Random thoughts on whatever JRPG you're currently playing?

[Reinhardt]

almost done with replaying escha & logy. then only shallie remains. i will need to find something comfy to play again.

 

[Nutmeg]

almost done with replaying escha & logy. then only shallie remains. i will need to find something comfy to play again.

Have you played the Wizardry Alternative games?

 

[Sreggin Etah I]

Not to mention this amplifies any RNG the game might already have. This is what makes "simple" action games so engrossing and worthwhile despite their outwardly static appearance.

Yes but i would add to that: not having waiting time, all action being instantly, you're forced to pay attention, unless you already memorized everything so that you cakewalk through the game.

When it comes to turn based games, there is no such easy crutch.

I can think of turn based Roguelikes, of this genre i've only played DoomRL and no run was the same, similar yes but no the same:


Random map layout, random loot, random enemies placement and different builds to choose, you have to adapt in every run.

Roguelikes are not perfect though, my problem with them is that because the difficulty throughout the game is scaling linearly, from easy in early game to hard in late game, like this:

after you get used to the game, the early game becomes too easy, repetitive and a drag to your runs. You end up playing mindlessly in the early game but mindfully in late game. This is my experience with DoomRL, in the early game i'm playing in auto pilot and bored. In the late game i cannot even blink and planning every move. Yes, it's never the same but the early game is not challenging enough to matter. The solution i think would be to make the game equally challenging and varied from early to late game or short enough so that the early game does not become a drag(DoomRL is not short enough, my runs take 4h+)

 

[Reinhardt]

almost done with replaying escha & logy. then only shallie remains. i will need to find something comfy to play again.

Have you played the Wizardry Alternative games?

wizardry games is not something i would describe as "comfy".

 

[Zariusz]

Fuck
I was trying SMT Strange Journey(never played any other SMT) on my flashcard, i just got the ability to fuse demons and i wanted to save. Shit got freezed, ok at worst im going to lose my save file, no problem because its still practically a tutorial. I restart the R4 and launch SMT... another fucking freeze and now flashcard freezes on launching. I got situations like these few times through years but formating microsd always helped. This game fucked my micro sd so hard that now it disconnects after few seconds and i cant even format it or do anything really, this card served me for almost a decade and now some edgy pokemon game finally killed it RIP

 

[Puukko]

Welcome to the Schwarzwelt, motherfucker.

 

[Abu Antar]

I reached Day 3 in Devil Survivor Overclocked.

I'm having a good time, despite disliking the few rescue missions that have appeared. You basically need Devil Speed, Fly, or something similar to reach your targets in time.

I'm taking a break from the story to grind, and fuse some new demons.

 

[Removal]

Tried Chained Echoes
I hate the combat system's focus on the overcharge bar and the "+1 attack" leveling system

felt very generic, did not finish

 

[Maxie]

almost done with replaying escha & logy. then only shallie remains. i will need to find something comfy to play again.

have you tried the trails in the sky trilogy of video games
non meme answer i played tokyo mirage sessions last year and had fun

 

[Reinhardt]

have you tried the trails in the sky trilogy of video games

i dunno

 

[Tse Tse Fly]

How are the Neptunia games on the front of comfy-ness? Or are they too shitty? (haven't played myself)

 

[Reinhardt]

they are ok, but pretty much same, so you played one - you played all. except that grimdark cursed sword shit. fuck it.

 

[GhostCow]

How are the Neptunia games on the front of comfy-ness? Or are they too shitty? (haven't played myself)

Mainline games are great. The gameplay is a small step above most jprgs due to positioning mattering. It's mostly carried by the characters and writing and there is no buldporn though.

I'd avoid the spinoffs

 

[newtmonkey]

Shining and the Darkness (Mega Drive)
(aka Shining in the Darkness)

Completed!
This ended up being a pretty simple but fun "blobber," with some very nice, colorful graphics.

It's very user-friendly. You have a cheap spell you can cast to show you a map of your surroundings, healing spells are cheap and powerful, and the game tends to almost always let your entire party go before the enemy when fighting enemies that are around your level or lower, meaning you can win most battles before you even take damage. Finally, if your entire party wipes, you get resurrected in town with all progress retained (including EXP), though you lose half your gold.

