Serenes Forest's Teehee Thread

[Saint Rubenio]

12 minutes ago, Shrimperor said:

ahahaha

this is the moment i was waiting for

I really have to wonder what's wrong with all of these old Japanese gamemakers. They all have a screw loose.

Honestly though, I knew this couldn't be it. That bastard Iga did the same thing in every single one of his games. Not only that, the demon whose bio says she "never leaves Gebel alone" left him completely alone for this battle. And then there's the fact that he was easy. C'mon, it all pointed towards a troll.

...Gotta say, though, the bad ending in Ecclesia was way better. This felt more like Iga peeking through the 4th wall and saying "haha you idiot you beat Gebel flawlessly and it didn't even matter." It even ended in a regular-ass game over screen, like c'mon.

Oh, well. I suppose I'll board a train, then. For no particular reason. Miriam couldn't even come up with anything when the librarian asked why she would want to board it. She was just like "mm, because."

If I don't get a badass fight on top of the train, I will be sorely disappointed.

1 minute ago, Sooks said:

I mean, checks out, Rook can't catch a break

[Sooks]

Dad joke.

2 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I mean, checks out, Rook can't catch a break

People who haven’t played Banner Saga don’t open this

Spoiler

He thought he would finally catch a break when he saw that I took the dredge baby in my playthrough.

Hahaha, he was wrong.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

Oh shit, it's Redstream Sam! And the train is a timed sequence!

...There's a boss at the end.

......

Welp, see you in 10 hours when I managed to beat this one flawlessly!

12 minutes ago, Sooks said:

People who haven’t played Banner Saga don’t open this

  Reveal hidden contents

He thought he would finally catch a break when he saw that I took the dredge baby in my playthrough.

Hahaha, he was wrong.

 

 

Spoiler

I mean, he did catch a break.

An eternal break.

 

 

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Hello...from my new laptop!

[Acacia Sgt]

I see it.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

Never mind, Iga had some mercy and made this the easiest boss in the game. Third try was the charm. Thank goodness.

And now I'm friends with Redstream Sam! Hell yeah. Hopefully this has an effect later on, because right now, I've done this whole thing for no reason beyond Miriam's bloodlust. At least there's a new area to explore. Let's see what it has to offer.

2 minutes ago, Zan Partizanne said:

Hello...from my new laptop!

Eyy! How is it, then? Better, I hope!

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

26 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Eyy! How is it, then? Better, I hope!

Yup, it is!

A bit smaller (which I consider good for myself) and more RAM and powerful.

 

Edit: SRPG Studio could recognize my project file, so my project is saved.

Edited June 30, 2021 by Zan Partizanne

[Saint Rubenio]

Man, the game really wants me to think that Alfred is the super duper evil secondary baddie and that there's no chance that he's secretly a nice guy who just sucks at communicating or that someone else is up to no good. Someone like the person I just found suspiciously chilling in the middle of the secret underground lab.

It's failing miserably. Unless they pull a double whammy on me. That'd be cool. We'll see.

At any rate, there's the boss that'll give me the ability to use those white plates on the walls I've seen. Neat. However, that'll have to wait. It's my grandfather and one of my aunts' shared birthday and we've got to celebrate.

[Lightcosmo]

1 hour ago, twilitfalchion said:

Same.

Just forget the fact that I'm apparently a cult leader now.

Haha, that can change!

[Sooks]

1 hour ago, Zan Partizanne said:

Hello...from my new laptop!

42 minutes ago, Zan Partizanne said:

Yup, it is!

A bit smaller (which I consider good for myself) and more RAM and powerful.

 

Edit: SRPG Studio could recognize my project file, so my project is saved.

Congratulations! I’m glad everything seems fixed.

[Benice]

'Morning! What did I miss?

[Acacia Sgt]

Finally they'll put FF I&II on Steam... it's those new "pixelated" versions that will only have the absolute original content.

Well then. Better than nothing? Eh, might still consider getting the mobile ports of the PSP versions...

[Acacia Sgt]

Alright, I've put it on hold long enough:

Let's get on with it. Thankfully, I've done this before. Remember folks:

Edited June 30, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[Jingle Jangle]

Completed Final Fantasy 13, overall an uneven experience, but has it's moments few and far in between. Story wise it feel a remix of FF7 but done in a obtuse matter. I had to consult the in game wiki and several other wikis to fully understand what was going on. The main cast needs more moments where they are hanging out, and not being angry/trying to kill each other.

