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It's a fun little game.
I got this in a bundle with Cthulhu Saves the world, and it was decent.
The in-game systems, graphics and presentation are almost like Cthulhu Saves the world. With some minor exceptions like the inability to teleport back to a certain point, which was a shame.
The story is pretty comedic and fine to go through once. Your standard fantasy setting is there and this game doesn't try anything innovative. The battle system is alright, and with the game only being around 4 hours long doesn't overstay its welcome.
Overall, if you enjoyed Cthulhu Saves World, you'll enjoy this game as well.
The in-game systems, graphics and presentation are almost like Cthulhu Saves the world. With some minor exceptions like the inability to teleport back to a certain point, which was a shame.
The story is pretty comedic and fine to go through once. Your standard fantasy setting is there and this game doesn't try anything innovative. The battle system is alright, and with the game only being around 4 hours long doesn't overstay its welcome.
Overall, if you enjoyed Cthulhu Saves World, you'll enjoy this game as well.
A simple way to sum it up is to say that Breath of Death VII is a proof-of-concept/demo of Cthulhu Saves the World; it's an extremely short and no-frills outing whose chief purpose seems to be to take the engine and mechanics of CSTW out for a test drive. And as someone who really liked CSTW's spin on traditional JRPG mechanics, Breath of Death plays pretty much the same, which is not a bad thing at all! It also has the same irreverent and scattergun approach to humor, some of it being clever (the MC being a silent protagonist because he doesn't have a tongue), some of it worth a chuckle or two (a French zombie who periodically yells "LE BRAINS!" mid-conversation), and some of it falling flat.
As to be expected, this game is slightly less refined in pretty much every way that counts - the exploration not as engaging, the game balance and difficulty curve slightly wonkier, the presentation not as slick, and the game too short in order to fully explore the mechanics and abilities to their full potential.
And that's all forgivable given this game's place in Zeboyd's resume as a first RPG outing, and it would be churlish of me to expect more from something I essentially got for a dollar. However, on further thought, I actually wish that this game switched places with Cthulhu Saves the World - CSTW's silly premise would have worked better as a test-drive, and Breath of Death would actually have made a better fully-fleshed-out game! It has a far more interesting setting, with vampires, zombies, and ghosts becoming the dominant species on Earth following cataclysmic nuclear war; a setting that is more or less wasted given the near-total absence of any kind of worldbuilding or anything, really, to differentiate this postapocalyptic undead society from any other medieval game. There is even a decent late-game twist that ties directly into the setting, that could have been played for drama and poignancy had the writing actually been more than an excuse-plot with one-note humor.
It's a very decent game for what it is and led to far bigger and better successes for its dev team... but if any of them are reading this, I think a remake would kick all kinds of ass! The setting deserves better.
As to be expected, this game is slightly less refined in pretty much every way that counts - the exploration not as engaging, the game balance and difficulty curve slightly wonkier, the presentation not as slick, and the game too short in order to fully explore the mechanics and abilities to their full potential.
And that's all forgivable given this game's place in Zeboyd's resume as a first RPG outing, and it would be churlish of me to expect more from something I essentially got for a dollar. However, on further thought, I actually wish that this game switched places with Cthulhu Saves the World - CSTW's silly premise would have worked better as a test-drive, and Breath of Death would actually have made a better fully-fleshed-out game! It has a far more interesting setting, with vampires, zombies, and ghosts becoming the dominant species on Earth following cataclysmic nuclear war; a setting that is more or less wasted given the near-total absence of any kind of worldbuilding or anything, really, to differentiate this postapocalyptic undead society from any other medieval game. There is even a decent late-game twist that ties directly into the setting, that could have been played for drama and poignancy had the writing actually been more than an excuse-plot with one-note humor.
It's a very decent game for what it is and led to far bigger and better successes for its dev team... but if any of them are reading this, I think a remake would kick all kinds of ass! The setting deserves better.
