Pros *Interesting game world with shades of grey *Cute anime girls Cons *Battle system is boring with needlessly high difficulty *Awful battle animations (Click to skip. Repeat.) *Most characters are one-dimensional *It still says beta even though it's been out nine years and has three sequels This game is heavily inspired by the original Gundam. What Gundam calls mobile suits have been renamed ryders, and there's an antagonist called Fontana who is practically a clone of Gundam's Char. Like the original Gundam, the good guys aren't necessarily all that good and the bad guys have some legitimate complaints that brought about the war. The baddies (PACT) destroyed the Sunrider's home world, so the Sunrider joins the goodies (Alliance) for revenge. Only the Alliance have a tendency to mercilessly exploit workers and murder children for political gain, and PACT kind-of want to stop that, but also want to pretty much destroy everything. The gameplay is split between a visual novel romance with a plethora of girls to choose from and a sad attempt at a tactical RPG. The VN relationships never reach any kind of conclusion; you're just surrounded by a bunch of girls vying for your attention. There's one random nude scene with one of the girls in the shower and some gory scenes, especially near the end. The battle sequences are aggravating until you turn the difficulty down to the lowest level. Even then, the gameplay is awful - the enemy always has you hugely outnumbered and gets lots of reinforcements. There are virtually no tactics involved - just blast away until the battle's finally over. I think I only finished the game because I needed something I could turn to for a few minutes distraction here and there and drop in an instant. Sunrider satisfied that need. There are worse games out there, but also many that are far, far better. Perhaps the sequels are better, but I have no intention of buying them.
Rise of the Third Power is a 16-bit RPG Maker title which shows off the versatility of that game engine. With custom art and sound, an unusual leveling system, deep characters, an intricate plot full of political machinations and a good dose of side-quests, this RPG will keep you intrigued. Pros: * Characters have detailed backstories which are gradually revealed, especially through side-quests * Vague premonitions of impending doom gradually build to a climactic final battle against evil * Pixel art is superb * Battle difficulty is well balanced and boss fights require strategy Cons: * Hard level cap prevents maximizing all your characters * Grinding * Certain expressions on character portraits look dull or unintentionally creepy Other thoughts: * At times the game feels like a parody of RPGs, with characters remarking that they're random do-gooders who will take on any quest and making light of their urgent mission. Some of this is quite humorous, but it clashes with the serious dialogue of the main plot. * Leveling system mixes traditional stat gains with a skill tree similar to The Witcher. * The "Third Power" isn't explained - you have to realize the story was inspired by the rise of the Third Reich in Germany following World War I. * I was deeply engaged by the story and excellent combat mechanics and would rate this one of the best indie games of recent years.
Pros *Well-designed turn-based RPG mechanics *Wide range of classes and monster recruits *Beautiful character portraits *Fascinating character-driven story Cons *Skill icons are confusing Other thoughts I purchased the Missions & Monsters add-on, so some of this review may not apply if you only have the core game. If you've ever played the old Final Fantasy Tactics games, you'll feel right at home in Fell Seal. The turn-based grid combat with significant vertical obstacles and advantages is straight out of the FFT playbook. But this is no cheap rip-off. Fell Seal was lovingly created as a modern adaptation of those classic mechanics. You lead a squad of characters, some unique and some generic, which you can grow to small army. The leader is Kyrie, an arbiter (a bit like a sheriff) in a fantasy world where law and order seems to be paramount on the surface, but which is actually a place of chaotic banditry and corrupt officials. Kyrie's closest companions are her brother Reiner, a ranger-esque character with roguish good looks and a personality to match, and Anadine, a young trainee who is the daughter of Kyrie's late mentor who inadvertently acquires some amazing capabilities. The plot, while not the most original, is solid RPG entertainment. The characters are well developed and you find yourself emotionally invested in their path. Old school tropes abound, like the heroes urgently need to rush to their destination before the world gets destroyed, yet they can feel free to take a detour and hunt for buried treasure (whether that's a good or bad thing varies by player). There are plenty of side quests and special missions which your main characters do not tackle themselves, but rather dispatch squads of followers to tackle. If you take the time to really dig into the side quests, you can expect 80+ hours of enjoyable gameplay. The challenges somewhat scale to your character levels to keep things interesting. All-in-all, an excellent experience.
I was in high school when LucasArts released Day of the Tentacle, which was a huge step forward in video game design and arguably the best game written in SCUMM. With cartoon animations and voice acting that felt more like the work of a Hollywood animation studio than the work of computer programmers, the game made jaws drop. What really won over hoards of fans, however, was the blisteringly witty humor that pervades scene after scene. Ultra-nerd Bernard, dim-witted Hoagie and deranged Laverne head to the mansion to rescue the tentacles who have been chained up by Dr. Fred. This adventure takes all of a minute to complete. Unfortunately, this leaves Purple Tentacle free to enact his plan to enslave all humanity. Good thing Dr. Fred has a time machine to send the kids back and stop the mess from ever occurring. Only the machine glitches and Hoagie ends up in 1780s Philadelphia while Laverne is stuck in a tree in the distant future. Hilarity ensues as the gang tries to put things right, which involves pulling a few pranks on the founding fathers and dressing an ancient mummy as a sort of human poodle for a futuristic human show (think dog show). For decades I've smiled at the thought of Hoagie tricking George Washington into cutting down a kumquat tree by convincing him it was actually a cherry tree. This remake is essentially the original with completely redrawn HD graphics. Never fear, though, as the animators were painstakingly careful to preserve the feel of the original. This feels like how the game would've been if the technology existed in the 90s. Though it's a sequel to Maniac Mansion, the story stands on its own and you really don't need to know about the evil purple meteor that once held Dr. Fred in thrall. Still, if you want to learn that story, it's tucked away as a bit of an Easter Egg. That's right, the original Maniac Mansion in all its 80s 8-bit glory is included, though you'll need to make some progress in DOTT to unlock it.
Although Ara Fell is an old game, I only discovered it in 2020. The game has aged well and is an enjoyable retro experience reminiscent of Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and the Gold Box D&D games. While the gameplay is solid, what really makes a great RPG is a mix of endearing characters and an epic quest. This is where Ara Fell truly delivers. Ara Fell is a strange world where islands inhabited by humans, dwarves and vampires float over a frightening continent called the abyss. The humans live in fear of the vampires who appear ready to crush humanity. As the story progresses, you find the vampires are not a monolithic army of evil, but rather a society filled with politics, backstabbing and some individuals who seem to be trying to do good, at least from a vampire's point of view. The game is a turn-based RPG with familiar controls and classes. Enemies are visible on the map and wander randomly, so you won't often be forced into random encounters. Playing on normal difficulty and intentionally fighting most random battles I came across, I didn't have to do much grinding. I did grind battles early on, but then I realized I had completely missed how to upgrade spells; once my spells were upgraded my party was insanely powerful for where I was in the story. There are a decent number of interesting side quests, some quick and easy and some delightfully intricate. Graphics and sound are definitely dated. Though the game dates from 2003, it feels like an SNES title. If that is a deal-breaker for you, so be it. But if you can appreciate a good game even if it feels 16-bit, then you'll enjoy these pixelated sprites and the MIDI soundtrack. The game finishes with a touching epilogue in the style of the Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings where we get to see where the main characters and a few NPCs ended up after the climactic battle. I felt really touched seeing this final sendoff. All-in-all, this is a fine game for any RPG fan.
