Omega Quintet
PROS
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Has the IF-Compa DNA. If you love JRPGs of the same developer-publisher, such as nep games, turn-based, skills, 3D free roam, ADV scenes, then this is a good catch.
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Lovely characters. Aria best girl. Neko-chan second best. 3D models not as lovely, but still cute nonetheless.
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Scenes are funny af. Found myself laughing quite alot.
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Disc Analysis feature is probably single most important gameplay element. It gives each playthrough its own style, and thus increases replay value. You choose the “build” path: skills and spells for each girl, and on each playthrough you can cycle their roles and what weapon they wield.
– Real player with 97.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Romance JRPG Games.
I just finished the game, although I did not get the real ending. I general I’d rate the game as 5/10. I cannot say that I recommend the game to everyone but is not like it shouldn’t be played either.
You should play the game if:
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You like other Idea Factory titles, like Neptunia or Fairy Fencer.
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You like cute, anime games and you enjoy the way they are played out. With the visual novel style of dialog.
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You don’t mind grinding, specifically the Neptunia-type of grinding.
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You aren’t looking for a game that’d tell you a good story.
– Real player with 87.2 hrs in game
Celestial Hearts
I had high hopes for this game and after 20 hours of time well spent (Story Mode) I must say, I am more than pleased.
Kayah and Helen are so cute ^^ (I have quite the crush on Sera though :p)
There are many references to the Knight Bewitched Series, so I had that warm and fuzzy feeling of coming home to a place I love.
Love the storytelling, the colorful areas, the music, all the goodies you can find in chests or get from boss-fights (my inventory was rather full at times)…
I wish there was a sequel already, because the ending promises new and exciting adventures. But I will be patient…and hopeful… I know the remastered version of Knight Bewitched is in the making and I am sure looking forward to that too ^^
– Real player with 36.5 hrs in game
Read More: Best Romance JRPG Games.
For an old school RPGmaker game, this one does shine.
Sophisticated, yet easy-to-master battle mechanics.
Realistic and balanced progression ladder. Never overpowered.
Cut-to-the-chase conversations and time-saving auto battles.
You can run from almost any unwanted battles just to target those rare enemy drops.
Taking my time on hard, I’m just halfway through after 25 hrs. It’s just me. I like to smell them roses.
Celestial Hearts is indeed a well-thought-out game.
Looking forward to your remake of Knight Bewitched! :)
– Real player with 29.6 hrs in game
Rune Factory 4 Special
The Peak of Farming RPG Game
Having played the game for countless hours in 3DS and the Switch, RF 4S is easily the best in the series and is the best RPG Farming sim out there, rivaling even Stardew Valley and easily outclassing the series this game is based on: Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons.
Besides as a Farming sim, the game is a great JRPG with nice and fluid combat, there are several weapon type which has different gameplay each such as short sword which is decently fast and will have 100% of your shield effect but it’s range is limited or dual knife which is extremely fast and have lots of DPS but the range is very short and you cannot have the shield benefit at all, my fav is great sword since it has a lot of damage and great reach but it’s slow and only have 50% of the shield effect, but you can use other weapon skill while benefiting the greatsword’s range and damage, yes you can use different weapon skill even if you’re not equiping the corresponding weapon but you’ll get double the MP cost penalty which is annoying early on but once you have lots of food to restore your MP it is not a big deal.
– Real player with 35.1 hrs in game
Read More: Best Romance Fantasy Games.
Full video review: https://youtu.be/9EKIHS4j-tI
Written review below!
I was a bit iffy going into this one. Harvest Moon type games have always been a bit hit or miss for me, but with Rune Factory 5 coming out soon, I figured I’d give this one a shot.
Gameplay
Despite the simple graphics here - RF4S is a bit of a beast in terms of content. Not only is there the farming stuff, but you’ve got dungeon exploring, this extensive crafting system, a large map to explore, and a dating and marriage system on top of that. Up front, it seemed like I would get lost in all of this, but the game actually does a really good job easing you into it through its request system.