The best part of the game, however, is the dungeon (temple) itself. It's "only" five levels high, but each level is a massive 30x30 squares, and there are also another four sublevels (most with two floors each) accessible from the main levels of the temple. You often have to go back and explore previous levels as you find new keys to locked doors. There are lots of interesting traps such as mimic chests, squares that sap spell points, and spinners, to keep things interesting (though the spinners are frankly meaningless, since they always just spin you 270°!).

Although I enjoyed the game, it has some problems.

First, it's extremely simple and easy. You start out with just a single character (a warrior), and the game is indeed quite difficult when you're all alone. Soon, though, you're joined by two other characters: a warrior priest and a mage. All three characters are actually very competent melee fighters, so from that point on, most battles consist of you just selecting attack and winning on the first or second round. Rarely, you'll run into some powerful group of enemies and you'll need to cast some offensive spells. It's just not a very difficult game after the first hour or so, and the difficulty level is basically reduced to nil once you get the final sword for the main character.

Second, it can get pretty tedious toward the end. If you fail to collect a permanently missable item partway through the game, you'll never unlock any shortcuts throughout the entire dungeon. Of course, I missed this item, so I had to run through the entire dungeon every time I re-entered it, and it takes roughly 30 minutes to trek through the dungeon from the entrance to the final level. Pretty annoying.

Other than these nitpicks, though, it's a fine game.

 

[e-mailio estevez]

I've been slowly chewing my way through the first Shadow Hearts. Not a lot to say about it- I've played SH2 and SH3 numerous times but never touched the first game. I've gotten around to setting up ReShade crt shaders to work with pcsx2 and it's been motivating me to revisit some games from the 'ol PS2 library. 'Twas the first console I purchased with my own money back in the day and I've made it a habit to treat myself to a nice gift whenever I get a new job or promotion ever since.

SH1 is an interesting game when compared to the rest of the series. Obviously SH2 has a shift in tone, and by SH3 the series has gone completely off the rails despite retaining its solid gameplay. But SH1 still has plenty of requisite goofiness, like in the serious mid-game cutscene where Albert Simon channels his inner Homer Simpson:



The tonal shift over the course of the series reminds me of Fallout in a lot of ways. I remember being flabbergasted at the Kodex Konsensus that FO2 was inferior to the first game due in part to its constant off-the-wall wackiness and pop culture references- I was always of the opinion that FO2 was clearly the superior game and never gave it a second thought. But I've come around a bit, and while I'd still take SH2 or FO2 over the originals if I were stuck on a desert island, I can't say I don't appreciate the fact they take themselves more seriously.

Gameplay-wise there's not a lot to write home about. The judgement ring seems to move a lot faster than in the sequels- or at least equipment to slow it the fuck down seems a lot rarer- I've found myself buying a lot of consumables that slow the ring's movement and I can't say I've done that in any of the other games. Bosses are mostly tank and spank affairs and the difficulty mostly comes from juggling healing, buffing and keeping everyone's spirit points topped off so they don't go berserk and initiate a death spiral. Most bosses are just 1 single tough mob that become trivial with the right accessories equipped since they're typically spamming some status effect, but it's nice that they have some teeth compared to SH2 where unless you're underleveled and underequipped you'll just steamroll everything.

I do wish some of these boss fights had additional henchmen you have to manage, or even fights with two bosses at the same time. One JRPG that did boss encounters very, very well was Arc Rise Fantasia. The very first boss encounter is against a necromancer who is pumping out formidable skeleton henchmen every other turn that you absolutely have to contain efficiently, and the boss himself can put out a hurting if you're not chipping away at him. It's really dynamic and challenging first boss and the rest of the games bosses follow suit. I rarely see Arc Rise Fantasia talked about and it's been a good 3-4 years since I played it, but despite its many shortcomings it's very much a game for combat and mechanics enjoyers. Truly a hidden gem, will probably write more about it in the future.

 

[unseeingeye]

I haven't really been gaming much at all lately, only messing around with emulated MVS versions of Neo Geo games through LaunchBox which is what I typically fall back on when I find myself unable to get into anything, but I noticed that the Pixel Remaster versions of the first six Final Fantasy games was released for Switch so I plan to try going through them in order.

