Carter83

Another game from Aldorlea. But this time, it's not a part of a series as Millennium or Laxius, but standalone game. There are basically no sidequests, it's all about the main story. You travel through the world of Asguaard and try to stop a destruction of the whole world. Even without sidequests, there's still a lot to do. The world map is huge and very detailed, with many secret locations - easily the best I've ever seen in any RPG Maker game. Also, because of the absence of sidequests, you are never too strong or too weak and progressing through the game feels very "fluid" and "natural" - there's always enough challenge. Another speciality of Asguaard is the Skills system - it's kinda similar to the old Might & Magic games - there are some skill such as Axe, Swords, Pathfinding and for each rank of the skill you need to find a trainer. Some of the dungeons are huge and really hard to get through, graphic and music are good. I won't reveal the story, but I can say that it's touching and a bit sad. Actually, the whole game has a bit "melancholic" feeling. And just for the record - the playing time is around 40 to 50 hours, so it's definitively a big game. If you enjoy this kind of games, Asguaard is definitively worth playing.

3 Stars od Destiny is a prequel to another Aldorlea game - Laxius Force. It's not as big as its "big brother" but it's still around 30 hours of playtime and lots of quests. Otherwise it's quite similar to Laxius Force - huge dungeons with plenty of secrets to discover, tons of armors and weapons and some really challenging fights. Battle system-wise I would say that it's quite possibly the best RPG Maker game I've played - there are just so many spells, buffs and debuffs and using them correctly is often the only way how to win. The story is - once again - thrilling, there's also some humor and many interesting characters. Plus, after finishing the "main story", it's possible to continue the game and finish things you've missed. Also, there are multiple difficulties and some "goodies" (bonus character and so on) are available for free at the Aldorlea site, so 3SoD can easily last for more than 100 hours. In other words, if you enjoy playing this kind of games you should definitively not miss this one...

The big finale of the trilogy. Around 100 hours of playtime, 40+ characters and absolutely crazy story. There are so many twists, unexpected events and strong moments that it's hard to believe. It's definitively for dedicated players only, but if you are willing to invest the effort into it, than it's more than worth it. If you are able to see beyond the "not AAA graphics", then none of the current "big RPGs" (Dragon Age, The Witcher, Mass Effect) can give you the same experience. For me it's the best game I've ever played and an unforgettable experience.

Second part of the Laxius Force trilogy, so it's simple - if you haven't played Laxius Force 1 yet, start with it. If you have and enjoyed it, then Laxius Force II is a must - it's even more thrilling and crazy than the first part.

Laxius Force is not for everyone. If you believe that RPGs need to be 3D, fully voiced and with "lot of action", then you should definitively look elsewhere. But if you are willing to invest some time into it and accept this game for what it is, then you might discover that Laxius Force is a hidden gem. There are many memorable characters, tons of quests (100+), huge dungeons to explore, plenty of weapons and armors and the battle system is turn-based and very well thought, with statuses (such as Stun, Silenced) and elemental resistances (Fire, Air, ...). The game is also very long, I would say 30 - 80 hours, depending on your willingness to discover its secrets. I won't spoil anything about the story, but I can say that it's very intriguing, with lots of twists and strong moments. When I take the Laxius trilogy as a whole (Laxius Force is only first part of a whole serie), I would say that the story is the best I've ever seen in any game. As for the drawbacks - the amount of fights can be too much for someone (I personally enjoy it, but not everyone feels the same, I guess) and the game can be very tricky and challenging, for example some quests can only be completed at one specific moment, so they are very easy to miss, some need items that are very hard to find (and you can only do so for a short part of the game and so on). Once again - I find this good (There's no way you will make a "perfect playthrough" for the first time - which is very good for replayability.), but if you want a more "accessible" RPGMaker experience, than I would recommend games like Millennium.