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I liked it for the most part. A nice break from the normal.
Jparker1984- 12/14/2011 07:17 AM
- 3814 views
I am going to review the following areas of the game. Mapping, music, game play & features and grammar.
1) "Mapping" 8 / 10
Seeing as this is a short demo and there really isn't much mapping to judge, I must say that what I saw was really nice. There wasn't anything that looked out of place or just thrown there to fill up space. The thing that really caught my eye was the castle section (where you made all your purchases.) Instead of opening a door and entering a new map all the rooms were connected. It gave the old dragon warrior feel. Here is a picture of what I am talking about.
MAGE DUEL EXTREME
DRAGON WARRIOR 3
Another thing I really enjoyed was his ability to capture the feel he was going for. He wanted a battle field with the stench of death and heated combat and I think he really did a good job. Here is a picture.
THE ARENA AREA
I have seen better mapping sure, but from what little I saw it was done rather well. Another thing about the battle arena that was nice, the sand was a good touch away from the typical tile flooring you see in arena type settings.
2) "Music" 9 / 10
Again, like the mapping review. There really wasn't much to go on. If I recall correctly, I only heard four music files. That being said, I absolutely loved the upbeat energetic feel it gave you. There were two battle musics that I noticed. Now, most of the time when someone puts in Final Fantasy Music there is almost NOTHING to get excited about. However, the one battle music was a rock remix of the Final Fantasy 7 boss battle. It was fantastic, as an avid fan of Final Fantasy 7 I am a harsh critic, but I was blown away at how awesome it was. If he was going for a lively feel he really hit the nail.
3) "Game Play & Features" 6 / 10
Now, here I have a few issues. I will start off with the good. I liked the unique style of battles he created. I am not usually a fan of one on one fights, but I liked the concept a lot. Rather then your typical ATTACK, MAGIC, BLOCK, ESCAPE and ITEM setup, he made more of a strategic aspect. You could use Last Resort, which is the regular attack. Spell sword, which is your spells. Meditate, that gains you MP back. Will force, which I am not to sure what it does other then damage. As you know however, a good concept does not always mean good results. I thought I would have to use strategy, but I really didn't. I used Last Resort almost all the time and that worked on every enemy. The only time I died was when I was cast Shock Blade (gives me a thunder based attack) and the enemy would absorb my damage. It was really easy. On top of that, I didn't really buy a whole lot of stuff other then the start of the game purchases. All I got other then that was an item that let me take two turns in a row. The battles got really repetitive. The opponents used a whole bunch of stuff on me, which didn't seem to do a whole lot. Now, I only used the Spell Sword character, so perhaps its not ALL as easy.
I liked the 8 way movement, reminds me of the Lunar Series. The multiple characters poses were a nifty little treat, its much better then seeing the same old sprite all the time no matter what the situation is. I thought the ability to customize the game was nice. As in, changing the window skin, adjusting music and sound effect volume outside of the actual computer volume and the auto run feature. Seeing as its only a demo, its very nice. I would assume that the full release would be even better, as expected.
4) "Grammar & Writing" 10 / 10
Wow, was the very first word that came to mind. I could tell right of the bat that this person is a very well spoken person. Seriously, this writing rivals the best of the best in the commercial game world. By far the best in ANY RPG Maker game I have ever played. I rather enjoyed Pit Master Burl's personality, he was very straight forward and told you how it is. Real quick, I want to point out some examples. I selected Secret of the Stars from the SNES to compare. I know its an old RPG and one made by Tecmo for that matter, but the point is to show what these so called "Professionals" put out there compared to what us silly little "Amateurs" create.
SECRET OF THE STARS
MAGE DUEL EXTREME
It just felt very lazy to me, to see what Tecmo did for this game. It just feels like no effort what so ever was put into the dialog. On the other hand, you can clearly tell that Max has a passion for creating RPGs. As I think I already said, based on his writing skills, he seems like a very level headed and intelligent person. To be honest, there is nothing more to say then this was damn near perfect writing skills.
