• Add Review
  • Subscribe
  • Nominate
  • Submit Media
  • RSS

Review Oblivion

Overview:
This is only a demo in the early stages of development. Further updates may address concerns or bugs. I may update the review upon the project's complete release.

Castle Oblivion is a remake of a game series that I have never played. So was I eager to play the game without any prejudice. There seems to be a lot of focused passion for this project. I hope I can offer some helpful feedback to the creator, or insight for a prospective player new to the series.

On to the review:

Level Design:
For most of the standard gameplay you walk in a 1x1 pathway. Most of the game is only forward or backward. I feel this is a missed opportunity, the player's attention is very easily lost here. The creator could add in running dialog between the two party members during this time or add additional gameplay mechanics when traversing the zones. The demo does seems to break from this however. The graveyard is a semi open area, and it is far more enjoyable as a result. There isn't much gameplay to be had in the demo outside of battles. Just walk forward and look for nooks where there are chests to find. One section I found enjoyable was the "shortcut" back to town. You jump up and down traversing some rocky elevation. Just this added change makes this short section of the game fun.

Once you get deeper into the demo there are on map enemies that get destroyed as you fight them. They block your progress and serve as the games mini boss. Your companion tells you about dangerous wraiths that drain your body and soul. They seemed very scary. When I saw one on the map walking around I was hesitant to engage with it. The wraith puts up a decent fight and are decently formidable. They do seem to be slightly overused however. Leading to the tension being gone quickly upon encountering more.

Because of the linear level design in the later stages It was hard to find good times to return to town. I believe letting the player visit town more liberally would be enjoyable. Perhaps balance that out by removing the Inn from town?

My rating for level design is 2.5/5. The intro area's such as the castle and the town. Are well made and engage the player. However once you get deeper into the demo the zones get slowly less enjoyable.

Combat:
There are some decent hero based animations that add some character to the battles. Pretty straight forward combat for a turn based rpg. Spam your favorite damage spell/attack and heal hp when you get low. Basic, but it has charm of course. This is another part of the game that could benefit from even a small increase additional gameplay mechanics. Status effects seem to be applied often to the player especially blindness, rendering attacks impractical. Overall the combat is enjoyable.

My rating for combat is 3/5. Basic rpg combat we all know and love. Just nothing special here to separate it for anything else.

Atmosphere:
The writing here is very engaging which seems to be a main focus. Even if the protagonist isn't particularly likable, the story is compelling and drives the narrative forward. A great deal of the demo is an intro that introduces the main conflict. Overall the writing here is admirable.

The music seems to be copy-pasted from the Kingdom Hearts series. I love Kingdom Hearts so this just makes me want to stop playing Castle Oblivion and start crying because KH3 isn't out yet. The rest of the sound is pretty standard. I'm torn on the use of Kingdom Hearts music, it's amazing but at a cost.

The graphics present here are excellent for VX. You can admire the talent and experience the creator has with VX and even the Rtp.

My rating for atmosphere is 4/5. Kingdom Hearts takes me out of the game and leave me just enjoying the amazing music. Graphics and writing bring up the score.


Notes:
1)I like that you can break heal crystals for a permanent stat boost.

2)There was a cool jump attack an enemy used early in the demo.

3)Battlebacks seem to need a little tweaking. There are sometimes where the heros fly thru walls.

4)There are a few places where shadows seem to mess with the elevation. (Stairs in the intro)

Final Thoughts and Score:
This is a short enjoyable demo. I hope that my impressions of the game can be of some help to the creators or potential fans. If there are any questions feel free to pm me or post on this review.

3/5


Posts

Pages: 1
Thanks for taking your time to play my demo and review it! Now for some replies:

author=captainregal
For most of the standard gameplay you walk in a 1x1 pathway.


Could you elaborate a bit more on this? Are you talking about walking in 1-tile path? Like the forest area before the Dark Forest (Depths)?

author=captainregal
They do seem to be slightly overused however. Leading to the tension being gone quickly upon encountering more.