– Real player with 34.1 hrs in game
Demonheart: Hunters
If I loved the first one deeply, this sequel disapointed me so I cannot recommande it, even if I enjoyed so much the prequel.
The good things :
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We find back everyone, Ari, the Raze and Brash. I though we’ll meet Tunes another time as we see ihim n the trailer but he takes no part in the new senario.
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Nothing change for Bright, she can still be good or bad, defiant or kind and can flirt with the recurent characters from the prequel.
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All characters had kept their original personalities and way to speak, Ari is still a kind witch loving everything speaking about demon, Brash is still the cold obsessional knight deeply in love with you, Raze is still a childish demon looking for attention, but they also changed and it feels like they matured with past adventures.
– Real player with 58.8 hrs in game
Initially, I wasn’t going to write a review for this game. I expected to play it, like it, and move on because I generally have a hard time explaning why I like things. But this is a very difficult case. Something I’m really struggling with after playing Hunters is this thought: was Demonheart actually bad all this time and I refused to notice because I… liked it?
After playing through this game 4 times going on 5th, I find that I have less and less good things to say about it. So let’s first get one thing out of the way. Do I recommend you buy and play Hunters? …Yes. Even yesser if you have played the prequel and liked it. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun on my first playthrough. I would be lying if I said I hated the addition of combat, exploration and flower gathering for ability upgrades on my first playthrough. No, I actually loved all of that. On my first playthrough. Which took me somewhere around 8-9 hours to complete with me taking my time, exploring everything, disarming each and every trap, picking every single flower I could find and killing all the mobs I could reach with my shiny poisoned daggers.
– Real player with 37.2 hrs in game
Planet Stronghold 2
Yall just had to make this game huh. Well i am happy you did but mad because now i have to choose. I hate Choosing there is so many Romance Options i want to do and i dont exactly feel like playing through the entire game. 12 times or more… Not including playing through the first one…. I will probably do these things i am just saying that it makes me upset…. I am Indecisive as all heck how dare you give me choices…
All in all the game is awesome the only complain i have is well how the MC personality is… It is honestly just two ways and that is kinda well boring. THough with all the choices you get the make it makes this less of a big deal by quite a bit. The only other complaint i have is well why cant i be with Cliff as a female. All in all this is such a great game the story and everything is awesome. So yea i recommend this game.
– Real player with 126.8 hrs in game
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Ratings : 9/10
Planet Stronghold 2 is another excellent game that I enjoyed tremendously. Although it is a bit expensive, I felt that it is worth it, because it give me 100+ hours of fun and enjoyment. This game also have great replayability as I played it more than 10 times to get the 75 achievements.
This game is a wonderful blend of both RPG and VN; both genre that I loved very much. As for RPG, you have the option of choosing 4 different starting classes (soldier, guardian, scout, psionics), and 2 different factions (empire, rebels). You can also choose either male or fema You even have the option to toggle nudity and erotic text too, without the need to download any special patches, as in most other games.
– Real player with 101.2 hrs in game
Symbiotic
Story
Symbiotic is a sci-fi action drama visual novel with dark undertones, and a love story which will be a roller coaster of emotion. As Zaydin and company go through the rigorous training to master the use of their symbiote partners, they must overcome numerous obstacles and fight enemies far beyond their control, all while dealing with the emotions that come with being teenagers. The race is on for the survival of mankind in this grueling war with another world!
