BoxxyQuest: The Gathering Storm

This game features an item called "TL;DR" (too long; didn't read). If you think this also applies to my review (it needs to be this long in order to do justice to this game), feel free to jump to the list of pros and cons at the bottom.

YouTubian Guard: "Be careful out there. The Internet is a dangerous place these days"

What if the Internet were a fantasy world? BoxxyQuest: The Gathering Storm makes a convincing attempt to answer this question. It's a classic old school JRPG, a huge one with a unique premise. Even though it's the sequel to BoxxyQuest: The Shifted Spires, BoxxyQuest: The Gathering Storm is an independent game that can be enjoyed without any knowledge of its predecessor. It doesn't hurt, though, to read the prequel's summary inside the game's folder before playing the game and once again later after the occurrence of some major story twists.

Catie and her friends saved the world (i.e. the Internet) once before (in the prequel), which wasn't exactly acknowledged world-wide, since they only roamed the areas over which Catie now reigns as a queen (known as the Boxxysphere). When some kind of magical barrier/mist (i.e. a firewall, not a fire wall) suddenly begins to consume the Internet, and a Summit calling all the world's leaders is convened in response to this, you can bet your whole worth of gaming experience that Catie and co. will have a hard time saving the Internet (again), when they even struggle to reach the summit.

This description sounds like a generic world-saving quest, but doesn't do the story justice. It's hard to reveal more without ruining the surprise. Be assured that multiple villains, all with their own lovable quirks, have to be defeated. The story does a great job of pondering the question if these villains are really villains, since they're all provided with reasonable motives, and also lets the player question reality and makes him/her think about the worth of saving things even if they're error-prone. There are a few really good story twists, and while the game's normal ending is satisfying by itself, the true ending (obtained by completing the epilogue/postgame) ties up the loose ends in one of the most epic showdowns I've played in a long time.

Femanon: "A-Anon, do you... like me?" Anon: "If I say yes, will you send nudes?"

Most importantly, the party's journey is one about friendship and making new friends. Catie is obviously and openly stated a tribute to and voiced by the apparently famous vlogger Catie Wayne aka Boxxy (since I haven't watched a vlog in my entire life, I have to rely on the internet when it comes to this information) and at the same time a stand-alone character. She's more of a goody two-shoes protagonist, yet she's really likable and a beacon of hope in an Internet full of egocentric characters. Her most trusted companion is Anonymous, "The Snark Knight", probably the least eccentric member of the infamous 4chan tribe (composed of Anons and Femanons). Over the course of the journey, several other characters join the party. Til is (supposedly) a hipster girl from Tumblr (which seems to house mainly whiny or pseudo-philosophical people and shut-ins). She can't cope with Anonymous at first (and vice versa), which is the main source of the party's banter. Eddie, a Wikipedia guard, and Shift, a YouTube resident, mainly join the party because of their own personal quests. They're both a bit bland, but serve their purposes well. Lastly, gamer girl Tyalie from GameFAQs forces the party to accept her as a new member. She's optimistic, more of a comic relief character and responsible for most of the late game meta references - she even provides two (optional) fourth wall breaking moments which are so well done that I can't think of having seen anything better of this sort in other media products. There's also a secret character to recruit by completing a certain late-game side quest, and maybe I already reveal too much by saying it's someone you probably know even if it's the first time you hear about this game. It's a likable cast, and especially Catie, who woke up in the Internet without any recollections of her past life at the prequel's beginning, and Anonymous find out more about their origins than they bargained for, which makes this game all the more a must-play for anyone who enjoyed the prequel. Characters from the prequel have sometimes more, sometimes less important cameo appearances (and two of them even join the party), but as I said: Intensive knowledge of the prequel (which I didn't play) isn't required. The game doesn't reinvent the wheel (it is a JRPG about saving the world after all), yet the story is gripping, funny and competently written. Admittedly, the conflict between the party and the main antagonist(s) rides on misunderstandings that probably could have been avoided, but this issue is never as dominantly present as, for example, in Bravely Default . One of the misunderstandings is even so funny that I couldn't stop laughing for a while during the true ending.

Tumblr User: "I identify as a non-binary trigender demi-pansexual aromantic vegan squirrelkin, with PTSD and severe anxiety. What are you?"
Catie: "Um... I'm a person, like everyone."
Tumblr User: "But, that makes no sense. If you don't give yourself labels, how will you know what to be offended by?"

