RPG Maker Let's Play - Legends of Astravia - Game Critique

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Studio Blue

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Published on April 16, 2019 1:15:40 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGQ3anh-2JM

Game:

RPG Maker (1997)

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Let's Play

Duration: 2:09:59

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Hi everyone! In this RPG Maker Let’s Play, we take a first look at the world of “Legends of Astravia” by Jaiden, an RPG Maker XP game with some amazing mapping and mechanics. Thank you for the support, Jaiden!

Right out the gate, we can tell you that the developer put a lot of thought into the design of his levels, and that is easily the strongest part of the game. Visually, it’s very good, and if this is not parallax mapping, it fooled us completely. Well done on the design of each map! We have only a few critical points there, and they are easily remedied.

Now for the stuff that needs attention.

This game starts off with a cinematic opening that, while quite interesting, goes on for a bit too long. The entire introduction takes nearly ten minutes before any control is given to the player, which is way too much for an RPG Maker game. The protagonist, Oliver, is very generic, lacking any sort of character hook until the completion of the first dungeon. Amnesiac characters need to have a strong “hook” to make them exciting and engaging. This can be an odd tattoo, an item that resonates with them, a single memory that compels them. Anything. Oliver lacks that and it shows.

The main story is also not compelling, at least not for the first two hours, and although it doesn’t go into the realm of cliché, it doesn’t do anything unique either. The world is obviously rich of lore, and it’s obvious that considerable thought went into its creation. But none of that comes out, and the game suffers for it. We don’t want to see this game meander in mediocrity.

Lastly, the chain of events in the opening two hours is, unfortunately, quite contrived. Oliver has no memory, and for… some… reason he wants to go to Valica? It doesn’t really make sense and needs to be front-loaded. The way the small village reacts to the little girl being kidnapped is more how a large town or city would with an active militia, not a tiny village in a swamp with only one trained combatant. Speaking of which, why is Baldric even there? What’s the reason for someone with such skill being in the middle of nowhere? It doesn’t make any sense. The way the game transitions from first crisis to first dungeon is completely Laissez Faire, and it just doesn’t work. We offer several suggestions on how to fix this. Lastly, the first dungeon is twice as long as it should be and needs to be cut down.

Also… never give away for free an item a player can buy. Just. Never. Do. That.

However, all the above points are easily fixed, and we pick on them because overall the game plays very well. It’s breathtaking on how it’s designed, the critical and optional paths are very well defined, and it’s fun to play. Teal especially loves the material-gathering component. We give it shit because we see just how good it can be once the critical issues are fixed. We see good things with this game’s future and urge the developer to hit it as hard as he can with all the love in his heart.

What do you all think? How can Jaiden make this the best it can be?


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