Wine and Roses is a row of bosses in a non-linear format that allows you to pit 3 exorcists against a bunch of monsters. It's challenging, long and very very very occult. Just kidding, but it is a very good game, and I'll tell you why. Created by Craze for the All Hallows Eve contest, it was apparently created during a depressing time in his life where all he wanted to do was gam mak. Each boss is designed like a puzzle, having a solution that is specific to each battle. You can attempt the battles in any order, and each monster has a different way of attacking.
Story
You enter the possessed Fort Adder with the skeletal Lord Francisco and it's your job to find out why you're there at the same time. The fort is composed of 5 different sections, and they have different themes.

Graphics
Maps are simple yet effective, and they have lots of little non-linear paths that you can travel down. The game has a somewhat Lovecraftian vibe to it, with each path sometimes leading to a node of story that comes with an extra ability or piece of equipment.


Gameplay

This has some of the strongest gameplay out of any RPG Maker game I've played, especially those that employ turn-based systems. Everything is well-thought-out, well planned, and interesting til the end. A lot of gameplay consists of trying a battle, succeeding/failing, then trying another path. If you fail, it does the smart thing and just places you where you died last instead of putting you through a lengthy gameover screen like most amateur games do. You'll be surprised that Craze made so much content within such a short time, because there is a lot of hours of gameplay here for the month that it was made in. It is one of the greatest feats in RPG Maker history, no exaggeration. Craze should really be proud.

Buffs are used smartly, and you have to be careful how you manage your resources. Sanity is also a valuable resource that you must manage in order to... well... keep yourself sane. Craze has said that he was going to add a map later on. It would be a very good addition, since you can often get lost. If he had added it post-contest, that would have been even better. But the game is excellent as it is, with masterful gameplay balance and plenty of content. At times it can be gruelling, but there is no way not to admire his talent.

Presentation & Lasting Appeal
This game is unique because it is mostly made up of battles and not much in the form of story. That doesn't mean that the game isn't thematically rich, though. There are plenty of themes throughout... flaming hallways, frozen floors and space levels. It's kind of trippy seeing the different sections, and exploring is a breeze. I even edited my own version at one point (I know, taboo, but I couldn't resist) to disinclude all battles so I could just wander around. Craze has also left the project file unencrypted, as he does for all his games. This allows people who want to to benefit from examining how he does certain things.



Overall Judgement
Presentation: 9/10 -- Extremely polished, complete game for a contest game.
Graphics: 9/10 -- Beautiful, simple mapping. Varied architecture and buzzy themes.
Sound: 8/10 -- Techno beats and other interesting beats that Craze decides to include.
Gameplay: 10/10 -- Probably some of the best gameplay I've seen in an RPG Maker game. Its turn-based battles are the most balanced I've seen, and play like puzzles instead of battles.
Lasting Appeal: 9.5/10 -- Very unique game, unique structure and non-linearity is innovative. Other games draw from this as their influence.

Overall: 9.1/10 -- Craze's magnum opus. His best game. It's Craze by all definitions, except better mapping than usual and just an overall sense of polish. One of the best RPG Maker games out there.