OVERALL: 33 / 40
All in all it's a really enjoyable game. In my opinion, all he really needs to work on is making the battles more exciting and less predictable. Perhaps he can limit the amount of times you can use a particular battle option before you have to "RECHARGE" in order to be able to use it again. Or, maybe he can make certain options if followed by a certain option (from the enemy), the effectiveness will change. For example, say I use Last Resort, (aka attack). After the enemy had used magic, I would then deal less damage. It would work to the opposite effect, if I used Spell Sword, (aka magic.) Then the enemy attacked me, I would then deal extra damage. He could even try to add more battle options. Overall, Its a nice twist and break from your standard RPG. I do suggest people play this demo and keep an eye out for updates and hopefully a full release. Good job and keep it up.
1) "Mapping" 8 / 10
Seeing as this is a short demo and there really isn't much mapping to judge, I must say that what I saw was really nice. There wasn't anything that looked out of place or just thrown there to fill up space. The thing that really caught my eye was the castle section (where you made all your purchases.) Instead of opening a door and entering a new map all the rooms were connected. It gave the old dragon warrior feel. Here is a picture of what I am talking about.
MAGE DUEL EXTREME
DRAGON WARRIOR 3
Another thing I really enjoyed was his ability to capture the feel he was going for. He wanted a battle field with the stench of death and heated combat and I think he really did a good job. Here is a picture.
THE ARENA AREA
I have seen better mapping sure, but from what little I saw it was done rather well. Another thing about the battle arena that was nice, the sand was a good touch away from the typical tile flooring you see in arena type settings.
2) "Music" 9 / 10
Again, like the mapping review. There really wasn't much to go on. If I recall correctly, I only heard four music files. That being said, I absolutely loved the upbeat energetic feel it gave you. There were two battle musics that I noticed. Now, most of the time when someone puts in Final Fantasy Music there is almost NOTHING to get excited about. However, the one battle music was a rock remix of the Final Fantasy 7 boss battle. It was fantastic, as an avid fan of Final Fantasy 7 I am a harsh critic, but I was blown away at how awesome it was. If he was going for a lively feel he really hit the nail.
3) "Game Play & Features" 6 / 10
Now, here I have a few issues. I will start off with the good. I liked the unique style of battles he created. I am not usually a fan of one on one fights, but I liked the concept a lot. Rather then your typical ATTACK, MAGIC, BLOCK, ESCAPE and ITEM setup, he made more of a strategic aspect. You could use Last Resort, which is the regular attack. Spell sword, which is your spells. Meditate, that gains you MP back. Will force, which I am not to sure what it does other then damage. As you know however, a good concept does not always mean good results. I thought I would have to use strategy, but I really didn't. I used Last Resort almost all the time and that worked on every enemy. The only time I died was when I was cast Shock Blade (gives me a thunder based attack) and the enemy would absorb my damage. It was really easy. On top of that, I didn't really buy a whole lot of stuff other then the start of the game purchases. All I got other then that was an item that let me take two turns in a row. The battles got really repetitive. The opponents used a whole bunch of stuff on me, which didn't seem to do a whole lot. Now, I only used the Spell Sword character, so perhaps its not ALL as easy.
I liked the 8 way movement, reminds me of the Lunar Series. The multiple characters poses were a nifty little treat, its much better then seeing the same old sprite all the time no matter what the situation is. I thought the ability to customize the game was nice. As in, changing the window skin, adjusting music and sound effect volume outside of the actual computer volume and the auto run feature. Seeing as its only a demo, its very nice. I would assume that the full release would be even better, as expected.
4) "Grammar & Writing" 10 / 10
Wow, was the very first word that came to mind. I could tell right of the bat that this person is a very well spoken person. Seriously, this writing rivals the best of the best in the commercial game world. By far the best in ANY RPG Maker game I have ever played. I rather enjoyed Pit Master Burl's personality, he was very straight forward and told you how it is. Real quick, I want to point out some examples. I selected Secret of the Stars from the SNES to compare. I know its an old RPG and one made by Tecmo for that matter, but the point is to show what these so called "Professionals" put out there compared to what us silly little "Amateurs" create.
