Gem Hunters: Xenogenous Predicament

Simple and well polished, this game is careful to provide only what the player absolutely needs.

Story:You are a hero of Kingdom of Infinitum and you've just saved the world. Having been called by the king, you don't get the reward you're expecting. Instead, you get another mission. The Demon Lord is up to something and it's your job to stop him, even though he may not even really be doing anything. You are sent to three locations. First you must fight Ralph. It seems he's standing in the place that bosses always stand and that's as good a reason as any to kill him. Two more bosses ensue as the writing of this game chooses absurdia over dramatic. This game is worth it if for no other reason than the laughs.

Gameplay: This game is really more the story. There is no experience to be earned and all of the random encounters are quite easy. The game boasts excellent party balance. The only enemies that come close to being difficult are the second and end bosses. Combat relies on gemstones that boost abilities during combat as you use them. It's a nice system that I'd like to see employed on a larger scale. The travel system is of the teleport variety, very similar to .hack, as has already been pointed out by a poster on the gamepage. All in all, the game is worth at least one play through. Game time should take 30 to 45 if you take your time.

Visual: The artwork is whimsical and enjoyable. Overall, colors are well placed so that nothing detracts from visibility. In the castle, there's no question of where you need to go and the individual maps are small enough that you don't stay lost for any length of time. Well polished and pleasing to look at. To be honest, I'd like to see to a full game in this style.

Complaints: I have none offhand. There is absolutely nothing that detracts from the game. Granted, I don't examine a game under a microscope. I evaluate a game based on how I enjoyed it. Any complaints that I would have would be based on elements that the developer couldn't avoid at this stage anyway, such as the fact that it has no replay value, and that you really can't explore or equip your character.

All in all, the game is highly imaginative and presages what should be a great game in the future.