Note: this game was released in 2012, with patches in 2013. This also partially explains default assets point I'll talk later, but when you have games like Lily Knight with more content and more enjoyment and less flaws overall, then you'll have a problem.
So...I played this game and was at first impressed by it's mechanics, but then, after I delved into RPGMaker standard assets and mechanics mixed with RNG that makes rewards and drops chaotically useful or useless, in addition to confusing systems, relationship system, especially chaotically unbalanced, boring and uncreative combat. And something that makes me dislike it overall. But it did gave me enjoyment, expect in a flawed way which I'm going to explain.
Now let me explain; while using default assets/RTP edits is not actually bad in itself, as long an original product can be made, like mostly of default assets, but used properly and creatively, or mixed with non-default ones. This one has custom sprites, but they are only for important characters, like protagonist, party members and shop owners. Everything else is mostly a default monster, sometimes not even representing the real one, like snakes as green slimes. And custom sprites are mostly human sized, while monsters are chibi sized. Same for battlers; inconsistent style due to presence of female monsters and female mini-bosses leading monsters, like 2 default imps with 1 nurse with different style, which is anime as opposed to realistic. It makes battles look out of place, especially when you fight wisps and found out it has a girl for some reason in it. Or when you are catching bugs, the butterfly sprite shows you a bug, or a bee, which misleads what you've seen before. If you want to repesent monsters without leaving confusions due to lack of effort, you can use ghost/fanatic one to represent mixed monster packs and other mysterious stuff. Most games with purely or almost default assets are training games, which are freely distributed to learn how engine or game works to create better ones in the future. And not for money.
Now let's explain the combat. It's a boring, default RPGMaker system with focus on power abilities and aggressive fighting, especially against story arc bosses, who can kill you fast if you don't do it yourself. Because of that, healing spells(not items)become ineffective in them, while farmable items like pork, when cooked restore full health and mana for lower cost. Items are not much either; who would pay 350 gold for a 50 MP restoring potion, when you can cook bread that restores 25% of max HP and MP for 1 piece of 100/150 flour? And food you can cook isn't always better despite demanding more; like cheesecake that requires more ingredients being worse than bread or cooked meats effect wise! And yes, early fights against later monsters like mimics or wisps as well bosses in each dungeon is hard at first, so you're forced to get 4 people in total to effectively grind and combat enemies and bosses. Which without the purple ribbon you can get from raccoon you'll be swarmed with status effects from both bosses and ordinary enemies, which makes the game even harder till you get one, especially when you have no or little allies to begin with. Also, bosses can be also affected with them, so stunlocking with your upgraded childhood friends weapon or allies abilities like paralyze will make it easier, but in the end, you'll have to pump out more damage, in which the cat girl and the robot guy can deal with their abilities specialize in it. And why creators make characters who have MP points, but they have no abilities for it, while they have TP or non-costing abilities? Which means MP is a dump stat to them, and if you have enemies that deal extra effects to characters who have it or steal it so they can cast more, it makes it a missed opportunity to flesh out abilities as well as redundant stat that can make things worse due to reasons above. Same if character has MP abilities, but has no TP ones, despite having a TP bar. You can also upgrade allies weapons in armory, which requires resources and ally in your party to do it. What surprised me the most was the poison bento, which you can craft with high cooking skill or acquire as random drop from police station/special beach in 9 village setting that one-shots the enemy; yes, even bosses, haven't tested the arc bosses yet. So overall, mostly boring.
Let's talk about relationship system. At first, I thought it would be complicated and very rewarding in the end, ala Mass Effect, but instead I got talk, upgrade and gift to earn favor so you can take them to a date and marry them system, or make them hate you so you can rape them and in certain cases, get special items as a man...You can't rape most characters as a woman, and upgrading your allies also gives them positive reputation, so that makes rape interest pretty much moot and unrewarding, expect for scenes. And if you pursue multiple lovers instead of just one, then expect drama when you date another lover. So it encourages to only confess to 1 person only, so you can marry them, meaning it discourages breaking up and cheating with massive reputation drops, that are hard to recover from. The only exception to this are chaotic characters, which are mostly okay with it, but it's still discouraged overall. So conclusion: mostly cookie cutter as long you know what they like to be gifted with, but should you betray your love by pursuing multiple partners, you'll hit a hard rock to recover trust. And having them with negative reputation is mostly discouraged due to how you'd need allies to conquer dungeons as well the fact that you'll get positive relationship should you upgrade them, complete their requests for rewards and to complete arcs.
Farming is mostly standard, you'll do it anyway because of food requests from allies and cooking, as well how they'll benefit you with food to use both in and out of combat, as well to sell it for more than ingredients you used in the first place. It also makes items from shop obsolete, since you'll heal by % of max HP/MP as opposed to HP or MP only. There's also a elixir, which restores full HP/MP, but it's a rare random police station/beach drop or high level cooking item. So nothing especially special, but it really skews item priorities into efficiency first, luxuries that have no special effects on yourself other than value and ally requests like omelets and so on second.
Now about the story it supposedly has; it's affected by party members, so not waiting a day after getting the final boss objective is going to have you suffer a heavy cost, such as demon in final arc telling you you'll suffer a 1 million gold fine should you fail capturing demon's soul by defeating the demon, but forgetting to bring a party member who can capture it by not waiting 1 day after getting the "defeat the boss" objective. In other 2 arcs, it affects rewards as well, so if you don't bring respective allies to do their supposed mission, the reward will be much less, like 1st arc giving you nothing for defeating the demon lord, but forgetting to catch it. And story itself is quite weak, because of characters being unconvincing and mostly unrelateable despite the relationship system...Which does it's job pretty weakly.
Atmosphere system is quite unimpactful as it sounds at first, but since you'll need it to gain special resources to get better tools and complete special requests, you can't avoid it. And it's the main reason why characters leave, unless you have crunch and clinic which makes them unlikely to leave, unless 40 days will pass or atmosphere somehow makes them uncomfortable.
The museum, basically the CG/collection room of the game is a separate structure that has no effect other than law atmosphere effect and taking up a slot if you want to establish the village with residents, having a harem with storeowners as a male or utility like stores, makes it quite questionable, especially in 9 building limit mode. Which makes it waste space unless you are playing with 15 one, but it's still annoying to waste time going to it as opposed via a house portal, item, e.t.c.
In the end, the overall somewhat large content of this game is plagued with flaws, unrelatable story, bad gameplay, uncreative assets, heavy reliance on RNG, grinding EXP to have a chance against the bosses and to progress the story, and simulation aspect of this game seems to be weak once you complete all 3 arcs; no matter how goodly or badly you did them, the freeplay after that is just finishing up what you've wanted to do in the first place. You'll get a statue and accomplishment in form of announcement of your fame, but nothing beyond that, not even increased relationship with people.
I understand it's from 2012-2013, but there's other VX Ace games that did far more, but also feel more enjoyable, as well having better design and less redundant features, so how I can feel good about this? Has potential, but underused and flawed.
