RPG Maker Let's Play - Labyronia Elements - Game Critique
25DISCLAIMER: We received this game for free to critique/review.
Hello everyone! In this RPG Maker Let's Play, we explore the labyrinthian world of Labyronia Elements, a game with a helluva a presentation built upon a shaky foundation.
This one gets an A+ for presentation, from the custom artwork to the beautiful atmosphere to the haunting soundtrack. Everything about game oozes a Dark Souls style that really resonates with us.
There are a few minor issues, like calling the protagonist "Dark One" or using the lantern effect too much, but these are either quite forgivable or easily remedied.
However, this game has several problems on a fundamental and philosophical level that inhibit it from being an overall solid project. We're going to list them out, one issue per paragraph, to best help the developer understand where the game isn't succeeding.
First, the story is presented via two info dumps, one when the game is first loaded, and one when meeting the Goddess Areatha. The first one is perfect, as it serves as the game's opening cinematic, and sets the stage gloriously. The second, however, is a straight dump of information that is quite overwhelming. We've viewed the video twice and are still trying to figure out what 15 things we need to find along with 3 other things, 5 pendants, and 7 radiant ones. We're pretty intelligent people, and yet we're completely confused.
The second lends itself to the first: the writing. The developer is trying to write eloquently and with a high sense of self, as many fantasy authors do, but the word choice and sentence structure make it into something rather heavy-handed. It's hard to take the characters seriously when every statement is a mission of dire importance or the vow of eternal servitude. While those are just two examples, it's how the text came across to us.
Next, we have the characters you meet in the early stages of the game. There is zero empathy for the Dark One, the Goddess Areatha, or the plight of the world. It's so high-level and ethereal that us mere mortals cannot sympathize with the players on this vast, cosmic field. A game needs to create that player/character bond immediately, and this game doesn't do that.
Lastly, we have the fundamental issue with this game: It's not the kind of RPG it advertises itself to be. It's a dungeon-crawling maze game with RPG elements, but the store page makes it look like a typical high-fantasy RPG that contains a few mazes. The entire game is a maze: The world map is a giant maze, and every dungeon is assumedly a maze. While there are some players who will enjoy this, the store page needs to be more honest with what they are getting into before they purchase the game.
Here is the biggest issue: Tight-corridor mazes on their own is inherently bad map design. You can have one or two in your game, maybe even a large one if the game really sells it, but to have the entire game be reminiscent of a paper maze you solve in a Sunday paper is unforgivable. Labirynths can be open with rooms and hallways and secret passages and so many other things than a tight-corridor maze. That narrows down the player base significantly. What could be otherwise an amazing game is done a complete disservice, as it creates more frustration than excitement. And for a game like Labyronia Elements, which is 80+ hours long, the use of nothing but tight-corridor mazes as opposed to a myriad of other possibilities, all with could have been labyrinthine in nature, seems just plain lazy.
It is only fair to point out that we played the game for less than an hour; however, you have five to ten minutes to hook a player into the game, and thirty to pull them into the main story. Every problem we've pointed out may very well be fixed as one continues to play the game... but we don't feel most players will give the game that much of a chance. We always try to help the developers with our critiques and have nothing but respect for a person creating a full game. It's extremely difficult, time-consuming, and monetarily draining. The presentation in this game is amazing and shows a real talent for storytelling. Our hat goes off to the developer, but until they fix these issues, we honestly feel this game will never be the best it can be.
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