Kinetic Cipher (Again)

Widely regarded as one of the most under-rated games of all time, Kinetic Cipher has apparently suffered from artistic disillusionment on the part of its creator, Game Design Guru The Real Brickroad. Given the number of high quality reviews Brickroad has submitted I was frankly shocked at the lack of truly in-depth reviews regarding his own project. To that end, I have decided to risk the eternal enmity of the entire community by turning a critical eye on this worthy adventure. Torches and pitchforks will be passed out after the review.

Karen, a promising young psychic (colloquially referred to as “Ciphers”) has just completed a year long journey to enhance her already considerable powers when she comes face to face with a mad super-being known as a tatheril with a unique ability to undermine a cipher’s power that could destroy her guild. As this mysterious being ravages the land of Tekiel, Karen must lead her allies in a campaign against it. But the tatheril’s words continue to haunt her, and Karen begins to wonder what she is meant to do with her power, and at the same time, question the things she was forced to give up in order to gain it…

Balance 2/5:
Given the overall quality of the rest of the game, I was very disappointed with the state of Kinetic Cipher’s battle system. This is not due to a lack of innovation on the creator’s part, it is clear that he has added many unique touches to the system. Some enemies perform combo attacks, and certain bosses have intriguing gameplay twists (one in particular that stands out is a fight early in the game with three skeletons, only one of which is real). Most characters have completely different skill sets learned in completely different ways with a variety of effects, and these effects are always explained, unlike some games. Karen’s skill growth is non-linear and allows for a variety of abilities to be placed at her disposal. And the game makes use of a few new status effects that differ from the ones traditionally seen in RPGs, like the Fear Status effect that can randomly result in a character fleeing from a battle. And one of the characters comes equipped with a fun crafting system with a variety of uses.

The problem with the battles is not enough attention was paid to the system’s limits. The agility stat is badly broken and certain equipment builds, such as Robin’s default build, can result in characters becoming uselessly, abysmally slow. Levels tend to come at much too slow a rate, and since Karen gains a new skill only every other level, this greatly impedes her growth and potential. Also, every character requires different healing and MP recovery items, resulting in that many more items for the player to have to buy and keep track of in case one is needed. I feel this feature detracted more from the game than it added, even despite the in-game explanation as to why this is.

Mostly though, battles are slow. Even with a highly agility-based build, the speed difference between you and your enemies is so small that your ATB bar takes forever to fill up and you'll spend a majority of each battle just waiting to take your turn. This is neither engaging nor entertaining, and it makes battles far more of a chore than they should be.

The only redeeming feature in this category is that battles are event-based, not random, so you can often avoid combat if you’re not feeling up to it, and explore the fantastic dungeons without worrying about hundreds of arbitrary encounters. You can even ambush enemies from behind to get a preemptive attack, which makes combat go a little faster.

Am I being too hard on this category? After all most people agree that the default RM2k3 battle mechanics are shoddy and mediocre and there is only so much a game maker can do to alleviate that. However, I've played many RM2k3 games that had much better battles than this. When this rest of the game as impressive as it is, mechanics this shoddy are unacceptable and it's truly a shame.

Level-Design 5/5:
Graphically none of the game is spectacular, though the RTP graphics are used to good effect, the maps made with non-RTP graphics are noticeably better looking. However, Brickroad claims he can make a killer dungeon, and it’s clear after playing this game that this is no idle boast. You will not simply walk your way through these dungeons until you reach the exit. You’ll have to find the exit, and chances are you’ll have to work for it. Brickroad makes use of several puzzles not commonly seen in other RPG Maker games, which always build upon clear, consistent rules so as not to overwhelm the player. Most dungeons are also arranged in such a way that navigation so a breeze once all the puzzles have been solved, which is important as you have to traverse some several times as you travel. Brickroad also managed to make a picture based puzzle that didn’t make my computer lag, a rare feat indeed. If you enjoy puzzles, chances are you’ll like this game.

Characters 5/5:
The importance of good dialogue is not lost on Brickroad. His characters are vibrant and animated, their conversations fluid and natural. Brickroad even makes use of character poses such as blinking or moving their arms, a fairly simple addition that adds a tremendous amount of energy to scenes. Important supporting characters even have entire optional scenes from their point of view should you be compelled to seek them out. Even random NPCs sometimes have three or four different lines of dialogue!

Storyline 3/5:
The various NPCs scattered throughout the world eager to tell me stories about heroes and the origins of cities certainly indicate that Brickroad has put a tremendous amount of though and effort into the creation of this world. While the main plot regarding a group of heroes banding together to stop a power mad villain from destroying their homeland is fairly traditional and generic fantasy fare, the far more compelling plot is the implication of Karen’s inner conflict regarding love and family, things she was forced to give up to become a cipher. However, the story was not without its flaws, particularly regarding the story’s pacing. The early scenes at the guild and tower seem to drag on just a bit too long and the heroes seem as often as not to find themselves casually standing about waiting for orders, which isn’t terribly exciting. The story also tends to introduce a lot of esoteric terms and throw them around as if the player is expected to know what they mean. Often well before the player is allowed to discover what these things are.

This category is redeemed somewhat by the large number of side quests available, many of which feel much more rewarding than your main quest. If you are tired of the main story and looking for something else to do, there’s certainly no shortage of activities.

Music and Sound 3/5:
Most of the music is simple and charming, reminiscent of the spirit of the RTP tracks. Nothing particularly stands out as being great, but nothing terrible either. Bonus points for the excellent whip sound effect.

Overall 3/5:
I really wanted to like this game more. Honestly. This game showed a lot of promise. It has great characters and aspiring RPG Makers could do well to take a few notes regarding the fundamentals of game-making from this project. However, the battle system needs nothing short of a complete overhaul to be serviceable and the story’s pacing could probably use a second look. Various elements just conspire to keep it from coming together as a whole.

Many fans were disappointed when Brickroad canceled this project and hope is dim that it will ever be completed, which is a shame. Despite my lukewarm critique of this project I would much rather see it completed than simply abandoned. Should this project ever see a rebirth I shall be looking forward to its latest version along with its legions of fans. Until then, we can always enjoy this game for what it was, a charming if flawed game that we can all take a lesson from.