Mindflare

Mindflare v0.2

File size (unzipped): 20.2 MB
Playtime: About 45 minutes, demo completed.

Introduction

Scrawling through the vast number of games on RMN, a game that stood out for some reason was this game. Although it was a demo and a v0.2 version tag suggested it was in it’s very early stages of development not to mention the reworking the maker’s doing I decided to see what it was like and I’m glad I did.

Story

The basic plot is quite simple as far as the demo goes. It kicks off with a pretty impressive animated intro which shows the hero of the game meddling with demons and is subsequently forced to leave his home. The game then leads you to a graveyard and along the way it’s quite clear hours of work had gone into making the game come to life.

Graphics

The lighting and shadow effects were made individually for each map and you can’t help but admire the effort that has gone into this. The graphics complement the game well with it’s dark atmosphere. At one point during the expedition through the graveyard there’s a large eye hand in the corner of a room which was a nice touch. Overlays are used appropriatey too.
The animations are decent and spread nicely, one example is where a torch shoots up to illuminate a statue and another is when a key is used on a gate to activate a Golden Sun-like animation.

Gameplay

The game is controlled like many other RPG maker games. The Z key is used as the action button while the X key is the menu/cancel key although the menu lacks any features in this demo except to exit the game. It can get frustrating though as you might accidentally hit the X key and then the Z key and leave the game (it happened to me!).

The numpad is not used yet and from what the game had it doesn’t really need more keys. What it does need is more variety in the puzzles given to the gamer and Aznchipmunk probably will add more as his game progresses more.

You might want to note that the game comprises of only puzzles and no battles whatsoever. Aznchipmunk said this is like Golden Sun’s puzzles but you won’t find any telekinesis related puzzles here as most of them require you to push around large pillars ala Zelda style.

There is a mini game which consists of hitting buttons shown on the screen within a set amount of time but it feels a bit “off” unless it was meant to be a ghost bomb defusing session. Still enjoyable though!

Overall, the game plays effortlessly and there’s not much else to say really.

Sound

The soundtrack in this game is well chosen and while all of it’s taken from other sources it certainly is used well and that’s what matters at the end really. Majority of the MP3s (no MIDIs used here) are from The Last Blade series (SNK) and it weaves itself seamlessly into the atmosphere of the game. The sound effects are not terrible but not special either.

Final thoughts

Mindflare is looking to be a great game on the RM scene with it’s stunning visuals complemented by a good soundtrack and engaging puzzles . For now we can only praise AznChipmunk for the effort they’ve put in and offer encouragement to them to finish this game which holds so much potential.