Portrait of the Kingdom (Free SRPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an article introducing "Portrait of the Kingdom," an entry in the 17th WOLF RPG Editor Contest.
This is a simulation RPG made with WOLF RPG Editor that offers a different gameplay experience compared to games made with SRPG Studio.

Playing on the "Easy" difficulty setting, my completion time was just under 16 hours.

Game Overview

Having graduated at the top of his class from magic school, Elbury was unable to join the research institute he had hoped for and was working as a local resident in a rural area.
Amidst all this, two women arrive in the village and take on the task of guarding it, which leads them into an event that shakes the entire country.

This game is an SRPG where you progress by alternating between base-building segments and exploration segments.
In the base-building section, the story progresses as you explore the base, shop, and talk to people.
This section features a unique design where you move the cursor instead of the character.

Characters have slots for weapons, items, and skills.
You can equip up to three weapons and items, and you have two slots for freely interchangeable skills, plus one dedicated skill slot.

Regarding weapons, each character can equip multiple weapon types, so the usability changes significantly depending on what weapon you equip them with.

The item slots are for equipping recovery items used during gameplay, and you should be aware that you can only use items equipped in these slots.
In principle, you cannot freely take items from your stock while progressing through a stage.

Skills come in a variety of forms, including those that enhance stats and those that grant special effects.
The system offers a very high degree of customization for units through equipment.
Whether you want to compensate for weaknesses, enhance strengths, or aim for some kind of synergistic effect, there are many possible play styles.

The battle map uses a standard system where each player takes turns.
During gameplay, you generally cannot change your equipment, so prior preparation is extremely important.
However, when you acquire items during gameplay, you'll be given the option to equip them on the spot, so even if you run out of healing items, you don't need to worry too much.

If an ally's HP reaches 0 and they are defeated, they will be unavailable for use on that map.
It is possible to continue the攻略 (strategy/walkthrough), but it will be difficult if all members are not present, so if any members are injured early in the map, it will become extremely challenging.
Perhaps due to this design, you can save and load at any time in this game.
It's best to save frequently, dividing the game into different slots, to prevent getting stuck and to make progress.

Review (no spoilers)

(These are my impressions as of version 1.2)

I was able to complete the game on the "easy" difficulty setting.
Although it's described as "easy," the game's balance is such that your allies can be defeated very quickly from the first chapter, so those accustomed to standard S-Studio games might be a little taken aback.
However, it's not an unfairly difficult level; I feel that it's a level that can be overcome if you develop a strategy appropriate to the game's balance.
In the early stages, you have few allies and your strategic options are limited, but once you have a decent number of allies and good equipment, I think it actually becomes easier to progress.

Each map is quite large and features a large number of enemies.
This inevitably increases the distance your allies have to travel, and the enemy's turns tend to be longer as well, so I think the pace of clearing stages can easily become a bit drawn out.
When preparing for battle, seeing the vastness of the map and the sheer number of enemies sometimes made me feel like giving up.
However, the game has a tense balance where even a slight tactical mistake can lead to your allies being wiped out, so when I actually started playing, I often found myself engrossed in it for long periods of time.
The enemy's tactical variations aren't very extensive, so I got the impression that if you establish your own strategy, you can usually break through.
There are many ways to inflict status ailments, buffs, and debuffs, and although I didn't use them much myself, I feel that if used effectively, it would make clearing the game much easier.

This game is quite challenging to complete, but what motivated me to keep going was the compelling story.
Despite the cute character graphics, it's a compelling and realistic war story (although defeating so many enemies with such a small number of people might not be entirely realistic).
Although it's an SRPG, the number of allies isn't large, which I think allowed for deeper character development for each individual.
There were many memorable characters.

This game requires quite a bit of careful play, with more than half of the playtime spent clearing stages.
This game is recommended for those looking for an SRPG that requires careful planning and strategy.

Strategy Notes (Spoiler Warning) Difficulty: Easy (Version 1.2)

I chose the middle difficulty level, "Easy," out of the three available, but I don't think it's dramatically easier.
The key to a successful strategy is to "prepare plenty of herbs and magical water" and to "have a tank character block narrow passages while fighting."
To prevent enemy attacks from concentrating on one character, use some backline characters as decoys to distribute the damage.

Chapter 1: A Peaceful Spring Encounter

Engaging multiple enemies simultaneously is extremely difficult, so it's best to adjust your strategy to avoid fighting too many enemies at once.

First, the three of us will go and take down the enemies in the back.
Elbury approaches the enemy in a position where she is within their attack range, and adjusts her position so that she can deal significant damage with her counterattack during the enemy's turn.
The weakened enemies will be used to ensure they are defeated in the next turn by Cyan's indirect attack and Elberry's attack.
Use Mia to quickly restore any lost HP.