One particularly impressive aspect is the world-building. Since the Internet is a fantasy world in this game, the player gets to visit locations that are named after popular internet sites. Just to list some of them: Reddit, for example, is a beautiful beach/ocean resort - until the player discovers the gruesome slums (i.e. Downvote Area) and meets the scumbag leader. YouTube is populated by hyper-energetic video bloggers, while the arrogant content creator celebrities either shut themselves away in the Partnership Towers or flaunt their statuses everywhere. DeviantArt and TV Tropes are idyllic villages, showing exactly the features you probably except, while the once peaceful GameFAQs is now a heavily moderated place (in case you wonder if Google is featured: Since Google permeates the entire Internet, Google isn't a town; instead, Google Search is used to quick-travel on the world map!). It comes as no surprise that the relatively generic/peaceful Wikipedia holds the aforementioned Summit. Although, as you can guess, no good comes out of internet users swarming Wikipedia. Not only is the world-building convincing, the excellent writing leads to many outright hilarious remarks and conversations from and with NPCs (e.g. with the Social Justice Warriors - white-cloaked females - and - during the postgame - the snakes from Instagram). Many characters are loosely (or sometimes less loosely) based on internet celebrities, yet the game manages to tell a consistent story of its own. It's a lot of fun even when you (like me) only get half of the allusions. And I can't stress this fact enough: This game manages to be a full-fledged JRPG and avoids to become some inconsequential satirical mishmash like most JRPGs which feature a meta premise like the still popular trapped inside a game one. Catie and co. are residents of an original and yet familiar fantasy world called Internet (even though it's still a coded and virtual one), and as you come to know and like the characters and the locations, you begin to care about them, which is something that games featuring an MMORPG or Isekai (transported to another world) premise where run-of-the-mill protagonists can suddenly be heroes in their own custom-made worlds don't achieve (and that's coming from someone who loves Isekai and being trapped in a game, aside from experiencing them personally). The player can even buy some lore books that heavily hint at later side quests and books telling the prequel's story, though (intentionally) not as accurate as the summary inside the game's folder. The Internet is a rich and well thought out world that I've fallen in love with.

Adventurer on Artistry Highway (where the party doesn't encounter monsters): "Okay, but seriously, how do they manage to keep enemies from spawning here, and why don't they share that technique with the rest of the Internet? I've asked around, but all they'll say is 'trade secret!'"

Depending on the location, certain dungeons (or certain areas of a respective dungeon) feature random encounters, touch encounters and/or no encounters at all. Fortunately, battles are purely turn-based, so the player is spared from RPG Maker XP's hideous ATB (active time battle). It seems the game uses a slightly modified RPG Maker XP standard battle system, which offers the opportunity to switch party members during battles. Since this is the Internet, you can use skills like, for instance, Maximum Trolling, Meme Hysteria, Spam F5, Total Shitstorm or Wikileaks, and cause or suffer from status conditions such as Virus (poison), Lag (slow), AFK (away from keyboard, comparable to stop or paralysis) or banned (incapacitated). While it's a valid strategy to inflict status conditions on monsters, most of the time I deemed it more effective to prioritize damage output. Certain side quest rewards (skills) let you even do both at the same time. Party members have all different strengths, and replenishing resources are rare, offering the player an incentive to switch active party members often, all the more so since non-active party members gain only 50% of the EXP earned. Mostly, battles tend to be on the hard side, especially the boss battles. A few level-ups make all the difference in the early stages, whereas the difficulty of many later battles depends on equipment choices. Unfortunately, the balancing poses a problem from time to time. Some mob enemies can't even hurt generally well-prepared party members at all, whereas many enemies/bosses can one-shot any party member or at least the ones that don't have enough maximum HP and an accessory equipped that raises the right stat. Overall, battles (especially boss battles) are challenging, but rarely unfair - assuming the player doesn't miss too many of the hidden goodies (skills in particular). The fact remains, though, that most players will most of the time either be invincible or have to fight for their lives. One thing I disliked was that certain enemies don't yield enough EXP and Gold in relation to their strength and the effort it takes to beat them. Example: A one-time-only dungeon in chapter 7 features an enemy worth between 6000 and 7000 EXP that - provided that the player uses the right setup - can be defeated with a single strike (by the way, the player will encounter enemies that yield this much EXP only one other time - in the final postgame dungeon). Enemies in the next dungeon, though, are more dangerous and can take more hits, but are only worth around 1500 EXP. It might be intentional that the player has to find out which encounters are or aren't worthwhile, but it's obviously a better idea to make each enemy (encounter) worthwhile. To make matters worse, it can be difficult even for high-level parties wearing speed-boosting equipment to flee from some of the enemies that aren't worthwhile.

