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Sacred Reviews: ~ABS




Introduction

~ABS was created for Carius's RM2K3 Breah event. An event whose goal was to developed a functional active battle system for RPG Maker 2003. An effort that was largely pointless since such a system will never be fully functional in a way that doesn't feel awkward or plagued with issues because of the restraints of the engine itself. On the plus side the issues with the combat system in this game differ from those found in The Fable of Gretel, but in some ways the issues that are present in this game are far worse. Though, before I explain how messed up the active battle system in this game is, I'd like to take a few moments to discusses the game's plot.

Story

On the story side of things you play as a female assassin that is hired to take out the man that controls the king from the shadows. A man that simply goes by the name of Laxel. Though, I seriously have to ask who names their kid that. Seriously, it sounds like the name of a French restaurant. Were they hungry when they give him that name? Or was their other idea even worse like Number 16 Bus Shelter?

On a more serious note the game's plot is rather simple, but that is forgivable seeing as how the game is rather short and is more about show casing the broken combat system then it is about telling an interesting or engaging story.

Gameplay

On the gameplay side of things the game attempts to implement an active battle system, but every time the player swings their sword or throws their scythe every enemy on screen stops in their tracks as if transfixed on the sheer magnificence of your attacks. On one hand this system does do better then The Fable of Gretel since I've never seen an attack fail to register. On the other hand it makes the game feel more like a pseudo active battle system do to all of the unnatural pausing during combat. Though the final nail in the coffin for this game is that most battles don't come down to skill but are merely battles of attrition which undermines the entire point of an active battle system in my opinion.

And to make matters even worse the final boss battle is a serious pain in the butt to clear since you need to time a running dash at the boss and then expertly fall back before you can get run through by swords. Oddly enough this is the only battle that requires any skill or timing in the entire game, but by the time you get here you'll be so low on health that you may only be able to take a hit or two before you die and will need to reload from your last save. Which means you better not make a single mistake when fighting this guy or it might just be your last.

Visuals

On the visual side of the things the game does a lot better for itself. In fact, I'm rather fond of the design of the main character and really wish she was the star in a much better game. As it stands her artwork just feels like its being wasted.

Conclusion

~ABS is ultimately a game that made a valiant attempt at expanding what is possible with RPG Maker 2003, but the limitations of the system ultimately left this game a broken mess when it comes to combat. Sadly, I can only hope the main character gets utilized someday for a much better project. As for the game itself. I'd honestly just recommend skipping over it to play something better.

Posts

Pages: 1
CashmereCat
Self-proclaimed Puzzle Snob
11638
It's difficult to make an ABS in RM engines, and few have succeeded to make that "fun". I think it is an admirable pursuit but it is always gonna be difficult. Well-written descriptive review, sacred.
Thanks. And, yeah I have to agree. While, it does seem to work a bit better in RPG Maker VX Ace. Even there the games struggle a bit if the player is forced to utilize a melee weapon. You have to get so close to the enemy in order to fight them it's almost inevitable that you'll take damage. And battles of attrition are never fun nor the goal of an active-combat system in my opinion.
Pages: 1