The Dark Forest is like a nest for the Wraiths, meaning that the deeper you go into the nest, the more Wraiths are likely to be spotted. It's also a way for progressively building up the difficulty for the dungeon.

author=captainregal
Because of the linear level design in the later stages It was hard to find good times to return to town. I believe letting the player visit town more liberally would be enjoyable. Perhaps balance that out by removing the Inn from town?


The game itself is rather linear, I'd say. It's definitely not open world, or even like a classic JRPG. The CO series has more of a level/world approach, rather than having everything connected. Why did the last area feel linear to you? Was it because there were no secret/optional areas? If so, the game definitely has them and I even plan on adding some more secret areas/rooms later in development.

Also, are you talking about Port Brinks or Grave Town?
Port Brinks is supposed to be like a HUB area, which you mainly visit between Floors. Port Brinks will evolve as the story progresses (new characters, dialogue, shops, items, equipment etc.)

About being able to teleport to Grave Town (for example) easier, I've been thinking about adding a teleport feature to the Save Crystals. Does this sound like a good idea? I don't know if you have played my game Castle Oblivion 3, but it uses a similar teleportation system like the one I'm talking about.

I'm trying to keep the battle system basic in terms of systems/gimmicks and instead focus on the actual battles. My goal is to make the player think during battle, find solutions, good tactics etc. They shouldn't be too hard, but still rather punishing if the player doesn't try and simply mashes the attack button.

author=captainregal
Even if the protagonist isn't particularly likable,

How do you find Vincent unlikable? He is very stale in a way, very straight to the point, but that is mainly because we wanted to be less of a talkative type, after what has happened to him. There will be plenty of time for Vincent to shine though, since the story is packed with BANG! You'll see when the game is done. ;)

About the use of KH music: most people who have played the game has actually liked the music quite a lot, saying that it fits well etc. However, I do understand that it is a bit weird to hear music from someones favorite video game in another game.

Again thanks for playing! I'm glad you managed to enjoy this short demo, even if you found some issues with it. I'm working very hard to have the full game ready by the end of the year and as of now, it seems highly possible! :)
author=luiishu535
Could you elaborate a bit more on this? Are you talking about walking in 1-tile path? Like the forest area before the Dark Forest (Depths)?


Sure, early in game their is a graveyard area. It is open with multiple directions the player can choose to use. In contrast the forest area's have only one straight path and only the random battles impede progress.


author=luiishu535
The Dark Forest is like a nest for the Wraiths, meaning that the deeper you go into the nest, the more Wraiths are likely to be spotted. It's also a way for progressively building up the difficulty for the dungeon.


If its a nest perhaps have it build up to a boss fight? Queen Wraith? Try building the tension.


author=luiishu535
How do you find Vincent unlikable? He is very stale in a way, very straight to the point, but that is mainly because we wanted to be less of a talkative type, after what has happened to him. There will be plenty of time for Vincent to shine though, since the story is packed with BANG! You'll see when the game is done. ;)


Vincent leaves his friend behind and runs away! That makes him pretty unlikable, he doesn't even like himself. Also when he gets trapped in the castle he is weak because of the strength of his heart or w.e. I assumed the story arc was to redeem him in the eyes of the player and himself.


Sorry for the late reply on this been slaving away on my game.
author=captainregal
Sure, early in game their is a graveyard area. It is open with multiple directions the player can choose to use. In contrast the forest area's have only one straight path and only the random battles impede progress.

Not all areas in the game are open-ended. At least the Dark Forest (Depths), which is the actual dungeon, opens up a bit. I'm thinking about adding some more rooms to it though. It is possible to get lost slightly in that forest too.