Zaydin is a young complicated kid trying to cope with the loss of his mother, an evil entity attempting to control his mind, and the war of the worlds waged by alien Symbiotes, who have come to eradicate or consume all life on earth. While attending SCAR institute, the principal of the establishment, Neolinus, acts as his caretaker/guardian, at the request of Zaydin’s deceased mother. Neolinus is seen as a pain in the ass to the young orphan. Elliosa and Kadin, the friends he never wanted, have extremely different views on Zaydin. While Elliosa has a major crush on him, Kadin, being the protective big brother type (Even though they’re not related) sees him as a dangerous jerk, though the question of why he hates him so much still lingers. They are joined by their symbiote partners, Tama who belongs to Zaydin, Pinkie Elliosa’s loveable friend, and Spike the “tough guy” belonging to Kadin. Together with the rest of the school they will discover what it means to be at war, not only with the aliens but also with their own emotions.
About
Seasons & Chapters:
This Visual Novel is based around a system of Chapters and Seasons. All chapters within the first season would be free to play once you have bought the game, and those chapters have been released. The following season would be purchasable DLC due to the size and amount of content that will be put into it. Chapters come out when they’re finished, so you don’t have wait for the season to be finished to continue the story.
Season 1:
The first season begins with introductions to the cast of characters, and the main protagonist, Zaydin, being rebellious towards SCAR Institute and his caretaker, Principal Neolinus. Zaydin must deal with his emotions, repressed memories, “friendship” with Elliosa, rivalry with Kadin, unintentionally befriending another girl at the school, and a dark evil presence lingering in his mind as he goes through this warrior high-school setting. The war that wages between Earth and the symbiote planet, Metamor, threatens to destroy everything, and forces the children of Earth to rise up and protect the planet against the monstrous creatures that are sent to it, but another possible threat looms that could undo what the school has done to protect the planet. As you progress through the Visual Novel you will be sent on required (and some optional) missions to kill the Sym-Monsters sent to Earth from Metamor. Zaydin’s ego and bad temper constantly get him into trouble, whether it’s his caretaker/principal, the Class S president Alastair, or even his own “friends”, Zaydin acts out and antagonizes everyone around him… but is he doing it because he’s a bully, or for some other reason?
Psychopath or Savior:
As you progress through the story and missions you will be given a choice that decides whether you will be punished like a villain or hailed as a hero. In missions you can fight Sym-Monsters and save Civilians. It is required that you fight and kill a certain number of Sym-Monsters, however it is NOT required that you save the civilians, this gives way to a moral dilemma… do you save everyone like a true hero? Or do you let them all walk into the fates they would have endured had you never even arrived? Doing either of these to an extreme degree may result in a secret ending as well as changing the game later down the line, recruiting allies, or causing you to encounter something truly terrible…
Visual Novel Styled as a Kinetic Novel (Kinda)
“A kinetic novel is a linear type of visual novel where no narrative or gameplay choices typical to the latter are presented.”
Symbiotic is more akin to a Kinetic Novel then a traditional Visual Novel, since the story is more linear and the ending is the same regardless of what you ultimately decide to do; however, it is possible to change the difficulty and variety of the game, as well as changing HOW the ending plays out and what happens to the characters. As mentioned above you can get a Psychopath or Savior ending in every chapter of the game, with this comes new challenges, allies, or minor story aspects you wouldn’t see otherwise. The new allies can replace party members in missions allowing you to customize how you play through the missions. The challenges come in the form of unique enemies that are angry, vengeful, and prepared to kill anything they see.
Agarest: Generations of War
Since this is currently my longest played games on Steam and maybe you won’t find a person with a longer hours count in the review section, I think I am kind of obligated to give this game a bit of review. The recommend vs not recommended system on Steam is fundamentally flawed. I would only point out what kind of games this is, and you decide for yourself whether you like it or not.
1. This is the type of “Wikia for the win” game. Don’t let my hours count fool you. I spent at least 50+ hours on researching for all the tricks, crafting and story route on Wikia. And this is very typical of your old-school RPG or JRPG in general. You need to do homework, you need to do research. The hours you spent outside the game is MUCH MUCH more important than your gaming hours. If you are the kind of person who just go and immerse yourself in the game world and you don’t care much about research game mechanics, this is bad for you.
