We the People

We the People is a traditional RPG made in RM2k3. It’s a personal project that the developer made for fun to share with their friend group, and that shines through in a number of ways. The game itself has a few issues and might not go over so well with the average player, but it’s still enjoyable for what it is.

Let’s Talk About Graphics!

It mostly uses 2k3 RTP and edits, but unless I’m mistaken, all the monsters use original artwork. It has the look and feel of an average 2k3 game, but the originality of the enemies helps to make up for the lack of new visuals. Although custom-made, the monster sprites match the style quite well and don’t stick out at all.

Let’s Talk About Audio!

Music is RTP and midi versions from various sources. Chances are you’ll recognize a few of them. Nothing’s out of place, but it’s not particularly noteworthy. The same is basically true of the SFX.

Let’s Talk About Writing!

Sorry to say, but the story doesn’t really have much going for it. While the dialogue is decently written, the actual events of the plot don’t make a lot of sense and it feels like it’s lacking cohesion. It begins in a traditional fantasy setting with our hero, Bobby, going to school one day when some type of disaster happens outside the building. His class takes cover in the basement, but he and his friend Johnny decide to sneak out through a hole in the wall. After navigating through a small cave, Bobby separates from Johnny by jumping down off a ledge. Don’t ask me why either of them thought any of this was a good idea; they just didn’t want to stay put for some reason. Anyway, Bobby encounters this ancient ghost that says something about his bloodline, and near the end of the cave, he awakens to his summoning power (which is the basis for his special attacks). After that, the adventure begins properly (?) with Bobby setting out on a journey to…figure out what the heck is going on, I suppose.

The plot really just seems to consist of whatever step Bobby finds next, and I’m still not sure what his ultimate goal is, or if he even has one. He takes on seemingly random quests from NPCs as he encounters them, and they lead him through a number of bizarre circumstances. Now, I’m just hazarding a guess, but I think that Bobby is probably a self-insert and the other characters are his friends/people he knows. I could be wrong about that; it’s just the impression I got. Most of the characters have typical modern names and the dialogue sounds like normal banter. I guess you could say it’s like EarthBound. It has that offbeat feel to it, but it doesn’t save the story from being a loose collection of events tied together only by being the path in front of Bobby.

This version is incomplete and ends shortly after you find your way to the world map, but it seems the game is being remade in a newer RM engine, so it’s possible these story beats could be shored up in the future.

Let’s Talk About Gameplay!

It’s typical RM fare. You explore, fight monsters, find treasures, etc. Mapping varies in quality and some places are more interesting to look at than others. Caves usually have a good layout for their terrain. Forests start out a bit basic, but get a little more complex as the game advances. The maps are functional and conducive to exploration , and often have rewards for those who bother to search. They aren’t overly decorated and work well in function. In short, they’re not amazing, but they get the job done.

The game doesn’t do much with any special mechanics. The only one worth mentioning is the ring crafting system, where you can bring a generic ring to a jeweler and soup it up into something useful by providing enough reagents to craft with. However, I don’t know how effective this system is because I never found enough of the reagent items needed to make any kind of ring, let alone one I would want. The system isn’t especially intuitive, so I’m not sure if I could’ve crafted a ring and just didn’t realize it.

Combat really leaves something to be desired. The game runs into some balance issues, particularly in regard to certain status problems. It can be pretty easy for the party to get wiped out if things don’t go your way. It takes a while to level up and the enemies don’t hold back much, so it can be tough to get through sometimes. You spend a decent chunk of the early game traveling alone, but this part is actually the easiest because the enemies are balanced not to overwhelm you. Things get more interesting once you recruit your 2nd party member, Matt the cleric, but that’s also when the problems start to arise.

In the ice dungeon you explore with Matt, there are creatures called Koldiak Bears that can hit your party with a stunning move. If you’re unlucky, it will hit both heroes and you can only sit and stare until the effect wears off or you die. I wish I could say this was the only place it happens, but toward the end of the demo, there’s a boss that does the same thing. At that point, your success depends more on RNG than any input of yours, which is never a good thing. There’s another place before that where a creature called Sanda Bear can inflict burns on your whole party, which drop your health by a decent chunk for every action taken. It’s impossible to out-heal it, so you either win quickly or die trying. This comes at a point in the game where you’re cornered with no access to resources or an inn until you escape, so it’s especially problematic.

But it’s not all bad. While the battles may be a little unfair at times, they’re still doable, and the things you fight against are interesting because they’re unique. As mentioned before, the enemies seem to be custom-made, and originality definitely counts for something in a genre that has seen the same kinds of monsters for decades. As a summoner, Bobby can call in creatures from portals to attack, sort of like Pokemon, except the monster IS the attack. He only gets two in the demo, but they’re both things I haven’t seen before. The enemies are the same way, each having their own designs, even if they’re recognizable as animals or whatnot. Creative credit where due!

That said, there’s not a lot of depth to combat and very few skills to work with, so it’s not exactly reaching the full potential an RPG has to offer. Battles can be challenging due to the strength of the monsters and limited options, and I’m fine with an RPG being hard, but it could really use some tightening up and reform.

Let’s Wrap This Up…

We the People shows some promise in its creativity and some trouble in its execution. The story and gameplay are the most important parts, and both need more work put into them for the game to really shape up. It’s all right as a for-fun project to share with the friend group, but a general audience won’t be in on the references and much of that charm will be lost. It’s still entertaining for what it’s worth, just not the most cohesive experience. Considering all that, I give it a…

3/5 “A decent game that could use some fleshing out.”


Called from the Pokét Dimonsion.