Quartum Fines (Free SRPG) Introduction, Review, and Walkthrough

This is a simulation RPG created with "SRPG Studio".
This is a work with a carefully crafted story and characters.
This time, I'll be writing an article about "Quartum Fines."

My completion time on normal difficulty was approximately 14 hours.

Game Introduction and Impressions

story

It's a fairly standard simulation RPG.
The story follows a rebellion against the tyranny of a powerful empire, with the heir to the kingdom as their banner, liberating various parts of the world.
The protagonist is the granddaughter of a holy knight said to be the greatest on the continent, and she grew up like a sibling to the kingdom's orphaned child.

What I found particularly wonderful was the dialogue between the characters.
The dialogue in the story is captivating, with its choice of words reminiscent of a war chronicle, making you want to immerse yourself in the story.
Furthermore, the support conversations at the start of each stage are quite extensive and play a significant role in developing the individual characters.
It doesn't feel like superficial, tacked-on dialogue; it feels like real characters are having a real conversation.
For me personally, the main motivation for wanting to progress in the game was the captivating story and the characters' conversations.
Listening to conversations between friends allows you to glimpse various aspects of the world's setting, which greatly stimulates the imagination.
It seems likely that there are quite detailed settings and backstories that aren't explicitly explained in the game.
I found the story's development, while following a classic formula, to be original and very interesting.

Graphics and background music

The screen size is larger and easier to see than other games made with SRPG Studio.
The character illustrations are handled by multiple artists, and the style varies considerably depending on the character.
I was taken aback at first, but as I played, I got used to it.
Those differences are part of their individuality, so I think you should just use the character you like.
The character's graphics vary depending on their remaining HP.

The background music consisted of very catchy and memorable songs, so I never felt bored.
The map background music changes at key points in the story, allowing you to play with a fresh feeling each time.

Difficulty

Since there are several difficulty levels to choose from, I think it's fine even for beginners.
I played on "Normal" difficulty, and it was quite challenging.
Losing defeated characters is stressful, so it might have been better to have a "normal" setting where units don't disappear.

Since you generally cannot save and load mid-stage, careful planning is required.
There are reinforcements that are almost guaranteed to kill you on your first encounter, and others that are quite difficult to deal with, so if you're going to play without resetting, you'll need to advance with reinforcements in mind.
When you get a game over, you receive hints for how to proceed, so it's a good idea to intentionally get a game over on difficult maps.
If it's really difficult, you could try copying the interruption save file, "interruption.sav," to another location and loading it multiple times.
<Added on 2018.8.20>
In version 1.1 and later, you can now save at the start of each turn.

Tips for winning

All sorts of things about combat

In this game, if your attack speed is 2 points higher than your opponent's, you can attack again.
Since the threshold for being able to attack again is low for both allies and enemies, allied units with low speed need to be careful.

Furthermore, since the amount of experience points you receive remains almost the same even at higher levels, leveling up seems relatively easy.
Despite this, the level cap is a relatively low 15, and the stat limits are also somewhat restrained, making it difficult to create an overwhelmingly powerful character.

A cautious advance is fundamental.

In map progression, once you've defeated the thieves attacking the village and those after the treasure chests, you can proceed at your own pace.
Many enemies have unique attack patterns, and the triggers that bring in reinforcements are tricky, so a cautious advance is required.

It's important to send your strongest ace units ahead and advance while confirming that there's truly no danger of reinforcements.
You need to be vigilant in areas on the map where reinforcements are likely to appear.

About unit development

Once you've raised your level to 15, change your class to an advanced class.
Class change items are generally separated by job type, but I don't think you'll run out of them that often.
If you need a lot of them for things like completing the game, you'll have to buy them from the secret item shop.

Weapons and shopping

I think the amount of money was just right—not too much, not too little.
If you use the illegal supply shop, your money will disappear very quickly.

Lower-tier weapons have less power but are lighter, so considering accuracy and the ability to attack again, buying a lot of them isn't a bad idea.
Since these stores aren't always readily available, take advantage of opportunities to sell or buy unwanted items whenever you see one.

About unit conversations

In addition to persuading enemies, conversations can also occur among allies.
If you see "..." at the far right of the unit list, it means there's a conversation event with someone.
There are plenty of conversation events, some of which contain quite important information.
To fully enjoy the story, actively seek out and discover various conversations.
<Added on 2018.8.20>
In the latest version, the names of the units you can converse with are clearly indicated.

