#aldorlea

Title Moonchild Developer Aldorlea Games Publisher Aldorlea Games Original Release Date August 25th, 2012 Genre RPG Platform PC

Over my course of exploring and reviewing games from Aldorlea, I’ve developed a bit of a fondness for this independent developer. This is a small group of developers doing what they love. As such, I genuinely want to see them succeed, so much so that I…

Aldorlea Games had first made its way onto my personal radar after seeing an auto recommendation through Steam while looking into another game. I tend to ignore these, but what had caught my eye that day was the first Millennium game in a 5-part series. After having played, reviewed, and being pleasantly impressed with the overall quality of the entire Millennium series, I had wanted to take a closer look at other productions coming out of this small indie developer. What sticks with me about Aldorlea is the fact that these games are rarely produced by a team of more than three or four individuals. Production with such limited manpower is remarkable all on its own. However, now I wish to find out whether the quality I experienced with Millennium proves consistent. And so the entry from Aldorlea that recently caught my attention is Opaline – 2 Fates 1 Love.

Opaline at its core is one part world saving, one part love story, as one would hope since “love” is in the title. Our story begins in the small remote town of Hermon, where Gallow, an orphaned young man, has been selected as a True Knight candidate; a guardian responsible for protecting the world against the Blight. His childhood friend Liza, whose family looks after Gallow, is grieved to see him leave the village to begin his training. As Gallow leaves, Liza walks with him a final time, but through a series of events, is herself charged with a role to play in the unfolding events that will engulf the two.

The Blight, a powerful, evil force once contained, had been released during the previous kingdom-wide war. Four warriors were responsible for this act and, in repentance, have since established the Crusaders, a group of knights that prepares for the eventual returning threat. This group is the one that recruits Gallow as a True Knight candidate. But before he can begin, the Blight strikes, pulling both Gallow and Liza into a world-wide struggle that forces the two apart. With unknown destinies and a budding love, the two have everyone’s hopes on their shoulders.

The story of Opaline is a familiar one to the RPG genre with a few unique elements along the way. The “2 fates” aspect sees our heroes going down their own paths as they grow and learn of the conflict they’ve been pulled into. As one would expect, this part of the narrative challenges the relationship between our two heroes. Several times during the story, the two meet up again, progressing the love story aspect and letting us, the players, know how things are going for them. In terms of its execution, the world saving elements of the plot are fairly straightforward, as the heroes must go about their ways to defeat the villains. What I like about this part of the plot is the inclusion of a growth theme, as the two heroes learn and seek out the means to become the legends they are meant to be. It adds needed substance to a plot device many have seen before, while also adding depth. I also like how the growth aspects compliment the love element, as they both serve to deliver an engaging, lighthearted story. Yes, there is strife and conflict, but I enjoy how the game keeps a more cheerful, hope-filled tone throughout.

I do feel let down when it comes to the love story itself. If love is in the title, I expect there to be significant depth and development in this regard. Unfortunately, what we get is far too little to satisfy. I will applaud the developers for the few bright spots, such as the final moments of the intro scene or Gallow’s stowaway scene, as they’re charming and brilliant. However, I expected far more than what is actually provided. The quality is there, but the quantity is not and what results is more of a longing by the player rather than an acceptable level of immersion. While the relationship between Liza and Gallow is described as having gone back further than the start of the game, we obviously don’t see that. Yet, I felt too much of the ongoing plot relies on that past reference and, again, the result is a love narrative lacking genuine growth between the two.

Opaline’s character development also suffers from a lack of quantity. Quality is not the issue; the few glimmers we do get are great, but the lack in content hurts the overall story. Only three of the characters are memorable enough to care for by endgame, as the others just feel like extras or filler to address a need in gameplay. Simply put, more is needed. Badly. This is especially evident because of the love narrative and its shortcomings. If we are to care for, or root for, the developing love between Liza and Gallow, we need to know more about them besides their resolve to do the right thing. Instead, the story throws you and its characters into the world-saving almost immediately. We are to just assume Gallow and Liza are good people, so they can be trusted to save the world, just like that. As gamers, we already get it that the good guys are going to do the good guy things and stop the bad guys. That’s a given. I expected more in terms of personality away from the heroism and world-saving elements, but we rarely see it. The few moments we do get to see within the characters’ thoughts towards one another, as well as their shared moments are all outstanding, but they are too few and far between. Yet, there is also a charm here, magnified by Gallow and Liza’s innocence and genuine care for one another. Those few nuggets are enough to hold a player’s attention, as it did mine, but it left me wanting. I really do want to know more about these characters because there are high quality moments to be had. Overall, story and characters needed far more development, more detail, and more depth.

