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To brighter roads

This will be my first ever review submitted to the site. Because I was a tester for this game back in February, and because I've been a fan of this since 2011, I will try to keep my rampant fangirlism to myself, or at least, not to seem too er.. genki about it.

I would have reviewed a bunch of other games made in VXAce, but because my PC is Ace-unfriendly, I can't play any of 'em. Luckily, this one, Linus, is still being developed with VX. At 228mb, it is pretty hefty for a two hour long demo, but bp is such a master of storytelling and atmosphere that the download is just worth it.

So, without further ado, let's get into the review!

Story/Setting

The game opens up with sombre, hauntingly beautiful piano track as we are exposed to our three main protagonists, quietly gathered around a campfire and in the middle of discussing a rather grim war tale. What struck me immediately is that this army is so desperate that they have forced little boys and even crippled men to fight for a victory that may not even come. The country; Aternelle, is nearing the end of a 13 month long skirmish with the Greylanders, and their army is bloodied and scattered, as they fight to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

Their homeland.

The story line centers on the protagonist, Eugene Hildebrand and his two companions, Private Andre Pinon and Private Vinz Delacroix. But with a little help from the High Command, he sets out on his task not only to escape the coming battle with his two friends, but to lead an 'indestructible army' that is waiting to rendezvous with the rest of the Aternellans pitifully small fighting force. Because then, they might, just might, stand a chance against the Grey Lion and his Spire Knights.

Or merely known as the Greylanders.

blueperiod does an excellent job in establishing the setting of this dark medieval world, and it mainly comes through his writing. It all feels real and believable, and I most certainly wouldn't mind reading the lore that makes all of this up. Nothing is overdone, nor larger than life, which is partly due to its cast.


Admirable loyalty.

Characters

For such a short demo, we are introduced to quite a number of characters in this game, including the infamous Grey Lion; Teign Milhaven, father of the titular Linus.

We have our three aforementioned scouts as well.
These men are not battle-hardened soldiers, but merely men who were willing to fight for the glory of their country. Or they once were. 13 months of continous fighting is enough to make anyone jaded.

Eugene was a history professor who once taught in the capital of Odeus and Andre ran an apothecary. Not much is revealed about Vinz though. I did wonder how he injured his eye though... What makes them even more compelling is how REAL they feel. They are as far removed from these prancy, dolled-up pretty boy JRPG heroes as you can imagine. And because of it, it becomes far more easier to sympathise with them. You become attached to them. You want to help them. You care for their plight. Because deep down inside, they all share a common goal. To see their loved ones once more.



There is no real good/evil here either. The scouts clearly despise the High command, but they know that General Bastoche is still trying to do everything in his power to keep Aternelle theirs, futile as it may seem. Even if it does come with a heavy cost of human lives.

Not one character here seems boring/uninteresting. Even the NPCs/fellow soldiers have a few good lines. They clearly give voice to the scope and drama of the whole affair; that war can destroy a man and sometimes he just ends up yearning for the simpler things in life.


Desperate men do desperate things. Even if it means stealing from the dead...

Graphics/Music

The game looks and sounds brilliant. I tend to dislike parallax mapping myself, but bp is truly a master at it. I doubt the game could have been represented any other way with regards to the level design, and I love it. The portraits are heavy Fire Emblem edits, but I do know bp has an artist who will be doing custom busts for the game. Nevertheless, they work well. The main menu and windowskins are clean and pleasant to look at, and I really love those typewriter sound effects. Even the background sounds are a pleasure on the ears, the rumble of the thunder, the pitter-patter of the rain, it all enhances an already engrossing experience.

Who knew the music from the Harry Potter films could work so well in an RM game? But apart from that, there are several gorgeous tracks in this game, with my favourites being 'Ruth's Betrayal' and 'Main Titles'. They suit the mood of the game perfectly and only serve to strengthen the dark, grim atmosphere.


I love this shot. Seriously.

Gameplay

bp stated that this game is more of a visual novel than anything else, and I do agree with him. While you will fight in a few battles and even control Teign in one fight, the focus of the game leans more to its storytelling aspect than anything else. The battles are still acceptable, though. Neither too hard nor too easy. You can't just mash attack, after all. But wow, what a visual novel it is. It's like watching a film for two hours. It just grabs you and doesn't let you go.

Verdict
I can't reveal how it ends, but that would be up to you and see if this sort of game tickles your fancy. If you are tired of pretty-boy heroes/heroines ( ahem, I'm guilty >< ) and want to see a master storyteller at work, then this is the game for you. Backed up by amazing visuals and a gorgeous soundtrack, Linus, when complete, will surely be one of the last, if not the last, great game made with RPGMaker VX.

"To brighter roads."

For this, I shall give it a...

Posts

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"Linus, when complete, will surely be one of the last, if not the last, great game made with RPGMaker VX."

*blushes* Oh I don't know about that. I'm sure there are a lot of people still using VX. I mean, there are still folks using 2k2 and XP ha ha.

In any case, thank you for the beautifully written review, Luchi. I'm happy to see that you enjoyed the game and that all of the elements seemed to click for you. I was kind of worried about the reception it would get since it's a bit of a slow burn and not very action-packed, but I'm glad that at least one person wasn't bored to tears with it. You probably noticed this while playing but I took some inspiration from Enelysion in a couple of the maps. The Emerald Deep was pretty much inspired by that creepy forest where you fight the Nyx for the first time. :p

You have a really amazing way with words and I think you should write more reviews if you can find the time. I'm sure a lot of folks could benefit from having you critique their games. I know you mentioned having some trouble with ACE running on your PC, so that could be an issue, but regardless, I'd love to see more reviews from you.

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to play through the game (twice!) and for letting me know your thoughts. :)

Haha, I didn't even know that you used that creepy forest as inspiration. XD I will try to do more reviews, but I'll be eye-balling the RM2K games and maybe some RM3K ones as well.

And I played it more than twice. =) Just last night I was playing the old 2010 demo, which I still have. Have you thank you for introducing me to Ludovico Einaudi's music. XD The man is a genius.
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