Alright, so I've played
Fallen ~ Makina and the City of Ruins.
I will start by adding a caveat; I didn't finish this game, but I did put about 3 or so hours into it, enough to get a feel of the game.
One more thing: I will keep this review
free of spoilers. The examples will be kept vague enough to not spoil.
Alright, let's get on with it.
Makina is by and large a generic Kagura RPGM game. The story isn't particularly interesting, the decisions and impact on the story that you can have is very, very limited and the combat is rather repetitive.
One example is the standard blacksmith who, like in practically RPGM games, will suggest that you can get free equipment in exchange for him having his way with you. It's not even a surprise at this point. I will even say that it has become a boring trope.
I agree with many of the other reviewers. This is a standard assembly-line Kagura title. It's a cursed town of sorts, there's a dungeon that you can explore, and some evil dude who wants to amass power and supposedly abducts girls.
The Story:
Yet I have some problems with parts of the plot. For instance, one of your acquittances wants you to infiltrate this evil guy's operation. The argument is that they cannot do it because it would risk open conflict, but Fallen can because she's not very well known in this... Only thing is, she is
very renown. It says so in the description of Fallen as well, she is literally world-renown. Alright, but maybe not in this small hole? Well, thing is that the various people you talk to knows who she is right-away. Clearly, Fallen is a poor agent then - I didn't play further, so perhaps she is recognized right away, but don't really expect so.
The Game play:
I didn't find it interesting. It is nothing out of the ordinary. You go out and fight repetitive battles in the dungeon. You then return to town. You can get corruption by being molested. How being molested against your will makes you want to be molested even more is committing to mind-gymnastics that only these types of games can pull off. But that's how it is, and it isn't deeper than that.
A missed opportunity is why not allow Fallen to see through some of these attempts? It must be said that does see through them. For instance you are at some point poisoned. Not by any poison, but one that cannot be cured. Shortly after you meet a dude who offer the antidote for free in exchange for fondling your breasts. Fallen then sees through his disguise and claims that he is the one that set the poison trap. But wouldn't it have been more meaningful if you found some kind of traces that allowed you to connect the dots? I think it would.
Decisions:
This game don't really have any, which is a real pity, because there could've been. There is a mission where you must find somebody who steals food. You are warned over and over about this thief being very cunning. Indeed he is, and as you find him he stuns you. "But you should have been prepared to counter that" - and I did. I actually wore a ring which made me immune to stun. Yet I was stunned anyways. In other words, there was nothing I could've done, and the story just progress like this.
Alright, here's the short version:
The Good:
The In-between:
- Faulty world logic - why use a world-renown warrior as a hidden agent?
- Standard Kagura title. Nothing new.
- Fallen can see through some of the schemes that certain NPC's try to pull off, which is good. She can then call them out on it, which is nice. However, it may have been more interesting if you had to gather some clues to put the puzzle together.
- Alright art, but honestly I didn't really find any of the characters that enticing.
- Finally a MC who isn't a virgin.
The Bad:
- The systems to show you H stats is poor
- Blacksmith and other such NPC's asks for the same as they do in practically any other RPGM. It's a boring trope.
- Decisions doesn't matter, and there is no way to prepare better for any quests.
- Standard uninspiring corruption game. Getting raped/molested= now you want to get even more raped/molested. Much logic, very wow.
- The battles are repetitive and uninteresting, that is the case for 1st battle and the 100th battle.