I’m enjoying the strong presence of the indie game developers in the industry. They provide more choices, cheaper games, and unique takes on a wide span of genre. Prologue: A Guardian Story combines the mechanics of an old-school, turn-based RPG with an unorthodox narrative and feel. Made by Senshilabs, this game was made to fund a major project for their studio, but don’t think that this is just a bootleg game. You get a decent amount of content for $2.99 spanning 6 to 9 hours of gameplay depending on how much of a completionist you are.
Prologue Title Screen
This game has a different approach on presenting its story. It takes place in a University, something you don’t commonly see in other role-playing games. The protagonist goes by the name of Beam, a university professor and an Alchemist. She needs to use her skills to defeat a mysterious group of cloaked minions who invaded their school. Sounds serious right? Well yeah, the plot does portray a hero’s quest, but Prologue delivered it with a balance of action and light humor. The story is written with catchy dialogues ranging from typical villainous punchlines to geek memes. It was intentional and was made to poke some fun out of the JRPG cliches. You’ll also control a rich variety of characters with different personalities. You will even have a cat to join your party, and we know that any game with a cat is a must-buy, right? Right!
Talk about post-fight punchlines.
Handsome Man.. Hmmm how suspicious…
You have a chance to fight with a cat! What an offer!
Even though the play time is quite shorter than a typical RPG, it doesn’t fall short when it comes to details. By exploring the different areas of the map, you’ll discover various places that make up a complete University like Library, Colleges, Gym, and Infirmary. Reading the books give you a closer look on the history of St. Claire, the Saint from which the university was named after. You can also learn about the different regulations of the school such as faculty ranks.
The difficulty is pretty balanced, giving you a fair amount of challenge at the start of the game, but be watchful of your lifebar. Some of the enemies may die with just one hit, but they pack a punch if you give them the opportunity to strike back. Other than the basic attack and magic, you will also have Special Skills, which is performed using your SP Meter. The said attribute increases as you take damage, much like the POW meter of Samurai Showdown or Ultra meter of Street Fighter IV. This may turn the tide of the battle, but only if you live long enough to execute your skill. Grinding is inevitable but rewarding for dedicated players, for there is an optional boss that only a party strong enough to withstand its attacks can beat.
This boss is susceptible to Beam’s water attacks, but one successful Triple Shot from her, spells “Game Over”.
Enemies have weak points based on the attack’s element
Trivia: A lot of characters here in Prologue were based on real-life professors of Game Development, Multimedia Arts, and Mass Communications
Overall, this game is a good treat for both casual and hardcore RPG-players alike. Engaging storyline, intuitive gameplay, and well-written script all made Prologue a fun game. As a last note, you need to craft the ultimate weapons in order to unlock the true ending of the game. If you feel like getting lost, or you want to make the most out of your playthrough, you can check out this strategy guide written by the author herself. You can purchase the game on itch.io or Desura. Keep supporting the indie game devs! Enjoy! (~^_^)~
ironfiftynine 