I read about the differences introduced to the Switch versions that differentiate them from the PC and Mobile versions, as well as the many variations to the content throughout the years across the many rereleases of each game. Some of what was changed for the Switch versions are surprisingly pleasant, such as the reintroduction of the credits to the opening walking sequence in Final Fantasy VI, implementation of pixelated font more nearly approximating the original for the dialogue, and the inclusion of both the orchestrated score and the original (which I greatly prefer) for all games, while others I'm less enthusiastic about.

Final Fantasy IV and VI were my jams back in the 90s when I was growing up; I'll always have a fondness for VI in particular which I maintained as my favorite even during the period when VII was brand new and blowing all of our minds. The original Tactics and VI are for me the peaks in that series and I've returned to the former many times on various platforms but despite having owned different versions of VI I haven't actually committed myself to a proper playthrough since the Super Nintendo days, so I've forgotten so much of it. The first two original games I didn't have an opportunity to try (outside of messing around with emulation in the early days) until they were rereleased as Origins for the first PlayStation, and the third one I didn't try until the remake for Nintendo DS. Eventually I'd played all of them, but I don't think I've ever actually finished any other than IV and VI, so most of this should be almost like a brand new experience for me.

 

[Derringer]

I gave Mary Skelter 2 and 1 a try and they're surprisingly ok for Idea Factory/Compile Heart casual DRPGs, I'm not really a fan of the Neptunia games. I think the biggest problem with them is the voice samples in the battles which you can mute completely and the speed of them which you can increase with Cheat Engine, and the inane VN writing which you can just skip through. I wouldn't say they're amazing or anything but they're ok.

 

[MurkrLurkr]

It's been a year and a half since I downloaded the rom for DS title, not so well known (which is a shame cos despite all the shortcomings I think it could be a great inspiration for game devs interested in innovative gameplay) and peculiar Avalon Code. It caught my attention because of the interesting mechanics and the plot that revolves around the magic, sentient book...

I've been playing it on and off for the past while and decided to throw in the towel and write a post about my experience with it instead. I haven't come across a better concept for a game in a long time, but it was poorly implemented, classic instance of unrealized potential... As in the Old Testament stories, god Kullervo (WEF) is dissatisfied with the creation and how the world is unfurling, so he decides to obliterate it, performing a kind of great reset and you've been given the task of saving what you deem worthy in the Book of Prophecy (external hard disk of sorts)... To record something in it's pages (it can be anything from a living organism to a weapon) the player must perform a "Code Scan". Code is something like a DNA of an objects and it's represented by puzzle pieces of different shapes and sizes that fit into the object's grid. Player is not just a mere archivist but more of a Demiurge figure as creating different combinations of codes, by adding and removing them, can have a major effect on the object, changing its properties. For instance I removed stone code from stone goblin and added to it ill code, making it easier to kill.. Later I added that stone code to warm loaf of bread, turning it to stone bread, but apart from the name and color, nothing substantial changes... This cool mechanic isn't used well enough in my opinion, cos imagine how fun it would be if by adding a dog code to a sword, you were wielding a bristled mutt But the biggest downside for me, since I played it on my Android phone (yeah, don't ask ) is that rotating the screen rotates the controls One half of a split DS screen is reserved for the book and the interface controls on DraStic emulator are in the way of properly interacting with it. In emulator options I can go fullscreen on the book, but sometimes I still have to awkwardly rotate my phone in order to press the correct button. The book is full of content with hundreds of pages, and from the start I felt irritation creeping in... I highly doubt this would be a problem on a desktop computer but it is what it is, since my gaming hours are reserved for the roads.

This was just an introduction to my problems with the game cos MP (Mystic Points) is required to use items, such as our delicious stone bread... You are also spending MP every time you add or remove a code in the book, which is a major hassle, as you can refill the bar only by sleeping in your house or by performing combos during fights..
Almost every page in the book has a CP (Code Points) value (map pages, character pages, item pages, even your page). Certain actions will increase that value, depending on the type of page. For non-dungeon map pages, it all comes down to exploring, and by "exploring" I mean pressing A. Every area has three to five hot-spots to be examined, each of which will add CP. There is no indication of where these hot-spots are, which means running around mashing the A button on everything that looks even vaguely interesting. Worse, even when you're looking at the right object, it often won't register unless you're in the right position.
Character CP increases as you talk to NPCs, giving them gifts and doing sidequests for them. They also have "aspirations", which are certain combinations of codes that yield the highest possible CP for the page.
Once you gather enough CP, the book will level up. This will eventually expand the code grid (or Mental Map, to give it its proper name)... On the paper everything sounds über fun but the sad truth is that soon everything becomes stale, and you are just going through the motions as you try to trigger the next chapter point.

