Lyra and the Twisted Faith Fable (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an introductory article for "Laila and the Twisted Faith Fable," a full-length dark fantasy RPG created with RPG Maker MV.
This is apparently the first work by creator Shibino Bunko.
The keywords are a compelling storyline, captivating characters, dynamic combat, and plenty of side quests and replayability.

The main story took about 20 hours to complete.

Game Overview

The main character is a girl named Laila Teaser who lives in a certain rural village.
When I returned from a monster-slaying expedition with my companions, I found the village in ruins, having been attacked by demons.
Laila witnesses her sister being murdered right before her eyes and is herself critically injured, but she is rescued by Aetro and other members of the Saintheim Order who come to her aid.
To avenge her sister and her village, Laila vows to eradicate the demons and sets off on a journey.

This game is an RPG with a traditional system.
The battle system is a traditional turn-based command battle, where characters act in order of their agility.
In addition to magic and special moves that consume MP, there are also "ultimate techniques" that consume a gauge to unleash.
The special move gauge fills up through actions taken during battle, but it generally cannot be carried over to the next battle.
In addition, there are combined attacks that characters can unleash by cooperating with each other.

The battles in dungeons and other areas use a somewhat unusual system that combines random encounters and symbol encounters.
My impression is that enemies encountered through random encounters are the weakest, while those encountered through symbolic encounters are generally stronger.
Furthermore, enemy symbols vary in strength depending on their color, so you need to avoid dangerous enemies.
There are many enemies in that dungeon that you won't stand a chance against, so it's necessary to avoid fighting enemies you can't defeat.

There are also sub-event dungeons that are not directly related to the main story, so players with extra time can enjoy exploring them on the side.

As the story progresses, you can trigger events that deepen your relationships with your party members.
You can also acquire skills by deepening your relationships through this process.
A variety of events are prepared depending on the combination of members.

Characters level up by gaining experience points and acquire new skills.
Additionally, there are general-purpose skills that can be acquired by using items.

Review (no spoilers)

I've completed the main story to the very end.
I really enjoyed the story; it was very engaging.

As the title suggests, it's not exactly a wholesome story.
The work deals with negative themes such as anger, hatred, and deception throughout, so it could be described as having rather dark content.

The main character, Laila, sets out on her journey primarily to seek revenge for the murder of her family.
It's unlikely to be a bright and enjoyable trip.
Moreover, Laila is quick to pick a fight and will snort loudly at most of her enemies.
Each time, they engage in a fierce battle with the enemy, fighting to the end even though they are battered and bruised.
Many of the characters, including Laila, have some degree of mental instability, and the early part of the story has an unsettling atmosphere.

One of the defining characteristics of this film is that every single villain is utterly detestable.
Lyra, still just a child, is no match for the cunning adults in verbal battles and is always outsmarted.
However, they are ultimately defeated by Laila and her group, which provides a cathartic experience for the player.
This is a story where hatred towards the antagonists accumulates, but there is always a place where that hatred is released, so you can endure it with peace of mind.

Now, in terms of the game's difficulty, it could be said that the early stages are a bit on the high side.
Actually, I didn't find many bosses particularly strong, but the regular enemies were quite challenging.
There are stages of difficulty, from randomly encountered enemies < enemies with red symbols < enemies with blue symbols, but I think the enemies with blue symbols are stronger than some bosses.

However, the enemy's strength is not complicated.
Once you level up to a certain extent, you'll quickly become strong, so I don't think you'll get stuck.
Furthermore, various combat strategies are possible depending on the type of weapon you equip your character with.
Since some skills can be freely acquired, it can be said that the game offers a high degree of customization.
Since party formation becomes possible relatively early in the game, it's easy for players to implement strategies that suit their play style.

Since there are quite a few side quests unrelated to the main story, the perceived difficulty may vary depending on your play style.
In the second half, both allies and enemies unleash powerful attacks, so you can enjoy a dynamic and exciting battle in a good way.

In any case, I think the appeal of this work lies in its fast-paced and intense storyline, and the charm of the protagonists themselves, who do not succumb to that unfolding plot.
If you're interested, why not pick it up and take a look?

Strategy Notes (Spoiler Warning)

Basically, if you level up properly, equip yourself well, and fight with strong skills, you shouldn't get stuck.
I'll be posting information that I found useful while playing through the game.

General strategy notes

・ Utilize the effects of food
Eating food at a tavern will grant you certain passive skills.
This will continue indefinitely unless you eat a different meal.
If you're having trouble, it might be a good idea to review your approach.
In the second half, if you're unsure what to do, I think it's a good idea to eat the meal that doubles your experience points.

Interaction inside the airship
Inside the airship, you can deepen your relationships with your party members and acquire powerful skills.
Be sure to check back frequently as the story progresses.
The character at the front of your party will be the controllable unit inside the airship, so control characters other than Laila as well and interact with them in all possible combinations.
I initially thought that interactions were limited to Laila, but I realized towards the end that interactions were possible with other combinations (such as Aetro x Meilus).
There are 15 possible combinations, as you need to choose two out of the six people.