RPGs are my favorite genre of game, but sometimes, I don't want to spend 50 hours playing the same quest. Sometimes, I want an RPG that's quick and trims the fat. "Breath of Death VII" is a breath of fresh air that harkens back to the days of the NES and SNES-era RPG, a time when graphics were simple, numerous text boxes ruled, and stories were paper-thin. Taking the role of Dem, you travel the world with your partners (unwittingly) and gradually unlock the mysteries of the past. With witty dialogue and banter, adventure, and a few laughs, are never too far away.
At first glance, the game appears too basic to be worth one's time. You have your standard Attack, Tech, Potion, and other such commands to battle. But after a couple of rounds, you'll begin to see some of the game's gimmicks unfold. After inputting everyone's commands and moving on to the next round, the enemies' attack stats gradually increase. This gives each battle a kind of "timer," where dying becomes more possible than in other games. The game also introduces a combo system; as the battle continues, the combo counter in the top-right of the screen will also begin to increase as you boost it. This makes certain attacks more powerful, such as Deathblow or Chill Blast. These two properties make simply mashing the A button not necessarily the best decision in the grand scheme of things, so you'll need to experiment with how to win battles quickly.
And you're incentivized to do so! Winning a battle automatically restores all your HP, status, and some of your MP, depending on how fast you won. This also immediately revives any fallen party members. While this sounds like a bad handicap, the items that restore you from death during battle, Potions, are in limited quantity. Plus, they do not refill your MP upon use, so you cannot get overly-reliant on them. There are locations where you can refill your MP in dungeons, but aside from these, you cannot simply use Ethers or other such items to maximize your MP. You'd have to go back to a town. If you want to level grind, finding these locations is a must. This does have the unfortunate side effect of turning these places into "grinding hotspots," as you can briefly walk into a random battle, then move two squares over to fill your MP. But in the event that you find yourself on the short end of the stick and get a game over, don't fret - you can save anywhere you like.
Each location also has a limited number of random battles. On the pause menu, you'll see a counter in the top-right saying how many more random encounters are available. Once they run out, you can explore at your leisure with no fear to pick up treasures, or use the "Fight" option to trigger another battle automatically. This lets you have more control over how over-leveled or under-leveled you want to be as you progress through the game. Leveling up gives you standard stat increases, as well as two bonus options to pick from. Some of these options increase your stats further, others teach you spells or techs. How you want your character to pan out is up to you, though I would say you are pushed in certain directions of growth more than others.
Customization is another thing that's trimmed way down. Everyone has the ability to equip one armor and one weapon. There are no items except for the aforementioned Potions, so no Antidotes or anything like that. If you want to detox your party during a fight, you're going to have to use a spell. As such, grinding to get gold only matters insofar as getting better gear. Your mileage may vary on whether you like this or not.
Despite all the handicaps in the game, it can still be surprisingly difficult. Once you get used to the random encounters in a new location (and sometimes you'll dread seeing certain enemies), the boss battles tend to be far rougher and more punishing. Remember when I said that the enemies get tougher as the battle continues? In boss fights, you'll definitely feel the pain if you go in under-prepared. You shouldn't be surprised to see their attack stats increase to 150% power, if not higher. The bosses are, in essence, the game's way of reminding you that while it may hold your hand at times, it will not shy away from punching you in the face if you don't take the time to master the mechanics.
Despite the game's wit, the adventure itself is pretty short. The game can easily be beaten in under 5 hours, and the ending does feel slightly tacked on, despite me saying that I liked its paper-thin approach. Nevertheless, there are other game modes and difficulties to make the overall experience more challenging, which gives the game some replay value. If this game were more expensive than it actually was, I would not be so keen to say it's worth buying.
At first glance, the game appears too basic to be worth one's time. You have your standard Attack, Tech, Potion, and other such commands to battle. But after a couple of rounds, you'll begin to see some of the game's gimmicks unfold. After inputting everyone's commands and moving on to the next round, the enemies' attack stats gradually increase. This gives each battle a kind of "timer," where dying becomes more possible than in other games. The game also introduces a combo system; as the battle continues, the combo counter in the top-right of the screen will also begin to increase as you boost it. This makes certain attacks more powerful, such as Deathblow or Chill Blast. These two properties make simply mashing the A button not necessarily the best decision in the grand scheme of things, so you'll need to experiment with how to win battles quickly.