When it comes to battles, it doesn't help that it's hard to strike a balance between elemental protection, status condition protection and high physical and/or magical defense values, and that you rarely know beforehand which setup would be the optimal choice for the next boss. In particular, I have mixed feelings about accessories. There's a wide variety to choose from, but each party member can only equip one accessory piece, and some of them are only effective when being equipped by Catie (the party leader). Thus, most party members will probably stick to a few of your favorite pieces (including EXP and Gold raising accessories), whereas Catie will alternate between Speedy Shoes (to walk faster), Seeker's Compass (to reveal secrets), Double Dip Key (doubles the numbers of items found in most treasure chests) and Google Gem (to access the world map) outside of battles. Some accessories enable the usage of certain (sometimes even unique) skills, others opt for a high risk, high reward approach (like the Peril Mode accessory that provides a huge stat boost, but leaves the equipped party member with only a few maximum HP). It would have been great if each party member had been enabled to effectively wear at least two accessories, including the ones only Catie can use, so the player would have been able to indulge a bit more in the huge variety of interesting accessories. At least the Speedy Shoes should activate their effects no matter who wears them, since slow walking speed is a serious turnoff (I probably missed a few secrets, because I preferred to equip the Speedy Shoes instead of the Seeker's Compass). At least there's 8-way directional movement! With regard to other equipment, there's also a ton to choose from and always an incentive to spend money. Overall, battles are mostly entertaining despite the aforementioned issues. The final main storyline boss battle, though, is different and will probably divide the minds (click on the spoiler tag if you want to know why). Then again, the events as such are highly dramatic and well-enacted, so I can't really complain.

Prisoner in Reddit's Downvote Area: "I didn't mean to triple post... It was my phone, I swear!"

Speaking about numbers, there are way too many usable items to choose from, but this is directly related to a very interesting design choice (which was already featured in the prequel): The YouTube battle arena lets the player bet (consumable and key) items. Each item triggers a different battle and a different reward. Some very helpful items (e.g. one that lets the player save anywhere instead of only at save statues) can only be obtained this way, so it's highly recommended to adhere to one of my golden JRPG rules (carry at least one of each consumable item at all times). It takes a while, though, until the player is able to beat the more difficult enemies, especially since (s)he can only choose/use one party member for arena battles. One more thing about items: The player generally can't carry more than 10 of each item. While this makes item usage a tad more strategic, it also leads to overprepared players stocking up on items whenever possible, only to be disappointed later about the fact that they effectively wasted the consumable items found in dungeons. It's still a good design choice (and some boss enemies will "eat through the player's inventory"), but just not for everyone.

Guest staying at DeviantArt's inn: "Ah, what a nice day for a stroll. I could explore the village, but I think I prefer the idea of pacing endlessly around this hallway."

