Micro Quest: Blackstone Mine

Intro

"Micro Quest - Blackstone Mine" is a short RPG developed by WickedRoger using RPG Maker XP and is the first entry in the "Micro Quest" series. And while I'd like to say this game makes for a good first impression for future entries. I think the lack of real characterization for the heroes, the easy final boss battle, and the lack of original art assets make this game feel rather subpar. And while I'm willing to offer WickedRoger some mercy since this appears to be the first game he has ever put out. There's only so much mercy I can offer a first time project.

Story

Story wise the game is pretty basic which is to be expected out of a game that begins with "Micro Quest" I suppse. Though, I'll admit I really don't know what to say about the people that comprise the game's universe. After all, most of the dialogue in this game simply exists to explain what is going on. As a result Aluxes, Estelar, and Hilda all feel like blank slates. As a result it's really difficult for me to get deeply invested in the game itself. After all, why should I care if three people with about as much personality as a corpse succeed at saving the world or not?

I'll admit some of these issues are probably a byproduct of the game being so short, but I think they could be alleviated a bit if the game's dialogue expanded a bit beyond just giving the player enough information and lore to understand what is happening. For example you could have this be their fist adventure together and have them argue over how to deal with the goblins. Though, I'll admit this would probably put a lot more emphasis on multiple pathways since each character would hopefully have a different approach to solving the problem. Though, I suppose you could remove certain options by having the captain in charge of the local guard shooting them down as being infeasible.

Gameplay

On the gameplay side of things "Micro Quest - Blackstone Mine" is a rather basic turn-based RPG that places heavy emphasis on upgrading your gear as fast as possible as push ever deeper into the mine. So much so that you'll be readily party wiped if you don't start replacing your basic gear by the time you go to the second floor. And if you don't have some of the best stuff in the store by the time you hit the third floor you'll run into the same problem. Thankfully the game tends to be rather generous when it comes to how much money you get after battles. So keeping your gear up to date isn't that difficult for the most part.

On the other hand the final boss is kind of joke. This is because the final boss is highly vulnerable to status effects like paralyze and stun. As a result it's pretty easy to smash your way through the final boss in a few rounds without taking any damage. This results in a rather boring fight in my opinion, but I suppose I really shouldn't expect ogres to be properly prepared for dealing with goblin slayers. At least I think that was the lesson I was supposed to get out of the anime "Goblin Slayer".

Graphics & Music

On the graphic and musical side of things the game appears to stick to the RTP for RPG Maker XP. As a result the game really lacks a unique identity which is kind of shame in my opinion. After all, the developer has stated that their intention is to create a bunch of short RPGs that continues to follow the journey of Aluxes, Estelar, and Hilda. At least that appears to be the plan considering how the game ends with the heroes being sent to meet with the king to learn about another quest.

On a more positive note the game does feature some solid mapping for a first time project and doesn't suffer from any notable issues when it comes to music selection.

Major Bug

Despite the developer's claims of v1.0.2 fixing the bug with the secret boss. This sadly isn't true. The bug described by not_cocapoda is still present in this version of the game. Sadly, I'm not really an expert on games like this so I'm not exactly sure why the soft lock occurs when the thief moves, but my best educated guess would be that the thief's chosen route intersects with an impassable square. As a result the game simply gets soft locked since the thief can never reach their final destination. After all, I remember encountering a similar issue in a game that was removed from the site a while back by the developer because of how embarrassed they were by people discovering numerous game breaking bugs in their game. Though, I'll admit this is simply an educated guess based on past experience.

Thankfully this issue only comes up if you actually attempt to take the thief's treasures. And while they do contain some of the best equipment in the game. The weapons in question can also be bought in the game's only weapon store as well. So your really not missing out on that much if you simply leave after beating the thief. Though if you go back into the room and beat the thief a second time the glitch will also trigger.

Minor Bug

Another minor bug worth taking note of is that the fight with the kobold and hellhounds can be repeated multiple times. This is because the character sprite doesn't disappear after being defeated. This is also means you can read about how kobolds train hellhounds over and over and over again if you wish as well. Though, I'll admit this bug at least offers the player a decent way to grind for experience and cash if they don't want to deal with random encounters and located near some stairs that lead to a warp point if you start to run low on items.

Conclusion

"Micro Quest - Blackstone Mine" is a game that suffers from bland heroes and a pitiful final boss. On the other hand the game does feature some decent mapping and doesn't suffer from any notable issues when it comes to musical selection. And while this does make the game stand out as being pretty solid for a first time project. The lack of solid heroes to get the player truly invested in the game makes it inferior to games like "Devil Hunter: Seeker of Power". Jeez, I have a higher opinion of "Super Lesbian Horses RPG". And that game is a screwball comedy that features a boss fight with Danny DeVito of all things. And if you couldn't guess based on the title the game is also a "My Little Pony" fan game. Though at least it isn't as dark as "War of Harmony IV".