SECRET OF THE STARS
MAGE DUEL EXTREME
It just felt very lazy to me, to see what Tecmo did for this game. It just feels like no effort what so ever was put into the dialog. On the other hand, you can clearly tell that Max has a passion for creating RPGs. As I think I already said, based on his writing skills, he seems like a very level headed and intelligent person. To be honest, there is nothing more to say then this was damn near perfect writing skills.
OVERALL: 33 / 40
All in all it's a really enjoyable game. In my opinion, all he really needs to work on is making the battles more exciting and less predictable. Perhaps he can limit the amount of times you can use a particular battle option before you have to "RECHARGE" in order to be able to use it again. Or, maybe he can make certain options if followed by a certain option (from the enemy), the effectiveness will change. For example, say I use Last Resort, (aka attack). After the enemy had used magic, I would then deal less damage. It would work to the opposite effect, if I used Spell Sword, (aka magic.) Then the enemy attacked me, I would then deal extra damage. He could even try to add more battle options. Overall, Its a nice twist and break from your standard RPG. I do suggest people play this demo and keep an eye out for updates and hopefully a full release. Good job and keep it up.
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CloseMy weakest category is apparently what I really specifically focused on making my strongest, but nonetheless I appreciate this review. It is nice that the effort I put into the writing was so appreciated, especially for a game that basically does not have much of a focus on story. All I can say is that if this writing impressed you so much some of my other games would REALLY blow you out of the water. All of them focus on writing a lot more than this one.
If you have free time, try and play as one of the other classes. You might like them a lot better; they're certainly a lot more challenging.
Thank you!
If you have free time, try and play as one of the other classes. You might like them a lot better; they're certainly a lot more challenging.
Thank you!
Jparker1984
2008
I would like to clarify something really quick, Its not that I didn't enjoy your battle system, it just didn't make me say WOW, ya know. I just wanted to let you know that, just in-case you thought I didn't like the battles :). As for the writing, when I judge that, I don't look for JUST how much story is involved. For me the overall quality of the writing that is there, is just as important as the story itself. I hate playing games that are based heavy on the story, but lack the ability to write a complete sentence.
Fair enough, I didn't mean to sound defensive, but there really is more strategic depth in the other classes; Spellsword is honestly kind of easy mode, although I'm surprised that Phaene and/or Drexle didn't manage to give you any trouble.
Jparker1984
2008
Lol, I didn't take your reply as you being defensive. I just wanted to clarify more on what I wrote. I only died once, and Drexle killed me, but the only reason he was able to was because I used Shock Blade and he absorbed everything I did and I couldn't hurt him. I really enjoy the idea you have for the battles, it was just to easy. Although, I did only try that one class. In any case, you got a pretty good game.
kumada
3917
Spellsword is an extremely straightforward class. I don't think this necessarily means nerf times oh boy, but it does simplify the game down to doing one thing and doing it well.
Honestly, I think having an easier class makes the game more accessible, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Honestly, I think having an easier class makes the game more accessible, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Jparker1984
2008
I see what your saying, but at the same time. You don't have to pay attention as much. I have played more then enough RPG maker games where all I really had to do was look away a just keep clicking enter (but not as much this game.)
I think kumada just wants to make sure I don't make any of my games EVEN GODDAMN HARDER. (I won't actually be nerfing the Spellsword, but it will have harder times later on; every class will. I intend for the last fights to be pretty brutal.)
Pokemaniac
3559
I had much the same experience gameplay-wise as Jparker, and while I respect the idea of having an "Easy mode" character, I think it's unfair to leave the player unaware of what tier of character they're choosing. In fact, if I remember from reading reading reviews of some of your other games, players having a harder or easier time because of their choices (to the point of dissatisfaction) seems to be a recurring problem in your games.
I know I personally chose Spellswords because they aren't a standard class, and I was expecting an interesting take on their skillset. But really, those expectations are more aligned with a strategic, challenging class. It's a problem.
I know I personally chose Spellswords because they aren't a standard class, and I was expecting an interesting take on their skillset. But really, those expectations are more aligned with a strategic, challenging class. It's a problem.
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