SMILE Game Builder Let's Play - Chronicles of Espiria - Game Critique

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Studio Blue

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Published on January 14, 2019 5:28:04 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiOjlMCH7Gc

Game:

RPG Maker (1997)

Category:

Let's Play

Duration: 1:12:42

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Hello everyone! In this SMILE Game Builder Let's Play, we looked at the 3D RPG world of Chronicles of Espiria by DrassRay, a unique and fun experience that is a departure from what we usually do. And to be honest, it's refreshingly nice to see something other than RPG Maker.

First off, the visuals in this game are really nice, showing not only what SMILE Game Builder can do, but what a 3D RPG Maker could do if it were ever implemented. And since we've seen default SMILE Builder models and objects before, it was awesome seeing what some custom artwork was like. From a visual standpoint, this game is going great places and can only get better.

The music and sounds are great too, providing a wonderful atmosphere that pulls the player right into the world. The desert wind effect was especially nice.

We loved the map design, both how it plays off the isometric 3D view and how it breaks up the negative space with interesting pieces. We even didn't mind the transition from forest to cave and then to desert. The blockiness of the SMILE game engine limits the developer to a Final Fantasy Tactics style look, but that is easily forgivable very quickly.

The battle system is basic and could use some customizing, but we're not sure if SMILE allows for custom scripting, etc. If that's the limitation of the engine, so be it. It's not bad. It's just basic.

The greatest strength comes from the Espirion System, the stat customization and growth system. By using the dropped materials called Espirite (Magicite anyone? ^_~), the player can raise stats and learn new skills, not too unlike the Crystarium System from Final Fantasy XIII or the Constellation System from Skyrim. It is such a refreshingly nice system that we were genuinely excited for the developer.

However, when it comes to the game writing, things start to fall apart very quickly, and that leads us to the weakest part of the game. The town NPCs don't add any life or value to the world, their comments and talking points are incredibly generic, and it doesn't take into account, the extraordinary events surrounding the appearance of the protagonist. The plot is riddled with writer convenience, and the progression is very "you need to go here" followed by "sure, ok" moments. The tertiary character of Issac has the most character growth, and we don't meet him until near the end of the video.

So suffice to see, the game's writing needs some ground level rework. However, if fixed, this game will not only be something really special, but will be a solid and powerful case to further explore the SMILE Game Builder Engine.

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