Akage

Akage isn't breaking barriers as it currently stands. It's very standard gameplay with very little in the way of customisation, but it does work and for some, that's what matters most.

Graphically, the game is quite good. Maps are decently mapped with more than enough room to run around in to dodge enemies. This is a good thing as you will need to do so in order to stay alive. There were some areas where you had to run back and forth in order to engage the enemy properly, and some close quarters, but for the most part the areas were designed around the idea of the battle system.

They were also built in such a way as to see where you'll be going ahead of time, with twists and turns that will make you feel like you're doubling back. It doesn't come off as fillerish, which is great, because too often when people use this method of mapping, it does feel like the player is struggling to progress. It's something I rather liked about the mapping and one of the strongest things about the game, in my opinion.

The hud is default, which is a pity. It does the job, but it is the same as any other game using the same battle script, which makes the game feel a bit bland in that aspect. Portraits, while of a nice quality of graphic, are a bit odd in design, especially the main character who has some extremely odd clothing choice and body type.

Story-wise, there isn't much there, though that is understandable seeing as the game focuses on the battles and gameplay instead of plot. What is there is well-written with very few errors (a little awkwardness in some lines and a spelling mistake), and enough personality to give a little life to the main character.

Sound was there, though it wasn't really anything special. Music was decent - it didn't stand out, but nor did it detract from the game.

Gameplay is the biggest chunk of this game and while everything ran okay, I was sad to see that there was no customisation done in the script, meaning that the system used played just like every other game that used it. Especially since the games major drawing point is the ABS.

To quote part of a comment I made on another review:

It would have been nice to see the scripts customised more. Putting in your own spell components instead of using the default, and allowing for more mana drops so that you'd have more of a choice of what to equip and build your character up more to your style. Perhaps some stuff that allowed you to upgrade your sword swing speed and dodge ability would have been cool.

The control set-up was annoying, forcing you to use the Z key instead of also Enter and Space (all three keys often used for confirmation) It is possible to set the keys differently in the script, which would have helped the battles a lot more, but again, there was no customisation to the script, just a simple Plug and Play. I highly recommend for the creator to check out some simple Ruby tutorials and customise the script more around your game instead of just using the defaults provided. It would give the game a lot more charm than it currently has, and seem more cohesive to your world and story.

You could open your menu and chug a potion while being attacked, which was a good thing - it saved me one time when I had 1 HP left. I recommend increasing the drop-rate of potions. While playing I had to start using Elixirs because I didn't have enough Potions. Considering that this was near the start, it's definitely something worth thinking about.

It would be good to see more customisation outside of the script as well. Names for items were default (for the most part) and show that little-to-no effort was made in databasing. It would allow your world to feel more rounded, giving items their own names that fit your world.

As it stands the game is okay, but it's not good or great and it could use more of your personality in it. You have some - your dialogue was charming in areas, I thought, though a little odd at times - so please use it. It's a decent game despite its faults. It's playable and not full of bugs, spelling errors, bad mapping, broken gameplay and horrible everything, but it is also very apparent that no real effort was made to create anything other than the maps and character art.

I'd like to see what it can look like with more effort put in.