The ultimate 'greater than the sum of its parts' experience
To preface I got midway through chapter 5 with around 20 hours clocked in before deciding to drop this.
I think my biggest problem with Astlibra Revision is the story itself, which I'm not going to call bad by any extent, it's just something I can't find myself caring about in any way shape or form. The reasoning for this is it follows a lot of trends I've never enjoyed. The biggest being the focus on a <grand adventure> with little room left for characterization similar to things like Xenoblade Chronicles or Radiant Historia. I've never fucked with games like this. You could have the most kickass story of all time but if I don't care about a singular character in that story then that story sux. Honestly though I think the silent protagonist was the actual nail in the coffin for me. It's especially unfortunate in a story like this where instead of someone that could've honestly been pretty cool we get uhhh Mario from da Mario rpgs (he emotes in basically all the same ways including the gibberish talk it's weird).
The gameplay itself is pretty neat, I do actually like how mechanically it's a huge mash-up of a ton of different rpg systems. The combat is also pretty fun outside of how quickly you'll die because the lack of i-frames and enemies doing huge chunks of your health. My biggest issues were the crafting/material system being pretty tedious forcing you to grind for materials & the way chapters were generally structured. There's a LOT of forced backtracking in these chapters to solve some pretty annoying & unintuitive puzzles which I can't really think of any reason to exist outside of unsubtle padding. I may seem like I'm bitching about the gameplay a lot (bcuz i am) but I honestly didn't mind it all that much, it's pretty dumb fun when it's not annoying.
Overall I don't like, I can understand why a lotta people like it doe, I just don't fuck w/ it.
I think my biggest problem with Astlibra Revision is the story itself, which I'm not going to call bad by any extent, it's just something I can't find myself caring about in any way shape or form. The reasoning for this is it follows a lot of trends I've never enjoyed. The biggest being the focus on a <grand adventure> with little room left for characterization similar to things like Xenoblade Chronicles or Radiant Historia. I've never fucked with games like this. You could have the most kickass story of all time but if I don't care about a singular character in that story then that story sux. Honestly though I think the silent protagonist was the actual nail in the coffin for me. It's especially unfortunate in a story like this where instead of someone that could've honestly been pretty cool we get uhhh Mario from da Mario rpgs (he emotes in basically all the same ways including the gibberish talk it's weird).
The gameplay itself is pretty neat, I do actually like how mechanically it's a huge mash-up of a ton of different rpg systems. The combat is also pretty fun outside of how quickly you'll die because the lack of i-frames and enemies doing huge chunks of your health. My biggest issues were the crafting/material system being pretty tedious forcing you to grind for materials & the way chapters were generally structured. There's a LOT of forced backtracking in these chapters to solve some pretty annoying & unintuitive puzzles which I can't really think of any reason to exist outside of unsubtle padding. I may seem like I'm bitching about the gameplay a lot (bcuz i am) but I honestly didn't mind it all that much, it's pretty dumb fun when it's not annoying.
Overall I don't like, I can understand why a lotta people like it doe, I just don't fuck w/ it.
You start with a stick, beating slimes and soon are fighting dragons and other epic creatures, a slow and intense, not really boring grind to reach godhood levels, seeing big numbers popping over and over as you slash or explode your enemies.
Developed by a single person in the span of about 15 years, Astlibra Revision is an enhanced version of Astlibra proof of life. It adds a new chapter - and has new art by Shigatake, making it closer to almost being a Vanillaware title.
The plot is as heavy as any RPGs and visual novels, making it an interesting and important point. Hell, so many good time travel stories spawned since its initial development that I feel a little burnt out by them, but it's always cool and exciting to see.
Finding hidden equipment, learning new mechanics and plot details, challenging bosses you missed before, having a huge variety of equipment and customization that make progression extremely fun.
And the soundtrack is really cool as well, mixing many genres and a lot of good and memorable Vocaloid songs. They are memorable, and I still listen to them from time to time.
Chapter four was the lowest point for me, mostly due to story-related reasons. Chapter 3 and everything else gets better as you go, plus the post-game teaches you new mechanics with a lot of content, making it worth your time with a rewarding and fulfilling new ending.
This game is an inspiring indie achievement and I'm glad to have played it. Might play the DLC someday.
Pumpkin Hill Part II - https://youtu.be/rO6Hcsq3nRs
Developed by a single person in the span of about 15 years, Astlibra Revision is an enhanced version of Astlibra proof of life. It adds a new chapter - and has new art by Shigatake, making it closer to almost being a Vanillaware title.
The plot is as heavy as any RPGs and visual novels, making it an interesting and important point. Hell, so many good time travel stories spawned since its initial development that I feel a little burnt out by them, but it's always cool and exciting to see.
Finding hidden equipment, learning new mechanics and plot details, challenging bosses you missed before, having a huge variety of equipment and customization that make progression extremely fun.
And the soundtrack is really cool as well, mixing many genres and a lot of good and memorable Vocaloid songs. They are memorable, and I still listen to them from time to time.
Chapter four was the lowest point for me, mostly due to story-related reasons. Chapter 3 and everything else gets better as you go, plus the post-game teaches you new mechanics with a lot of content, making it worth your time with a rewarding and fulfilling new ending.
This game is an inspiring indie achievement and I'm glad to have played it. Might play the DLC someday.
Pumpkin Hill Part II - https://youtu.be/rO6Hcsq3nRs