YIIK: A Postmodern RPG
I knew going into YIIK that it was a bad game. I’d heard all about how the developers were serial plagiarists who stooped to the level of stealing a song from Shadow of the Colossus for their previous game, Two Brothers. I’d heard about how they plagiarized Haruki Murakami and a random educational website in this game, and then put up an incredibly bitter bibliography that they hid in the corner of the “Press Start” screen. I’d heard that it was badly written and that the gameplay sucked. Then, I decided to do a screenshot Let’s Play of it.
– Real player with 30.6 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based JRPG Games.
GENUINE CONTENT WARNING - SUICIDE AND DEATH
JOKE CONTENT WARNING - YiiK
“Sarcasm and jokes were often the bottle in which clinical depressives sent out their most plangent screams for someone to care and help them.” ― David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest
Where do I start?
I played this game, on stream (https://www.twitch.tv/gabrieldavinci ) on the recommendation of someone who I thought was my friend, until I actually decided to play the game. I don’t know why he would want to hurt me like that, it just doesn’t make sense. Why, Dan? Why would you make me suffer through this, DAN? There is a man in a room with a gun, but that’s a story for another day. ANYWAY. Yes, I played this game, in its entirety, on stream, which is frankly the only reason why I am able to say that I finished this game. Let’s get down to it, shall we? Anyone who has played this game is probably already having flashbacks to all of the unnecessary monologues they had to endure, without reading this stupid fucking preamble to a review that will say nothing you haven’t read or heard before, couched in more articulate terms. But let this be a warning to anyone who might still interested in buying, or playing the game. The whole game reads like this preamble. You have been warned. Now, let’s actually get into it.
– Real player with 29.9 hrs in game
OMORI
Close your eyes, you’ll be here soon
Ichi ni san shi go fun
Tokidoki, hontou ni netai
Demo, kono waado dekinai
Oyasumi
Oyasumi
Oyasumi
Oyasu-
Oyasumi oyasumi
Close your eyes and you’ll leave this dream
Oyasumi oyasumi
I know that it’s hard to do
Days go by
Shou ga nai
Moments pass
Shattered glass
Hands of time
Where’s that chime?
In my head
I’ll just
I’ll just
I’ll just
I’ll just
Hands of time will wring my neck
Every little moment spells regret
But I don’t have to feel this way
As a voice inside my head
– Real player with 208.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based Story Rich Games.
I got this game as an impulse buy at 2 am while talking to my friend on discord and man I don’t regret it. After multiple months and around 135 hours, I have gotten every achievement and I loved playing every second of this game. For an RPG maker based game it has such impeccable charm, the characters were lovable, and the story was great. I really did go into this game blind and that’s what I recommend everyone do. The story had a bit a bit of a slow start, but it was such an experience to see it unfold at the end and watch all the pieces of the puzzle come together. If you are thinking of buying this, do, you will not regret it.
– Real player with 131.0 hrs in game
I Have Low Stats But My Class Is “Leader”, So I Recruited Everyone I Know To Fight The Dark Lord
A simple, lighthearted tongue-in-cheek adventure that, though repetitive in terms of gameplay, was a generally fun experience for me. I don’t regret helping to fund this game on Kickstarter.
– Real player with 21.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based JRPG Games.
This is another in the weird and insane lineup of games that Cannibal Interactive have put out. The gameplay is intentionally overly complicated and intended to be an experience rather then fun, and in that it certainly succeeds. With no grinding, no leveling, a SMB3 map system, and no real major item management you are left with two things: story and combat.
The story and writing in the game is a real strong suit. With fully fleshed out characters that if you can remember and tell apart, have actual meaningful relationships with one another. The game introduces all the characters right from the start so trying to juggle 99+ characters is a mindfuck, but worth it if you put the effort in.
– Real player with 7.4 hrs in game
Ark Noir
This game is worth your time, and $10 USD is a fair price.
- Resource management is the main gameplay aspect. You need to manage your HP, Fortune (lets you bypass otherwise difficult content and helps keep you supplied, but is limited in supply, slowly filling over time), and Inventory (for fighting, but also as consumables for helping NPCs and keeping yourself healed). You’ll want to take on everything to get better endings, level ups, and unlocks, yet doing so will strain your ability to adapt to difficult moments. Eventually you do have to fight at the end of each floor, so you’ll want to spend Fortune on weapons, but if you spend too much then you might not be able to save a vital NPC that might or might not show up. Or maybe your character is already good at fighting, but has such pitiful Fortune that you’re stuck passing on rest rooms (full HP for a payment of Fortune) you really need. Everything is turn based, so there’s no need to rush your decision-making, despite what the clocks on each floor might have you believe.
