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Ethereal Dreams Review
A game that is NOT boring!? What sorcery is upon us!?
Review by Umbra366
I have played many RPG games made with the RPG Maker, and I must say, most of them are not able to draw the player in from the start. It is VITAL for an unprofessional (e.g. non-commercial) game have this feature. Or a large fan base that others who have not played the game can trust. That way, they know the game is interesting, regardless of how boring the beginning is. Alas, not many games nowadays are discussed on that large of a scale. So those intros better be good you developers out there.
I have a great hatred towards games that do not allow the player to interact or move until twenty minutes of pointless dialogue passes. Another pet peeve of mine is a slow moving character. Luckily, both of these annoyances are excluded from Ethereal Dreams.
The game opens with a mysterious scene with monks performing a ritual, but the mood suddenly shifts when the player meets Sir Darin Ardgall. Not only is Darin a ladies’ man, he also can drink anyone under the table. His drinking problem is so bad that his fighting is altered for the worst until cured at a further point in the game. His centaur partner, Phylip, tried to keep Darin in line, but is often unsuccessful. Ryaena, the pimp's daughter, is also aware and against her father's drinking habits. That's called good character personalities.
Suffering from a major hangover, Darin must travel with his friend and daughter to the forest and collect a rare mushroom that is said to cure this illness. The plot soon thickens (that's such an over-used cliché) and Darin soon finds his journey continuing with problems one after the other. Don't get confused--Darin gets his mushroom, and soon. The game's central plot is not to recover that mushroom, I promise you.
Not only is the character background and plot structure flawless, but the game also provides a good laugh. The random events that occur will entertain and make the game less boring. Honestly, how often in games do you get a ticket for riding your dragon while drunk?
If the interacts do not impress you, the features will. Since the sprites are all custom made, the character's sprite will actually change depending on the gear worn (as well as the face set graphic). The talent system is also a very unique feature. Depending on the weapon a character is wielding, that member will get bonus points towards abilities. There is also a bubble that displays when the party members will encounter an enemy. When the bar is green, the player is in the clear. It'll slowly turn yellow-brownish to orange, and eventually red, when an encounter will arise. Since the graphics are made by the creators, they have even taken the liberty of creating an "ideal breathing" animation. When the player stands still, you can see his stomach move. Neat.
I have not yet completed the game, but I am a good portion through. From what I have seen, the game is masterpiece. Unless something really hits hard later in the game, I cannot give this game less than a 10. It's absolutely brilliant. If you are bored and want to play a good RPG, get this game.
Reviewer's Score: 10 / 10, Posted Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:53:35 -0700
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Game Details
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Developer:
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Racheal
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Platform:
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RPG Maker XP
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Genre:
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RPG
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Status:
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Demo |
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Last Updated:
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2008-06-19 |
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Views:
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20884 |
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Downloads:
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User Rating:
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   12 Vote(s) |
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