Map walkthrough

I've completed the game once, but there are still empty slots in the character encyclopedia, and I've destroyed several villages, so I think I've missed quite a few things in the walkthrough.
Please note that this is not a complete walkthrough, but rather an article describing how I managed to complete the game.

Chapter 1: The Winds of War

It's like a tutorial.
First, let's get used to the game balance of this title.

Chapter 2 Under the Banner

This map is slightly larger than the one in the previous chapter.
Let's learn the basic tactic of luring enemies in little by little with sturdy units and then defeating them with multiple units.
Be aware that the ability modifiers for flying units are quite extreme: +20 to evasion and -5 to defense.

Chapter 3: The Beginning of the Battle

You might be surprised by the sheer number of enemies, but most of them will retreat away, so try to avoid engaging them too much.
On the map, Ren, Lia, and Cornit should lie in ambush indoors to the north.
Then, have the thief retrieve the treasure chest, and defeat the enemy when it comes out to the north.

Chapter 4: The Sound of Footsteps of Turmoil

If you talk to Henrietta, Emily, who is running away, she will join your group along with Russ.
Beau, who is bringing up the rear, will not become a companion on this map, so you don't need to worry about him.

When reinforcements arrive, use the village in the lower left of the map and the cliffs to create a good defensive line against the incoming cavalry units.
This is a fundamental technique that will be necessary in future maps as well.

<Added on 2018.8.20>
I learned this from the document "About Branching" in the ver1.1 folder, but if you reach the area near the village in the upper left within 4 turns, Galford, Rodimus, and Sophia will appear as NPCs.
If you invade after that point, Georg, Rocco, and Monica will join your party.
I thought it was normal for all three of them to go in, but it seems the story diverges here.
I plan to test this during my second playthrough.

Henrietta will join your party once she speaks to Galford.
If you don't talk to them early, you might get into a fight with nearby enemies and be defeated, so be careful.

Chapter 5: The Demon on the Cliff

First, let's rescue Jiji from prison.
If you talk to Gigi with either Ain or Ras, he will join your party.
At the same time, reinforcements will appear near the entrance, so be prepared to deal with them.
Then, if you talk to Bo with Gigi, he will become your ally.
Around the time you recruit Beau, a thief will appear near the entrance carrying the class change item "Knight's Sword of Honour".
After moving slightly to the right, it escapes off-map.
If we have them lying in wait beforehand, we won't miss them.

The treasure chest contains 10,000 gold, the Hero's Spear, and the Dragonfly Cutter (wind magic), which are powerful at this point, so be sure to collect them.

Chapter 6: The Siege of Fort Sharp

This map presents a dilemma: which of the three bridges should be the main battleground?
Having both Ain and Emily as healers provides more flexibility.

In my case, I first recruited Clary from the upper village, then lowered the drawbridge in Ras, and let her escape to my side.
After that, Romeo will be left to defend the lowered drawbridge alone, while his allies who can launch indirect attacks provide support.

On the other hand, if the enemy in the center approaches, we will establish a defensive line at the central bridge.
Since Romeo, a character known for his tough defense, is being used in the north, I managed to get through with warrior-type characters like Georg.

After that, once there are no more enemies approaching us, we will cautiously attack the enemy side.
I recommend invading via the floating island route where Clary was located.
The exit is only one bridge square wide, making it easy to stop enemy incursions.
Be careful, as the troops below will start moving once you get close enough.

Chapter 7: The Pilgrim's Path

Marcus, who appears a little while after the start, can be recruited by talking to him with Clary.

Since there are many heavily armed infantry units, position your magic-using characters just before the front line as you advance.

Chapter 8: Intertwining Destinies

Since there are many lightly armored enemies, you don't need units with particularly high attack power.
Having mounted units would be useful.
Conversely, heavily armed infantry might not be able to keep up with the pace of their allies' advance.
Since thieves are after the treasure chests, focus on your marching speed in the early stages.

After a few turns, a thief holding a "golden goblet" will appear from the stairs on the far right of the map.
Ambush them with units that can attack from behind walls.

There is a secret item shop in the bottom left square of the map, which is guarded by a Berserker.
Various class change items are being sold for 7500G each, but it's difficult to determine which ones you'll be lacking at this point, so you can safely skip them for now.

Chapter 8 Side Story: Intertwining Destinies II

This is a challenging stage, as it has a time limit and powerful enemies are strategically placed throughout.
The first bridge, where the general and two mages are located, is the most difficult part.
Even if we try to lure them out, their attack ranges are exactly the same, so we have to withstand the attacks of all three of them.
Try to lure them out by using members with high defense.
Since it's the very beginning, it should be easy to reset if needed.

