Oh, how fast can a gamer's feelings towards a game change.
Right now, I am soaked in Lord of Magna and feeling like I could play it
forever; however, things were drastically different just a few gameplay hours
ago. So drastically different, in fact, that I had virtually given up on the
game somewhere around the end of July, after ten hours of what I would describe
as excruciatingly tedious gameplay. I couldn't stand anymore the vapid
dialogues, tepid battles and general lack of bite of the game, which felt
painfully like the unfinished business it is. Although I deeply loved the
aesthetics and the gentle atmosphere of Lord of Magna, it was just too
boring, empty and unfulfilling, and I dropped it with a deep, mournful sigh of
regret for all the money I had spent importing my physical copy, seemingly for
naught.
So what happened in the meantime? Well, after a couple of weeks away from the
game, I found myself yearning to play it again. This was my gaming instinct at
work, and I usually never resist it, so I caved in and dove back into Lord
of Magna. I had given up just before the rescue of Adelheid, i.e. virtually
at End Game's doors, so mustering the energy to give one final push and clear
the whole thing didn't seem too hard. However, something totally unexpected
happened: I started enjoying the game in earnest. This major change can be
attributed solely to one thing: the discovery of Free Battles, which I hadn't
deigned to touch until then. These battles allowed me to indulge into an
activity that I was sorely missing without even realizing it: Grinding. And
boy, what a pleasant grinding it was! Not only did I reap tons of money and
levels, powering up my crew in the process, but it also gave me a much better
understanding of the fighting system. Up until then, battles had been too few
and far between to get the gist of said battle system in earnest; but this lack
came to an end as I fought one Free Battle after the other, exhilarated by the
quick progression of my characters and the smoothness of the whole process.
Before I knew it, I had beaten Kaiser to a pulp—the poor guy didn't really
stand a chance against my Lv. 94 crew—and was headed to New Game Plus. That was
when I became hooked for good, as I discovered that the levels of two
characters could be carried over to the new run as well as a couple of items. Add
to this the unrestricted use of the fast-forwarding option during the story
segments and you get a deliciously flowing and intoxicating gameplay
experience, with battles faster and smoother than ever. I'm totally in love
with Lord of Magna right now, and I want it to never, ever end.
It will end, of course, but not before I get my fill of it. My current goal is
to raise the levels of the whole crew to their maximum, as well as to unlock
all the romantic events (read "battles", for this is how it goes in
this game) for all the ladies and to own all the available Skill Chips. I let
Charlotte and Luchs keep their levels to give me a good edge during that second
run, and it's working like a charm: I already reached Chapter Four, and it
shouldn't be too long before I reach the end. Of course, I'm fighting Free
Battles like there's no tomorrow, because it is such a giddy pleasure to see
Charlotte and Luchs go on a rampage while Beatrix and Elfriede gain levels at
the speed of light. I can't get enough of it, really—which is good, because I
still have a couple of runs to clear before reaching my aforementioned ultimate
goal. Until then, thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!
10 comments:
Sieg 22 August 2015 at 09:18
Still on the
fence about this one. I had very high hopes for Lord of Magna but as soon as
the first japanese reviews showed up, I lost quite a bit of interest in it. The
battle system DOES seem rather interesting so if I get it, it's probably just
for that.
Also, what did you thought about
the characters?
Isleif 22 August 2015 at 10:15
To be totally
honest, although I'm having tons of fun right now with Lord of Magna, I'm not
sure I would recommend it. The battle system is really neat, but it takes a lot
of time to reveal its depth and complexity. The first battles are more about
trudging towards the objective and trying to cleave your way through a milling
mass of constantly respawning foes. The story has its moments of glory but
remain quite weak overall.
The characters are cliché but quite adorable! Although their personalities are
not overly developped, the little we discover of them is quite endearing. Cherry on the cake, the sprites
are incredibly cute!
Sieg 22 August 2015 at 10:26
Meh,
considering the possible development hell that the game went through because of
the closing of Neverland, some big problems are to be expected. Regardless, if
the battle system has at least some spec of interesting ideas and the
characters are likable, then I guess I'll give it a try sometime down the road.
Probably when I find it for cheap.
Thanks for your input!
Isleif 22 August 2015 at 10:42
You're welcome! Indeed, it was quite a miracle that the game got released at all. I certain commend Neverland's efforts to bring it to life against all odds, because it would have been easier to call it quits and drop the whole thing entirely. Lord of Magna may not be your perfect RPG, but it's a lovely swan song nevertheless!
Sieg 22 August 2015 at 10:47
Classing Lord of Magna as Neverland's "swan song" is a little premature, since the folks working there were hired by Marvelous. Here's hoping they make a sequel that fixes LoM's problems and a new Rune Factory.
Isleif 22 August 2015 at 10:56
Yes, there's always hope! I would certainly love to see a more polished sequel to Lord of Magna come to life.
Kumiko 22 August 2015 at 21:29
So the romance is directly tied to battles in this game? That sounds really nice. I've been wanting to try out this game, but I've been putting it off because I didn't feel like putting an effort into the romance system. Since this came from Neverland I was assuming it would involve triggering events at specific times and giving gifts, but if it's tied to something I already like doing then I'll move this up a couple of notches in my backlog.
Isleif 23 August 2015 at 00:13
The romance in Lord of Magna is really as smooth and unfussy as it gets! Romantic events take place at certain points in the game no matter what and are signaled by a pink heart hanging over the head of the girls, so it's virtually impossible to miss any romantic milestone. These events always unfold the exact same way: you go for a stroll with the chosen girl and she uses the opportunity to open her heart to you, before this sweet moment of intimacy gets interrupted by a battle. After you beat every foe to a pulp, the scene wraps up and the girl gains a new fighting ability. Talk about romance with benefits!
Kina 23 August 2015 at 23:43
I... see... so the fun was to be had in grinding... No wonder I couldn't find it anywhere. I didn't like the battle system at all, so the idea of grinding up Free Battles never occurred to me. And it's still not occurring to me, so I'm just going to take your word for it. But hey, at least someone enjoyed Lord of Magna! *stares and points at rare creature*
Isleif 24 August 2015 at 15:12
If you look at it closely, there's literally nothing to do in that game but fight battles, free or story-driven. There's no exploration, no romance, no simulation aspect of any kind; just an endless grind intercut with sleep-inducing dialogues. To encounter a game so devoid of any substance is quite a fascinating experience, if you ask me...
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