Manafinder

Наиграл 2-3 часа в автономном режиме. Очень скучная игра, которая, по сути, является визуальной новеллой, а никакой не RPG, так как практически все бои в ней заскриптованы. Ладно хоть как новелла была бы норм, но диалоги и сцены просто унылейшие, абсолютно никакого интереса происходящее не вызывает.

Manafinder blends somewhat Mystic Quest-esque gameplay design (though much more credible than that) with the moody and sometimes bleak storytelling of Alundra. The story is generally well-written and intelligent, and gameplay is fast, engaging, and addictive, despite its simplicity. I had a hard time putting it down until the end. I do have some critiques, but if the premise sounds like something you'll enjoy, you can probably go ahead and get it. If you're on the fence, though, let's look at some of its shortcomings. If you were skeptical of the two-character combat, you're unfortunately justified, as combat is one of the weaker parts of this adventure. The dog is not particularly useful most of the time, due to his inflexibility and mediocre stats, so this isn't much different from solo combat. Combat here is all about overpowering enemies with the correct weapon and element selection, with the occasional spell to tilt things in your favor - but Scar can't do any of that. All he can do is attack a target of your choosing or use a weak healing item on himself, making him really just a bit of extra damage and a second pool of hit points. He contributes no utility or action economy at all, and sometimes, trying to keep him alive is actually a liability. If Lambda goes down, Scar can't revive her, and he is unlikely to win on his own. This all feels particularly odd because other manafinders actually accompany you in the field during certain parts of the game, but their contribution to combat is limited to popping up with a standard attack every few rounds. Having them join as temporary playable characters would have added a bit more dynamism and variety to the gameplay, and is one thing that Mystic Quest actually does better than this game. Maybe the developers had trouble balancing all the side content against a variable party size. All that said, the lack of complex party dynamics isn't that big a problem in context. Encounters generally play out very quickly, so the overall feel of the game is more arcadey than tactical. If you're looking for crunchy mechanics and difficult combat challenges, though, you probably won't be satisfied. The story plays out largely as an allegory for the real-world energy crisis. This is a compelling direction with stakes that feel visceral and personal (a contrast to how abstract it can feel in real life for many of us), but I think it struggles with Lambda's place in it. Her only dialogue is terse and player-chosen. The game often poses questions in dialogue that warrant a nuanced answer, but asks for a binary response (or just "stay silent") that doesn't give the impression that Lambda is thinking much about things. Some of these will put you on a path towards one of several endings, but I think the story would still have been better served to just write the protagonist with full dialogue and an outside perspective. This would provide a more critical lens through which to view the different factions, all of which are portrayed as intractably maximalist, and in turn offer more insight into the real-world problems that it's examining. In summary, while there is always room for improvement, this is still a quality adventure that is well worth your time, and offers more enjoyment than many RPGs that cost orders of magnitude more to make.

Solid JRPG that doesn't overstay its welcome (about 15 hours for me to 100% my first playthrough with minimal grinding). A bit of customization in progression via gear and buying perks as you level, but nothing super in-depth. Solid story, kept me entertained throughout. Also allows for player choice with 3 different endings.