In seven years, this Japanese-themed RPG has been made by a German developer. The result is a tribute to the old classics that came before the Super Nintendo – and a game that far surpasses its peers.
You lead a group of eight adventurers trying to figure out how a mysterious superweapon blew up an entire country. A story that seems simple at first, but is very well written. It is especially remarkable that the game was made by one person: the story has a kind of authorship that you don’t see in large-scale productions.
The battles are turn-based, just like in classic role-playing games. Unique is that you restore all of your life points and techniques between battles, thus entering each battle at full strength. This was taken into account when designing the game, which means that you have to be on your guard against any opponent. It’s rare to hit A until an enemy dies – you have to work hard to kill even simple monsters.
There is no such thing as old growth in a level. Instead, after boss fights and other important moments, you get points that you can invest in your characters, choosing what you become better at. In addition, the game world is full of optional bosses and upgrades. The result is an exceptionally good game, which outperforms other RPGs this year.