Dungeons in this game are a sight to behold. The last time I saw dungeons of this quality in a free RPG Maker game was when I played Lakria Legends. While Lakria Legends' dungeons excel in progression by solving small puzzles, BoxxyQuest's dungeons are rich in variety and overflowing with creativity. You won't notice this by playing through the first dungeon. The intro is bit doughy and can't keep up with later parts of the game (which is something that can often be observed when it comes to games having been years in the making, and reminds me of A Very Long Rope To The Top Of The Sky, which I nearly quit in the beginning because of the "darkness maze", but then it became one of my favorite games on this site). Bear with it - it gets significantly better. The second dungeon, the Lake of Fanfiction, already shows many qualities of later dungeons. The player has to find at least three (out of fifteen) Tomes of Fanfiction, but it's randomly generated each playthrough which three are needed. Each tome is obtained in a different way, which makes this dungeon a fun ride alternating between battles, mini games and puzzle-solving. Mount Dramatica is one of the better mountain treks in JRPG history, and the YouTube Partnership Towers are obviously inspired by Final Fantasy VII's Shinra Tower. Some of the less serious "dungeon" visits let the player "infiltrate" a Vocaloid concert (Miku Hatsune!) and board the Hype Train (yes, it's an actual train) while solving a murder mystery. Each dungeon is long (without dragging on) and feels unique. One of the highlights is, without a doubt, the Deep Web, an optional dungeon towards the end. This dungeon is essentially several different dungeons in one. Many complete RPG Maker games aren't even as long and as rich in variety as this single dungeon. The most impressive dungeon during the main storyline is the one in GameFAQs (the GameFAQs Towers), where the player has to conquer multiple plot, puzzle, PvP and platforming sections. Platforming? Yes, this game contains several platforming segments (with and without indirectly pushing the player for time, for example by a wall of fire approaching from below). While they are well-crafted, I could have done without them. At least the player is granted as many attempts as (s)he needs (without any penalty), and if an old, unskilled dude like me with minimal platforming experience can beat these platforming stages (at least the ones required to advance the plot), so can you. Except maybe for the one in the final main storyline dungeon, which can be insanely difficult depending on the amount of lag (which in turn may or may not have been my PC's fault). Another annoyance is that enemies in the platforming stages (which the player has to avoid, unless he wants to try again) not only move in fixed patterns, but sometimes (semi-)randomly; some of them are even homing towards the player. If the player touches an enemy and has to repeat the stage from the beginning (or from a previously activated checkpoint), enemy positions aren't reset immediately. As a consequence, it can happen that many tries in a row will likely fail because at least one of the (semi-)randomly moving or homing enemies blocks the only passage while the player doesn't have the time to lure the enemy away. To make matters worse, there seems to be a slight input delay when pressing the jump button, and collision detection seems to unpredictable, in particular with regard to moving blocks (or maybe it's just my own inability). Fortunately, the borderline impossible to finish platforming segments (at least for me) are only optional ones during the postgame. Even though I appreciate the implementation of special gameplay elements, these platforming sections require a lot of skill and patience, and I feel that the game would have been more entertaining without them (on the other hand, this review clearly shows how much I enjoyed the game despite its platforming segments). Puzzles, on the other hand, are well-designed throughout the game. There are switch puzzles, riddles and even special puzzles like picross (fortunately, the picross puzzles can be skipped without any penalty), although I really would have preferred it to be Sudoku instead. The motto is "challenging, but fair", which means that inexperienced players might struggle a bit. Apropos of struggling: Due to the game's variety of dungeons, the player is also confronted with a few horror/mystery episodes. While I'm not really a fan of horror elements in RPG Maker games, I have to admit that they're beyond any doubt quality-wise.

Apart from the platforming sections, there are a few quick reaction mini games in the form of minecart racing (dodging obstacles) and air vehicle maneuvering (also dodging obstacles - weapon projectiles), which are much easier to complete successfully, and there are only one or two mandatory ones respectively. In general, there are many interesting features, e.g. (luck-based) fishing, payable side stuff hint providers (fortune teller etc.), an e-mail system to receive messages from NPCs, exchanging rare Bitcoins for accessories, shops that change their inventories regularly or offer time-limited (i.e. between certain plot points) sales.

Social Justice Warrior, found inside a pantry: "This room was assigned 'pantry' at birth, but I say it's really a kitchen."

Because of the main storyline's length, the game world's vast size and the abundance of side quests, it takes dozens of hours to complete the game and even longer to do everything (the developer's estimation - 30+ hours - should be accurate for those who aren't slow players and completionists like me; I clocked out at 90+ hours). There's always something interesting to do. Side quests can be found by talking to NPCs, exploring off the beaten path or by accepting Inbox missions (Inbox is a service hub specialized in helping others - and thus providing the party with side quests - that is available later in the Boxxysphere, the starting town). Once the player is able to use Google Search aka world map to freely travel between sites, it's almost overwhelming how much the player can undertake. This much content comes at a prize, though. First of all, the player has to keep track of certain rewards (from NPCs etc.) that (s)he has to claim periodically. These rewards can usually be claimed when the player is informed about the availability of new Inbox missions, which normally happens at the beginning of a new chapter or when the story explicitly moves a day forward. Secondly, some (invisible) items and secret passages are insanely difficult to discover without using the Seeker's Compass accessory (and as I stated above, using the Seeker's Compass means slower walking speed, because the player can't use the Speedy Shoes at the same time). Furthermore, the game contains a few red herrings that make the player wonder if/when these objects might be of quest-related importance. More importantly, some quests and quest rewards are permanently missable, especially in one-time-only areas that (without there always being a compelling reason) can't be visited again. The developer doesn't exaggerate when he claims "you'll never be able to find (all secrets) during your first trip through" (and even I wasn't, although I came really close). One example of a side quest that could have been executed better in terms of game design: At the beginning of chapter 6, a new and important side quest is available. Most diligent JRPG players complete all side quests before advancing the plot, which severely backfires in the present case. The area in which this side quest takes place is one-time-only and contains a locked door, but the player can only find the key over the course of chapter 6. Not only can't the player know that and why (s)he shouldn't undertake this side quest immediately, (s)he also misses out on one of the most interesting optional bosses, which also means missing a special scene during the main storyline ending. An NPC in one postgame area even hints at this design choice being intentional, but as you perhaps know, I hate it when quests etc. are permanently missable in JRPGs. And don't let me even start on about the secret passage in this one particular one-time-only area you'll definitely miss, because you won't know that after talking to something that blocks a path, you need to wait for some time before it moves out of the way. Apart from these particular annoyances, though, side quests are varied and rewarding. There's even an optional dungeon that can be explored with different party members in the form of a flashback by finding and reading a certain book. Side quest rewards must be earned, but they're definitely worth the effort (like the Requiem Bell, a reviving item that can be used an indefinite number of times). This is especially true for the optional dungeons that can only be accessed by collecting several items (like seven keys or four plant seeds).