Now when I think about it, I have to admit that I'm a wee bit sad that the Dark Forest map (between the Cemetery Gates and the Dark Forest (Depths) could manage to lower the entire level design section by a whole 2.5 stars. I hope I'll be able to change your mind for the full release, since the game in its entirety does have a handful of variety to offer.

author=captainregal
If its a nest perhaps have it build up to a boss fight? Queen Wraith? Try building the tension.
I don't mean that it necessarily IS a nest, I'm mainly using that word to describe the kind of difficulty scaling I'm going for (it gets harder the deeper into the forest you go, the increase in Wraiths adds to that increment. Also, there IS the Shaman boss, acting as the Floor's Guardian, at the end. Still, I see and understand your point, but it is just not something that I'm particularly aiming for right here.

author=captainregal
Vincent leaves his friend behind and runs away! That makes him pretty unlikable, he doesn't even like himself. Also when he gets trapped in the castle he is weak because of the strength of his heart or w.e. I assumed the story arc was to redeem him in the eyes of the player and himself.

Oh, I do understand that you feel that way. Vincent will receive a lot of character development during the course of the story. You'll see what I'm talking about when the full game is out (if you'd ever plan on playing, that is).

No worries, I've been doing the same. Hopefully, we'll both finally have our games finished by the end of the year. I'd be happy to help out to beta test Glacia, if I can manage to finish reCO1 faster. I'll probably return the favor and give a review to it as well. Good luck! :)
author=luiishu535
Oh, I do understand that you feel that way. Vincent will receive a lot of character development during the course of the story. You'll see what I'm talking about when the full game is out (if you'd ever plan on playing, that is).


I'll definitely play the full release, also planning on updating the review when that hits!

author=luiishu535
No worries, I've been doing the same. Hopefully, we'll both finally have our games finished by the end of the year. I'd be happy to help out to beta test Glacia, if I can manage to finish reCO1 faster. I'll probably return the favor and give a review to it as well. Good luck! :)


There is no way all four chapters of Glacia will be done by the end of the year. Hopefully chapter two will be thou. I may take you up on that beta test help in about 2ish weeks.

author=captainregal
I'll definitely play the full release, also planning on updating the review when that hits!
Sweet! I hope I won't disappoint you! I might have said this before, but I really do want this remake to be of 4-star quality. Nothing is perfect, but I'm really trying to bring a lot of the new stuff to the table (new, as in somewhat original, but mostly comparing to the original).

Actually, I'm NOT trying to break new ground in RPG territory with this, since it still is just a remake of an already finished game. Having the game polished though, and of high quality for what it is, is what I'm aiming for.

Combat will be kept simple turn-based at its core, no gimmicks. However, I have added quite a lot of flavor to the combat since the demo. Big things come in small packages. ;)

author=captainregal
There is no way all four chapters of Glacia will be done by the end of the year. Hopefully chapter two will be thou. I may take you up on that beta test help in about 2ish weeks.
If I'm not too busy with my game and/or IRL, I'll definitely sign up! How long is the next release planned to be?
A remake of CO and talk of more Glacia chapters in the same thread, and in the same year at that? I don't think I can handle all the excitement.

I haven't played much of the demo, but just to back luiishu up, this isn't exactly his game, but a remake of an existing one done by (crap, can't recall), but keep in mind Vincent was young when he ventured into the castle (perhaps not the most loyal or brave) and I'd venture to guess many in his shoes and at that age would have abandoned a friend if they felt just as scared. I don't know how Vincent's character will pan out with the rest of the game, but it was a choice that haunted him for much of his life in the original game, to the point he felt he had to try and make amends.

The fact that the hero is a bit flawed, haunted, not quite the loyal friend you'd expect, weak, perhaps a bit of a coward -- all this makes him a bit more personable in my opinion, and a nice change of pace to the hero who would jump through fire to save even the most random of NPC's.
CO was originally made by your number one RM idol: kelarly. ;)

That's exactly what we're aiming for, amerk, so I'm really glad you're getting it. I'm sure a lot of people will like this game for its story, mainly because the characters have their own unique and meaningful goals.

A character needs to start somewhere in order to develop. For this instance, Vincent may not seem that likable at first, but once you get deeper into the game, you'll be surprised how much he evolves. I'm not going to spoil anything for new players (or old-timers, since the plot is spiced up quite a lot!), so I'll leave it at that.

I'm really looking forward to see what cap. regal will think of the full game. The game has become a lot more polished in general since the demo. :)
Pages: 1