More than anything this game reminds me of Dragon Quest 11. They both share the same light, hands off approach to modern JRPG design trends. In spite of its vintage clothing, the body of Ara Fell is decidedly more Xenoblade than Chrono Trigger in its density of cutscenes and gameplay systems. I was weary of the potential for bloat yet like Dragon Quest, Ara Fell is conscientious of the ideas its drawing from and the result is a lean and focused adventure.
On a kinaesthetic level, I appreciate how deeply the devs leaned into the inherently cozy feel of RPGMaker. I love the richness of these scrolling tilesets and the awkward frictions of trying to perceive where these squat sprites can manouevre into. There's an intimate sense of place these RGPmaker-isms produce, further accentuated with a lush art direction in which you can practically smell the grass scented winds and feel the drifting snow. It's a game that is staid rather than kinetic, about soaking in the world and all its lovely details rather than rushing towards the next plot point.
To that end, regular battles are de-emphasised. Battles against normal mooks are both easy to avoid and (relatively) easy to defeat, you recharge mp after every turn so there is no reason to resort to spamming basic attacks. There is not even any accompanying battle music. Growth then is mainly earned through boss fights and sidequests. The latter of which are found by naturally exploring alongside one off resources that are used for a simple linear crafting system for armor and weapon upgrades. Progression in Ara Fell is concise and silent, power is earned naturally rather than throguh constant notifications and checklists.
'Silent' is maybe the key term I've come to appreciate about Ara Fell so much. The story is wordy yet much of that weight is used to effectivley characterise the Protagonist and explore a perspective that is unique as far as JRPGs go. There are big bombastic themes yet much of the soundtrack is ambient and pleasingly blends into the overall soundscape. There are side-quests to complete and materials to collect for a crafting system but they're all diegetically interwoven into the world. In everything thus far, Ara Fell has been succinct and to the point, a joy in every way.
Random Notes:
- I appreciate how the Devs leaned into clunkiness a bit with giving every exploration activity a distinct animation and sound, it imparts a sense of weight and presence in the protagonist you don't usually see in this type of game.
- Once again I can't emphasize enough how refreshing it is to have a JRPG with no normal battle theme. I don't know if the devs were inspired by Sakimoto's work on FF12 but the lack of a hype battle theme threatening to take over imparts a similar naturalism and interconnectedness to area exploration here. Not every rpg needs a battle theme.
- I didn't really mention it much in the review but I appreciate as well how non-gated and non-railroaded the game has been up till this point. It really gives you a wide berth in terms of areas, quests and things you can find before the story even sends you there, again sort of similar to FF12. Can you tell I really love FF12 lol.
- Dungeon design is fun, nothing too complex but the little puzzles and bespoke mechanics go a decent way in contextualising them as spaces beyond hallways full of random encounters.
On a kinaesthetic level, I appreciate how deeply the devs leaned into the inherently cozy feel of RPGMaker. I love the richness of these scrolling tilesets and the awkward frictions of trying to perceive where these squat sprites can manouevre into. There's an intimate sense of place these RGPmaker-isms produce, further accentuated with a lush art direction in which you can practically smell the grass scented winds and feel the drifting snow. It's a game that is staid rather than kinetic, about soaking in the world and all its lovely details rather than rushing towards the next plot point.
To that end, regular battles are de-emphasised. Battles against normal mooks are both easy to avoid and (relatively) easy to defeat, you recharge mp after every turn so there is no reason to resort to spamming basic attacks. There is not even any accompanying battle music. Growth then is mainly earned through boss fights and sidequests. The latter of which are found by naturally exploring alongside one off resources that are used for a simple linear crafting system for armor and weapon upgrades. Progression in Ara Fell is concise and silent, power is earned naturally rather than throguh constant notifications and checklists.
'Silent' is maybe the key term I've come to appreciate about Ara Fell so much. The story is wordy yet much of that weight is used to effectivley characterise the Protagonist and explore a perspective that is unique as far as JRPGs go. There are big bombastic themes yet much of the soundtrack is ambient and pleasingly blends into the overall soundscape. There are side-quests to complete and materials to collect for a crafting system but they're all diegetically interwoven into the world. In everything thus far, Ara Fell has been succinct and to the point, a joy in every way.
Random Notes:
- I appreciate how the Devs leaned into clunkiness a bit with giving every exploration activity a distinct animation and sound, it imparts a sense of weight and presence in the protagonist you don't usually see in this type of game.
- Once again I can't emphasize enough how refreshing it is to have a JRPG with no normal battle theme. I don't know if the devs were inspired by Sakimoto's work on FF12 but the lack of a hype battle theme threatening to take over imparts a similar naturalism and interconnectedness to area exploration here. Not every rpg needs a battle theme.
- I didn't really mention it much in the review but I appreciate as well how non-gated and non-railroaded the game has been up till this point. It really gives you a wide berth in terms of areas, quests and things you can find before the story even sends you there, again sort of similar to FF12. Can you tell I really love FF12 lol.
- Dungeon design is fun, nothing too complex but the little puzzles and bespoke mechanics go a decent way in contextualising them as spaces beyond hallways full of random encounters.