DARKWRAITH007'S PROFILE

author=Diedrupo
Dude do you realize how old this game is? You're acting like it was released yesterday. It was one of the author's first games (if not his first), you can't expect it to be perfect from the getgo and you're also not the first to raise such criticisms.

I'm perfectly aware of the date of the first release. I'm also well aware of the fact that the game was patched several times. Unfortunately, it seems dialogue fixes were not a priority for the patches (which may have been focused on more critical bugs, I don't mind).

The reason that I didn't lower the rating of this game via a review is because I didn't feel like bashing an 'old' game from 2009. I'm also not here to expect something to be perfect. I merely expect it to be palatable. Having spelling/grammar errors nearly every other line completely ruins the immersion and professionalism of the rest of the fantastic work.

I've praised the game more than I've criticized it since the music alone is absolutely sublime!
The narrative is well-written and the aesthetics/artwork match the setting very nicely. Every screen feels alive and active (especially during the forest areas) with plenty of NPCs to talk to and houses to explore! The minigames are varied and interesting. The battle system is unique among RM games. :)

The in-game advert/popups that appear during certain puzzles are cringe-worthy. I find it interesting that they remained in the game despite subsequent patching. The forced installation is also something I'd rather not see in future RM games. Part of the beauty of many RM games is that they're able to just 'download and run' without installs.

I've managed to get through up to the part where stuff went to winter before I felt the story kinda resolved and no further reason to keep on going. The 'Aeria' storyline was resolved and the 'Quintessence' storyline was also resolved. *shrug*
After putting in a good 12+ hours into the game with no visible end in sight, I decided to call it. I feel Quintessence makes a fantastic movie at least :)

I'm not here to make demands of anyone, but instead I hope the author can improve their next project to be far superior to this one.

If I had to sum up an 'impression' of this game in one sentence, it would be thus:

'Gorgeous aesthetics with a laser-focused narrative and absolutely FANTASTIC music, yet it is unfortunately marred by poor game mechanics and an atrocious disregard for script editing/spell-check.'

I'm not talking about just one error. I'm talking about seeing spelling/grammar errors nearly every other dialogue box! I didn't do a 'review' of the game because I haven't finished it yet, but the lack of spell-check is cause for concern. I'm not expecting a perfect literary masterpiece here (cause English grammar is a pain anyways), however it should at least be enough to have someone with a good grasp of English go through and proofread the dialogue.

There aren't even multiple branching paths or tons of choices to make that would make such an endeavor inherently unappealing or time-consuming to complete.

I can go in and fix everything myself, but the motivation for me to do so without having permission or cause to release the modified/edited version would preclude my involvement in such an endeavor. I'd also be highly tempted to change several other factors, then it would be more of a 'mod' then a simple script fix.

Gonna go ahead and give the author the benefit of the doubt to assume that English is not their primary language and they're learning it. Kudos to em and fantastic work on the game. However, having these glaring issues still present after a few updates is demeaning to the overall quality of the game.

How many people quit the game after the annoying popups ruined their immersion?
How many people quit after encountering the 5th or so spelling/grammar error in a row?
How many people immediately deleted the game after finding out they have to 'install' it instead of just download/extract like 99% of other games on RMN?

Not everyone is patient or understanding. This isn't a 'version 1.0' or beta game.

Forcing people to 'install' the game is a terrible idea. It always has been terrible and always will be completely unnecessary. It isn't even necessary to do this for 3D games, but for RM games it is 100% NOT NEEDED.

Any updates for this? I'd rather have the 'complete' version before I start playing!

This is one of the best and most underrated RPGs on the entire RMN network (or even among indie games in general).
I'm putting this game on a pedestal alongside the classics of the 16-bit gems golden age of RPGs. Yes, the story really is THAT good. I haven't been so emotionally invested and MOVED by any story or game in so long. This isn't just a 'game' to me. It is pure art in interactive form.
The opening alone gushes pure orgasmic desire in a professional sheen, worthy of extensive praise. Some of the music tracks by Terranon like 'City of Faith' are so well-done that I find myself humming them even at work!

We might need to wait until VS1 Act III+ is finally 'complete' in a 'Soon(TM)' timeframe to get a rush of 'new' players and to finally give this gem the credit it deserves. I love Alter Aila: Genesis just as much as the next RMN fan, but this gem is CRIMINALLY underrated at the moment. So many half-assed RPGs that I see 'featured' (many of them NOT EVEN COMPLETE) and yet this one is overlooked!? What the hell!?

To consider how so much work, so much polish, so much pure raw love and desire was coalesced into gaming artistry is just...mind blowing.

I admire the work of 'Lets Play' people, but sometimes you need to make your own choices and hands-on interactive experience in order to really appreciate an artistic masterpiece.

I'd ask anyone considering playing this to just play the remake. You won't miss out on much of anything. The remake 'Alter Aila Genesis' is a much better creation than the one here.