– Real player with 688.7 hrs in game
After 213 hours and reaching the “normal” ending, it’s time for a review. To start with, it wasn’t a perfect experience. The game is rough around the edges and you should only buy it if you enjoy grinding a lot. There’s plenty of it. Endless hours of mandatory leveling and gathering materials. But Agarest has enough redeeming traits to make up for this.
Short version
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fully voiced
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lots of fan service
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huge selection of characters
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nice character animations and good music
– Real player with 371.3 hrs in game
Knight Bewitched
I just finished Knight Bewitched, so here are my thoughts:
Knights Bewitched is a above average JRPG inspired RPG Maker game. If you’re looking for great RPGs you found one! The story is very subversive in a way as you start off playing Ruth an already established and well renowned knight of Ambrose. Everyone loves you in the city-state of Halonia. You start off in mid mission and take down a “powerful” dragon. So Ruth’s level one is basically everyone else’s level 100. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice change of pace and as a player leaves you with this since of wanting to know Ruth more.
– Real player with 35.3 hrs in game
Just blitzed through this game in 2 days' time, it was so good.
Knight Bewitched is a pretty standard JRPG style game, with an interesting story and different difficulty modes. I’ve only played in Normal Mode so far, so I’m not sure how the difficulty scales.
In my 13 hours of playtime, I think I managed to do just about everything in the storyline and sidequests. I upgraded all the weapons (although the achievement appears to be bugged). The combat didn’t feel like too much of a grind, there was a nice balance between progression, sidequests, and leveling.
– Real player with 31.7 hrs in game
Opaline
I’ve just finished playing this game (had 18 hours of gameplay) & I honestly enjoyed playing it! Maybe it’s a little bias since I grew up playing 2D RPG games in the 1980s & so on but I really had fun playing this. All those ‘babies’ with their obsession with 3D graphics may not like this but that’s their own fault for not being able to appreciate what really makes a game good - the FUN of PLAYING IT. Also, Applejack references!
My only complaint is that I couldn’t shove my Deathbringer up [a certain villain who shall not be named]’s ass & feel satisfied doing it.
– Real player with 18.0 hrs in game
Oh hello there, hope you are having a good day and if not, may it get better. Why is that the first sentence? Because this game is super nice and great. It makes you care and worry about the characters from the beginning… but mostly for the main ones. If you want to know about others? You might get a hint here and there, but let’s face it: the main characters are on the cover, it will be 90% about them.
Combat? Fun. I wasn’t bored for a second. I liked the flashy animations and yes, there is an option to turn them off too, if needed. Music/SFX work well together! After you get going and adjust, you will actually be split into two groups. Then you follow one and then the either, but you wont be confused, as there isn’t that much dialogue, but everything that’s said is direct and actually amusing at some points.
– Real player with 15.1 hrs in game
Order from Caos
(Note: I will NOT judge this game based on its language. I don’t speak Portuguese, but I certainly understand what it’s like to have English as a second or third language. Just know that it is possible to understand everything that is said in the game, even though some things sound a bit strange to us. I take it as fun to try and figure out what the author initially meant to say in the first place, like a puzzle in a puzzle game!)
This certainly looked like an interesting game, so I decided to check it out! I also wanted to support the Developer since it looked like they put a lot of work into the game. It shows. The atmosphere, music, OST/SFX, and all the goodness are fun to play with and I wasn’t bored once! Sometimes you gotta grind… still wasn’t boring.
– Real player with 24.0 hrs in game
I still did not finish the game, but at the time of this writing, I’m about 15 hours on the story.
I’m really loving it! The story is captivating, the art design is quite charming and the original soundtrack is beautiful to hear.
The combat system is the classic turn-based combat. At this moment I’ve didn’t find any true difficulties (besides not staying low on mana), but it’s still quite challenging (and I’m probably still in the beggining). Trying to learn which type of spell is more effective against each monster was fun. And the spell animations are gorgeous!
– Real player with 16.6 hrs in game