Nuzelight Democratic Revolution Chronicles (Free SRPG) Introduction and Review

This is a free simulation RPG created using "SRPG Studio".
The text, system, and background music are all unique, and the work clearly shows the author's strong commitment to their craft.
There are 50 stages (including event-only maps), and it took me about 20 hours to complete them.

Download it here (from the "Freem!" project page)
The Noose Right's Democratic Revolutionary War Chronicles

Game Overview

Order and Destructionism

Basically, it's a classic simulation RPG.
However, each stage has specific clearing conditions, and your army's "attributes" will change depending on whether you clear the stage by fulfilling those conditions or by simply eliminating all enemies.
It's kind of like the "Ogre Battle: The Legend of Ogre Battle" or "Shin Megami Tensei" series.
In other words, you must decide on a policy: either adopt the "orderly" attribute, which avoids unnecessary killing; adopt the "destructive" attribute, which thoroughly crushes the enemy; or adopt the "neutral" attribute, which is neither of the above.
Depending on your strategy, many units may not join your party, and even units that are already allies may defect.
This is where the interesting part comes in, because the lineup of your companions changes depending on the strategy you take in the second week.

Number of weapon uses

Another notable feature of the system is that weapons can be used an unlimited number of times, which I found to be a great way to avoid stress.
Because the game's clear conditions and other elements are complex, the burden of resource management in that regard is reduced, allowing you to immerse yourself in other aspects of the game.

fatigue

As turns pass, units become "fatigued," and their stats decrease.
Therefore, it's difficult to employ a strategy of taking your time and attacking slowly; a swift advance is always required.
The maps aren't particularly large, and I thought the game's pace within each stage was good.
In terms of difficulty, you can defeat enemies quite easily, so there was no unfair difficulty.

Class Change

Class changes do not involve a system that resets your level.
Therefore, there's no problem with changing classes as soon as it becomes possible.
Not having to endure class changes was good for my mental health.

BGM

Another distinctive feature is the use of classical music as background music.
All of these works are out of copyright, but they surprisingly match well.
Perhaps because classical music and the war genre go well together, I get the impression that it tightens up the overall atmosphere of the game.

My impressions after actually playing the game

The included readme file is amazing.

My first impression was that it was incredibly well-made and meticulously crafted.
The game download folder includes almost perfect walkthrough information, so there's no need to search for walkthroughs online.
I thought that was very kind of them.

The game includes a comprehensive set of calculation formulas, unit recruitment conditions, and growth rates, almost as if to say, "Don't make it possible to create strategy guides or websites."

I get the feeling that the fact they've prepared this kind of information so thoroughly to bridge the skill gap among players stems from their desire for players to play until the very end.

Fast-paced stage walkthrough

The content is varied, with each stage having its own clear conditions and objectives.
Many stages can be cleared in a relatively short number of turns if the clear conditions are met, and for those who prefer the "Orderly" strategy where eliminating all enemies is less necessary, the pacing was quite good.

There are quite a lot of stages, but many maps can be cleared easily, which makes you want to keep going.

About the story and characters

This might be the part that divides opinions the most.
As stated in the readme file, this is an SRPG that satirizes modern society through the lens of "theories of war," and is for those who want to experience a serious story that directly addresses themes of "justice" and "politics." The text strongly reflects the author's own views.
If you adopt a neutral stance, you'll have fewer characters joining your party, making the game quite challenging.
It's a balance that seems to say, "You can't call mere indecisiveness and half-hearted intellectual stagnation 'neutralism'."

Because the author's ideas are conveyed through various characters, I sometimes got the impression that all the characters were explanatory or preachy.
However, the content of the discussion was convincing, and it wasn't a matter of forcing one's own viewpoint on the speaker, so I was able to learn while enjoying the experience.

This work gave me the impression that the creator had presented their own ideas in the form of a game.
I feel this game has some unique and edgy aspects that are only possible because it's a free game not intended for commercial purposes.