As with many aspects of Avalon Code, I like the idea of it... I liked the idea of exploration being a goal unto itself, but for that to work, there must be well-designed maps with interesting stuff to find. Landmarks, ruins, relics, things that have stories attached to them. Things that someone tasked with recording the world would care to record. Instead the game quickly devolves into dungeon delving which is the least interesting part of it, and experimenting with various codes frustrating MP menagement... Please don't be deterred by my negative review, cos despite all the complaints, I think this is pretty unique title that every fan of JRPGs should at least give a try...

 

[Lincolnberry]

Finshed SaGa Scarlet Graces just now. Did the Uprina route.

Overall, I really enjoyed it - love how it handles upgrades, I enjoyed the getting new characters aspect (even though many come too late to be useful).

The combat system is very enjoyable in general but especially out of the gate. It fades a bit when you start getting higher weapon levels that turn everything into a united attack simulator.

I had some major frustrations with some of the quest lines - I think some are either outright broken or I just couldn't figure out how to re-flag them - looking at you, Bicnyrio on the Scarlet Shards route. As a result, felt like I spent a lot of time in some areas that was ultimately useless.

Going to give it a bit of a break but I'll be back to play other route(s). Would still give this game a solid and will be looking at the others in the series (I have an ancient copy of Last Remnant I've never tried and also bought the recent minstrel song remake on steam).

 

[Rocket-Propelled Game]

I think someone (or someones) who worked on Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky was a big fan of Skies of Arcadia.

Some similarities:

-Main playable characters are a redheaded twintailed tomboy and a brunette lad who dual-wields swords/knives.
-A secondary playable character is a playboy who uses pistols as their weapon of choice.
-Airships are an everyday thing of life instead of being a one-of-a-kind plot device like in classic Final Fantasies.
-Skies of Arcadia was going to originally have grid-based combat but ultimately didn't. TiTS has grid-based combat. Also the whole weapon-element thing.

I think there's more but I'd have to go back to TiTS to check.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Trying out the Chinaman game Star Rail.

Spoiler

Even though it's turn-based, I like it less than Genshin, which I got bored of fairly quickly.

I think it's the area design of the first area. Starting the game on a generic space station with 30 minutes of tutorial was a bad idea.

 

[Nutmeg]

Just finished a game of Gemfire (DOS version, of course), which was one of those early Koei Japan-US collaborative efforts with American game designer Stieg Hedlund (responsible for Diablo and Starcraft later in his career).

It's a very mechanical map painter. The map is divided into 30 territories. In each territory you raise cultivation (using gold) and loyalty (using food) to grow more food, sell food for gold, turn gold into troops, and finally use all three of gold, food and troops to attempt to take over other territories. On top of this framework is a 3-stat character system giving bonuses for certain actions, an events system and associated "protection" number for each territory, a 4 unit small map tactical battle and an associated "5th unit" system, and a search, sabotage, plunder, defection espionage system of sorts, and, finally, a surrender and alliance diplomacy system.

IMO, the game plays mechanically not so much because the game's systems are "too simple", as I've read elsewhere, but because the AI is a helpless kitten. I Imagine the game plays quite dynamically against human players -- it certainly has a computer assisted board game feel to it.

Speaking of mechanical actions, it is indeed slightly clunky to play (you have to click a few times to get to the information you're after, have to move units one square at a time on the tactical map), but it's still brisk enough not to be unbearably annoying.

The charm of the game is in its EGA translated pc-88 style graphics, its late 80s Japanese westaboo take on high fantasy art style, and all the medieval British Isles lore and mythology influences in the game's text, associated materials and presentation. Music is OK, good for IBM PC Ad Lib standards.

