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Let ME Figure It Out!

Legionwood is a beautiful RMVX RPG that presents itself like a commercial game would.

The Graphics:

VX RTP used to perfection. The maps look full of life, but are occasionally a little too busy. The whole game isn’t VX, though, as the monsters come from someplace else (not sure if ripped or custom). Anyway, regardless of where the graphics came from, they all flow together beautifully. The game even goes so far as to have a custom font that fits the medieval setting. It’s consistent, used well, and I could find nothing to complain about here.

The Audio:

Music you’d find typical in an RPG setting, but sounds better quality than the usual RTP stuff. I’m not familiar with the VX RTP, so I don’t know if that’s where it came from. But, the songs fit the settings well enough and give off a distinct feeling for each area you visit.

The Story:

A semi-standard RPG story. The intro begins far after the events of the story have taken place, and you play through the story as it’s being told. The story itself involves political upheaval and chaos on the rise as a result of it. The presentation of the story is a bit slow, and people looking for action may be put off by the game’s long introduction. I can’t comment on the story as a whole, since I didn’t get very far with it. But, what I did see was about what one would expect.

The Characters:

I don’t feel I should comment much on this, as I didn’t get far enough in the game for the characters to really develop. The two heroes you start with are brother-sister and their dialogue reflects that relationship. The only other relevant characters I encountered were in the introduction. They’re both villains, although one is more typical than the other. The first seeks only the solace that death can bring, and cannot die due to where he placed his allegiances. He puts the second villain up to the task of rekindling an old grudge that could lead to disaster, a job he seems to have some moral qualms with. Again, I didn’t go very far, so I’m not sure how much more depth these characters come to show. Characterization aside, the dialogue is all handled perfectly. NPCs talk according to their roles and there isn’t a textual error to be found (save for certain places where words may have been used to incorrectly).

The Gameplay:

This is, sadly, where I think the game falls short. While the game does a great job presenting itself and feeling like a commercial game, there’s just too much hand-holding for my liking. The game gives tutorials on many things anyone familiar with RPG Maker would already know. They warn the player when they’re entering an area they may be too low-level for, and points of interest are all highlighted on the map by a sparkling light. While it’s nice that they’re willing to help new players succeed, it sucks all the fun out of exploration. And, in spite of all the hand-holding, the game is very ruthless and unforgiving. Common enemies can beat the crap out of you, and sometimes it seems like survival is based more on luck than skill. Gaining strength takes a while, and leveling up doesn’t do much to help the difficulty. It’s very easy to lose a hero in battle, and the only way to bring them back is to visit a priest. The priests charge 30 gold for this, and the early fights aren't worth much money. You’re usually better off starting from your last save when a hero gets whacked, and the ability to stave off getting killed is very limited. So, it’s like your mother’s walking you across the highway in rush hour.

I enjoy the look and feel of this game. It exudes professional quality, but its slow introduction, high difficulty, and extremely simplistic exploration could turn players away. I may try this again someday, but based on what I saw, I give this a:

5/10

Posts

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Thanks very much for the honest review. I knew the hard difficulty would always turn some people off, but I did make that choice as I wanted Legionwood to be a thinking man's RPG.
The monster graphics are from Rpgmaker Advance.
SunflowerGames
The most beautiful user on RMN!
13323
I agree with some of this, I found the battles (especially at the start of the game), a tad too difficult.

I expect games to start out easyish and increase with difficulty
over time.

The green glowing stuff that suggests where to look for stuff
was strange. I have never seen this in an RPG. I found the
towns strangly overpopulated, with characters situated in
odd places.

I didn't offer a review because I didn't play it long
enough. But I think the game deserves a higher score,
even with the difficulty level. Some people
really like this kind of game. It is also well
polished.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Given that this review is now almost four years old, a lot has probably changed since I wrote it. I doubt it's accurate anymore.
Well, using sparkles and stuff to signpost interactive items is still in the game. That was originally a concession to account for the lag that was happening when each and every item was interactive and had a description that popped up if you checked it. I deleted the items that had worthless descriptions and tagged the ones that did have anything useful with signposting.
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