As for the chickens and crows, they can be defeated with one attack from Cyan, so prioritize having Cyan attack them.
Once we've defeated all the approaching enemies, all that's left is for us to advance.
Let's proceed carefully, making sure not to try to deal with too many people at once.

It's best to deal with the enemies near the boss at the bottom of the stairs.
From this position, Mia can heal Elberry while Cyan provides supporting fire.

Chapter 2: The Battle for the Garden

I think this is a very difficult map, even though it's still early in the game.
Although it says "Defeat the enemy general," the objective is only cleared after defeating all three hooded figures in the upper right corner, so it's best to aim to defeat all of them.
It would be useful to give Elberry Magic Water to restore SP, herbs to each member, and blue paint to increase the defense of allies to Cyan.

There is a 30-turn limit, but that limit is removed once all the flames are extinguished.
The treasure chests contain useful items, so let's prioritize putting out the flames first so we can collect them slowly.

Ideally, you'd want to defeat them one by one, but in the early stages, multiple enemies will inevitably attack at the same time.
Since being blinded will make things very difficult, it would be a good idea to equip Elbury with safety glasses.
Also, it's a good idea to equip the fire-prevention charm to Cyan, who has relatively low magic defense.
Use blue paint on Elbury to increase her defense, and during the enemy's turn, use Flame Flower to counterattack and try to deal as much damage as possible.
I will not be stingy with using healing items.
If you can finish them off without using Flame Flower, I think it's best to attack with a meat cleaver.

Midway through, a dragon will appear as reinforcement from the upper right, but you can defeat it by attacking it twice with Cyan.
Since enemies with slingshots have high attack power, it's dangerous to lure them in together with other enemies unless you use blue paint.

In my case, somehow I managed to extinguish all the flames just before the 30th turn.
There are many enemies positioned in front of the mansion, but it will be difficult to put out the fire unless you defeat them all properly.

Chapter 3: The Prince's Ordeal

This map is cleared after 12 turns.
I think the battle will be much easier if you focus on equipping Lucas with gear that increases his defense and use him as a tank.
In that case, equipping a spear will allow you to reduce the enemy's HP more efficiently.

If you make good use of the narrow passage south of your starting position, I think you can have Lucas hold off the enemy's advance while the other two provide supporting fire.
If you want to collect the treasure chest, it might be a good idea to leave it to Lucas and have the other two go their separate ways.
Also, since enemies drop plenty of healing items, you don't need to worry about running out of healing methods.

Chapter 4: A Life-Threatening Escape

Just one look and you'll see there are so many enemies; it's a frustrating map.
First, instead of moving around aimlessly, stay near your starting position and focus on intercepting any enemies that come towards you.
Use Luca to counterattack enemies that use physical attacks, and Elberry or Cyan (equipped with a fire-repellent amulet) to counterattack enemies that use magic attacks, making sure you can finish them off properly on your turn.
The important thing is to defeat all nearby enemies during your turn.
Be careful, because if you miss multiple enemies, your allies will quickly be incapacitated.

The wizard wielding the crimson sword has extremely high attack power, so be especially careful when engaging him.
Since they move slower than knights with a movement range of 5, it's best to retreat if necessary to avoid engaging multiple enemies at the same time.

The boss, Laurel, has high attack and defense, and recovers HP every turn, so it will be difficult to defeat her unless you take her down in one turn.
Since I didn't have enough firepower to defeat them, I used Jot's Gravity Gravity to slow them down, and then used that opportunity to let Mia escape and clear the stage.

Chapter 5 Plains, rainy weather

The background music for both the enemy's and ours' turns is catchy and memorable.
The enemy numbers are still high, but if you can decide where to fight, the battle becomes very easy.

First, intercept the approaching enemies around the well at your starting position.
Lucas, with his high defensive capabilities, will act as a shield, while the other members provide support from behind.
Be careful, as you may be attacked indirectly from over cliffs.

Once the approaching enemies are gone, we'll lure out the next group.
When you move to the area shown in the image above, the enemy cavalry will approach you all at once.
Once we confirm the enemy's movement, we'll all retreat to the area around the well where we started.
While it would be ideal to have Cyan, with her high mobility, lure them out, she'll inevitably catch up, so Luca, with her high defense, would be a better choice.
Even if they catch up to us along the way, the damage should be minimal.
Equipping them with flexible shoelaces that automatically restore HP every turn would make them invincible.
Once you've safely escaped back to your starting position, continue the counterattack just like before.

