Balmung Cycle Part I: The Messenger and the Heretic

Balmung Cycle (part 1! The Messenger & the Heretic, sadly the only part made, there is no part 2!) is a game made by Magi that a lot of people praised, so I was curious and I decided to try it.

Balmung Cycle apparently looks like a typical jrpg but has some original features: the setting is heavily inspired by norse mithology, there are Loki and Odin, there are valkyries and other mytological figures... BUT there are also some modern aspects like grenades, photography, mechanical opponents and firearms. It's a world that is at the same time original and familiar.

The protagonist is Blitz, a "Einherjar", a dead warrior that has reached Valhalla. He is selected by Loki to perform a mission on the land of the living. Clearly his mission is temporary, and he's expect to return to the afterlife after completing it, unfortunately things will not be as easy and expectes, and our hero will meet terrible enemies but also helpful allies during his adventures (from a rascal to a valkyrie, and some others).


Wise words, Alrick!

Gameplay is classical, as seen in many other jrpgs: the party wanders the main map (where you can also save) fighting random encounters and visiting places of interests like cities (where it is possible to rest, buy supplies and find optional quests) and dungeons (that are mandatory to progress the main quest). In dungeons and wilderness areas monsters are instead always visible and avoidable... but killing them all grants extra bonuses, even if re-entering the area respawn the enemies killed. Loot can be found inside chests that in some cases need special keys to be unlocked. Loot is present on the main map too, indicated by some sparkling places.

Combat is classical but with many clever features: enemies have strenghts and weaknesses to certain particular attacks and elements. Blitz, the protagonist that is always playable, has the ability to scan the enemies (and also to let the party flee from combat). Other characters have different abilities like an attack that bypass armor or an action that weakens the enemies, but this is not all! It is also possible to buy or find spells that causes various effects like healing or elemental attacks. The spells are shared among the party members, but the trick is that the category of the weapon equipped restricts which spells are usable. For example if Blitz wields a one handed piercing sword he can cast the healing or water spell, if he uses the bladed tho handed sword he can instead cast the fire or earth spell. Some weapons can also cause elemental damage or have special qualities like the multiattack.


Wohooooooooo! I won the duel!! And I had fun winning!!!

But this is not all! Besides exploration and combat there are also minigames like dueling and performing some tasks (like... reviving a friend!) and puzzles that require thinking and p lanning. All these side activities are really well done, both for what regards interface and difficulty balance. Game is generally challenging but not too hard, there are many extras and additional hidden quests and optional challenges. During the game Blitz is able to learn new tricks like the use of explosives and lamps that besides being mandatory to progress the main quests, they also unlocks new hidden paths.

Graphically the game uses rips in such a good way that everything looks professional: maps are well done and detailed, charsets are nice and well animated (los of resources comes from Treasure of the Rudras, making the game a colorful adventure). Music is familiar but well selected, I liked it very much. The only complain may be that sometimes facesets do not match the charsets, but I am not too picky.

Anyway my favourite aspect of this game is story and characters: while not overly original, the plot is captivating and well written. There are serious themes and lighthearted moments, but they both fit the story. Characters are charming, different and with interesting personalities.


One of the many boss fights... luckily this time a strong ally is helping us!

Verdict
I loved old classic jrpg. Most rpgmaker games tried to recreate the old Snes classic rpgs, but they often resulted in banal rip-offs. This is not the case of The Balmung Cycle, that presents an original story and game world, and a varied gameplay that includes custom minigames and puzzles.
There are no doubts that this is a great game, that also deserve to be featured here, and not forgotten! I have just some minor doubts about the story (there are some parts that do not convince me, but it's nothing much) and the use of resources (I'd have used more sources for improved variety, and more edits to match the resources from different games. But yes, this game is nearly perfect).

It's a 4/5, no less. Play and remember this game, because it's worth your time.