Machina of the Planet Tree -Planet Ruler- Game Sample - PC/Doujin
23"Machina of the Planet Tree -Planet Ruler-" is an RPG by Denneko Yuugi. It is one of MANY games localized on Steam using RPG Maker (in this case, RPG Maker VX Ace)... I typically avoid most of them because they use too many stock assets of the engine, aren't particularly compelling and seem rushed together to make a quick buck. Some devs have good intentions, but you'd be surprised how many RPG Maker titles neglect "RPG Basics 101".
What do you typically think of when you think of good design in an RPG? Good storytelling? Lore? World-building? Extensive content with branching paths or side quests? Compelling battle mechanics? A good soundtrack? Immersion? You don't necessarily need all of these things together to have a good RPG, but they definitely help create a more cohesive experience... so why are so many of these games so woefully lacking when there are literally thousands of games that can serve as a basis for competent design? I hate to bring this up because there are some things I like about this title which is why I bought it, but it's pretty lackluster.
In the game, you play the role of Cram Lanvelouche, an S-Rank Machinarian of the Halbern Machinery Academy, who works to excavate resources and attributes that the Academy pools and uses throughout the city. During one of his routine jobs, he comes across a mysterious girl who has a map that leads to an amazing attribute, which he decides to keep to himself as he doesn't fully trust the Academy (Due to events ten years prior which are not explained very well ). This takes him on a journey to find the Planet Tree, where he learns that some things are more important than attributes.
I was drawn in by the great character illustrations, but the characters are sadly very one-dimensional... you have the cocky and oblivious main character, energetic and busty character, quiet and reserved character, etc., and you can generally tell who is who by looking at them, so don't expect any surprises in the narrative. This would be okay if the game took the time to develop these characters, but you know next to nothing about any of them by the game's end, there are almost no NPCs to interact with, and major scenes leave no impact. Things just...happen. This is especially a crime since the game introduces "skits" like the "Tales of" games, but they add very little to the experience. A small part of this is due to a sequel that was in the works (MotPT -Flying Dreamer-), but it has been stuck in limbo for years due to a desire to move it to a new engine and complications with said engine.
As far as the gameplay and interface, the game uses a lot of stock assets, but there are some original assets and the battle system was re-coded to incorporate an interesting "Cost Combo" system. Characters learn a variety of skills that can be enhanced (Over-Arts, think "EX" ver.) for some TP and strung together to create combos. While TP never increases, cost slowly rises as you level up. Executing different attacks in succession creates a combo modifier which increases the damage you deal, while repeating actions consecutively reduces it. When TP is maxed, characters can execute "Over-Tension" which doubles their cost for one round but reduces TP to zero the next. When TP is 10 or below, characters suffer "Irritation" and lose more damage and recover TP slower.
While the system is fun for a while, it is easily exploited by stocking up on TP items and filling it to max before a battle and spamming low-cost / high hit attacks to get a ridiculous modifier and then finishing with a few powerful techs, killing most bosses and mobs in a single round. This is further exploited by activating Over-Tension first and then using skills to buff your character's stats without using Cost... I guess it's good cause most bosses have an annoying regeneration ability and some of the toughest bosses have one million HP or more. What I really don't like is the game is extremely linear with no optional quests, no armor and only one accessory. Weapons can be crafted and take the place of armor to an extent, but farming resources for them is the only diversion from the main quest.
The game looks like an RPG Maker game...characters have decent animations, but are quite small, and the few bosses who animate look odd next to static enemy graphics. The soundtrack is a mixed-bag; the quality is inconsistent (some seem to be a lower frequency than others). The game can be beaten in under 10 hours if you know what you're doing. I'd like the sequel(s) to be made and try other works from this dev, but sales weren't really strong for this game. This is a video of the introduction and some intermediate gameplay. Enjoy:
Store Page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/383960/Machina_of_the_Planet_Tree_Planet_Ruler/
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