I also just find the whole 5th unit gem system and how it ties into the simple back story neat, giving the game just enough Master of Monsters spice on top of what I hear is a simplification or streamlining of the Koei formula established with Nobunaga's Ambition or Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I've actually never put in any serious time into games from either series, so I don't know, but I do wish to understand this better.

As such I'm thinking of playing

1. Romance of the three kingdoms 3
2. Celtic tales
3. Bandit kings of ancient China

next, and then doing a comparison of all 4.

Rot3K 3 because I heard it has an aggressive and competent AI, more so than any other title in the series because in earlier titles the AI needed refinement, while later entries added too much complexity for the computer player to handle competently. This is just what I heard. I would be happy to be corrected, and instead play a different entry in the series. In any case this would then become my Koei formula "base line".

Celtic Tales because it is one of the sequels to Gemfire, the spiritual one, by the same Stieg Hedlund included team. The other, nominal sequel Royal blood 2 (Gemfire is Royal blood in Japan) is in Japanese only. When my Japanese improves sufficiently (ETA another 5 years), or a translation patch is released (whichever comes first) I might play this for another comparison point.

Bandit kings of ancient China because I read it is the most difficult of the Koei games. Again, I do not know if this is true, or how the typical Koei player measures difficulty. I have a feeling difficulty for most Koei game players simply means how high the ceiling is in terms of unnecessary optimization, when the games themselves probably require only crude, mechanically executed, zero variation strategies to beat and quickly. This isn't an insult against Koei games in particular, it's rather a short coming of most "complex" type turn based strategy games -- with complexity comes borkedness. Alternatively it might just be mechanical difficulty i.e. how arduous it is to get the map painting machine to move and how many times you have to crank it to paint the whole map.

Anyway wouldn't mind other players thoughts on Koei games, esp. w.r.t. difficulty, how dynamic they are, AI etc.

downwardspiral

 

[Maxie]

playing atelier dusk trilogy. after the stellar atelier ayesha and somewhat confusing atelier escha & logy im fumbling in the dark trying to comprehend atelier shallie right now - I think the fact that the game is based on progressing by repeatedly doing minor tasks you tended to optimize in the previous two games and triggering rather surprising exp boosts makes me focus much less on what I'm attempting to achieve, playing as Shallotte doesn't help - her schtick is not being sure what she wants to do in life, which is starky different from Ayesha lol. will write more once i finish the game

 

[Maxie]

Whoa I'm done with Dusk games. They were noticeably shorter than Mysterious games and way shorter than Ryzas, for two reasons. One of them, at least the latter two entries are ostensibly replayable, with you choosing one of two characters and only able to reach True Ending once beaten the game twice. Second, they're way tighter, and don't overstay their welcome. A testament to time limits, I'm sure.

Atelier Ayesha IS the big boy of this trilogy. It has the tightest mechanics, the perfect amount of risk vs. reward, plenty of challenges both mandatory and optional, and the wonderfully grounded, slightly depressing mood. Hobo Elf claims Ayesha is what Ryza failed to reproduce, and I'm able to agree with him. The whole Dusk trilogy is about alchemy having fucked the planet up ages ago, and the current generation of men struggling to cope with a world that is, quite literally, dying - like a setting sun, y'know, in the middle of dusk.. Ayesha builds up on this and delivers a wonderfully personal story, and manages to do so nearly fully bereft of typical anime stylization. Really, character designs in particular are absurdly realistic. But enough talk about storyfag crap - Ayesha is a tough game, it demands of you to manage your time, and to manage it well. If you're fine with that, bravo champ. If you're not, grow some balls. Once you do, you'll be mercilessly zooming all around Ayesha's tiny ass map doing the bare minimum required to proceed, CONSTANTLY in the middle of the balancing act of how much bullshit you're able to get away with. You have three in-game years to reach your goal, and I did reach it in 1,5 years, horribly under-levelled and under-equipped, beating the final boss in a highly testosteronic battle. Ayesha is turn-based, pretty much no-frills, though it relies heavily on positioning around the enemies - you will find yourself jumping back and forth to avoid attacks and capitalize of continuous effect items. The items are depletable, and the progression is very much alright, unlike in, say, Sophie. Itemization is funny - you find equipment in the field, then identify it and improve it, rather than construe shit yourself. Ayesha is a survival horror more often than not, with you being constantly starved for means to advance, but also starved for any clues on how to advance - really, there's no quest log telling you where to go, and the way to reach the final goal is amazingly vague. I guarantee that you will be like a rat in a maze, but in a good way.