Moving on to gameplay, Opaline is mostly an old-school RPG, but with a few appreciated twists. Plot and combat drive the campaign, as our heroes are separated and players experience the story from two different perspectives. I like this because it allows multiple plotlines to play out simultaneously. We also have the chance to manage teams with varying styles and skillsets. At the beginning of the game, combat is almost bland to the point of repetitive. However, as the game progresses, combat becomes more intriguing with the need for strategy. Mastering stat boosts, elemental affinities, ailment skills, multi-hit skills, and having a grasp on when to use them and against whom will all influence your success in combat. When the two teams join, selecting who you bring will also heavily impact success, especially at endgame. While it may not be anything new or innovative, its implementation is tight and it helps to break the monotony that may stem from the turn-based style. I also compliment the fact that leveling up and difficulty scaling is perfectly implemented. I feel the game, in terms of challenge level, is incredibly fair, so much so that I would say Aldorlea is a gold standard in this regard. Developers from other studios, such as Kemco, can learn much from this small indie.

Only a few bugs and none are game breaking.

Outside of combat and the main quest line, there are a collection of subquests and Secret Rooms to find. Subquests are common fare, ranging from simple collection quests, to deliveries, and enemy hunts. Besides items or money, subquests always yield experience points, which is a welcome help. Although they are not the most intriguing or innovative, these subquests do add to the overall experience and charm of the game. My only complaint about subquests is the lack of tracking. There is no system to remind ourselves of the subquests that are open or available, nor of their completion conditions. You’ll have to do your best to find them and remember their requirements. As for the Secret Rooms, this has typically been a complaint of mine throughout my reviews of the Millennium series games, but here, they are indeed easier to find. With the Millennium series, mouse controls, specifically the pointer, was helpful when there was a corresponding change to the pointer icon, indicating a hidden secret. Not all the Millennium games implemented this and Opaline, too does not. However, Opaline does an excellent job of indicating a Secret Room though visual cues on the map. If you see a peculiar object or a random extra jut in the wall, chances are good that there’s a Secret Room nearby. Their rewards, in that they often hide excellent weaponry or armor, are very much worth the effort in searching for them. On my first playthrough and without any guide, I managed to find most of the Secret Rooms with minimal effort; it’s nowhere near the level of anxiety, cheapness, and tedium seen in several of the Millennium games. Finally, there is a grading system, which grades you according to completed subquests, Secret Rooms found, and how many times you saved your game. Similar to the codenames you earn in the Metal Gear series, grading and titles are shown at endgame and depending on how impressive or humorous your grade title, you may be encouraged to replay the game for a better one.

With no helpful icon changes, check everywhere, as you never know what’s hidden…

Aldorlea’s aesthetic efforts for the Millennium series impressed me overall and it was a major factor I had looked forward to in my play of Opaline. Unfortunately, Opaline’s aesthetics leave much to be desired. The game is still presented in a familiar, pleasing 16-bit style reminiscent of the classic RPGs from the 90’s and in the current Aldorlea style. The use of RPG Maker mixed with custom tilesets and assets create a beautiful world that’s fun to explore. Beyond this, however, the visuals are uninspired. The portraits are rather bland and there are no full-body or torso shots; only head portraits. Also, there are only two real pieces of art, the title screen and a CG that gets reused. They clearly had a talented artist, as these two pieces are beautiful, but just two is a crime and to recycle one is inexcusable. I’m very let down here, as I’ve seen far better from Aldorlea. As for the audio, the music selection is strong, pairing tracks appropriate to the events and circumstances on-screen. In the past, Aldorlea has used public domain music and I believe this is the case again, as no composer was named in the credits. Regardless, the quality of the music is solid and its implementation is satisfactory. Audibly, Aldorlea is on point, however, as visual aesthetics have been a nonissue in the past, the degree of letdown I felt here really makes it stands out greatly.

So many opportunities to incorporate artwork… This and the title pic above is all we get.

