RPG Maker Let's Play - A Knight's Requiem - Game Critique

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Published on July 6, 2019 1:28:01 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0uDKmqpCA

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RPG Maker (1997)

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Let's Play

Duration: 1:05:32

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Hello everyone! In this RPG Maker Let's Play, we look at the Mode 7 world of "A Knight's Requiem" by JaiR, the William Castle of RPG Maker Development.

We'll say this right now: We've never finished one of JaiR's games, and we don't break that streak with this one due to a game-breaking bug. Sorry, everyone!

Visually and aurally, this game is both fun and unique, and impressive for the most part. The Mode 7 creates some odd "walking places," but nothing so immersion breaking that it doesn't work. The music, some of it which was composed by the developer himself, is superb, and the presentation is what we'd expect by the creator of Tales of Mobius.

Unfortunately, the game's story seems more like a collection of ideas come together into a paper flipbook than something actually cohesive... Teal puts it best when she says "It's just a weak story." This is due to the following reasons: (1) King Jurrow goes on a murder spree with almost no explanation what the motivation is, despite it being compelling enough to make Khoul cut off his best friend's head, (2) Khoul's exile-not-exile is nothing more than a launch-point for the story instead of a part of it, (3) everything from Khoul and Cynthia meeting to entering the Cave of Desolation is that thing we call "writer's convenience," and (4) there is zero character development despite there being two amazing opportunities (when Cynthia is recovering and when the heroes are on the raft). The story just needs work.

There are balancing issues as well: (1) The basic attacks need to do considerably more damage, (2) bats don't need to be draining so early in the game, and if they must, the healing ratio needs to be cut in half, (3) healing items don't appear to do what they say they do (that didn't seem like 30% when we used the healing herbs, but that may have been us), and (4) the Techs cost way too much.

Lastly, there are some bad map design issues: (1) There aren't any clearly defined exits, (2) there are too many "push the boulder" puzzles, (3) the trigger radius for enemies into the ChronoEngine is too big, and (4) the game-breaking bug where we can't return to the previous screen.

And, boy... oh boy... them Gatling Gun Arrows!

Overall, this game needs a lot of work to be as good as the others by this developer, but it is possible. What do you think? How can the developer make it the best it can be? Let us know in the comments below!

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