I already hinted at the extensive epilogue/postgame that features some interesting gimmicks (e.g. a "developer's town" where the player can learn a lot about the game's secrets). The heart of the epilogue is, without a doubt, the Sky Abyss, a lovely final dungeon in which a seemingly obscure quest spirals totally out of control (vague spoiler about the final postgame boss following): In order to make it this far, though, players have to push themselves to the limit. And to top it off, there's even a secret ending that only the most attentive and "hard-running" players will be able to discover.

Vine User: "Why is everyone so scared? What's happening out there? ...Never mind. I've reached the end of my extremely limited attention span."

Graphics and music/sound are compiled out of a huge pool of (ripped) graphics and tracks, which are always used in a fitting and atmospheric way. The sheer amount of variety is breathtaking, so no complaints on this front, except for some annoyingly long screen transitions and skill animations. Furthermore, depending on your PC's processing power, a few specific maps (including the aforementioned platforming segment in the final main storyline dungeon) are likely to cause a noticeable lag. On the bright side, some maps (mostly bridges), including the spectacular world map, are made in a Mode-7-like style, which is really impressive considering this is an RPG Maker XP game. It's also commendable that many weapons and skills feature different attack animations. Some visual effects during cutscenes are even nothing short of fantastic.

The game contained a few game-breaking bugs (which were difficult to trigger), but they should all be ironed out by the time this review has been published. The nastier obstruction mapping errors have also been fixed. While the script isn't devoid of spelling mistakes, they're few and far between and don't affect the player's enjoyment. Considering the scope of this game, the developer did a really good job. He patched reported bugs in a timely manner, patiently and tirelessly answered all my questions and listened to my suggestions. It might be presumptuous coming from a player, but this is the way it's supposed to be.

Pros:

- Well-executed story, backed up by a competently written script, a fantastic (postgame) showdown, a likable cast of quirky characters and a consequently implemented, unique premise (the Internet as a fantasy world)
- The long main quest and numerous side quests, including an extensive postgame, take at least 30+ hours to complete
- An abundance of hilarious jokes and meta allusions without undermining the game's serious story
- Challenging battles
- Puzzles and mini games are well done for the most part
- Battling in the arena by wagering items
- Many (ripped) graphical and musical resources that are expertly used
- No serious bugs
- Platforming segments (for the sake of variation)

Neutral:

- RPG Maker XP standard battle system (slightly modified, allowing to switch party members during battles)
- Loads of consumable items and equipment (especially accessory) pieces, which doesn't always work in the player's favor

Cons:

- Sometimes subpar balancing, including suboptimal effort/benefit ratios when it comes to fighting random mobs
- Some quests and quest rewards are permanently missable just for the heck of it (*hmpf*)
- Platforming segments (because they're mandatory for the greater part and difficult)

Despite the aforementioned (minor) issues, I highly recommend this game (I don't take this much time to nitpick if I don't love a game). It's one of the best classic old school JRPGs on this site that I've played over the years, and it consequently takes over from Master Of The Wind as my favorite RPG Maker XP game. If you want to play a meaty game that lets you save the Internet JRPG-style or just an excellent JRPG which utilizes its unique premise to the fullest, then SpherianGames (the developer) with his BoxxyQuest: The Gathering Storm Internet package should be the provider of your choice. Just see for yourselves how much work and love have been poured into this game.