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Exceeds all expectations!

Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis is the sequel (or prequel?) to Alter A.I.L.A.: The Beginning On Terrinos, a Sci-Fi RPG featuring an innovative three-way story, a plethora of well-developed characters, and an entertaining battle system spun-off from the Shin Megami Tensei school of RPG's. In the wake of this original game's terrific, albeit generic package, Genesis sees the need to step things up with a new battle system, new graphics, new mechanics, and a reinvented story and cast.

It ain't the full game, but so far, it has succeeded on all fronts.

If you've ever wondered what a side-scrolling RPG might be like, wonder no more: Genesis employs side-scrolling into its basic system of travel like it just ain't no thing, giving you a seamless cross between platforming and typical RPG-battling. Fittingly, this is the game's strongest feature.

The level design and controls are--for lack of a better word--INCREDIBLE. You control the main character, Leon, as you would in a typical side-scroller: using the left and right arrows to move left or right, up and down to enter doors and generally interact with things in the background and foreground, and, on occasion, the confirm and shift keys to trigger battles or avoid them. In this way, you can climb ladders, hop over gaps and crevices, and traverse the environment without error. Movement feels fluid and fast-paced, and as the environments are all pretty fun to explore, you'll be looking forward to scaling massive walls, jumping out of ceilings, and more--though you may shoot Leon an awkward glance when the third frame of his running animation gets passed off for swimming. Or any time his field animations are used, for that matter.

Random encounters were dead in the previous game, and they remain so in this one. When a battle looms near, an exclamation mark flashes over Leon's head, turning green to indicate when you can press 'confirm' to get the jump on the enemy, yellow to enter the battle or ignore it, and red to indicate that the battle is unavoidable. This encounter system is both robust and flexible, as it allows you to prepare for every battle, or, most of the time, avoid them at your leisure.

Also contributing to the fantastic level design is the scenery. I believe the right word to use in this case is "variety"--because boy is there EVER. Every stage just looks and feels different, with the game's frequent dungeons having just the right amount of depth to satiate your curiosity without slowing down the story or leaving you badly in need of fresh air. Coupled with a proportionate abundance of puzzles and treasures, and you'll be happy to be going either forward or backward between stages.

And what an incentive you have to proceed! The game's storyline is superb; despite it having little correlation with any of the previous game's three plots--at least in terms of its position on the time-line--the story behind Genesis is a worthy spin-off which pits revamped iterations of the original game's cast on a linear adventure. Characters have dropped their code names in favor of pre-assigned ones, their faces and outfits have been retooled (or upgraded, rather), and their personalities have changed substantially--some even drastically. All of these changes are arguably for the better, as the characters are easier to relate to, their motives are more outspoken, and their new roles in the story provide them with fresh new reasons to be reintroduced and re-explored. There's also no shortage of intrigue, action, or drama throughout the three provided "phases" of the demo, which is executed via original hand-drawn, still cutscenes and superior dialogue. On that note, the graphical side of the game is probably the biggest indicator that it isn't professional work, but it does play its part in defining the game's uniqueness and level of originality--especially thanks to the art direction. All in all, the storyline will probably keep you coming back more than anything else in the game.

...Which is why I'll leave it at that.

At the end of the day, however, this is still a role-playing game, where the core of the gameplay is controlling and developing a team of characters and pitting them against numerous foes. Well, once again, Genesis exceeds all expectations in this department by delivering a system almost entirely unrelated to its predecessor and yet VASTLY more impressive. Unique and creative? Check. Fast-paced? Check. Addictive? Audiovisually appropriate? Bad-ass? Check, check, and check!

So you've got HP, AP, EX bars, and an ATB Guage. Aside from the EX bars, this may sound familiar to any self-respecting RPG fan, but in practice it really isn't. The system can be quite intimidating at first glance, what with the curious difference in enemy and ally damage ratios, how AP rises and falls at the drop of a hat, the fact that you have more moves in your first battle than you can shake a stick at, and how the ATB gauge loads with a vengeance on the "Active" setting. To add more fuel to the fire, there are field effects, elemental alignments, and battle rows to take into consideration, each of which requires an expansive explanation to grasp fully. But luckily, the game offers a tutorial early on which gives you insight into all of these mechanics and more, so by the time you're playing your tenth random encounter you'll be accustomed to just about everything the battle system has to offer.

Once you get into the swing of things, there's just nothing on the market like a typical battle in Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis. It feels something like a cross between an action RPG and a strategy game, where every move must be planned out in advance. every condition must be taken into account, and yet your expected rate of execution is still surprisingly high. You can pummel through foes with droll, head-on tactics if you so wish, but having a strategy from the get-go is simply the better way to approach tough situations. Items and weapons must be stocked up and equipped where necessary, especially for upcoming boss fights, and you must always keep an eye on field effects and Exceed abilities, which can turn a battle in either team's favor instantly. Also, finding rare equipment and items on the field during your explorations can sometimes give you a noticeable edge over the opposition, whereas refusing to stock up on the right items, either out of haste or inability, can land you a one-way ticket to la-la land in what would normally pass as a fair fight.

All in all, preparing for and executing battles is a demanding task, but it remains considerably seamless and pain-free. Battles are balanced but challenging, with a few curve balls here and there, and the number of strategies available for dealing with them make experimenting with weapon and item combinations really fun. With each encounter you'll find yourself enjoying the game's fast-paced and strategic system rather than counting its flaws--or your own--with your eyes glued to the screen like there's no tomorrow and your head bobbing rhythmically to the soundtrack. Genesis simply busts a cap in unoriginality where its battles are concerned, flushing menu stereotypes down the drain and shoving item usage and stat and equipment management to the forefront--all in a flash, all in a day's work!

*panting heavily* Okay, I'm done. There are some noticeable flaws with the game--mostly pertaining to the battle system--but as of this review the game is still in production, so these flaws are to be expected. Yet they are so few and far between that it is pretty impressive for a demo.

Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis is a game you'd expect would take a good year or two of professional team development; an excellent production worth buying for any handheld or previous-gen system. However, it's here for all to enjoy at the low price of ten minutes and an internet connection. Shoot me now, doc, cuz that's a steal. Developer Neok claims making killer games like this is just his hobby: and so this proves that even hobbyists can produce games better than professionals.

Yes, in a few short words, Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis is a revolutionary result in indie development for RPG Maker hobbyists everywhere.

Posts

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Thanks for the kind-hearted review :)
Just so everyone is aware, my score remains unchanged after playing the full game. My only issue is the lack of variety; no mini-games, basically. Almost everything revolves around fighting--which is fucking excellent anyway--so yeah. Half a point off.

I can't edit my review because of a site glitch or something...
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