Regrets. I backed this on kickstarter and was expecting something else. Not this immature project. I get it, it still took some work to make, but... not a great game. it's still a game, but just not a good one. Take it for cheap but don't waste money on a basic solo player game that has the heart in the right place, but that's all. Hope this game was a nice practice for the creator and next time things will turn out better, at least for me as a player and lover of the genre ^^ Wish you all a great life and gaming

Let's start this special FAQ review format. Euphoniac answers all your questions, even the ones that shouldn't have been asked.

Q: Should I buy this game?

A: In case the "not recommended" rating didn't give it away: No. At least not for 10 bucks. This is the kind of game you should only buy on sale and only play when you don't have anything else to play.

Q: How did this game raise over 6000 bucks on Kickstarter?

A: Beats me. I was stupid enough (and hungering for classic old-school JRPGs as usual) to buy this game despite the warning signs, but at least I draw the line at backing or preordering.

Q: Why do so many of this game's areas look familiar?

A: If this impression was just based on the usual RPG Maker (MZ) sprites and tilesets, it wouldn't be a serious matter, but this game also uses a lot of (mostly unedited) "sample maps" that come with the software and its DLC packs. Using "sample maps" is the epitome of laziness, all the more so since mapping is one of the key aspects used to distinguish RPG Maker games. It's bad enough if everything looks and feels the same, but it's even worse if everything basically IS the same.

Q: Then what about the other maps? Surely all non-"sample maps" must be simply astonishing, right?

A: Yes, if you mean astonishingly small and empty.

Q: Even the post-game dungeon?

A: Especially the post-game dungeon!

Q: At least the story should be great then, right? Right?

A: Well, you receive some beast slaying quests, and after completing them, you can enter the final dungeon for a final boss fight that reveals the "shocking" (predictable) truth of the world, and that's it.

Q: Is this your way of saying that most of the story is developed through party and NPC dialogues?

A: As your mostly silent party members and their always silent leader would probably say: ... (No).

Q: You mentioned a final boss fight, so I'm sure we'll be fighting lots of them. How many are there?

A: That was a bit misleading of me. The "final" boss fight is the only boss fight in the entire game. Unless you count some of the random HP sponge beasts as bosses (you shouldn't).

Q: Let's focus on the mobs, then: What's the point of slaying a finite number of infinitely spawning beasts, anyway?

A: The player needs a purpose and the party needs means to get stronger so that they're qualified to tackle the final (only) boss. So yes, Netherbane (the game world) is doomed either way, the random mobs should achieve world domination eventually. There are only 45 entries in the bestiary, by the way, so most folks will see the entire fauna before being trampled or bitten to death.

Q: But beast-slaying is such a glorious task that even "rival hunters" attack the party at some points, isn't it?

A: Some NPCs say the beast slayers are akin to a "secret organization", and the "rival hunters" don't even open any treasure chests that they could clearly reach before your party (not that there are many treasure chests to find, anyway). These "rival hunters" just die a glorious, futile death at your party's hands.

Q: Do these mobs and "rival hunters" at least drop amazing items?

A: They (mostly) do not. You can encounter a Mimic in one specific area; defeating it yields a guaranteed "Life Up" (permanent HP boost), and this will be the most (I dare say only) amazing loot throughout the entire journey. All blood spilled, yet nothing gained.

Q: Enough about violence. Does the game feature xxx?

A: You can marry one of three girls (and one guy); you just need to kill someone for her, then you can enjoy her company - and fighting skills - for the rest of the playthrough (no xxx and no harem, though).

Q: Does the wife at least do the cooking?

A: No, the cooking is comprised of only 3 recipes (1 ingredient and 2 dishes). Even a stupid man can cook these dishes (and realize that he doesn't need to waste his time with cooking).

Q: What about children? It's impossible without xxx, right?

A: You can adopt a child once (out of a very limited number of choices), it's like recruiting a party member. Sadly, still no xxx.

Q: What can you tell me about the other party members?

