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(Full disclaimer: this game is untranslated and I bumbled through it using nothing but guesswork and Google Translate. It can be found here: https://neroringa.wixsite.com/moriawase-c/blank-2)
Pithorox Gear is an interesting game to say the least. A bullet hell/action RPG is a pretty neat combination of genres you don't see a lot. The main mechanic revolves around time manipulation: pressing 'A' will either slow down time (if you're near an enemy), or speed it up and give you invulnerability & increased maneuverability (if you activate it at a distance.) Vital use of this mechanic is key to surviving the harder combat encounters you'll encounter from the mid-game onward, as the screen will be filled with more projectiles and numbers than you can shake a stick at. There's also unlockable weapons that affect both your normal projectiles, your melee attack, and how you interact with the environment, which alongside the Sphere Grid-esque leveling system gives a surprising amount of customization. Every mechanic falls into place perfectly with each other, and it feels very cohesive and focused.
There are some niggles here as well however: the game can stutter a bit when things get a little too busy, and while it starts strong, Pithorox Gear becomes a real slog near the last act as enemy HP and damage values shoot through the roof (even when your level reaches the triple digits), alongside some baffling design decisions, like the dungeon that makes you rely on RNG for enemies to drop items vital to progression, or the fact healing items can only be bought if you go out of your way to do an unrelated sidequest.
The story, from what little I gathered, is a little all over the place. There's talks of an apocalyptic event, religious imagery, magitek, and even references to Dante's Inferno, before ending on a rather bittersweet note. It seemed fine enough, even if I was reading it through shoddy online translations, but the gameplay more than made up for the fact I had no clue what was going on.
I feel if this had a translation, it would've been as big as the other acclaimed games in the RPG Maker community. It seems like there's a lot to like here, even with the language barrier, and the general aesthetic of the UI and the environments give it a lot of charm and character. In the unlikely chance this ever gets a translation, I would definitely recommend this for a tight, well-constructed 8 hours of fun.
Pithorox Gear is an interesting game to say the least. A bullet hell/action RPG is a pretty neat combination of genres you don't see a lot. The main mechanic revolves around time manipulation: pressing 'A' will either slow down time (if you're near an enemy), or speed it up and give you invulnerability & increased maneuverability (if you activate it at a distance.) Vital use of this mechanic is key to surviving the harder combat encounters you'll encounter from the mid-game onward, as the screen will be filled with more projectiles and numbers than you can shake a stick at. There's also unlockable weapons that affect both your normal projectiles, your melee attack, and how you interact with the environment, which alongside the Sphere Grid-esque leveling system gives a surprising amount of customization. Every mechanic falls into place perfectly with each other, and it feels very cohesive and focused.
There are some niggles here as well however: the game can stutter a bit when things get a little too busy, and while it starts strong, Pithorox Gear becomes a real slog near the last act as enemy HP and damage values shoot through the roof (even when your level reaches the triple digits), alongside some baffling design decisions, like the dungeon that makes you rely on RNG for enemies to drop items vital to progression, or the fact healing items can only be bought if you go out of your way to do an unrelated sidequest.
The story, from what little I gathered, is a little all over the place. There's talks of an apocalyptic event, religious imagery, magitek, and even references to Dante's Inferno, before ending on a rather bittersweet note. It seemed fine enough, even if I was reading it through shoddy online translations, but the gameplay more than made up for the fact I had no clue what was going on.
I feel if this had a translation, it would've been as big as the other acclaimed games in the RPG Maker community. It seems like there's a lot to like here, even with the language barrier, and the general aesthetic of the UI and the environments give it a lot of charm and character. In the unlikely chance this ever gets a translation, I would definitely recommend this for a tight, well-constructed 8 hours of fun.