Overall, I enjoyed Opaline. Its roughness is noticeable, but the entirety of the experience is pleasing. It’s full of charm and has some brilliant moments that will keep you engaged until the end. I’m giving Opaline a 3 out of 5 stars because what it does right it does extremely well. Yet, it’s a far cry from a 3.5 or 4 because, plainly, it needs so much more. More story depth, more relationship development, more character development. It has the foundation and makings of something truly special, but it’s disheartening that the game falls short of its full potential. The price of $15.99 on Aldorlea’s website is completely absurd (no, it’s not a typo), but the $5.99 price on Steam is wholly acceptable. In spite of its shortcomings, it was still a pleasure to play; I’m genuinely glad I did so.

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[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″]

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to review the Millennium series, a five episode fantasy RPG epic. Each individual game possesses its own characteristics and unique pleasures, managing to stand on their own. However, I believe when the series is taken as a whole, it produces an experience far better than its parts. Treating each episode like chapters in a novel, not finished until every chapter is read and understood, this same mentality can have an impactful influence on just how much enjoyment we can glean from playing any series of games. In the case of Millennium, as excellent as the individual games are, I feel the series taken as a whole provides a far more satisfying and lasting experience.

For those of you who have yet to discover the charms of the Millennium series, it is my pleasure to once again introduce this story. It begins in the land of Myst, comprised of the Mystlands and Mystrock. The Mystlands are countrysides full of hard working people struggling against poverty, starvation, and the destruction of their farmable lands. Mystrock is the governing city of Myst with closed borders and nothing but lavish waste, greed, arrogance, and tyranny within. It’s through this conflict between those who need and those who have yet are unwilling to help that we are introduced to our heroine, Marine. A simple country girl who wishes to save her village and every countryman suffering the oppression of the Mystrock Kingdom, Marine learns of a stipulation in the laws called the Martial Law, which would allow her to challenge and potentially overthrow the current rule through a martial arts tournament. Her ultimate goal is to find and register 13 warriors from the Mystlands that would fight alongside her against 13 Mystrock fighters. So with this knowledge and her unshakable hope, she begins her quest, meeting new people, helping others along the way, joining forces, and building her team to ultimately release the oppressed from the grip of the corrupt.

Taken as a whole, I truly enjoyed Millennium’s story and narrative. This overarching plot which serves as Marine’s purpose brings out so many dimensions of her and other characters involved that it’s a real joy to take part in. I do wish this main plot point had more of the spotlight, but having completed the series, I can understand how things could get stale if all Marine and her companions did was train or talk about the tournament. Still, I would have appreciated more balance between the main plot and the episode specific plots. Speaking of which, each episode has its own plot that carries us from one game to the next. While each episode discusses the tournament and the need to find warriors through their narratives, these game specific plots are what really move things along. This style works for the most part, as there’s plenty of excitement, immersion, and character development that comes from each game’s plot. My only concerns were that sometimes these specific plots feel far too tangential or separate, forcing the main plot points out of our minds. Many times, the main plot simply becomes a device to impute senses of frustration, depression, or urgency during play. Having said that, some of the side stories can be pretty fun, delivering a wealth of humor and charm. Plus, moments of sheer brilliance are everywhere, waiting to be revealed. Lastly, I am disappointed with the abrupt ending of Millennium 5 and the series as a whole. It feels rushed and incomplete, leaving us to wonder how certain points were resolved and what happened to specific characters. I would have liked a stronger conclusion. Overall, I would have liked to have seen a better balance, or a better integration between main plot and game specific plots, as well as a stronger finish, yet the overwhelming positives these games provide throughout their courses are most definitely worth experiencing.

Throughout my previous Millennium reviews, I discuss character development thoroughly, mainly because of how impressed I am when it comes to the growth and depth of a few of the main characters. Truly, Marine is a gem. She is an absolute pleasure to be with. From her start as an energetic, jovial young girl who enjoys simple pleasures like exploring and jumping, we share in her growth into a determined, empowering leader, whose hope can drive away any doubts and fears. Throughout this shift from country girl to willpower incarnate, we also see the development of other characters that are with her throughout. Jeanne the fairy acts as Marine’s subconscious, providing the snark and sarcasm Marine can’t voice out loud. Jeanne is a wonderful companion to Marine, providing the hope and willpower she needs when she’s at her lowest, but also reminding us that Marine is still this wonderful young girl who knows how to joke, laugh, and enjoy simple pleasures in nature and life. Jeanne and Marine are fantastic and just to experience these two characters is worth playing through the series. Yes, they are that memorable and that spectacular.

