maishalaforge
This review contains spoilers
Really loved this game. Escha and Logy's relationship is what made me want to continue the game. They really do bring out the best in each other and, even if it is only implied, they have great romantic chemistry.
Logy being brought out of his shell by Escha and Escha improving in her work ethic was so fun to watch. Their antics are very entertaining and I loved when you could choose between the dialogue options to make a scene more intimate. The character driven focus on the game is easily my favorite part. Unlike Ayesha, the characters conclusion tie into the lore of the Dusk universe a lot more, giving a better idea as to what is going on.
The story was alright, you don't really get a solid narrative until the 9th assignment when you have to investigate the Geosys and Flameu. I do think that it does a great job at building on the foundations that Ayesha set. Just like Ayesha, the world is somber but beautiful.
The crafting is super simple but engaging. I liked it a lot more than the Ayesha spreadsheet stuff. The combat was fun but once you know you can abuse the double draw system and slag essence to get the 200% dmg multiplier the game becomes really easy. Overall I had a great time playing it.
Logy being brought out of his shell by Escha and Escha improving in her work ethic was so fun to watch. Their antics are very entertaining and I loved when you could choose between the dialogue options to make a scene more intimate. The character driven focus on the game is easily my favorite part. Unlike Ayesha, the characters conclusion tie into the lore of the Dusk universe a lot more, giving a better idea as to what is going on.
The story was alright, you don't really get a solid narrative until the 9th assignment when you have to investigate the Geosys and Flameu. I do think that it does a great job at building on the foundations that Ayesha set. Just like Ayesha, the world is somber but beautiful.
The crafting is super simple but engaging. I liked it a lot more than the Ayesha spreadsheet stuff. The combat was fun but once you know you can abuse the double draw system and slag essence to get the 200% dmg multiplier the game becomes really easy. Overall I had a great time playing it.
2016
Amazing narrative and atmosphere. I can see why this is considered a classic.
2023
I've only found love for this game on my second play-through. On Normal, the game isn't hard enough for your to interact with all of the mechanics. I didn't forge or engrave weapon, barely inherited any skills, didn't care about what the unit types did, and just relied on the rings to carry me.
Now playing on maddening, the mechanics and what to do become more relevant and that's when the game shines. The amount of customization and build variety is insane, you can make anyone viable if you try hard enough. Clanne is starts as a mage with really weird growths, his magic growth is meh and his strength is alright. He also has very good speed and decent dex. Without really knowing what to do with rings, engraves, and forges, most people will drop him for later magic units. What I did was reclass him into a swordmaster with a Robin ring, Levin Sword, Alacrity + Canter, and watch him destroy everything in his path. Without knowledge of the game mechanics, which the game doesn't do a good job of showcasing, the average player wouldn't be able to think about a unit this way.
As for the story, it's garbage. I got bored around chapter 18 and skipped until the end. The game-play carries this game hard, but I've never really thought a Fire Emblem story was above a 7/10 so it didn't bug me. The characters are really fun though, a bunch of insane people gathered in one place harassing each other. Just like any other game, the characterization is locked behind supports. But, since the story doesn't do a good job at utilizing any of the characters, this choice was even more egregious. Overall, I can see why people don't like the game.
Now playing on maddening, the mechanics and what to do become more relevant and that's when the game shines. The amount of customization and build variety is insane, you can make anyone viable if you try hard enough. Clanne is starts as a mage with really weird growths, his magic growth is meh and his strength is alright. He also has very good speed and decent dex. Without really knowing what to do with rings, engraves, and forges, most people will drop him for later magic units. What I did was reclass him into a swordmaster with a Robin ring, Levin Sword, Alacrity + Canter, and watch him destroy everything in his path. Without knowledge of the game mechanics, which the game doesn't do a good job of showcasing, the average player wouldn't be able to think about a unit this way.
As for the story, it's garbage. I got bored around chapter 18 and skipped until the end. The game-play carries this game hard, but I've never really thought a Fire Emblem story was above a 7/10 so it didn't bug me. The characters are really fun though, a bunch of insane people gathered in one place harassing each other. Just like any other game, the characterization is locked behind supports. But, since the story doesn't do a good job at utilizing any of the characters, this choice was even more egregious. Overall, I can see why people don't like the game.
2022
Fun escape game to play, especially with a friend. Some of the hints were a little obvious, but it was fun overall.
This review contains spoilers
Really loved this game. Even though the time limit was a bit stressful, I still finished it with a lot of time left over. Despite that, I only had enough time left to do Juris' ending, so I'm going to try to optimize my play for NG+ to get a few more endings.
This entry in the Atelier series puts crafting on the back burner and focuses more on the story. I think this struck a perfect balance. The crafting wasn't too complicated and transferring traits was easy once you unlocked the ability to do that. It was easy to get Linca to 0MP skills, combined with some decent medicine and some bombs, the bosses were a breeze.
The story was very relaxed and I loved the atmosphere. The themes of arrival and departure were apparent everywhere. From Nio herself, the homunculi, Keith, Tanya in the salt desert, Runan, Ernie, Nanaca, and Juris always traveling, I thought the writers did a good job at conveying the joys of coming and going.
The dynamics between all the characters were super fun too. Ayesha seems like an airhead, but she's just naive and sheltered. She may not know much about the world, but that's contrasted by her vast knowledge of medicine. I found her demeanor very charming and she was actually very funny. The plotlines each character had were interesting (Though I can't comment on all of them because I only got Juris' ending). I loved everyone in the cast and everyone carried their weight in presenting charm. I loved every second of this game.
This entry in the Atelier series puts crafting on the back burner and focuses more on the story. I think this struck a perfect balance. The crafting wasn't too complicated and transferring traits was easy once you unlocked the ability to do that. It was easy to get Linca to 0MP skills, combined with some decent medicine and some bombs, the bosses were a breeze.
The story was very relaxed and I loved the atmosphere. The themes of arrival and departure were apparent everywhere. From Nio herself, the homunculi, Keith, Tanya in the salt desert, Runan, Ernie, Nanaca, and Juris always traveling, I thought the writers did a good job at conveying the joys of coming and going.
The dynamics between all the characters were super fun too. Ayesha seems like an airhead, but she's just naive and sheltered. She may not know much about the world, but that's contrasted by her vast knowledge of medicine. I found her demeanor very charming and she was actually very funny. The plotlines each character had were interesting (Though I can't comment on all of them because I only got Juris' ending). I loved everyone in the cast and everyone carried their weight in presenting charm. I loved every second of this game.
Crazy amount of backtracking and high encounter rates made this super boring to play. The game advises you to break it but even breaking it was whatever. Might come back to it later since the story was alright.
This review contains spoilers
Felt the characters kind of lacking in this one but there's two other games, so I'm hoping they develop them a bit more. I really liked the themes presented in the story. An island that never changes despite being a giant piece of technology that can change on a whim. I also liked that Ryza was the only one to stay even though she was the main person saying how much she wants to leave. I also liked how you could see the theme of change and growth if you did the side quests, all the NPCs change in their own way or their small arcs revolve around change or revisiting the past in new ways. The story was serviceable since the story is focused more on the characters.
I thought the gameplay was decent, I spent more time breaking the game with the alchemy which doubled my playtime. I thought it was simplistic but engaging enough where I wanted to mess around with items and make myself OP. Great entry point into the series and I would recommend it for people who haven't gotten into Atelier yet.
I thought the gameplay was decent, I spent more time breaking the game with the alchemy which doubled my playtime. I thought it was simplistic but engaging enough where I wanted to mess around with items and make myself OP. Great entry point into the series and I would recommend it for people who haven't gotten into Atelier yet.