| Author: NicoB Final Score: 7 | Starless Umbra follows the story of Andoru as he and his friends attempt to find their way back home to Tulron. Graphics/Style The graphics in the game are really pretty darn good. In addition to the many custom animations that are used to express emotion or perform an action, there are also little graphical tidbits, such as Andoru blinking, that really add to the atmosphere and help breath life into the game. Dungeons are very well-designed, as are the towns, although there aren't very many town (up to Chapter Four). Battle animations are great; don't know why, but I especially like Renee's battle graphic. Top notch. I wasn't a fan of the overworld tileset. I feel like a game of such high calibur should use a better set that isn't so limited and represent just how epic the size of the game is. Also, I ran into what seemed to be some incomplete maps after I beat this monster on the mountain towards the start of the game (the one where the voice warns you not to walk off the path). I got out of the dungeon following, and after going through a painful Frogger-like mini game and walking the entire length of the western continent (and fighting a ton of slimes), I discover there is nothing to find, meaning I had to go ALL the way back again. Just kinda sucked, especially after beating such a challenging boss (who also gave me a horrible amount of exp). 8.5 out of 10.0 Storyline I have mixed feelings about the story of Starless Umbra. It started off really well, with plenty of mysteries to uncover and questions to have answered. However, as time went on, I realized something: none of these questions were getting answered; in fact, the story just continues to create new plot questions without ever answering any of the previous, making it frustrating to remember exactly what the plot is about. It would be much better if the game answered some of our old questions before jumping to new ones. This brings me to my next point: the story jumps around a lot. The story just doesn't stick to any one specific objective. There were some points where I just sat back in my chair and wondered: what the hell am I trying to accomplish? Am I still chasing a thief or trying to uncover some organization or get home or...ugh!!! Too much! The characters are okay, although sometimes bonds are formed rather quickly and forcefully. Also, character reactions to events aren't very believable. Sometimes Andoru just seems to be blindly following some objective without fully understanding why. This is fine, but he doesn't really ever question it. Maybe if we had some more internal conflict (characters thinking to themselves) it would make it much easier to relate to what it is they're thinking. The story isn't a complete disaster. There are definitely some interesting plot points that have me interested. I am just still waiting for them to be resolved. 5.0/10.0 Gameplay Absolutely fantastic. Seriously, I cannot emphasize how amazing this gameplay is. It has pretty much anything you could want in an RPG. Great puzzles, solid battles, and the mini games...oh, the MINI GAMES! I don't think I've ever seen such heart put into mini-games before; it is truly an amazing coding accomplishment, especially considering this is an RPG Maker 2003 game. My favorite was a Castlevania mini game where you invade a castle. God, that was absolutely phenomenal. He could've made a full game with just that concept. I can't imagine how difficult it must've been to code some of these areas. Kudos, dragonheartman. I only have one or two minor gripes. I didn't love the random encounters, and I'm surprised that a game with so much custom gameplay didn't include some kind of visible monster encounter. Also, though I loved the mini-games, I would've liked to see some of them play into the story some rather than just throwing it at the player and saying \"Here do this random puzzle and win a prize!\" 9.0/10.0 Music/Sound Music is good, not mind-blowing, but definitely not bad. It's pleasant with nice soft tunes which increase in intensity during more dramatic scenes. Sounds are great, although the sound made with casting magic took a little getting used to. Not much else to say; I would recommend throwing a song with some vocals in during one of the more serious scenes just to spice it up (some soft Japanese song is always good) but that's a preference thing. 8.0/10.0 Conclusion I really have enjoyed Starless Umbra and I am still working on getting further. I am up to Chapter Four, and based on what I've seen: Graphics - 8.5 - Pros - Nice customs, good animations Cons - Mediocre overworld, unfinished maps Story - 5.0 - Pros - Interesting plot twists Cons - To many unresolved conflicts, jumpy story Gameplay - 9.0 - Pros - Amazing, great mini-games Cons - Random encounters Music - 8.0 - Pros - Pleasant sounds and music Cons - Nothing really stellar, just good Overall - 7.0/10.0 Good |
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