And you're incentivized to do so! Winning a battle automatically restores all your HP, status, and some of your MP, depending on how fast you won. This also immediately revives any fallen party members. While this sounds like a bad handicap, the items that restore you from death during battle, Potions, are in limited quantity. Plus, they do not refill your MP upon use, so you cannot get overly-reliant on them. There are locations where you can refill your MP in dungeons, but aside from these, you cannot simply use Ethers or other such items to maximize your MP. You'd have to go back to a town. If you want to level grind, finding these locations is a must. This does have the unfortunate side effect of turning these places into "grinding hotspots," as you can briefly walk into a random battle, then move two squares over to fill your MP. But in the event that you find yourself on the short end of the stick and get a game over, don't fret - you can save anywhere you like.
Each location also has a limited number of random battles. On the pause menu, you'll see a counter in the top-right saying how many more random encounters are available. Once they run out, you can explore at your leisure with no fear to pick up treasures, or use the "Fight" option to trigger another battle automatically. This lets you have more control over how over-leveled or under-leveled you want to be as you progress through the game. Leveling up gives you standard stat increases, as well as two bonus options to pick from. Some of these options increase your stats further, others teach you spells or techs. How you want your character to pan out is up to you, though I would say you are pushed in certain directions of growth more than others.
Customization is another thing that's trimmed way down. Everyone has the ability to equip one armor and one weapon. There are no items except for the aforementioned Potions, so no Antidotes or anything like that. If you want to detox your party during a fight, you're going to have to use a spell. As such, grinding to get gold only matters insofar as getting better gear. Your mileage may vary on whether you like this or not.
Despite all the handicaps in the game, it can still be surprisingly difficult. Once you get used to the random encounters in a new location (and sometimes you'll dread seeing certain enemies), the boss battles tend to be far rougher and more punishing. Remember when I said that the enemies get tougher as the battle continues? In boss fights, you'll definitely feel the pain if you go in under-prepared. You shouldn't be surprised to see their attack stats increase to 150% power, if not higher. The bosses are, in essence, the game's way of reminding you that while it may hold your hand at times, it will not shy away from punching you in the face if you don't take the time to master the mechanics.
Despite the game's wit, the adventure itself is pretty short. The game can easily be beaten in under 5 hours, and the ending does feel slightly tacked on, despite me saying that I liked its paper-thin approach. Nevertheless, there are other game modes and difficulties to make the overall experience more challenging, which gives the game some replay value. If this game were more expensive than it actually was, I would not be so keen to say it's worth buying.
A mediocre RPG maker game, it makes some interesting things, like the fact that there's a limit of battles per zone, and after that, no random encounters will be found (but you can still manually battle if you desire so), and having customization on your units is always a good thing to have.
But that's everything good the game offers, the dialogues are supposed to be funny but they don't land right, and on Hard mode at least the game is totally unbalanced, it starts easy, then turns into a RNG fest, and on the end of the game turns again into a button mashing.
But that's everything good the game offers, the dialogues are supposed to be funny but they don't land right, and on Hard mode at least the game is totally unbalanced, it starts easy, then turns into a RNG fest, and on the end of the game turns again into a button mashing.
You get what you pay for with this, which is probably nothing since you can get it in a bundle with Cthulhu Saves The World at no extra cost. This game is essentially a glorified tech demo for CSTW, and as you'd expect from a freshman outing it's pretty rough. The balance is awful with many dud skills to pick that make the game harder than it needs to be if you play Hard mode, and while it has many modern conveniences I did find myself needing to grind an annoying amount. That said, the game is only about 4 hours long and it moves at a good pace in spite of the grinding due to how short battles are. The writing has also held up pretty poorly, being heavily referential for the sake of it, though there are a few clever bits like the resolution of the Usurper fight.
If you want to see the origin of the Zeboyd-verse then absolutely check it out, but otherwise just go straight to CSTW because it does literally everything this game does but better and more polished.
If you want to see the origin of the Zeboyd-verse then absolutely check it out, but otherwise just go straight to CSTW because it does literally everything this game does but better and more polished.