Tears of Revenge

Good day!
almost a year ago, on february 2022, I reviewed a game named "Othello" (CHECK HERE!) by Sunflower Games, and at the time in the comments the developer mentioned another fantasy adventure, "Tears of Revenge".
So here I am, a year later, playing this game, because I did not forget! Another game made by Sunflower Games and released in 2018. This was made with RPG Maker VX Ace, exactly like Othello and Aelwyn's Journey, but these are the only two similitude since the three games differ greatly especially from the visual style, but as usual, let's start from the plot!

The game starts with the protagonist Keung (I consider him the protagonist since he uses the rpgmaker charset of the canonical hero Alex, and also because there are some parts in which we play as him all alone) and his brother Jian as they enter the tent of their military leader and assasinate him before leaving the island on a friendly sea ​​monster! Anyway the story will be ecplained during the course of the adventure, for the moment let's just say that the man they just assassinated was one of the three men responsible of the death of their parents.
So there are still two guilty persons waiting for punishment, one of these is the king, but nothing can stop our two vengeful brothers. Anyway that's just the beginning, while leaving home Keung encounters a mysterious girl, Mei, that is a celestial being that found herself in the realm of the mortals. The presence of dark creatures and demons influencing the events of the world will be the reason for Mei to join the brothers in the quest for revenge.


Well, Keung, congratulations: that's exactly what a psychotic loon would say... I mean you could have said that in another way!

The game plays as a classic jrpg game with characters that have different roles: Keung is a tank but can also deliver a lot of damage (even if the best strategy is to make him attract the enemies' attacks and use conterattack to nullify their strikes AND damage them), Jian is the healer, and Mei an elemental mage. The roles are important since some enemies are resistant to some type of attacks (physical or elements) and/or can reflect them.

Using skills requires spending Mana Points, anyway it's worth noting two things: defense lets you recover some hit and mana points, moreover the characters after some levels will get the chance to act more than one time each turn, so you will be able to choose two or three actions for each of them! I like that, since it makes combat more strategic and interesting (for example you may spend one round to recover the Mp necessary to use the ability that otherwise you would not be able to use).

The game also includes four inns for resting and a couple of shops where the party can buy better weapons and armors besides the usual consumables, anyway some useful items will also be obtained looting chests in the dungeons. The game includes in fact dungeons with wandering enemies that you may avoid or kill for experience points, and the final obligatory bosses (I liked the different bosses since they require using more strategy than the normal enemies, and some were challenging, especially the orc brothers), so be sure to reach them well prepared and possibly not underlevelled! Anyway yoy may save anywhere, so it's possible to take advantage of the healing crystals (that are few but very useful) and grind a bit without wasting resources, if needed.


I'm the best! Here I've won against one of the dwarven players... but there are some master players, including the Phoenix, that are far more difficult to beat!

But the game does not include just dungeons, battles and cutscenes. There's also the possibility to play Triple Triad, yes, the same card game originating from Final Fantasy VIII. I won't explain the rules, not only because they're explained in game, but also because there are some variants depending who's your opponent, since every place have their rules. Win and you can take a card from your opponent, lose and you lose a card, and being a collectible card game you will have to buy your first five cards. Better cards cost more, of course, so it can be a source of money if you play a lot, anyway the real fun is defeating the various masters (dressed like the Red Mages from Final Fantasy) to obtain their rare cards (not available for sale) and maybe even face the Phoenix, one of the greatest players.

Unlike the rpgs I mentioned previously that I already reviewed, Othello and Aelwyn's Journey, this game uses the Time Fantasy Graphics pack and Classic Fantasy Music Pack. I absolutely like these assets and I think there are too few games that uses them, anyway I must admit that for the most part I liked them because they're also used well! Maps are well done, a bit small but quite detailed, there aren't many interactions possible or loot, not even inside the peasants' homes, but our characters are good guys (despite their great thirst for revenge). In any case I liked this choice to make little maps and I especially liked the first dungeon, for the rest the game is linear and won't offer lot of variety, but it's not a very long or complex game (shorter than Othello), so it's ok. The story also has some twists and surprises that I'm not going to reveal, and I liked that despite some odd situations, like the village being periodically attacked by different creatures! Poor peasants...


Do you want some hints for a good strategy? Keung's combo of Taunt + Counterattack is overkill: "he protec, he attac!"

Final Verdict
"Tears of Revenge" is an ok game, I liked it, even if not as much as Othello (that was probably more original and captivating). There are no bugs or errors, aside for the occasional typo, anyway the story is simple and everything happens very quickly, the world is also rather small and includes just four little towns, but this is still an enjoyable short adventure. Probably the Triple Triad is one of the best ideas since I spent lot of time playing and looking for new players to challenge while I was exploring the various villages. I also liked the combat system, the use of the side view and the idea of the multiple actions, it's also not too difficult and never frustrating, so well done!