– Real player with 108.7 hrs in game
This is a really nice indie game-gem , which will look good in every RPG fans' library. And as a vn, it is decent, too. AN feels more like an rpg/dungeon crawler/survival game, than a vn, though.
So what do you get ?
1. A “Whodunnit”- and Why ? - mystery. I love those :)
2. Decent story, for a “short” game - though really weird at times ( Why on earth is the chief of security 15 years old ? )
And the conversation is a bit off now and then. But overall, absolutely decent.
You wake up in a sinking ship , an Ark filled with refugees and animals in cages .
– Real player with 57.0 hrs in game
Image of Perfection
(I noted that this game was tagged with “horror”… and I don’t like horror… But it’s actually Supernatural! So that makes it all better. : )
I thought the story was pretty good. It kept giving you little bits and pieces for you to figure out what was going on through the entire game play/ talking / etc. I also think it’s a good message (I think I got the good end?) The writing was spot on, it was clear and understandable and interesting. If there were a continuation of the characters and their stories, I would read it. (Not asking… Just saying).
– Real player with 2.1 hrs in game
I’m definitely biased (writer of the game, here) but I put a lot of heart into this project, and I feel like it came out in the finished product. Try it out if you like emotional, personal stories.
– Real player with 0.8 hrs in game
Mugen Souls
Just like its demon-turned-angel character, this game has difficulty deciding what it wants to be. Which is unfortunately, as it is a good game. It tries to sell itself on its “sexyness” when in fact, it is hardly present. It tries a lot of gameplay mechanisms but does not really perfect any of them. And I guess that it unfortunately is partially reflected on its score.
So, first, contrary to what the screenshots would suggest, this game has very mild and sparse “sexy content”, to the exlusion of the bath scenes that concludes each chapter. In fact, once you’re past the 1st chapter, it becomes an after-thought story-wise. Maybe the result of the censorship (?), but in my case that striked a good balance.
– Real player with 105.2 hrs in game
A game as absurd as it is full of kinks and innuendo as it is fun.
NOTE 1: Pressing R2 can skip battle animations! or you can disable them entirely in the config menu. This is very important for making the grind go faster.
NOTE 2: The free DLC is nothing but OP items that make the game impossible to lose. Disable DLC in the title screen menu before you press New Game if you want to enjoy playing through it vanilla.
Now, onto the review!/Mechanics Summary!
The story can be described in two words: Galactic domination. You play as (say it with me now) a loli heroine who has amnesia, but instead of saving the world you’re going to 7 different planets subjugating each one along the way. This is done by finding the strongest people on every planet and forcing them to join you. Like all Compile Heart games you’ll end up with a large cast of different personalities who are all hilarious to see interact with one another. Sounds fun? It is. Until the grind.
– Real player with 50.7 hrs in game
Fear Equation
I find it somewhat baffling that this mostly excellent game seems to have been released and then forgotten by most. While most games at least have a reddit sub dedicated to them, there is nothing for this game at all. Very few comments on indie game sites as well. Which is a shame, since it seems that, as a forgotten game, the chances of ever getting a sequel with enhanced mechanics is slim.
My only complaint with the game is that the social/faction mechanic is simply not as fleshed out as it could be. That whole aspect can be almost ignored with no consequence. Do they like you? Are they going to revolt? Meh…no matter most of the time. I would have liked to see some more interaction with the passengers themselves; in terms of maybe getting more detailed information by clicking on an individual passenger (relationship graphs to other passengers and to you. rumours, etc…) and perhaps be able to take more actions to affect their behaviour (ie. craft an edict. make a deal to send someone in with propaganda, etc…)
– Real player with 28.1 hrs in game
Overall, a visually beautiful, slower-paced game that reqiures you to manage the resources on the train, assign passengers to carriages based on their factions to prevent internal conflicts, and build defenses against the fog. Once you reach a destination, you can send passengers out to search for items/food/fuel, either through a random lottery or by rigging the lottery to send your stronger passengers.
It’s not a reactive game, like Deadnaut, instead you plan ahead and then watch it executed. Personally I prefer this style, but I tend to like management games anyway.
– Real player with 17.4 hrs in game
Stirring Abyss
I have received a free key as being part of closed [i]beta test[/i]. Neither am I affiliated with the developers nor have I received any compensation for my review.
