MiaBlaiscote

Exatron Quest: L’Épée de Sang (The Blood Sword) is an RPG Maker French game developed by one person. It had been updated and replaced with the “Silver Dust Edition”. ---------------------------- My grade: 6/10 - "Fair". ---------------------------- The good (+): * Easy to pick up and play. * Nice little story. * Well done maps. * The art style (RTP assets) fit with the fantasy world. * The combat system is fun to play. * Many classes for the main character, so there is re-playability. You can also choose the MC’s gender. The neutral: * The music. I feel like the more "metal / rock-style" songs doesn’t fit the Exatronia world. * All the "guest stars" cameos in pubs, bars, during the tutorial, and for many side quests. You don't have a very detailed explanation of who they are or why they are in the game, so I think they "clash" too much with the fantasy setting. * The English translation. It could have been better. Also the untranslated text. *The short “lifespan” of the game. The bad (-): * Limited saves. This system - saving only at an Inn or if you find a Save Crystal - is more of an annoyance then anything else. You could easily save everywhere, and the game would have been even more fun to play. Now, you must always be extra careful when you play, otherwise you might lose some hours in-game, and having to do them over and over and over again. * The "insta kills". There are 2 of them. If you refuse to remove the sword at the start, and if you try to open the chest in the store with the kid in the big town. Now, I think in the French version, you don't get a game over by not removing the sword, but still, those "cheap insta kills" are dumb, happen out of nowhere, and doesn’t contribute anything meaningful to the game. Add the limited save system and you are bound to get frustrated. * All the assets from the RPG Maker engine. They do fit with the game universe, yeah, but I like fully customized rpg maker games way more. * Its story is nice, but it's not very deep and developed. In a nutshell: "You freed the demon king, then you purified the holy sword by doing the elemental dungeons and defeating the spirits. Now you find the demon king and with the final battle you defeat him then you seal him away. The world is saved. The end." * A serious lack of characters and lore development. You barely know anything about Morgana, the Demon King, Mercuria, Rubis, Hector, the Exatron Goddess, etc. What is a “sorce-blade” (for Mercuria)? She doesn’t explain it to you in-game. What’s a “Water Sage” (for Rubis)? What happened to Prince Ernest after he defeats the Demon King 5 years ago? Is he dead now? Why do you need to go to the academy to choose a Class if the MC start as an “Adventurer”? Does every character in this universe need to go there to get a Class? Etc, etc.

Princess Maker 5, the last “main game” of the franchise. Since the schedule is weekly instead of monthly, the game is much, much longer to complete. A good 20-25 hours for one playthrough. The English translation is ok-ish, like the other Princess Maker games. Not perfect but you can understand what’s going on. This time around, the story happens in modern Japan instead of a fantasy kingdom. You can be a dad or a mom, which is a nice option. The plot does have some dark elements, which I like, and some “bad” ends but nothing like in PM2, aka the Harlot and Bondage Queen endings. Anyway, a solid game I recommend.

This game was paid to purchase before becoming free to play on Steam. What I expected : An Otome / Dating Sim / Mystery visual novel. What I played: A Secretary Simulator. You spend most of your time doing office tasks, while keeping your Stress low, to avoid getting fired (game over). Yes, you can start a romance route with one character among the four, but the “meat” of the story can only be obtained if you solve the mystery. As for said mystery, I had seen ¾ of the events, and while it’s interesting, I couldn’t progress well since I was too busy doing office tasks. In the end, I got a game over in my one hour and half playthrough and I won’t do another one.

Finding Paradise is one touching narrative game. Took me almost 4 hours to complete. There are less “puzzle-y” aspects than in “To The Moon” but I liked that, so I could focus on the great story. A story with sad moments, happier moments, even some horror-lite bits. Lots of cool humor, like in To The Moon. In a nutshell, if you liked To The Moon, you’ll have a great time and a touching experience with Finding Paradise.

“To The Moon” is one amazing story game. I can’t believe it was made in RPG Maker. Again, this shows the engine can create great games. Unlike “Finding Paradise”, there are more “game-y” aspects, like puzzles, and I was stuck at some points. However, I keep on, since I wanted to know how the story end. It’s also rare to have an autistic character in gaming, so I was cool with River. Yes, the story does have some bits I liked less (some dramatic events only for more drama!) but overall, I had a good time with “To The Moon”. Recommended with “Finding Paradise” and “A Bird Story”.

“A Bird Story” allow you to discover one story in Colin’s life, one important character in “Finding Paradise”. A 1-hour tale without dialogs. I thought it wouldn’t work as a game, since “To The Moon” had dialogs to move the story forward, and oh boy was I wrong! I left the game open to complete it in 1 shot. No regrets. * Now, I know it’s not a game for everyone, as the plot is very simple unlike in “To The Moon” and “Finding Paradise”. But you might like it.