After that, there's a battle between a mage using long-range magic and a sniper.
To deflect magic attacks, try to position a character with low magic defense within range of the enemy's attack.

After a while, Vanuatu and his berserker companion will emerge from the exit.
I suspect Vanuatu will retreat on the next enemy turn after taking damage, but the conditions are unclear.
The accompanying Berserker is also powerful, so it will be quite difficult unless you have a well-trained character to act as a tank.

Chapter 9 Manors

The enemy thieves are steadily making their way towards the village, so to get there in time, we need to advance quite quickly.
In my case, I didn't make it in time, and they reached the top of the village.
However, the village didn't collapse, which might be a bug, but I was saved.

In the middle of the game, Quattro, a Dracomute, will appear from the upper right of the map.
Use the dragon slayer weapon you can get in the village and deal with it using sword-wielding units.
The Dracomute's breath attack deals damage that ignores defense, dealing about 20 damage, but it can be dealt with by having it wait in the forest and healing it from a distance with the Prayer Staff.

Chapter 10: The Forest Where Spirits Dwell

You can persuade Crow, who appears midway through, with Lass, and Cucuruz with Gigi.
However, if you recruit Crow, the northern village will be locked away.
In the northern village, the dancer Palminya will join your party.
This ability to allow allies to act again will be quite useful.
If you recruit this character, Crow will leave the map.

An event will occur if you have the axe-wielding character wait by the lake on the right side of the map.
(In my case, it happened with Thor, but it probably happens with Dean as well.)
You will be asked, "Do you want power?" If you answer "yes," you will acquire the Elephant (a dual-purpose weapon for both close and close combat, exclusive to Thor Dean) and the Blessing skill. If you answer "no," you will receive the Axe Mastery Book.
The former option, combining weapons and skills, is recommended.

Episode 11: Battle on the Great Plains

This map is difficult to clear unless you have at least one ace unit leveled up.
When you get close enough, a group of enemy platoons will charge at you all at once.
Since I don't want to fight within the enemy shooter's attack range, I lure them in with my ace unit and fight while drawing them downwards, which makes for a safer battle.
The unit is currently divided into two groups, but it would be fine to consolidate them into one.
If you have two strong units that can lure the enemy in, it's perfectly fine to attack from both sides simultaneously.

There's a conversation event where you talk to Henri in Rocco, and several of your stats, including strength, will increase.

Chapter 12 Prisoner Exchange

This is a special map where Henrietta starts in an isolated position.
At the start, Henrietta should head straight to the south door to recruit Urban and Lynette.
Give the two of them weapons, and use Cornit and Urban as a shield to hold out.

The outer units are difficult to advance through due to the catapults, but cavalry units will appear from the rear after a while, so you'll want to run through as quickly as possible.
After a while, the assassin Chardonnay appears near the entrance of the fort and begins heading towards Urban.
If you defeat the General along the way, he will open the door and go to talk to Urban himself.

In the upper right square, there is a secret shop that mainly sells special attack weapons.
They're not that expensive, so it's convenient to have a few on hand.

I think it's a good idea to buy plenty of dragon slayers.

Chapter 13: Fortified Cities

There are also some annoyingly placed shooters, and enemies on the isolated island that use long-range magic.
Even if you want to use flying units to attack shooters or mages, it's not that easy.
Let's wait patiently until we've dealt with the enemy air force.
If you are careful of enemy reinforcements and aim for a slow advance, clearing the stage shouldn't be too difficult.

Chapter 14: The Truth Revealed

If you can defeat the two thieves who are after the treasure early on, you can then proceed at your own pace.
The only other thing you need to do is be careful not to let your weaker units get attacked by the Bishop who has Angrius.
You can persuade Kunugi with a rear view.

The hidden shop in the lower right of the map sells class change items, estocs, prayer staves, and more.

Chapter 15: Crossing Borders

At the start of the stage, Henrietta will receive the exclusive class change item, "Unforgettable Cloak."
This will allow you to change your class to Sage, so it's efficient to raise your level to the maximum by this stage.
Additionally, Kiryu, who appears as reinforcements midway through the battle, can be recruited by talking to him with Henrietta.
If Kiryu is present at the start of the next stage, you can obtain the "Volks Necklace" during an information gathering event.
Since this item neutralizes suicide attacks, it would be reassuring to have a flying unit carry it.

This map has a lot of Dracomutes, so you'll have a tough time unless you have a swordsman who can use Dragon Slayer or a Cornit who can perform defense-ignoring attacks.
The map itself is the same as before; the basic strategy is to lure enemies in and take them down one by one, while being careful of long-range attacks from shooters and those with Anglias.
Let's proceed carefully.