Other characters in the series have their bright moments too, the best developed of these is Benoit, Marine’s cousin who’s with her from the beginning (only Jeanne is with Marine longer). Many characters receive spotlight moments that show the many sides to their personalities, as well as growth during their ordeals. Benoit has a wonderful moment of compassion and maturity at the end of Millennium 2, showing his willingness to go all the way for Marine. Unfortunately, he sees some digression too, returning to his old style of hesitation, doubt, and fear until he starts showing glimmers of growth again in Millennium 5. It’s as if because the focus had to shift to others, he reverted to a form easier to handle narrative-wise. This focal shifting is troublesome and the main reason why the characters didn’t flourish the way they could have. Other characters also rotate from spotlight to backseat as more new characters are added and this pattern tends to repeat. While these others like Karine, Salome, or Jezabel may have intriguing back stories and their times to shine, it’s just not enough to completely satisfy. With the degree of development Marine receives, of course it leaves me wanting the same impressive level of development for everyone else as well. Again, they each get their moments, but I wish those moments were more in quantity and quality, especially since, despite all of this, I very much came to care for all of them so deeply.

Moving on to gameplay, there are several elements that the Millennium series manages to incorporate. Starting with its classic combat, the traditional turn-based system starts with a style based on equipping the best weapons and gear available during Millennium 1, 2, and 3. This style evolves into a purely hand-to-hand focus that places more emphasis on hit count and levels achieved than equipment. As the tournament approaches, less gear is available and previous equipment becomes unusable, again, to emphasize the need to train and to stay within tournament rules. It’s an intriguing evolution, as it allows for different play styles, as I feel the need to train hand-to-hand opens up opportunities to use different combinations of characters and try alternate strategies so everyone has the chance to grow. The transition from one style to another keeps combat fresh and adds variety to a familiar system.

Another change to combat that I particularly enjoy is the breakup of the entire group into smaller parties. Although this is only seen in Millennium 5, I am so impressed with this element that I had to mention it here. It’s wonderfully executed, using narrative to drive the need for the smaller groups. It also gives ample opportunities to use characters that may have been neglected, allowing for their growth. Smaller groups also allow for more character development, as we see Benoit, Jezabel, Salome, and others receive some fantastic narrative moments during these separate excursions. This is an element of gameplay that I wish had been used from the beginning, as it allows multiple side plots and branches to run simultaneously and allows for more individualized focus and character development.

Quests make up another significant piece to the gameplay, but here the quality is inconsistent. Most side quests are either purely combat based, or are fetch quests that also depend on combat. Combat is just too heavily relied upon for side quests, so completing them can drag down play flow and immersion. Main quests are naturally flowing, driven by narrative and depth, so I wish the many side quests also had greater depth. Perhaps more detailed development of the NPCs that give these side quests would have made completing them more worthwhile.

I mention the NPCs because I wish to address the interactivity element of the series’ gameplay. Interacting with townspeople throughout the journey, learning about the struggles of each town, and experiencing individual perspectives is always a wonderful touch to any RPG and those opportunities in the Millennium series are always ones to look forward to. Helping entire groups or towns make the efforts feel more rewarding and impactful, especially in this world in which the struggles are relatable and palpable. It’s a traditional style for the genre, but one that’s well executed when they’re present in this series. So what really irks me is that as the series progresses, there is a very noticeable decrease in interactivity.

We go from a style that incorporates multiple villages and plenty of NPCs to speak with, to one in which there’s only two, or even a single town in the entire game. That interaction with the very people Marine is determined to save is lost, as is the feeling of saving a land and population, rather than just a few individuals scattered around in the later episodes. For example, most of Millennium 4 is focused on searching for the Bear. As critical as he is, both as a mentor to the group and as a fighter, it takes away from the sense that Marine is doing all of this for others, as there are hardly any others to interact with. Millennium 5 does a better job with interaction by introducing Blondie, as she drives a role reversal; Marine and her companions are the ones that receive the help from her. Also, a sizable village full of NPCs is incorporated, but again, it’s just the one village for the entire game. The earlier episodes manage to do interactivity better and so I wish we could have seen that level throughout because when it’s there, it’s done exceptionally well.

The other major piece to gameplay is the search mechanic. Again, if you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll know that I have issues with this gameplay element. As a fan of the genre, I love searching and exploring, as long as a proper balance of challenge is maintained. Unfortunately, in too many instances, secret rooms and hidden items are obnoxiously hidden. In Millennium 1, if you mouse-over a hidden secret, the cursor icon would change. This is not always the case in proceeding episodes, as Secret Rooms didn’t always have those corresponding icon changes. It goes from challenging to tedious, becoming a chore to find the many Secret Rooms that can provide significant advantages to play. I even previously suggested that this serves as a means to encourage guide purchases. Having discussed the search mechanic at length for each game previously, I’ll simply say that it’s not terrible and can be fun at times, but be prepared for some tedium, and as soon as you feel it, just move on, because none of the secrets are required. You are welcome to explore as much or as little as you want, which I feel is the best decision made by the developers for this.

