But not the last, perish the thought. I just made my Kemco RPG debut, a
whopping 30 years after I played their stuff for the first time; but trust me
when I say that indeed, I won't let another 30 years pass until I go Kemco
again.
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We did indeed. |
Following that heartfelt declaration, I'd like to write a ton about BOTS;
but to be honest, that game is kinda hard to describe. The best I can
say is that it's perfectly generic, yet perfectly wholesome. It ticks all the
'serviceable RPG that somehow encompasses all 16-bit RPGs' boxes, from the Secret
of Mana-ish graphics to the snappy first-person turn-based combat à la Dragon
Quest, without forgetting the roamable word map, the stronger gear in every
new town and many more charming 16-bit RPG tropes. To put it simply: anything
you love(d) in 16-bit RPGs, you'll probably find in BOTS.
You'll also find a number of neat quality-of-life improvements that may or may
not have been a thing back in the '90s, such as instant save, sidequest end
messages, tweakable battle speed and the like. Last but not least, BOTS is
pleasantly manageable: in roughly 20 hours, you can accomplish
everything there is to accomplish, from maxing out all characters' levels to
acquiring every single skill. Not only does the game offer a reasonable number
of goals to achieve, but it's also perfectly upfront with said goals. For
instance, unlike some RPGs that viciously hide sidequests, BOTS kindly
lets you know when you're done polishing off all sidequests — and it lets you
know in-game, not as a trophy. It's probably the first time I ever
encounter an RPG with completionist velleities that also utterly respects the
player's time.
A special mention must be given to the narrative, which manages the tour de
force to be totally unintrusive yet intensely compelling. In fact, it's
probably one of the best story progression I've ever had the joy of following
in any RPG, ever. How could they pull that off? How could they offer
such clear goals, yet give such delicious leeway to accomplish them? How did
they manage to revisit the uber-cliché 'mankind doesn't need gods' theme in
such a refreshing and touching way? How did they know exactly where to insert
cutscenes in order to get the best emotional impact? How did they manage to
create such familiar yet engaging characters? A tour de force, I'm telling you.
And then there's the postgame, which is hands down the best postgame
I've ever had the joy of playing — and I mean that quite literally, mind you.
You know postgame is not my cup of tea, dear fellow gamers: as soon as the
credits roll, my drive to play plummets, never to rise again. But not this
time: this time, I wanted to keep playing, because Kemco fiendishly
designed the most gripping postgame ever. Most gripping because:
— It's short. On top of being draining, long postgames have an
infuriating way of making the main game look futile and pointless — thus
insulting the player who poured time and energy into said main game. BOTS wisely
avoids that pitfall and keeps it short and sweet. If you grind dutifully all
through the main game, postgame will hardly occupy more than 1/20 of your total
playtime — case in point, I spent roughly 30 minutes on it for 20-or-so hours
of total play.
— It's challenging. Short it may be, but BOTS' postgame is tough
as nails nonetheless. It challenges you to a couple of extra bosses, including
an final, OP one that I only managed to beat by the teeth of my skin despite
being at max level. Needless to say, I lapped it all up.
— It's a closure. This is Kemco's true stroke of genius when it
comes to BOTS' postgame: to actually make it an epilogue, and to
give the player a major role in making it happen. To play an epilogue is
just a million times more satisfying than to simply watch it — especially when
said epilogue gives you all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings like BOTS'
one. I'll admit it: I even teared up a
little.
Well, well, well; that's actually a lot of writing for a game that was
supposedly hard to describe, ain't it? To sum it up: I loved Bonds of the
Skies, and I'm most certainly going to play more Kemco RPGs — maybe in a
very near future, because I'm currently in a very grindy mood indeed. I'll see
you soon with my gaming instinct's next catch, dear fellow gamers; take care
during those rocky times!
4 comments:
What a
coincidence, I just finished this game myself about two months ago on the Vita.
Also my first Kemco game, and I've acquired all I can for the switch, Vita and
3DS from their lineup.
Not much to add, you hit the nail on the head. I was surprised with how much I
enjoyed it, considering how maligned these games are. But I guess most
reviewers aren't hardcore RPG gamers, so every RPG they play must feel
"special" or else it's a waste of time. For those whose RPG is their
main genre, simple and quick titles like these are just what we need to
replenish our energies between bigger and more difficult titles.
For how "hated" these games seem to be by reviewers, Kemco sure puts
them out everywhere, so it must make a profit for them. So I assume fellow RPG
fanatics also enjoy these on the side.
If there's one complaint, is that one of the companies that makes the Kemco
games does nothing but harem games. Which I can see myself liking for the first
3 games, then getting sick of getting nothing but a female cast all the time.
I'm currently playing Asdivine Hearts, and while the gameplay is lovely, none
of the girls interest me since they're as bland as they come.
Still, one of three companies, so if nothing else I'll enjoy the games the
others put out.
Now that's a
serious number of coindidences, Kumiko! :D I'm sure our feelings about Bonds of
the Skies are very similar indeed, since we discovered it in the exact same
circumstances. ^^
I have yet to play one of those harem Kemco games; we'll see how I like 'em.
Asdivine Hearts was the very first Kemco RPG I purchased, and I'm seriously
itching to play it right now. It has this adorable fluffy cat character, which
I'm totally going to adore because cats are me passion. ^^
Good news, the
cat is cute. Even better news, you can end up with the cat.
Yeah.
It's actually the only reason I'm sticking with it instead of trying out
another of their games in hopes of getting a better cast.
A bestiality ending? Seriously? Those Kemco RPGs are decidedly full of surprises! Gee, now I want to play the game even more. Not that I'm a closeted furry lover or anything, but... I'm really curious to see how that feline love story plays out. Maybe I'll get flashbacks of my strange, undefinable relationship with Incineroar in Pokemon Sun&Moon :P
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