Fallen Heroes

Intro

"Fallen Heroes" is a turn-based RPG that was being developed by Slashandz and Fernhart using RPG Maker VX for the Game Gale 2010 event. An event held back in May of 2010 that tasked developers or teams of developers to build a game around the theme of escape. Unfortunately this game wasn't fully completed before the event ended due to bad time management and wasn't completed afterwards for unspecified reasons. Though if I had to guess it was because the developers were counting on a lot of positive reinforcement for this demo that never appeared.



As such they simply gave up on this project in order to focus on other stuff. A motivation I really don't recommend for people doing this kind of stuff since your early projects are almost always going to suck to a certain extent. Or maybe that comment was made in jest since they apparently had all of the maps and dialogue written out at this point in time. They just needed to do some more eventing to finish the game. Though if that was the case it seems even odder that this project wasn't updated if they already had most of the work done. I know some of the reviews undoubtedly recommended certain changes be made to the game, but a lot of the issues this game has are rather minor in my opinion. So even if they hadn't gone back to fix some of them they probably would have had an average to slightly above average game. Oh well, I suppose I can lament on why this game was left in it's current state or focus on what is here.

{b]Story
Summary

In this game we play as a warrior and a mage who've decided to challenge Xavier in order to get revenge for him destroying Hendall Village. At least I assume the dark overlord destroyed it. The game really doesn't make this particularly clear. I suppose he could be taxing them into oblivion as well. Sort of like what Malty was planning to do to Riyute Village in "The Rising of the Shield Hero". At any rate it appears Xavier is an old pro at dealing with heroes.


For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday.

So much so that he decides to mock us by holding back a bit before dropping us with a single attack. He then goes with the dumb decision of banishing us to another dimension. I guess, he got so tired of killing weak heroes at some point that he decided to start sending them to another dimension where they can train and become worthy opponents. Though it appears most of those banished to that place decide to stay there due to their confidence being utterly shattered by how casually Xavier dealt with them, but that definitely won't be the case for our heroes. At least that wouldn't be the case if it was possible to complete the game.

Greatest Strength/Weakness

On the positive side of things this game has a rather standard RPG story going for it. Albeit the game does slightly change the formula by having the heroes reach the final boss only to suffer a crushing defeat, but this change is a rather minor tweak to the formula in my opinion. On the negative side of things this game is so bog standard as far as plot goes that it might push certain people away. After all, bog standard RPG stories are a dime a dozen, but I imagine most people that hold that perspective probably wouldn't be playing a game like this in the first place.

Gameplay

On the gameplay side of things the game relies entirely on the default combat system that comes with RPG Maker VX. As such I don't have a lot to say about the game's underlying mechanics since the default combat system features a rather standard turn-based combat system where turn order is dictated by the character's speed stats.

On the other hand the game's enemy balance feels a bit off in my opinion. This is because you can run into a goblin warrior on your way to the game's first and really only town that can easily wipe the player's party. Though oddly enough these goblins quickly become a nonissue after you've gained a few levels. And while I'd like to say this is an isolated issue. The jump in enemy difficulty after you've crossed a certain bridge in the game is rather massive. So it's hard to deny that enemies in this game need some reworking both in terms of difficulty and experience payout.

Another issue in my opinion is that the player learns new skills rather slowly. While this does make sense when you get to higher levels. It makes a lot less sense at lower levels. Seriously, I reached level 20 before I completed the demo and each of my characters only new 3 special skills. And none of these abilities helped the player regenerate health. Another reason to give the player access to more skills at lower levels is that if you give the player more tools to use in combat you can also give your bosses more options. And considering this game was probably only going to ever feature three or four dungeons. It would be a good idea to make the three or four bosses feel unique beyond visuals.

Graphics and Sound

Outside of the game's adorable title screen.



The rest of the game's graphics and audio assets come from the RTP for RPG Maker VX. And while these assets are used competently and are solid in my opinion. It's hard to deny that original assets are always preferred. After all, I've seen the RTP stuff way too much over the years at this point, but to be fair this game was made in 2010 and was part of an event. So I do understand the need to try and get as much done as possible within a limited timeframe and that these assets hadn't been used to death at the time. At least they hadn't been used to death as badly as they have now. About the only other thing of note is that the game's title screen is missing a background track.

Conclusion

"Fallen Heroes" probably would have been an average to slightly above average game if it had been completed in my opinion. While some of the early battles can be extremely unfair. It's pretty easy to grind your way to success in this game. As a result the game's overall difficulty is rather low after you've gotten your first few wins under your belt. Though how the heroes managed to reach Xavier while being level one is anyone's guess.