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Sacred Reviews: Okiku, Star Apprentice

Introduction

I'll admit upfront that I don't think I can't rate this game failry. This is because I was in a rush to complete this game in order to catch up on some updates I didn't get around to over the last couple of days. These issues ranged from technical issues with my window mounted air conditioning unit to intense tension headaches. As a result I was in a major rush to get through this game. As a result, I didn't take my time to hunt down all of the comedic conversations you can get into with the various NPCs in this game. And, I'll also admit that Marrend's sense of humor really isn't my cup of tea.



On the other hand, I think I have several dollars worth of change to throw at the combat system in this game. So much so, that if I wish merely judging this game on its combat issues I'd probably give it two stars at most. This is because the battles tend to be rather boring, but I'll get into why in a litte bit. After all, I prefer to dive into the story section of a game after I get done with my intro.

Story

Summary
In "Okiku, Star Apprentice" you play as a young mage studying under Ryoko. Of course being her only apprentice also means you get stuck with collecting junk for her various experiments. A job that requires you to climb up various mountains and suffer through long and tedious ferry rides. At least she's nice enough to give you a wand of blasting, which seriously sounds like an item on Neopets, as well as a teleportation orb to quick travel to places you've been. So you only need to suffer through long ferry rides on your initial trips to Ino and Nishino Islands.

Okiku
As far as characters go Okiku is a rather snarky girl who enjoys twisting the nose of her master to a certain extent. A personality that makes her feel like she's trying to encrouach upon my job as a Let's Player. On the other hand, this definitely makes Okiku feel a little more alive and fleshed out than some other main characters I can name. After all, I can't name how many generic female protagonists I've run across whose only goal is to be the best there ever was like no one ever was before or will be after.

Ryoko
Sadly we really don't learn that much about Ryoko as a character. This is because she spends the bulk of the game flipping through various tomes in her library while Okiku is on her mission to hunt down various monster parts for her summoning ritual. Of course, my biggest disappointment with the character was that she wasn't a space pirate.

Strengths & Weaknesses
Sadly, "Okiku, Star Apprentice" is a game whose strengths and weaknesses are vastly intertwined in my opinion. For example, the game's simple story could be considered a strength if your looking for a break from projects with more complex narratives. On the other hand, the lack of twists and turns in "Okiku, Star Apprentice" means the game can come across as rather bland and uninspired for a game about fetching items. In the same regard the game's greatest strength/weakness is Marrend's attempts at comedy. If you enjoy Marrend's style of humor then it will elevate the game to a higher level for you. If you really don't care for Marrend's attempts at jokes then you'll be left with a game that's just dead on arrival.

Gameplay

To be fair, "Okiku, Star Apprentice" does implement some ideas that are intereting in my opinion. After all, the ability to level up your skills based on how many times you've used them is rather unique and I wish more games would implement the idea. After all, this is a system that allows players to enhance their favorite strategies. In a way it feels like your Hajime Saito as he tries to turn his Gatotsu into an ultimate attack.

On the other hand, it's obvious that Marrend really didn't consider the implications of being able to turn your stun technique into an unrivaled power in a game where bosses don't have any kind of team support. Add in the fact that none of the bosses really resist stun in this game. And your left with a game where you can easily stun lock every boss you run across. As a result, I tend to find boss battles in this game almost yawn inducing.



And while regular enemy encounters are a bit better. They can still suffer from stun lock issues thanks to the wand of blasting. This is because if you blast an enemy in this game you get to ambush the monsters in that group. And most enemies attack in groups of two or three. Which means you can potentially stun lock two-thirds of an enemy party before they get a chance to respond.

But to end on a more positive note, I do like the fact that the game allows you to readily wipe out enemies in an area after you've taken out the boss of the area. After all, this gives the player ready access to easy leveling as well as money grinding.

Graphics

On the graphical side of things the game is rather boring. This is because the game largely makes use of the default assets that come with RPG Maker VX Ace. As a result, the game really doesn't have anything to give it a unique flavor. An issue only made worse by the uninspired maps in this game.

Sound

On the sound side of things the game makes use of the default sound effects that come with RPG Maker VX Ace. On a brighter note the game does try to spice things up a bit by using background music from several other games. Albeit the bulk of the background music appears to come from entries in the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series of games.

Conclusion

"Okiku, Star Apprentice" is a game that you'll either love or be bored to tears with in my opinion. This is because the game's only real appeal comes from Marrend's sense of humor. And if that sense of humor fails to elicit a chuckle from you than the game really doesn't have anything else to fall back on. After all, it's not like the game features challenging combat, stunning visuals, or complex story telling that can't be found in other games.

Posts

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I'm against the "Uses default assets" as a negative, 'cause those are pretty high quality assets, it's just that they've become standard, since they're default?


The problem with using the default assets isn't that their low quality. It's that their are so many games that have used them that your game really doesn't stand out from the dozens upon dozens of other games that have used them.

Hmm... What level did you end at?


I was level 100 when I took on the final boss.
Hmmm...

I think I agree on basically everything, but I like the humor.

Also, the conversations with the people, flesh out Ryoko and Okiku more, since they comment on the Wand of Blasting, and stuff.

I'm against the "Uses default assets" as a negative, 'cause those are pretty high quality assets, it's just that they've become standard, since they're default?

Unless they're not high quality? I think they are, though.

Good review!

----

Hmm... What level did you end at? I'm... I wanna say 50 something? Yep. 57. I feel overlevelled?

At the end, it leaves off with the mystery of "Why that summon"...

I think the biggest problem might be how easy it is to overlevel?
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