Stirring Abyss is a turn-based tactical game set in the depths of Lovecraftian ocean. It has been made by three-man indie studio Sleepy Sentry from A Land of a Thousand Lakes.
You will control a handful of Salem USS submarine’s crew members while exploring procedurally generated ocean floor missions, fighting strange enemies and managing resources at Salem to repair different parts of the vessel, unlock upgrades or craft items. Your goal is to save the crew by fixing the damaged submarine and leave abyss.
– Real player with 63.4 hrs in game
yes i’d recommend the game, and while it sound odd’s, i’ve not followed it’s progress either or enjoyed the demo, so i’ll now give my reasons why i’d recommend it all the same,
the demo was ok, but for me i didn’t play enough or see enough to really say i liked the design or think that it was going to be long enough for me to really enjoy and play, as i have more than enough un started un finished game already, not played,…
my was i wrong, so very wrong tbh, as i saw many saying it was too hard and or too short, i thought well in for a penny in for a pound and jumped straight it, my play style is how i test, so no reading, no watching and with little thought going in, i started on easy in the story mode, and the rest is history, i died, many times and had little clue overall on what i was doing or doing right or wrong, so i stepped back and looked at the diver i was given, then understood what i was doing wrong, the design wasn’t wrong, it was the idiot who was playing it, firing a speargun from X numbers of hexes away and missing isn’t a issue with the game or design, but a lack of understanding on who was firing it, what skill or lack of they had and my understand on how things work under water for one, so the basic design is well done, now with the better understanding on just because a certain diver gets given a certain item, doesn’t mean there the best person for it, so like any RPG, understanding stats is key to longer play, level and skills, items used are key to staying alive, progress from story missions are only a small part of the game, side missions giving items needed to stay alive and gain more exp and level up for the story means 13 missions alone, your not going to get the extra ability to really do the game justice unless really skilled, which i’m not so good at, so learning how the game works, getting the extra pieces of equipment, leveling up and altering your stats to stay alive for longer is key, not just endless grind and lucky dice roles, alter your base sub, add more items, build more, search more and research more is key to happy and longer game play, so what on the surface seems a easy to play game, becomes something with more depth than of first inspection, most won’t get to the 4th diver and really get into the game in under 3 to 4 hours of play, so won’t understand or enjoy this, the first few hours of the game, aren’t really the game at all, just the tutorial and the basic’s of how it plays, it’s mid to late game, which really makes this shine, then again what do i know, i tend to test more and game less and die often, but with trial and error and 7 hours in, i’ve find the depth of the game which for most may or could stay hidden from less time in game, don’t take me word for it either, spent the time, it’s worth it, as 2 hours won’t get you anywhere or enough into the game to really see either, yes it’s a challenge, but those who refuse to play on anything other than the hardest setting from day one, will be in for a hard game unless you pick up more than the basic’s and are lucky from the off, so either way play and enjoy and see you at the bottom of the sea, with luck you will get the parts needed to repair the sub and use that as a base to explore, finding new bits and bobs, maps, plans and items and parts to level up your every growing crew, to carry on the mission in hand, if you die to often, just take a step back and see what’s killing you and ask why? as some crew are better when surrounded while other have the skills needed for other task, plan to use them correctly and the game is more than just doable, but enjoyable and not just a challenge, but fun into the depth.
– Real player with 56.8 hrs in game
Omega Quintet
PROS
-
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
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
Death end re;Quest 2
WARNING: Before buying the game have a look at the forum and check a thread about an early game-breaking bug. Many people still cannot play the game after starting the first dungeon. At the moment this review is published, the bug is still present, but the team practically solved the problem. My original review was negative due to the bug, but an additional branch of the game provided by the Idea Factory tech support allowed me to continue to play through the game without problems. This is an experimental branch but I think it is just a matter of days till the problem will be solved for everybody with an actual patch. According to other players, the game has other potential bugs, but on the branch I played everything worked quite fine. However, maybe if you have the possibility, a console version of the game is a safer bet right now. Anyway the following is the review of the actual game, without considering the bug.
– Real player with 50.1 hrs in game
Well…. this is kind of a letdown to be honest. The game is a shadow of its former self
Death End Re;Quest 2…..I was really amped when I heard that the Death End’s going to have sequel instead what I got was closer to an intermission rather an actual sequel, and not the good kind at that. The only good news is that this part is a set up for the next arc. So, we know there’s going to be a sequel unless the series got cancelled.
The Pros
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Exceptional CG
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Great soundtrack
– Real player with 48.5 hrs in game