The most striking factor about Hylics is certainly its unique identity. It is surprising what has been achieved in visual and sound levels and it amazes me that it is an RPG Maker game. The presentation of the game is jaw-dropping, not only in the visuals of the world and its track, but also in the combat animations. There is nothing to be contradicted in this segment - an audiovisual experience is where the game shines and if it is the aesthetic aspect, what matters most will have a full plate.
It is still necessary to emphasize that there is a negative point in this part: there is no clarity of distinction in the visual part. There is doubt to identify which elements should belong to those who are not, or which characters are enemies and which will defeat you with a touch.
There is a distinct lack of direction and balance in its gameplay. An example from my experience came in the first battle when Wayne alone was forced to fight four enemies with abilities that conjure blind (which disables Wayne due to the lack of skills and will go on at this point) still buffets the attack of all members with a unique ability and - not enough - they attack first. The way to get through this challenge was to ignore all the changes and reach the second member of the group, recruit him and only then win the first battle. However, there was no indication to guide this action.
Character characterizations are practically nil in terms of narrative and gameplay. Just the look says something (and look there). None of the members were distinguished and their differentiation in terms of gameplay is expressed through the equipment and the order that the player recruits them. There is nothing else that differentiates them to significant levels, giving rise to a narrow decision window that leaves the combat in the shallowest aspect imaginable.
There are skills and items that break and trivialize the fighting even more. The clearest example would be one of the spells achieved in Endgame through the collection of 3 tokens (which are by no means hidden or difficult enough, which makes me think that this skill has been planned as an easily accessible resource). This skill consists of delivering 3 very strong blows to random enemies. The problem is that this skill is taught to all members of your party at once, making any conflict in the endgame a joke.
And then there is another design problem against Hylics: All characters learn the same skill as long as you have recruited them for the party at that time. In addition to reducing the individuality of the characters, this decision implies backtracking players who - without knowing what awaits them - may wish to take precautions and revisit previous TVs.
The progression closely related to the character's death seems like an interesting balancing device at first glance. However, in my experience I found myself looking for death in banal ways to gain access to life upgrades and skills that were already accumulating in my inventory. Perhaps this scenario justifies the large number of enemies that eliminate the player with the simple touch, something that is certainly irritating but that I have acquired some usefulness here (in addition to being well positioned next to crystals). This whole problem could be avoided by giving the player the option to teleport to reach the upgrades Hall and create a more satisfying gameplay loop. However, it is not done and the crystals lack information that could make the game more accessible. Simple additions such as showing the name of the place where you will teleport to would be welcome and would avoid the need to decorate where each color will direct you (and if you miss the teleport, good luck. I imagine you will have to kill yourself.).
Furthermore, dying by itself is an overly obnoxious experience. If you fail in this game you will not only need to watch a death animation, but two that add up to a total of almost 10 seconds of waiting and cannot be skipped. Not enough, every time you die you will need to select the crystal with the corresponding color and then enter the teleport. It is a more time-consuming and complex process than necessary. The first animation of death was enough on its own (the second is even redundant in spite of being beautiful) and the teleportation problem would be solved if it memorized its last destination. In sections filled with monsters that eliminate the player by touch this becomes quite unpleasant.
Another factor that can induce more deaths and frustrations than necessary is the way the game opens in its second half. The freedom promoted is excessive due to the lack of information given to the player, generating yet another scenario of trial and error that will help to prolong the gameplay in those who refuse to use any walkthrough.
NPCs are overly random and did not give me information that was meaningful enough for me to care about anything in this game. The narrative for gameplay is interesting in some parts for its eccentricity but the great nonsense prevalence in doses that damage the final experience. Nothing against its use, in smaller doses would certainly enrich it, but the way it was used brought me the opposite effect.
Fortunately, it is a short and relatively concise game that does not have enough content to trap the player in his shortcomings for more than a few hours.
It is still necessary to emphasize that there is a negative point in this part: there is no clarity of distinction in the visual part. There is doubt to identify which elements should belong to those who are not, or which characters are enemies and which will defeat you with a touch.
There is a distinct lack of direction and balance in its gameplay. An example from my experience came in the first battle when Wayne alone was forced to fight four enemies with abilities that conjure blind (which disables Wayne due to the lack of skills and will go on at this point) still buffets the attack of all members with a unique ability and - not enough - they attack first. The way to get through this challenge was to ignore all the changes and reach the second member of the group, recruit him and only then win the first battle. However, there was no indication to guide this action.
Character characterizations are practically nil in terms of narrative and gameplay. Just the look says something (and look there). None of the members were distinguished and their differentiation in terms of gameplay is expressed through the equipment and the order that the player recruits them. There is nothing else that differentiates them to significant levels, giving rise to a narrow decision window that leaves the combat in the shallowest aspect imaginable.
There are skills and items that break and trivialize the fighting even more. The clearest example would be one of the spells achieved in Endgame through the collection of 3 tokens (which are by no means hidden or difficult enough, which makes me think that this skill has been planned as an easily accessible resource). This skill consists of delivering 3 very strong blows to random enemies. The problem is that this skill is taught to all members of your party at once, making any conflict in the endgame a joke.
And then there is another design problem against Hylics: All characters learn the same skill as long as you have recruited them for the party at that time. In addition to reducing the individuality of the characters, this decision implies backtracking players who - without knowing what awaits them - may wish to take precautions and revisit previous TVs.
The progression closely related to the character's death seems like an interesting balancing device at first glance. However, in my experience I found myself looking for death in banal ways to gain access to life upgrades and skills that were already accumulating in my inventory. Perhaps this scenario justifies the large number of enemies that eliminate the player with the simple touch, something that is certainly irritating but that I have acquired some usefulness here (in addition to being well positioned next to crystals). This whole problem could be avoided by giving the player the option to teleport to reach the upgrades Hall and create a more satisfying gameplay loop. However, it is not done and the crystals lack information that could make the game more accessible. Simple additions such as showing the name of the place where you will teleport to would be welcome and would avoid the need to decorate where each color will direct you (and if you miss the teleport, good luck. I imagine you will have to kill yourself.).
Furthermore, dying by itself is an overly obnoxious experience. If you fail in this game you will not only need to watch a death animation, but two that add up to a total of almost 10 seconds of waiting and cannot be skipped. Not enough, every time you die you will need to select the crystal with the corresponding color and then enter the teleport. It is a more time-consuming and complex process than necessary. The first animation of death was enough on its own (the second is even redundant in spite of being beautiful) and the teleportation problem would be solved if it memorized its last destination. In sections filled with monsters that eliminate the player by touch this becomes quite unpleasant.
Another factor that can induce more deaths and frustrations than necessary is the way the game opens in its second half. The freedom promoted is excessive due to the lack of information given to the player, generating yet another scenario of trial and error that will help to prolong the gameplay in those who refuse to use any walkthrough.
NPCs are overly random and did not give me information that was meaningful enough for me to care about anything in this game. The narrative for gameplay is interesting in some parts for its eccentricity but the great nonsense prevalence in doses that damage the final experience. Nothing against its use, in smaller doses would certainly enrich it, but the way it was used brought me the opposite effect.
Fortunately, it is a short and relatively concise game that does not have enough content to trap the player in his shortcomings for more than a few hours.