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This demo was, like, totally fun!

  • rabitZ
  • 03/21/2011 10:01 PM
  • 4026 views
I played this game after posting in the Review just one Game topic.
I have to say, I had my reservations about playing it, seeing as I'm not too big a fan of horror games (and I thought this was a horror game).
But gladly, I decided to give it a go.

Graphics/Mapping: 3.5/5
Mapping is good in the game. Nothing spectacular, but it serves its purpose.
The tilesets used for the maps were in part VX RTP, with a tiny mix of XP RTP and some other modern tilesets that were used adequately for the most part.
Item icons were also in the style of the default VX ones.


The default resources, however, end there. Most characters have very nice face pictures, and monsters have beatiful and bizarre custom battlers. Battle backdrops are usually photographs that are used very well, and really add depth and atmosphere to the game. Score one point for the atmosphere!

Music: 4/5
Music too, contributed greatly to the atmosphere. The boss battle theme, in particular was greatly memorable and made me feel the tension and excitement that one is to expect from such confrontations.
All of the music used fit correctly the moment and situations of the game. I believe the author cited the games the soundtrack comes from, but still, it was a welcome change from the usual repertoire found in many games.

Gameplay: 3.5/5
Well, the standard RGP gameplay here, but thankfully, NO RANDOM BATTLES.
Another cool mechanic was that the author made use of plenty arrow indicators, showing you which doors were accessible and which ones were just decorative. It helps to prevent the "now what? I'm lost!" feeling.


Battles too were fun, because of a variety of characters to use, each one with their assortment of skills and weapons. One major good thing about them too was (in my opinion, of course) that they were generally very quick affairs. No five minute-long random battles with mooks this time around.
You can recruit more party members than the standard party-size of 4. But you could switch them in and out of battle at any time, even during the encounters.

Also, I don't know if it's just because this is a demo, but money seemed to be too abundant, making buying stuff trivial, perhaps making the battles a little too easy? That's not necessarily a bad thing, but just thought I'd note it here.

Saving is allowed anywhere, and that was very useful in this game.
This all being said, in the end it just feels like a standard RPG game. I don't believe I experienced any innovative gameplay mechanics or gimmicks, but that is nothing wrong in my book. I was having fun and that's what I take away from this game. The strong point is on the polish, balance and presentation achieved.

Story: 4/5
The story deals with our-loved BUFFY SUMMERS from the "Vampire Slayer", transported to an unknown "dimension" and with no memories of how she ever got there. She soon teams up with none other than DEAN WINCHESTER from "Supernatural", and from there on is us following their adventures as they meet a varied assortment of characters from TV Shows and Horror movies.


I've got to say, the strongest point in this game was the personalities of its cast. Dean and Ash were my favorite characters! Buffy was ok too haha, well portrayed indeed. I found Hercules, Heather and Xena a bit "meh", but maybe that's just my particular taste.

Some tropes found in the game:
- Buffy Speak: woot! this one was a given!
- Inexplicable Treasure Chests: notably averted haha!
- One Hit Kill: there is one boss that does this on EVERY attack! :o

Conclusion
Well, I was gratefully surprised with this demo. I was expecting some serious, brooding, pretentious horror game. But instead I found this fun, almost comedic game with emphasis on well made jokes and fast-paced battles with bizarre enemies.

I wish I could offer some constructive feedback, seeing as this is a demo of an in-development game, but I don't have much of it. There are some glitches with the map tileset on Moonshadow city (the lamp posts for example, but I believe the author is aware of that), and there are a few typos (a lot less than in other games, of course). Perhaps if some new interesting game mechanic was added, I could give an even greater score.

So, yeah! I had a lot of fun with this! And I certainly look forward to playing the full version!

Final Score: 4/5

Posts

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Thanks for the review! I'm happy you had such a great time with it. It has definitely motivated me to keep going.
Good review, but I disagree on one point: The battle difficulty. I thought battles were very challenging. It definitely took a lot to kill the enemies. If Buffy didn't have that self-heal, then it would've been harder.
rabitZ
amusing tassadar, your taste in companionship grows ever more inexplicable
1349
author=MKID232
Good review, but I disagree on one point: The battle difficulty. I thought battles were very challenging. It definitely took a lot to kill the enemies. If Buffy didn't have that self-heal, then it would've been harder.


hmm... could be. I did only die twice in the whole demo.
And I did buy 99 conditioners and 50 health potions, haha.
Seeings as the normal battles were quick, and the green health points somewhat abundant, I might have grinded a bit, but I really didn't feel like it, unlike other games were you feel "damn, I have to grind, this is going to be boring."

Battles did were "challenging" in the sense that you had to use skills and items, but not "frustrating"... I guess that's what I meant.
Battles did were "challenging" in the sense that you had to use skills and items,but not "frustrating"... I guess that's what I meant.


Yup, that was my goal. =)
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