barrier has stood for over a thousand years and prevents the humans from organizing. Or so the Daemons thought. The humans have started to come together via various guilds that govern a small but growing resistance looking to overthrow the Daemons long rule. Time Played: About 50-55 hours. Graphics: Cartoony, but they are well done and give the game a semi-unique look. Control: Work like they should. There are some quirks in the menu system that can be aggravating when trying to switch formations or change the party around. Gameplay: It is a standard RPG with a few mechanics that may not be apparent at first if you are not paying attention. If you want to get the most out of this game then it may be worth reading up on it / look at some of the guides out there. The short version is this: -Character growth is tied to equipment not levels. Characters randomly gain HP, SP, and new weapon abilities from battle. Battles are only guaranteed to produce AP and Money. -Most characters can learn any ability, but spreading points around to more than one weapon skill will make a weaker character as it can take a while to learn new abilities that way. Pick one and then focus on the support skills to decrease the use cost and increase the learn rate to unlock the best abilities. Use the second weapon slot for final strikes. -The Guild System is useful but unless the player wants to go through the trouble of collecting a lot of guild members it mainly serves as a buff / debuff system in battle. Having a full coverage of guilds can make some battles easier. All in all a fun and interesting JRPG that has a few quirks. Worth playing if you like the genre.