Gameplay wise, it feel like the early prototype of the hybrid battle system later SE games would use. But done here in a rough matter. Good amount of times I died due to the seconds it takes for Paradigm changing or the party leader dying. Surprising there are a good amount of annoying enemies with massive health pools. To the point where some encounters took over five minutes to complete.

Design wise it is a corridor in many forms. from the level design, or the slow leveling system, tunnel after tunnel. The the game does look nice after more than ten year,  I certainly know more of the developer attention went to.

[Acacia Sgt]

Now if only I can "How do you turn this on" this. Where's my cobra cars!?

Edited June 30, 2021 by Acacia Sgt

[Sooks]

23 minutes ago, Benice said:

'Morning! What did I miss?

[Acacia Sgt]

Is there even any long-term benefit to accepting Dolstoy's offer. I only see downsides beyond just this chapter...

[Lightcosmo]

20 minutes ago, Jingle Jangle said:

Completed Final Fantasy 13, overall an uneven experience, but has it's moments few and far in between. Story wise it feel a remix of FF7 but done in a obtuse matter. I had to consult the in game wiki and several other wikis to fully understand what was going on. The main cast needs more moments where they are hanging out, and not being angry/trying to kill each other.

Gameplay wise, it feel like the early prototype of the hybrid battle system later SE games would use. But done here in a rough matter. Good amount of times I died due to the seconds it takes for Paradigm changing or the party leader dying. Surprising there are a good amount of annoying enemies with massive health pools. To the point where some encounters took over five minutes to complete.

Design wise it is a corridor in many forms. from the level design, or the slow leveling system, tunnel after tunnel. The the game does look nice after more than ten year,  I certainly know more of the developer attention went to.

XIII-2 allows you to switch leaders when whoever your in control of dies. It genreally allows you do switch leaders during battle.

If encounters are taking that long, I assume you aren't using the SAB role to its fullest. 

Story I cant judge since how its seen is different for everyone but i personally liked it.

[Acacia Sgt]

Well anyway, refusing.

[Shrimpica]

3 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I really have to wonder what's wrong with all of these old Japanese gamemakers. They all have a screw loose.

probably what they eat, or something xD

 

[Interdimensional Observer]

And I finished Bug Fables over an hour ago! (It took that long to write this post out.) A couple postgame quests popped up, but since the credits rolled, I'll say I'm done with the game, the post-denouement matters can be tended to another day.

The final area was creepy, but it got significantly less so the further I went into it. The final boss had a good deal of HP, but otherwise quite bearable.

 

So now, the review.

Unusually, I'll start by giving my score, keeping in mind I don't like rating games. And for Bug Fables, I'll give at least an 8/10. I could edge it up to 8.5, but 9? Well, the game never got a cascade of emotions of utter enthrallment out of me, is that required for 9 and above? However, despite that, it remained consistently very enjoyable, despite my various nitpicks.

With regards to the individual aspects of the game and other comments of mine.:

