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Why Reconstruct What’s Already Well-Built?

The Reconstruction is a very unique RPG. Featuring a complex custom battle system and a quest-based approach to adventure, it’s a refreshing break from the stuff you usually expect from RM* games.

The Graphics:

This game uses a blend of custom graphics, XP RTP, and edits. The character sets and face graphics are all custom, so they don’t give off the same feeling you would get from regular RMXP characters. A heavy black border goes around the charsets and some of the objects in the map, so important things stand out more easily. The style isn’t quite so anime-ish compared to the usual RM* stuff, and has nice clean look to it. It all blends together really well and gives the game a coherent feel.

The Audio:

Not sure where it comes from, but the included text file said some of the music was composed for the game. The pieces used fit the setting pretty well, but this area didn’t really stand out to me. It’s not bad, but it’s not particularly memorable, either.

The Story:

To be honest, I don’t know where the story is going in this game. It doesn’t follow the typical layout of a story, mostly because of the quest-based approach to the game’s progression. Although I haven’t the foggiest idea of what’s really going on, the game does have an extremely fleshed-out world. The races and their cultures and the relationships between them are all there. The game has a Glossary you can read that explains many of the relevant items in greater detail. There’s a wealth of information in it, and even if you’re not interested in reading it all, you can use the alphabetical listing to look up anything you were particularly curious about. I haven’t played far enough into the game to really say what the overall plot could entail. The pacing is very slow, but the mechanics are interesting, so at least you aren’t bored while you’re waiting for things to pick up.

The Characters:

The game’s prologue starts you with a band of pirates, and shifts focus afterward to a newly-formed group of adventures. The dialogue works very well to give you an impression of each character’s personality. For once, pauses in text are used properly and give the distinct intonations of everything the characters are saying. Plus, if you get impatient waiting for the text to come, a quick press of the Enter key will complete the rest of the message box instantly. The characters are distinguishable from each other in how they talk and act, but they don’t all fall into stereotypes, either. Although the story isn’t at all direct in how it’s told, the characters are interesting enough to keep it moving nonetheless.

The Gameplay:

The game’s true shining point is its unique battle system. Throw everything you know about RM* RPG battles out the window, because it won’t help you here. The battle screen is built like a game board. It’s split down the middle by a line, with the heroes on the left and the enemies on the right. The action is all turn-based, and who acts next is determined by an invisible ATB of sorts (which you don’t have to wait to fill up). At the start of each hero’s turn, you can move them forward or backward in their row. Then, you have a wide variety of options as to what action to take, including attack directly, use a special ability, defend yourself, or move again if necessary. Every character has five special abilities and a unique set of actions besides. Quite possibly the strangest aspect of the battle system is the presence of three different HP bars. They aren’t all called HP, but the full depletion of any one of them means you’re out of the fight. Different weapons and abilities strike different bars, so you can choose which one to focus on to eliminate your foes. However, special abilities also draw from these bars a little, so they serve as both HP and MP. If all that doesn’t sound strange enough, other battle factors such as the enchantment of floor tiles and the color variety of special abilities further complicates matters. Every move you make is important, and the game strongly encourages you to use good tactics to succeed. Don’t be intimidated, though. The game has a guide that explains the battle system, and the highly transparent descriptions makes it much easier to understand. I’ll admit, it’s all very overwhelming at first. But once you start figuring it out, it’s a very interesting and engaging system.

Outside of battle, you’re either seeking quests in town or working to resolve said quests. The quests are the driving force of the game, and have some unique features of their own. Each one of them is timed, but running over the time limit doesn’t cost you anything. The timer and other objectives affect your rating at the end of the quest, nothing more. There are rewards for doing better, but no penalties for failure. Some quests can be repeated to attempt a better rating. The quests also serve to further the story and develop the situations facing the game world.

The Design:

Generally very good. The maps aren’t too cluttered or too empty. Exploration isn’t the main focus of the game, but there’s plenty to pay attention to in your surroundings anyway. Important objects generally look out of place or unique, so you don’t have to check every single item you come across for relevance. There are no random encounters, so you can always decide whether you want to get into a fight with an enemy or find a way around. Since the benefits of grinding are very minimal, choosing not to fight is a viable option. The only problem I encountered with the map design was that it’s sometimes hard to tell where you can and can’t walk. Trees are hard to navigate around, and some areas of the map are blocked by invisible walls to keep you on track. I wouldn’t consider either of these major problems, though.

All in all, The Reconstruction is very unique compared to other RM* games. Its complex and involved battle system is a refreshing break from the usual. The quest-based story progression is a bit slow, but the interesting characters are enough to keep things going. Definitely worth a play if you’re looking for something that isn’t the same old same old.

7/10