A: You can - and should - recruit party members, since a solo playthrough would be really difficult and annoying. Most classes are rather basic (physical attackers like Fighter or Hunter, magic attackers/healers like Wizard or Priest), and some even seem to be "templates" right out of the engine's database. While I appreciate the additional (wo)manpower, the other party members are as silent as the developer is lazy. At least you can choose your party leader's class right at the beginning, but the game doesn't provide any information about the classes beforehand, so you will probably regret your permanent, irrevocable choice.

Q: Are there at least tons of interesting equipment options?

A: One weapon shop sells all weapons and one armor shop sells all armor (and accessories). Weapons and armor only sport different stats, but at least the accessories are more varied. It's still a far cry from the kind of "interesting" that your question suggests and that can be found in other (RPG Maker) JRPGs.

Q: Should I just use the cheats provided by the developer to speed things up?

A: I didn't try them out, but if they work, they should provide a significant shortcut, which, in hindsight, I think I should have used from the beginning.

Q: In a nutshell - and to conclude this review format that has overstayed its welcome: Is this game just a low-effort cash grab?

A: Sadly, yes. Woe is me!

Q: Shall we go looking for xxx instead of playing this game?

A: Yeah, let's do that.

I personally think this game is worth it, I did kickstart it though. It is pretty oldschool in look which to me was a massive positive, the music is also pretty good which I also think is important.
Overall, this game opens up fairly quickly. You pick a class, talk to a few npcs, run through some dungeons killing your quota of monsters, and then move on. You then are given a house which is actually very helpful early depending on your class. You can cook food(there are only a few meals) there which provides a significant amount of healing for a very cheap point of entry while on the go, or just rest for free to get back hp/mp without sleeping at an inn. In this game because of how difficult the battles get, it is actually relevant when managing your cost and optimizing for getting as much money as possible for training/equipment. When you hit the beast slayer guild, you get access to training and a flying dragon to get around the map and everything opens up. At this point, you are free to travel to various towns and do a marriage quest for a partner, go to an orphanage and get an adopted kid, or hire various adventures, fight creatures on a pirate boat, etc. I will say that most of these things are shallow on the surface. It's like go to a dungeon and kill guys, but the dungeons have difficulty ratings to sort of guide you and as you gear up, and train certain stats. I did like how you can't really just power level through a dungeon though. Some of the enemies are genuinely difficult and you have to carefully use your character skills to get through the encounters. If you go into a dungeon and attack attack attack without using your skills, you'll get wrecked so fast.
One thing I do like particularly about the game is that everyone seems super thankful for you going to these dungeons and clearing out the monsters. A lot of games, its like no one even cares about you and the world is full of monsters, and you are killing monsters that pretty much no one can kill and no one acknowledges it. It kind of takes you out of the game and is completely unrealistic within the context of the game world. it is definitely refreshing that people in this game are happy that you kill even some basic monsters, since they just flat out impede their day to day. I know this probably doesn't seem that important but in terms of immersion that is a pretty big win in my book.
Overall it is admittedly kind of slow at times in beating some of the enemies, but it also is tactically enjoyable, and it has enough going on to be worth the price and time investment.

This is heartfelt love project you can truly tell the dev cares about his work. He truly went out of his way to capture what i felt as a kid playing JRPGs. The rush when opening a new area slaying monsters and upgrading weapons hits all my sweet spots. This gives me what i been craving.

I do like that you can choose your class and your gender in the beginning. There is not really a plot to follow, just go kill something, buy the best gear there is and kill the boss.

Apart from this the game is a mess. Lackluster class choices with generic, lackluster skills. The maps are horrible. The side quests do not give cool loot. You can hire companions but there are just a few there [fighter, hunter, priest (quest based: wizard or rouge | rouge or hunter or warrior or hunter)], you look for a knight, piss off or play one yourself.

The dev got that feeling right. But i have no motivation to play such a lackluster and generic game. Do not play this even if you like RPGs.

Game delivers on it's promise.

Such a fantastic game, especially for people that are a fan of retro gaming and played games like Dragon Warrior on the NES. I backed this project on Kickstarter and I am very glad I did. Brings me back to my childhood and the quality is better than I could have hoped for. If you are a fan of games from the NES era, you will love Beast Slayer.