After shopping at the store and collecting the treasure chest in the upper left, the final step is to lure the enemies around the boss.
You can easily fight them by engaging them at the bottom of the stairs.
The boss, Sazanami, has very high attack power and can perform consecutive attacks, but I think you can defeat her without any problems if everyone attacks at once.

Chapter 6: The Blood of the Warrior Family

Basically, by using the narrow passages and creating a wall with Lucas to fend off the enemy, I was able to fight with ease.
If a wall two blocks wide is needed, Moniya will take one step back and create the wall.
You should be able to progress without any particular problems by repeatedly defeating all the enemies that come towards you and then moving on to the next area.

If you talk to Adele, who is along the way, with Lucas, she will upgrade your rapier.
There's a chance that it will grant you a defense-ignoring effect, so be sure to talk to it.

As for the Black Knight, since both magic and physical attacks are ineffective against him, defeat him with Breath of Dragon.
Since it consumes a lot of MP, make sure to give Elberry not only naturally regenerating MP but also Magic Water.

In the latter half of the battle, in the area where the Fire Dragon and Black Knights attack simultaneously indoors, prioritize taking out the Black Knights, who have greater mobility.
The fire dragon was easily defeated with weapons effective against flying enemies, such as the Wind God's Blade or Wind Spear.

Since using magic on the golem kept missing, I had no choice but to brute-force my way through with Luca's physical attacks.
I don't think Lucas would be fatally injured even if he took two hits.

Defeating Eugenie with Giotto will grant you the Tranquil Darkness skill.
It's a tough enemy, but physical attacks are effective against it, so do your best to defeat it.

In effect, Namerou can only be damaged by magic.
Let's give up on physical attacks and finish this quickly with magic.

Final Chapter: The Fate of the Crown

This is the final map, and it's going to be quite a long one.
First, let's intercept the charging cavalry outside the castle gates.
This initial stage of the battle might be the most difficult.
Since being attacked by another squad at the same time is dangerous, it's best to head towards the two closest ones on the left first.
After that, you deal with the approaching enemies as the situation unfolds.

Once you enter through the castle gate, enemy reinforcements will keep appearing from the rear.
They will quickly infiltrate, use narrow passages to secure their safety, and then engage the enemy.
When facing more enemies than you can defeat in a single turn, consider using narrow passages or retreating to that location.

The same applies to areas where reinforcements appear in droves.
Be careful, as some enemies use powerful magic attacks, and others possess weapons that ignore defense.
If the threat posed by adjacent enemies isn't high, it might be a good idea to use them as a safe wall rather than defeating them.
For the tank role, I think Luca, with his enhanced defensive capabilities, and Elberry, with her evasion-focused skills, would be suitable.

If we can get through this wave of reinforcements, I don't think we'll face too many difficulties after that.
When facing tough opponents, use the defense-ignoring Breath of Dragon as your trump card to break through their defenses.

After clearing the game

After clearing the game, you can access a bonus room and start playing from the beginning, with only your HP carried over.
Having HP makes things a lot easier, so you might be able to play with a different feel.

My thoughts with screenshots (spoiler alert)

I'll be posting some screenshots I took while playing, along with my comments.
Those who haven't finished the game yet should be careful of spoilers.

Giotto, who correctly uses the word "shiisuru" (to assassinate), must have been devouring difficult books on his mentor's bookshelf.
At first glance, it might be read as "kill" and overlooked, but the font is large enough that many people will likely notice it.

When Lucas first appeared, he gave off an unpleasant impression as a spoiled nobleman, but for better or worse, he was definitely a nobleman, and I gradually grew to like him.

Cute Monia winking.
It is said that you need a grip strength of about 80 kilograms to crush an apple with your bare hands.
Considering that the average grip strength for men is 45 kg and for women it's 29 kg, this is truly an incredible display of strength.

Lucas's older sister seems like she has a great personality.
Its evasion ability is quite high, so it seems difficult to win in a direct fight.

He has a cute face, but he seems to have a really nice personality.
Becoming the head of the family is a difficult position, so I imagine that one has to use whatever means available to them to climb the ranks.
Although he is my uncle, he might not be that far older than Elbury.
It's also possible that they simply have a youthful appearance.

Annie's words, coming from someone who knows nothing, really hit home.
If the reason for his long-awaited return is not a visit home, but rather to claim the position of head of the family, then his father is unlikely to meekly relinquish the position.
It's understandable that they look somber, since it's obvious that one of them will die.

When I had Giotto fight, there was some kind of reaction.
However, I couldn't figure out the connection, so I might have missed something.

I don't know the full background, but Ulrika may have originally been one of the Monicas.
When I had Monia fight, there was a short conversation.

The true identity is revealed at the very end.
It reminds me of the biology encyclopedia I found on the bookshelf in the monastery.