- Techniques that I found particularly useful
Consecutive Icicle Spear (Laila):
It has a high hit count and deals high total damage relative to its MP cost.
Buffing your magic power and debuffing the enemy's magic defense will deal a significant amount of damage.

Light protection (Aetro):
Using this at the start of a battle against a tough enemy will significantly increase your safety.
Equipping the Ring of Secret Techniques and allowing your Secret Technique Points to be carried over makes it convenient to use them whenever you want.

Heart Gripper (Males):
It's a single-target attack, but its instant-kill effect is useful.
It's useful in solo battles and can effectively defeat even powerful enemies with high HP.

Story walkthrough notes (just a few)

- After entering Chapter 5
At the end of Chapter 4, a confirmation prompt asks if you really want to proceed, which suggests that you might get stuck if you haven't properly leveled up your characters.
The party members then split up, exploring and fighting individually in a series of scenes.
Healing items are scattered all over the map, so collect them and save frequently as you go.

Chizina, in particular, has low firepower and is very difficult to deal with in normal combat, so it's wise to avoid her.
If you're going to fight, using a rocket launcher lying around on the field is a good option, but I wouldn't recommend it.
When fighting the boss Desmond, focus on inflicting continuous damage through status ailments.
Specifically, focus your attacks on causing massive bleeding with "Rolling Saucer" and "Crossblade!", and on using the ultimate technique "Pain Hidden in the Wind."
I think Desmond is easier to fight than in regular battles.

Review (contains spoilers)

In this section, I'll share some memorable screenshots from my gameplay and write down my thoughts and impressions.
This contains major spoilers, so I recommend not reading it before playing the game.

I feel that the text in this work often uses casual and natural language when characters who are close to each other.
I often got the impression that these were words that came naturally from the character, rather than words that the author was making the character say.

This is the message displayed when using "Identification Wizard Eye" on Golurk.
The opponent's immense power was portrayed so vividly that it was frightening.
Each enemy has its own text, which I found to be incredibly well-crafted.

In the early stages, Layla, perhaps because she's forcing herself to stay spurred on by anger, tends to snap at anyone who disagrees with her.
This incident solidified the image of Laila as being quick to pick a fight.

Up until the middle of the film, my impression of Layla was that of a rabid dog, with her fierce, snorting nature being particularly striking.
He's quick to pick a fight, and even when he takes damage, he uses his anger and determination to intimidate his enemies.
By the way, I was a little surprised that the showdown with Goruuk, his long-standing rival, ended relatively quickly.

My first encounter with the Gasparvel group was quite disheartening.
Rono also gave off a scary impression, but I was a little relieved when it was later revealed that he had only buried them.
If you look closely at the character portrait, he looks young, but strangely enough, his speech patterns and first-person pronouns make him look like an old man without any sense of incongruity.

I think it's great that even nameless characters like these can exist as unique individuals.
(It would later be revealed at a signature-gathering event that her name was on the list.)

Clearly rejecting a stalker like this is an effective approach.
However, depending on the situation, this could escalate into anger and lead to criminal activity, so be careful.
If you look closely, Sarah is dressed in a rather unusual outfit, but it seems that she has a high body temperature, so it doesn't appear that she has an exhibitionist tendency.

In the story, Nana had a very formidable presence, but in actual combat, she didn't pose much of a challenge.
That being said, I like how the character who ruled by force, after being defeated by the protagonists, still respects their own rules—it's admirable.

I thought the professor was the type of villain who would betray us once he collected all the power stones.
I remained vigilant until the very end, but there was absolutely no need to worry.
On the contrary, she and Paulie ended up getting along well, and it was a happy ending.

I think it's amazing how you can tell at a glance that this person has ulterior motives.
I feel like priests usually have a hidden agenda.

Helga has a knack for delivering sharp, provocative lines, which is very satisfying for the player.
I'd like to call her "Brother Helga," but she also has a very feminine side, so don't underestimate her.

The two who are the emotional pillars of the party seem to have had a lot of hardships.
My impression is that the mother is Paulie, the father is Helga, the eldest daughter is Meils, the second daughter is Aetro, the third daughter is Laila, and the fourth daughter is Chizina.
In terms of age, Aetro appears to be older than Meils.

Mailes comes across as a reliable older sister, capable of being utterly ruthless towards enemies when it comes to protecting her friends.
After the Vangram arc, I lost my emotional capacity, and I rarely saw scenes like this anymore.
I was so overwhelmed with my own problems that I probably didn't have the capacity to be ruthless for others.

Evais is a hateful antagonist who will make the player's emotions fluctuate wildly.
Thanks to him, I think the story has a lot more dynamism and excitement.
You could even call him a lovable villain.

It is precisely because of this self-deprecating attitude that his awakened form stands out so much.

I really like the line, "I'm just an Aetoro," it's so cool.
Since leaving the Saintheim Church, I finally feel like I've established my own identity.
Her character portrait is also sharper, and instead of the cute, somewhat naive look from before, she now has a dignified expression.

I thought, "Is that even allowed!?", but it's the rule, so there's nothing I can do about it.
I feel like I was somehow cleverly manipulated in this part, but at least I saved the world from crisis, so let's leave it at that.
Does this technique not work on the final boss?