• First, to get this out of the way, I have not been hating on a certain franchise, and neither have I been desperately craving a game that returns said series to it roots. I got Bug Fables hearing the good reviews and the comparisons to those old games, which I did and do like, but the game was not a substitute for what a company Nintendon't make anymore.
• Truth be told, I felt the game was a tad too derivative. Lifting its JRPG combat, aesthetic, and some other little details right out of certain games so closely, the game itself makes it hard to escape what is inspired by. 
• What is it that keeps Bug Fables from dying of its of unoriginality? Well, for me.:
  • The rarity of what it copies. Very few JRPGs have hewn so closely to the manifold essence of the adventures it imitates. What else is there besides Bug Fables that does? I can't think of anything.
  • Second, Bug Fables does everything it attempts with competency. I have made critiques of the game over the past week, but none of it amounts to enough to deny that this game was well-made. The paper aesthetic in the style of the Old Masters is flawless, the story sufficiently simple and lighthearted, save points are properly spaced and quality of life features are sufficient, the light puzzles and platforming outside of the combat has minimal frustrations.
    • On the point of combat difficulty, I stand corrected.
      • Early on, it felt hard, even without the Hard Mode medal equipped. However, as the game progressed, I felt it got gradually easier. To the point I would say that overall, Bug Fables is moderate on the default difficulty. Not baby's first JRPG, but not Etrian Odyssey Expert brutal.
      • With Hard Mode or with the hidden challenge codes, then I'd imagine Bug Fables would be consistently on the difficult side. Hard Mode is optional and can be turned on or off at any time.
    • Deviations from the formula of those ancestral games are a mixed bag, ending up as neither positive nor negative.
      • The already low damage numbers of old are kept low. There are no bumps from 2 to 3/4 to 5/6 damage for your basic attacks, and the HP for your three characters individually might never make it to 20, none of mine exceeded 15. I was amazed to discover that this more often than not worked, a net positive.
      • Medals are the same as the Badges of yore. But it takes a while for good ones to show up, since the developers seem to have been overly concerned with balance and made many Badges conditional, often too conditional. Even so, investing Rank Up into Medal Points was still the best course of action after a couple early HP and a good deal of Teamwork Points. Eventually, great Medals do show up. Yet, I lean this as a slight negative.
      • All of the tweaks that were made, good or bad, do alleviate some of that imitation problem. 
    • Grinding for leveling is practically nonexistent in this game. The level cap is 27, and with only minimal grind if you could even call it that, I was able to reach the cap right before fighting the final boss. Exploration Points is very generous from the latest enemies when you're underleveled, and they go poof when you aren't. This is great for a JRPG.
  • The world of Bug Fables is pleasantly distinctive. Had the game's creators thrown tracing paper over pictures of the Mushroom Kingdom and Rogueport, they would've been met with catastrophic failure. Nothing, save itself, can stand in for the lands of the seven Star Spirits and Crystal Stars. Instead, what we get in Bug Fables is a splendid world ruled entirely by insects of various kinds.
    • The three heroes of the story are not the most nuanced, but they and their frequent banter maintain a low-key charm. They were never annoying, and once in a while made me smile or sympathize.
    • The game has a more world-building than it strictly required. A series of Lore Books scattered across the world explain various aspects of it, and the physical world itself adds more. The world was not made to express its lore, some interesting aspects are left not pursued in heavy detail, and it isn't the most elaborately crafted world out there in game. Yet, I appreciate the sincere efforts at world-building.
    • Each of the NPCs both story-important and not fall into their petite trope. Most do end up with a short quest associated with them. And I benignly liked them.
      • I would've liked more with the quests, they're not the best sidequests in gaming by a long shot, they're absolutely average leaning slightly positive.
      • Don't expect good villainy in this game, it's very weak. This a game about the fun of an adventure, not vanquishing tortured evil, so who cares!?
    • On the designs of the denizens of Bugaria, the insects are superb. The variety of bugs and the quality with which they were drawn into a cartoony, anthropomorphic style are both good.
      • Those with entomophobia should probably be fine playing this game, almost nothing was so realistic as to set off my own very real fear of the creepy crawlies.
      • Had it been a little longer, maybe the game would've overdone with the insects, but it didn't as is. 
    • The world of Bugaria itself has adequate environmental variety and papery visuals. Human trash is very frequently found in the world, emphasizing the bug-sized perspective.
    • Adding it all together, Bug Fables did a knockout job with making it own game via its world. I can't truly explain why I like it so much as I am at this moment, but this was a vital part of why it doesn't feel like a faint shadow of a thing of the past to me. It inherited gameplay, but became an independent game through the creation of its own world. Odd to think it so, when the world is superficial and gameplay is the true heart of video games, but it is what I am thinking.
• On music, I didn't find it memorable, but not bad. So average I suppose. I need to listen to the whole thing online now.
• It took me 37 hours from start to finish. I can easily imagine a faster average player shaving 5-10, maybe 15 at most hours off my time. At $25 on the eShop without a sale, it's a JRPG in a unique mold that won't overstay its welcome, nor break a budget.

 

...And that should bee enough of a review!😆

Edited June 30, 2021 by Interdimensional Observer

[Acacia Sgt]

> Urven double crits the Firewyrm to death.

> Hoelun is the one praised.

Ain't the script grand...

[Venger_06]

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

How exactly am I supposed to take this tragic moment seriously when Miriam looks like that?

She looks like a Jojo character.

[Shrimpica]

37 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

-snip-

So all in all, a worthy ''sequel'' to the series that can not be named, eh?

Edited June 30, 2021 by Shrimperor

[Acacia Sgt]

Alright, time for the assault.