Those games were my favorites during my teenage years on Newgrounds. Animated choose your own adventure movies (as Henry) with many “fails” and several endings. At that time, I had never played “Fleeing the Complex” so that’s a brand-new story for me to discover, plus the new game “Completing the Mission”. Speaking of “Completing the Mission’’, since you choose two endings in combo at the beginning to decide your path in-game, you have more stories to do (although they are shorter). It took me 4 hours to get all the fails and endings, but there are still achievements for me to find. At CDN$ 17.49 it might seem expensive, for a 4-hour game, but I had so much fun with it (the nostalgia!) I don’t regret my purchase. Also, Charles rocks and Ellie is a real bada*s!

From the publisher of "The Bunker", here is another FMV game. This time the "gameplay" is more present, but it comes down to questioning everyone, by being Sam or someone else - because they are a shapeshifter -. Since three of the characters can be the killer, and he / she is chosen at random at each new game, I made three playthrough. I had a different killer each time and I obtained different endings. Despite this, I liked it less compared to "The Bunker", but I can't pinpoint why. Is it because of the actors’ performance? Is it due to the fact that the gameplay quickly becomes repetitive? Because of the fact, that in the first playthrough, we can't skip the cutscenes? So, we often see the radio scene and the movement in the guesthouse’ corridor + the scene in the room with Sam’s transformation into another character. Still, the concept is cool, and the story is interesting. So, my experience with this game is very mixed. If you like FMVs of investigation / story with supernatural elements / visual novel, "The Shapeshifting Detective" may be for you. If not, skip it.

This game, from the creator of LiEat and Alicemare, is great! For me, it's a sort of mix between Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, and dating sim lite. If you liked LiEat and Alicemare, go for it without regrets.

A game not to be put in all hands, due to the themes covered. A dark and bloody game. A game... that I could never finish because I'm too bad at it. XD But that I recommend anyway, just for its concept.

Girl X Mushrooms, a hack'n'slash game I was able to finish in an hour. A game with bad keyboard controls, lousy hitboxes, and no story except "a woman is in a dream (or in another world? The plot not very clear) and she has to fight creatures to return to reality." But in the end, after defeating the final boss, she’s still in the dream. The enemies are repetitive and far too easy to beat. Only the final boss has a more interesting and challenging battle. The free DLC replaces the game over’s black screen and the "you are dead" text with a Hentai scene. Not only does this scene have nothing to do with the game, for me anyway, but the artistic style is too different. The game has a 3D/Realistic style, the DLC is in pure Anime/Manga style. In short, I don't recommend this game.

The + : * The game is dubbed. A very rare thing on a rpg maker game. * The RPG system is unconventional. The battles give no EXP and almost no gold. You have to find gold and equipment in chest everywhere in the game. The neutral : * The story is decent, nothing more. "Jack and his friends must save a kidnapped princess and save the world for the same occasion by defeating Roxor.” * The "maps" (locations in-game) are also a-ok, but Kalen's houses are much bigger inside than on the outside. The - : * The dubbing is awful. The characters don't give any emotion and just read their lines. Especially the voice for Princess Sahirah. So, I can't take the story seriously. * Since random fights give (almost) nothing, there shouldn't be so many, but in this game it's battle after battle. Unlike in other rpg, there is no option to run away / escape. There is an item that allows you to escape a battle, but they are limited. Either you find one in a chest, or you have to buy one in a shop. Gold is also limited, so you can see the issue. * The music, from rpg maker, fits well with the game, but nothing impressive. The other resources (images of the characters, etc) also come from the game engine. * The world map seems much too big to go from one location to another. * The elementary temples (fire temple etc) to do during the quest. I know it's the “brand” of any rpg, but for me it's been done to death, in so many games. To conclude, “Princess Sahirah is a Spoiled Brat!” got interesting ideas, but they aren’t implanted well. The failed voice acting and the lot of unescapable random fights takes away my interest in playing it.

The sequel, I think, to The Adventurer - Episode 1: Beginning of the End. While the story seems a bit better, the game is still bland and boring. Unlike the previous game, there is no cards and badges that could justify its purchase for game’s collectors. The game also uses the assets of Smile Game Builder so I had a weird feeling of Deja vu while playing it.

