Kryberia - Part 1

First Impression
Ooh, dark horror game, like. The screen shots look rather nice, really they do. Custom menu and monsters and all that jazz.
Starting up the game I am already intrigued, the music keeps me constantly in suspense as I take control of the main character Sid Jones. The first cave I find and there's a note with a picture of... something. Oh man this is something I want to play in the dark! But because this is for a bounty I will need all the time I can get, depending on how long this game is going to take me.



Story
I am the kind of person that just instantly loves horror stories. This one got me interested and kept me in suspense (with help from other features I will list off later). I am sad to say I was not able to complete the game (will be explained later) so I didn't get to see all to much of the story. It was definitely interesting was was going somewhere, somewhere dark and ominous. I don't feel right slapping a super high score to the story because I haven't seen it in it's entirety. However, from what I did see I was entertained.
The characters (Sid, Kent, and Gustav) weren't anything special, which is what I liked. From the very start you learn to hate Kent, see Sid as your average Joe, and Gustav is pretty quick on his feet, smart guy. Again, I wasn't able to see the entire story but from what I could tell each character had their own personalities which kept hints of lighthearted humor without distracting from the fact this is still a horror game and you are still a group of soldiers. The dialogue I feel could have used a bit of editing (ex: one instance we're given the thought that none of these people curse, the next on a less serious event we're dropped an F-Bomb... not to say I have problems with cursing, but a bit of consistency would be nice).

All in all I think this story has quite a bit of potential, really it does. I'd love to see this as, say, a movie. Because I haven't gotten to see the entire story I can only give a halfhearted score, but because of all this potential I see (especially with the story telling) I have to give it a sketchy 3.8/5

Game Play
Good god where to begin. This is the reason I could not finish this game. There are only two chests to be found before you reach a near impossible boss, leveling is a pain as when you do level you don't get your HP and Energy recovered, and why is there even money? Honestly, you're on a mountainside that is obviously (for the most part) abandoned. I don't see you running into any shopkeepers anytime soon. There's such a limited number of items and even when you do get a medic he only has so much Energy to the point that it becomes increasingly difficult to level up and almost pointless. Even the battles themselves, the player would rarely ever go before the enemy making the guard action useless. It's all just a big mess.
That said, I feel with the way the story is told the enemies only serve as to make it more of a game and, in my opinion, distract from the story. It's like the battles are just there to fill space so it can be called a game. I feel this would be much more suited as a Visual Novel with puzzles rather than fights.
Really the puzzles were more fun, rather simple, but I liked them. They gave the player something to do that didn't seem forced (like the battles). For the most part they made sense and really demanded exploration which is always a fun part, especially when the game looks as beautiful as it does (but we'll get to that later).

I feel the need to give this two scores, one for battle and one for everything else: Battle - 0/5 - Everything else - 4/5 -

Maps/Graphics
BEAUTIFUL!! Oh my god for a sprite game this is absolutely magnificent. Really, the eerie fog, the mountain side view, the flashes from the spark of the electric tower, the caves, the blood, the everything! Really, this game made full use of everything it could visually and it came out beautifully.
Even the menu, battle screen, and text boxes are custom. Truly amazing. I really loved the look of the game which is why I honestly think this would make an epic game as just a puzzle/strategy or even a visual novel. This is what I am sure drags people in. However, I am not someone who plays games for awesome graphics... at all, really they are more of a plus in my opinion. Not to say this part doesn't matter, because it does, just not as much as everything else (in my opinion).

I really have to give this a 5/5, it's beautiful.

Music/SFX
This. This is another amazing quality (again doesn't mean as much as game play and story, but still helps), it keeps the player in suspense, the sound effects when you step on... something... the way it moves along with the story. Oh man, this was just amazing. Really kept the game going and kept (me at least) interested.

5/5

Ending Thoughts
Really this wasn't a terrible game, I liked it. The battles are really the only complaint I have. I can't suggest this wholeheartedly but still it isn't terrible. If any of you have RMXP and can turn off the battles I suggest it, you'll enjoy the visuals and the story very much. All in all I have to give this a 3/5, I feel there is so much potential here... just drop the battle system...