Atelier Escha & Logy (Eschatology hehe) builds upon Ayesha in a rather confusing manner, and it's a highly confusing game. Rather, it's a series of "chapters" in which you need to tackle a number of tasks, usually rather straightforward, upon which completion you're free to dick around and to Atelier stuff. Due to the storyline being split between the two characters, you'll find that there are much fewer events than usual, as they're distributed between the two. Your guys are two public servant alchemists assigned to a miraculously alive town of Colseit in the middle of an otherwise depressingly dead wasteland. As expected of public servants, they engage in mundane bullshit on the clock, and eat through tax money. No, really - money is the biggest change in E&L. In Ayesha, you were rather starved for money, but in E&L you swim in it, except - you also pay large amounts of money to unlock passive upgrades, which were relegated to 'memory points' in the previous game. Because of this, the economy is very deceptive, and you'll find yourself replicating items a lot. You craft your own equipment this time, though I must say that the progression in E&L is very unbalanced, and you effectively skip through entire tiers of items at a time. The game being on the easier side doesn't punish you for doing it, until you hit endgame and all the bosses are pain. The griffon beast before the main boss took me way more time than the main boss proper though lol. Unlike in Ayesha, and very much like some future entries, your party has a 'back row' of benched characters, who jump back and forth to deal extra damage, and to swap between skillsets. To make this valid, fights in E&L are also much too tedious for the level of challenge they present, with most enemies being annoying hp sponges, most bosses having multiple attacks per turn, etc. It's an unwelcome trend, but so it goes. All in all, it's not a bad game, but suffers from Gust's typical mid-trilogy mechanics fuckery.

Atelier Shallie kinda annoyed me in the same way Atelier Lydie & Suelle did. It's a very radical shift from the previous two games, also it relies much too much on past characters and events, instead of telling a new story. I guess it's to be expected, as both are trilogy finales, but it really confuses me how could anyone recommend it as a standalone game. Unlike the previous two, there's absolutely no time limit here, though you'll have a gimmick mechanic punishing you for dicking around - morale, making you literally run slower if you don't progress. For some reason, halfway through the game the morale counter remained maxed out for me, and I assume it's a bug, directly tied to how the game tackles progression. Like in E&L, there's the core task to tackle per chapter, then you're free to dick around doing 'life tasks,' and you need to do some to progress next. Which makes Shallie the one game which doesn't respect your time at all, since you'll be revisiting locations all the time, in spite of the time optimization habit you picked up playing the previous two games. These life tasks proc very randomly, usually catching up with what you were doing in the pre-life task phase, with a dozen activating at once. Suddenly, you're level 30 like eight hours into the game, because the tasks give you some exp, and remain super confused. The economy is busted, and it really doesn't matter at all. The alchemy speeds up super slowly, contrary to E&L, but as it speeds up it also gains amazing momentum, allowing you to craft broken shit which wouldn't have flied at all back in Ayesha, lol. Very much like E&L, hp bloat is pain, and you will face basic enemies with 4-6k hp in the endgame quite routinely. The game relies a little too much on your burst gauge, which used to power ultimate attacks or support attacks in the previous games, here it unlocks the super damage mode without which you simply wouldn't be able to kill any boss monster. Even main boss is a conscious testament to this design, and spawns trash mobs just so that you have anything to power up your burst gauge on lol. It's not a bad game, but it's a Willbell fanservice game first and foremost, which is surely a pro argument for many.

 

[goregasm]

Was playing Tactics Ogre reborn before taking a break. It's..it's alright. I loved the original version, and march of the black queen, Nintendo 64 game was good too.

Not too sure how I feel about some of the changes, the cards are kind of shit, but not so bad outside of big boss fights, the union system is..odd.

All in all I am enjoying it because it's one of my favorite series, I like the themes in the series for the most part, this new one seems..easier though, at least up until where I stopped.

Will eventually pick it back up, but needed a bit of a break from it. I don't think those changes were for the better overall, they seem simultaneously just..there, but also extremely interact with the rest of the game.

It sort of feels like they remade what I feel was a great game into a good game.