We dive into the game without any explanation for the story. So, we have to go read the game’s description on the Steam store to find out our hero lives adventures during his dreams. Ok, so what is the quest of this game? Save virgin women from the clutches of evil witches. Nothing amazing. The NPCs don't say anything interesting. There's some dubious humor in this game with jokes like "yo momma is...". We go from a warm location to stumble on a snowy forest to a city where it's spring(!). It's impossible to go back to a place we've already explored. It's a linear game. We go from point A to point B and to point C. In Zemun City, you can see at least two white inches of space at its edge (a map done in a hurry). The fights are like in any rpg or in a game made with RPG Maker. Nothing extraordinary. Our hero seems to be invincible, as he loses almost no HP at enemy attacks. Only the bosses are more challenging. The game is designed with Smile Game Builder and it can easily be compared with RPG Maker but in 3D. The assets come from the game’s engine. They are... ok, and I'm sure I've seen them in other games. At least, I know I've seen them used in another Exatron Quest game in development by his creator. The game offers Steam trading cards. That's something. It can be finished in less than 30 minutes. The Adventurer Episode 1 is more a game’s prototype than anything else and I don't recommend it.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The plusses: + Story and catchy characters. + Cool graphics. + No RPG combat. (narrative game) + Except in the "final fight" and during an event, it is impossible to die. + Several endings. + Good music. The minuses: - The game is ¾ gameplay to move from place to place to find or buy ingredients for spells. Very repetitive. - The story seems to stretch at times. - Short lifespan. If you're not stuck, you can end it in 3 hours.

All the “Trivia Vault” series appears to be cellphone games ported to pc for the steam store. They are merely trivia-type apps, not true video games. They seem to only exist on steam to get a bunch of achievements. Stay clear. There is better way to spend your money, like on a good rpg.

The Bunker is an interactive movie, but with very limited gameplay and very frustrating QTEs. I blocked at the last QTE, just before the choice that decides the ending. Despite this, I still appreciated The Bunker, but I had to accept from the beginning that it's a movie first and a video game second. The acting seems "cold and stiff" at times. At least that's my impression. So... * If you like a movie and the low gameplay + hard QTEs don't scare you, get The Bunker. * If you want a narrative game with lots of choice and gameplay, skip it, you'll get bored.

This "game" is a bunch of videos with people and a dog coughing. It is not a video game, it's not even art. How did this get up on Steam? That's the question.

This is a terrible FMV game. The jokes aren't funny and the gameplay is limited.

An old linear visual novel. Yes, there are actions to be taken to progress but either our heroine, Asumi, gets killed (Game Over) or you continue the story to its unique end. The graphics have a particular style. Either you like it or you don't. I liked them. The music fits well with the game. The story is very engaging. In spite of all the Game Over I've got, I was able to persevere until the end, because I wanted to know the answers so much to the mysteries and the end of the story. On the other hand, the lifespan is short for its price. Between 2 and 3 hours to complete it.

A free VN, but the story is meh, the English is horrible, the art is average at best (the characters are from Manga ComiPo), it end at a strange point and, to get the continuation, you must buy the DLC.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

A short tale, 10-15 minutes long and semi-linear, because some choices give you quick endings and there is only one path to follow to know the true end of the story. The music is nice. The pictures are in the same style as BRG's Red Riding Hood. Designed with Visual Novel Maker. Simple chivos to have, for the 100% hunters. The dubbing (voice of the narrator) is more pleasant than Red Riding Hood's, but as I read quickly, I mutated it. :)

The tale of Little Red Riding Hood in visual novel, created with Visual Novel Maker. As it's a tale, in 10-15 minutes it is done. There is a choice for 2 different endings, whether the big bad wolf gets his way or not. The music, taken from the public domain, is nice, nothing more. The illustrations are good, but it's a strange mix of photos and cartoon characters. There's dubbing (a narrator), which is good for toddlers, but I found her voice sleepy. The story is available in several languages. There are 3 chivos, easy to get on Steam, for the achievements hunters.

Brave Rock Games’ last visual novel (more recent release on Steam), Jiraiya’s short legend. Since the text had less than 4k words, it is very short to read. 10 minutes top and you’re done. While the price was decreased since its release, I still feel to be expensive for what you get, but it a nice story, with voice acting. There are also easy achievements to get, for the chivos collectors.

“Suits a business rpg” is an amazing RPG Maker indie game for PC. From the “lore”, to the turn-based battles, to the black-and-white universe, to the “office / pop culture” humor, to the great music and to the characters. I had a blast playing it, getting all the achievements on Steam, and I’ll do more playthroughs often. The Guy is a charming protagonist. Jerome and Meat Kid are great allies. The CEO is one heck **** final boss. This is one of my favorites RPG Maker games and I recommend it to everyone. Its price is also very cheap.