Chapter 16 Hero

This is a challenging stage where you have to face a considerable number of enemies.
It's important to avoid being attacked by multiple enemies at once and instead retreat while continuously taking down a few at a time.
I don't think you'll have much leeway on this map, so don't worry about training your characters and just choose the strongest members you can.

Specifically, you would use one or two sturdy ace units to enter the attack range at the foot of the mountain.
The rest of the main force will be positioned south of that ace.
During the opponent's turn, Ace will be weakening the enemy while also being surrounded, so I'll have him move back a little towards the main force.
When retreating, don't have them retreat all the way back; instead, keep them within a certain range of the enemy's attack from the north (it's dangerous to be within the attack range of all of them).
Then, the weakened enemies near the ace are directed towards the main force, and the positioning of the main force's defensive shield is adjusted accordingly.
This creates a two-tiered defensive line, much like an assembly line: the ace pilot weakens the undamaged enemy, and then lures those weakened enemies toward the main force to deliver the final blow.

After that, the Iron Cavalry will appear on the east side, so let's use a similar strategy.
After playing a few times, I encountered a phenomenon where, perhaps because I annihilated Juliana's troops too quickly, the Iron Cavalry deployment event didn't trigger, and I was able to advance directly to the enemy base.
I think this is probably a bug. (ver1.00)

Chapter 17 Light

This map is played by only three characters: Henrietta, Fergus, and Shana.
The only ways to heal are using items like herbs or Henrietta's staff after her class change.
Make sure you have a means of recovery ready.
Basically, you can just use Fergus and Shana as attackers and Henrietta as a healer, and you'll be fine.

There's a hidden item shop on the floor with a different color just before the boss.
Doping items to increase your proficiency level are available for purchase.

Chapter 18: The Road to the Imperial Capital

This map involves conquering three bases in sequence.
With Russ by your side, you can lower the drawbridge and forcefully push forward.
Once you capture each base, the broken bridge will be repaired, allowing you to proceed.

1つ目の拠点近くの砦に待機している敵2体と交戦すると、東の騎馬隊も突撃してきます。
It's safest to defeat the cavalry first, but if that's too much trouble, you can cross the bridge and fight them there.

When you encounter the Dracomutes guarding the second base, be careful, as instead of the three surrounding enemies attacking, the boss Kshatra itself will move.

The third one doesn't require much attention.
It's dangerous if they all attack at once, so let's stick to the basics.

Chapter 19: The Final Battle

This is a very challenging map.
This map is reminiscent of the "Norda Slave Market" from Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.
In the southern village in the lower right of the map, if you visit with Henrietta, Luca will join your party.
Additionally, a conversation between Kiryu and Byuu will occur.
This was an important conversation that brought us closer to uncovering Kiryu's true identity.

Crest's General troops will charge after reinforcements appear when you get close.
If the enemy numbers are too large and it's difficult to face them head-on, use the town wall in the lower right to create a defensive line.
Since there are three squares to cover, it's easier to fight if you protect your tank with weapons that are strong enough to prevent them from being easily defeated.

Be careful when you cross the bridge just before the castle, as reinforcements will appear from the fort behind you, putting you in a pincer attack.
Actually, this timing for these reinforcements is pretty brutal.
Furthermore, as you approach the troops surrounding the castle, reinforcements will emerge from the surrounding forts.
These reinforcements are a cruel surprise for players who are trying to progress without hints or resets.

Chapter 20: The Decline of the Holy Empire

This map, as is typical in SRPGs, requires you to split your forces into two groups.
The map background music is from the early stages of the game, so it brings back nostalgic memories now.
Prepare either a key for the door or a unit that can open the door.
Otherwise, you're doomed.

Since Vanuatu is the only place where they are coming towards you, if you are on the side where they are not, you can stay in place and not move at all.
I was surprised when Vanuatu and Ria fought without thinking, and a pre-battle dialogue popped up.
I didn't know you knew each other.

If you press the switch midway, a new passage will open, but two doors will close.
Let's assign the role of pressing the switch to a unit that can be left there.
Pressing the switch again will cause reinforcements to appear near the starting position.
There's no need to engage with them directly, so let's move on.
We'd like at least one key to the door for each unit.
If it's not in your inventory, you'll have to restart the map, so be careful.

Crimira can be lured out surprisingly easily, so if you play your cards right, you can avoid fighting her altogether.
Ishtaba is a formidable opponent, but her hit rate and evasion aren't particularly high, so deploy a healer and defeat her quickly.