This is a critique of Laila's chuunibyou-esque naming sense.
I found myself strangely convinced, thinking, "That's certainly true."

After the professor, I thought, "This guy is definitely going to be the final boss later on..." but that wasn't the case at all.
Even magic that seems like it would have a terrible price to pay, such as resurrecting the dead, ended up being harmless and simply served as a component for a happy ending.
Perhaps I was being too cynical in my thinking.

With Ayaka's appearance, Lansoria's character has been upgraded from "abnormal" to "eccentric."
It seems like Lansoria is deliberately acting that way, knowing a lot about the situation, but what's scary about Ayaka is that everything she says and does seems genuine.
I feel sorry for the circumstances that led to that situation.

Paulie is often seen shouting, but I think that in most cases, it's not accompanied by genuine anger.
This scene was memorable because it showed that even Paulie, despite his usual temperament, could no longer tolerate the situation.

This is a retort to the "cool" names of the techniques devised by Laila and Aetoro.
Helga is great because she's so earnest and gives such thorough and thoughtful feedback.
I think one of the things that makes this work so bold is how it fearlessly incorporates meta-references from time to time.

In a different scene, I really love Helga's witty remarks.
The author provides thorough and accurate critiques over several pages, making it clear that they have seriously read the content before commenting.

I like this honest side of Laila.
That was a pretty terrible thing to do, and I completely understand why you're feeling angry when you remember it.

I laughed at Paulie's warning, which sounded like he was telling a child what to do.
I was grateful that there was a way to deal with the dungeon's traps (destroying them with Mail).
I tried to solve the puzzles using the proper procedures as much as possible, but in places where collecting items was time-consuming, I relied on Mails.

In my case, I was only able to collect four names in the end.
(Andre, Dave, Tama-chan, James)
Since this is considered HARD, I imagine there are probably a few more people involved.

I've arbitrarily interpreted Meilus's superhuman strength as something like the "Heavenly Restriction" from Jujutsu Kaisen.
Perhaps the physical talent was a reflection of the magical power he was originally meant to possess.

The "Minotauro Steak" available at Vangram proved useful until the very end.
Having double experience points is simply useful.
Thanks to this, I don't really remember doing much grinding to gain experience points.

Evais's line in this scene is one of my absolute favorites.
I was genuinely impressed, realizing that sometimes villains do indeed embark on a journey to take revenge on the protagonist.
Since the protagonist, Laila herself, is setting out on a journey for revenge, there's nothing strange about it.
However, in Evais's case, it's more like a case of misplaced resentment, so I can't really sympathize with him.

It was the kind of line a JoJo villain would say, and it really conveyed Evais's cheerful mood, which deeply moved me.
The words spoken by the characters in this work, whether they are allies or enemies, often deeply move the heart.
It feels like they're speaking a living language.

This is an extremely rare scene where Helga speaks in a mature, older-sister-like tone.
This scene came as a surprise, and I was unexpectedly startled.

It was a very serious and intense scene, but I couldn't help but laugh.

The scene where they defeat Belvera, who had a very strong presence, was really exciting.
Many players probably felt a sense of relief.
I sincerely thought, "Well done, Paulie!"

Even Evais is taken aback by this pervert; that's the kind of man Lansolia is.
The way characters who were once enemies suddenly become playable is incredibly exciting, and it's hard to stop playing.

This is a critique of Dave's fighting style, which might even evoke pity.
Honestly, I think it's amazing that he has this kind of mental fortitude at 200 years old.

Calling me a "bug" was quite funny, to be honest.
I felt a sense of satisfaction after beating him up, but I'm starting to feel a little sorry for Evais.
I thought the division of roles was brilliant, with Nana, whose position is slightly different, being the one to beat up Evais, rather than Laila and the others.

As a monster that devours time, it has an appearance reminiscent of Lavos.
It feels like we've finally reached a common enemy that we must defeat in the end.

As I've written before, I like how even nameless background characters have lines that give them a sense of individuality.
This scene really highlighted how emotionally immature Ayaka is, to the point where even an ordinary soldier, who isn't a special character, gets scolded.

Lansoria had an image of being an outrageous pervert, but his sincerity when it came to plants was evident, and his stock price steadily increased.

There was a time when I thought, "This sounds too good to be true, there must be some catch, there must be a huge price to pay."
However, there was no twist where Mystiff betrayed them, and it ended happily with the victims being revived without any problems.

The average level of the party in the final battle was 99.
I managed to defeat it even though I hadn't done anything to unlock the level cap or anything like that.
The final battle was a bit tough because the boss had high regeneration capabilities, but we managed to overwhelm it by relying on Laila's firepower.

At first, I thought it was a really dark fantasy, but the way hope gradually emerged from the second half to the end was refreshing.
While many stories start fairly normally and become increasingly difficult towards the end, it feels rare to find one that ends on a bright and refreshing note.

This scene reminded me of the exchange at the airport at the end of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3.
Although there were many difficult moments in the story, I think I was able to enjoy it because of Laila and everyone else.
Thank you for the interesting work.