False Skies
released on Nov 30, 2022
False Skies is a traditional turn-based RPG with an involved class system and a retro look. Explore a not-quite-modern world with a party of your own creation, and learn the truth behind the disappearance of a city that vanished 2000 years ago.
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This is a kind of rich JRPG that fans clamour for! The combat is very typical focusing on the importance of a well-balanced party with multiple damage types, healing, buffs, and debuffs. What makes this game shine is the class system.
You initially make warriors from an array of classes but as the game goes on you unlock new classes of higher tiers and effectiveness. There's lots of customization involved because of all the choices you get. Another interesting quirk is that classes continue to learn skills even as they level up past the point they can upgrade to a higher tier, so you can wait and see if that lower-tier class develops additional skills. There's permanence in class changes because once you switch, you can't reverse it. It's a big decision but I gather it's hard to screw yourself over with a bad build. There's a lot of synergy between classes, even ones that might not seem to go well together.
To make party building easier, while the game only allows four members in your party at any time, you can have a large amount of reserve heroes that still get some EXP even while they're inactive. Managing over a party that large might cost a lot of money to equip them all but having access to a wider variety of hero builds makes it worth it.
The game is surprisingly long for something with this GBC-inspired look. It did drag a little bit toward the end but exploring this world was a delight and I always eager to keep pushing forward. Most players seem to take 30-40 hours to finish this game. It took me 70 but I was playing on Hard so there was a lot of retrying dungeons and bosses. I also didn't consult help or a guide very often so there was some wandering when it came to some sidequests.
There are a lot of sidequests but they're not fetch quests or throwaway chores. Many of them reward the player with coveted Class Data (the stuff that unlocks new classes to upgrade into), so the rewards for doing the side content is very, well, rewarding.
A big downside goes to the story. I found myself confused with the villain group. Early on they are composed by a lot of same-faced adversaries who have specific motivations and personalities but that's hard to parse when you are given a lot of names to remember. Exploring the world was still fun and I like this kind of fantasy but with 20th century technology. As the plot moves into the second half of the game, the characters became more distinct and the stakes became clear. This is also a fantasy world with a very interesting cosmology.
By the end of the game, I was exhausted, but in a MOSTLY good way. I felt like I had accomplished something by taking on this challenge, and I think this is a standout JRPG and it has potential to become a classic in the indie space!
You initially make warriors from an array of classes but as the game goes on you unlock new classes of higher tiers and effectiveness. There's lots of customization involved because of all the choices you get. Another interesting quirk is that classes continue to learn skills even as they level up past the point they can upgrade to a higher tier, so you can wait and see if that lower-tier class develops additional skills. There's permanence in class changes because once you switch, you can't reverse it. It's a big decision but I gather it's hard to screw yourself over with a bad build. There's a lot of synergy between classes, even ones that might not seem to go well together.
To make party building easier, while the game only allows four members in your party at any time, you can have a large amount of reserve heroes that still get some EXP even while they're inactive. Managing over a party that large might cost a lot of money to equip them all but having access to a wider variety of hero builds makes it worth it.
The game is surprisingly long for something with this GBC-inspired look. It did drag a little bit toward the end but exploring this world was a delight and I always eager to keep pushing forward. Most players seem to take 30-40 hours to finish this game. It took me 70 but I was playing on Hard so there was a lot of retrying dungeons and bosses. I also didn't consult help or a guide very often so there was some wandering when it came to some sidequests.
There are a lot of sidequests but they're not fetch quests or throwaway chores. Many of them reward the player with coveted Class Data (the stuff that unlocks new classes to upgrade into), so the rewards for doing the side content is very, well, rewarding.
A big downside goes to the story. I found myself confused with the villain group. Early on they are composed by a lot of same-faced adversaries who have specific motivations and personalities but that's hard to parse when you are given a lot of names to remember. Exploring the world was still fun and I like this kind of fantasy but with 20th century technology. As the plot moves into the second half of the game, the characters became more distinct and the stakes became clear. This is also a fantasy world with a very interesting cosmology.
By the end of the game, I was exhausted, but in a MOSTLY good way. I felt like I had accomplished something by taking on this challenge, and I think this is a standout JRPG and it has potential to become a classic in the indie space!