Chapter 21: The Demon Dragon Wells

During the information gathering at the start of the stage, we were able to recruit Aurora, our guide, as a companion.
I was asked, "It seems you're on a rather difficult path; do you need any help?", so I think this character is there to help when you're about to get stuck.
Alternatively, you might have missed an important event in your playthrough, and are not obtaining important weapons or other items.
In any case, this is the final stage.
There's only one boss, but reinforcements will gradually appear around it, so be prepared to take them out quickly.

You won't be able to inflict any significant damage unless you're using a weapon specifically designed to be effective against dragons.
Wells has a tough 255 HP, but since he only targets Henrietta, other support characters should approach him without hesitation.
If you place units with Henrietta's support effect, or healers, nearby, victory won't be too difficult.

(Added in January 2019)
I learned the conditions for the different endings and saw the good ending.
I can't believe the story branches depending on whether you use the Holy Dragon Staff in the final map...
I'm glad it wasn't just a sad ending.

Useful Character Introductions

I'd like to introduce some of the units, focusing on the characters who participated in the final map.

Henrietta

Being the protagonist, possessing command skills, and a valuable magician in the early stages of the game, he was always fighting near the front lines and proved very useful.
After class change, you'll be able to use staves, making you even more effective.

Thor

Of the axe-wielding duo, I raised him because, coincidentally, his growth rate was better than Dean's.
The biggest advantage is that his speed has increased compared to Dean's, making it easier to launch follow-up attacks.
With many enemies wielding spears, there were many opportunities to fight with an advantageous weapon, and I performed quite well.
With the Alzwein, the strongest axe, you can inflict massive damage even against Dracomutes.

Romeo

From the very beginning, his defense improved at an incredible pace, and he became an indispensable ace and defensive wall.
I considered changing to Great Knight, but I chose General to avoid adding another weakness: mounted units.
Its mobility isn't great, but it always inspires confidence that it will survive even when sent into battle, and it has even managed to draw large groups of enemies away.
The stories about the past and the connection to Fourier were enjoyable, and the characters themselves were very appealing.

Fourier

It was a valuable flying unit and proved to be very strategically useful.
They were an indispensable unit, despite their fragility, as they were responsible for taking down thieves and shooters ahead of the enemy.

Oscar

This character is a typical late bloomer who will transform into something amazing if nurtured properly.
His combat abilities improved dramatically, and after becoming a Paladin, he became an undisputed ace.
Although his defensive skills were inferior to Romeo's, his high speed made it easy to launch counterattacks, and he was a key player in the offense.

Ren

He's in the same category as Navarre, but he's more human-like and approachable than Navarre.
It's not incredibly strong, but in the later stages, it was a dragon slayer and took down a lot of Dracomutes.
His defensive abilities were somewhat weak, so he excelled playing a little further back from the front line.

rear

This is the ace unit for indirect attacks.
Its combat-related parameters grew well, making it a reliable unit early on.
Jamur, the strongest bow, is powerful and can inflict significant damage even against dragons.

Ein

Although I initially thought he was just a healer, his stats other than magic grew surprisingly well (perhaps because he was raised as a bandit?), and after class change, he proved to be a surprisingly reliable attacker.
It's reasonably tough, so the peace of mind knowing you won't be accidentally killed by long-range attacks from shooters and the like is a nice bonus.

Emily

From the beginning, she played an active role as a healer, working alongside Ain.
Even after class change, their offensive capabilities aren't very high, so they probably won't be able to do much more than be a healer.
However, he played an important role in allowing the patient to focus on recovery.

View

When it first appeared, it was level 1 and difficult to raise, but because it has an elite skill, I was able to raise it surprisingly quickly.
Magic, speed, and skill all grew well, so its firepower after leveling up is quite impressive.

Kiryu

They are part of the ace unit.
With its consistent damage-dealing breath attack, high attack speed allowing for two attacks, and decent defense, it's quite reliable in the late game.
Since there's no concept of weapons being consumed during combat, you don't need to worry about the number of times you can use them.

summary

Here is a ranking of the most useful characters (partial list).

S-class (undisputed regulars): Romeo, Kiryu, Oscar
Class A (Starting Lineup): Henrietta, Ren, Lia, Ain, Thor, Fourier
B-list (semi-starters): Emily, Palminha, Machapa, Shana

There are many characters I haven't leveled up yet, so there might be some very powerful units among them.
I'm planning to play it again and raise various characters.