Luxaren Allure is a game created in RPG Maker VX Ace by Unity.
This review is for an incomplete version of this game, which I reviewed on December 16, 2014.

Story:

Karuna has been named champion by the king. It is her duty to slay the lord of Castle Darkloft. The problem is that the lord of Darkloft is her best friend, Aurelie. Karuna secretly loves Aurelie and will do anything to save her. Will Karuna fulfill her duty or will she follow her heart? This seems to be the main conflict that Karna faces in Luxaren Allure.

What is the issue with this? Well the game has a prologue where you get to play as Karuna and Aurelie. The prologue basically shows how Aurelie joins the “Dark Side” and is tempted by the power of the “One Ring.” The game shows that Karuna cares for Aurelie; however, it never gives the player enough time to get to know her. I feel the prologue goes kind of quickly and doesn’t really develop Aurelie enough for the player to be invested in her.



Graphics:

Luxaren Allure uses custom graphics and they look awesome. The mapping is very unique and the battle animations are great to watch. But what beats all of that? The cut scenes are beautiful and full of emotion. The scene where Karuna meets the Dark Lord is a great example of the artist’s skill.

Sound:

I’m no expert on music genres, but the game’s music sort of reminded me of Japanese pop music. (The sort of music I heard when I played Persona 3.) I didn’t really like the music when I first played the game, but it sort of grew on me.



Game Play:

Luxaren Allure is a side view combat system. Monsters will appear on the map and when the player touches them it will trigger an encounter. Dungeons are rather large and maze like. There are many paths to choose, but dead ends usually have a treasure chest or two to motivate exploration.

Overall:

Luxaren Allure is a very well presented game. It seems to have everything a good rpg should have. The graphics, sound, and battle mechanics are polished and all seem to fit in well together. The story is the one thing I think that could use some polishing. The bad guy needs to be better developed at the beginning of the story. The player needs to get to actually play as this character and be given a reason to care for her. In addition we need to see Aurelie as a good person who is ultimately tempted by a darker power. This just isn’t established very well in the prologue. But even with some of its faults I still feel this version of the game deserves a 4 / 5.