Searching is not perfect, but it has its moments too!

Lastly, I think the main reason I enjoy these games as much as I do is because of the aesthetic brilliance by Aldorlea. Not only is every game visually and audibly beautiful, the quality is consistent. From the portraits to the sprites and tilesets, a tremendous amount of love went into the creation of this world and the characters within. There is a clear adoration by the artists who brought this world to life and I have nothing short of appreciation and adoration myself for their efforts. The soundtrack for the series is equally impressive, fitting the environments and events they’re paired with. My consistent gripe was that I always felt that each game could have benefited from more music, as the tracks do get reused from game to game. Really though, I just wanted more because of how much I enjoyed and continue to enjoy the musical score throughout. I said before that experiencing characters’ growth or living the story are reasons enough to play the entire series. The aesthetics too, are more than enough to encourage a playthrough.

I also would have liked more of these description scenes, but not everyone gets one…

In all, I absolutely and thoroughly loved playing through the Millennium series. So much so that I simply wasn’t ready to say goodbye to this epic story and it’s wonderful set of characters just yet. The individual games are all fantastic, but I believe the best way to enjoy the Millennium series is if you play through all five games consecutively. This means you play them exclusively, without interruption from other games, and you immediately play the next after finishing an episode. Taking too long a break in between episodes will cause you to forget or miss out on subtle details and references to past episodes that only serve to deepen the experience. If you’re (somehow) still unsure, I encourage all of you to read the individual games’ reviews, which have all been linked within this review in blue, to have a better sense of the storylines and what’s in store. Links to each game’s purchase page can be found at the top of each review, just look for “Original Release Date,” and the links are also in blue. I cannot recommend this series enough, it was a true pleasure to play and I’m already looking forward to the day I can replay this wonderful adventure again, as this experience will stay with me forever.

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″]

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TBT Review: Millennium 5 – The Battle of the Millennium

Title Millennium 5 – The Battle of the Millennium Developer Aldorlea Games Publisher Aldorlea Games Original Release Date Aldorlea – July 21, 2013 Steam – Nov 7, 2014 Genre RPG Platform PC

Millennium 5 draws the Millenniumseries to its epic finale, as the fate of an entire kingdom will once and for all be determined in a tournament of strength and skill. Hope, in the form of a…

TBT Review: Millennium 4 – Beyond Sunset

Title Millennium 4 – Beyond Sunset Developer Aldorlea Games Publisher Aldorlea Games Original Release Date Aldorlea – Aug 7, 2011 Steam – Sept 19, 2014 Genre RPG Platform PC

Throughout the Millenniumseries thus far, Aldorlea Games has managed to capture and hold my desire to continue playing through each episode, all the while introducing the deep, impactful themes of hope,…

TBT Review: Millennium 3 – Cry Wolf

Title Millennium 3 – Cry Wolf Developer Aldorlea Games Publisher Aldorlea Games Original Release Date Aldorlea – Oct 30, 2010 Steam – Aug 29, 2014 Genre RPG Platform PC

The theme of hope that has defined the Millennium series thus far has shown me how wonderful and powerful hope can be, even when all odds are stacked against those empowered by it. Millennium 3 – Cry Wolffocuses…

TBT REVIEW: Millennium 2 – Take Me Higher

Title Millennium 2 – Take Me Higher Developer Aldorlea Games Publisher Aldorlea Games Original Release Date Aldorlea – Dec 20, 2009 Steam – Jul 10, 2014 Genre RPG Platform PC

  As powerful as hope can be, it is not invulnerable. Fear, intimidation, pessimism, bad luck, and perhaps most of all, doubt, can deter hope and discourage even the most hopeful of people. When everyone…

TBT REVIEW: Millennium – A New Hope

Title Millennium – A New Hope Developer Aldorlea Games Publisher Aldorlea Games Original Release Date Aldorlea – Sept 21, 2009 Steam – Apr 25, 2014 Genre RPG Platform PC Age Rating N/A

Hope is wonderful. It can be simple; a feeling of good expectations, a comfort during trying times. Or, it can be far more incredible; strength, determination, a driving force capable of…