Qualia - The Blind and Mute Diva - (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This article is about the free game "Qualia - The Blind and Mute Diva -" created with RPG Maker 2000.
It consists of four independent scenarios, making it a short (but long when all four routes are combined) RPG with strong adventure elements.
This work is captivating due to its cyberpunk setting and the characters' dialogue.

The total completion time is 10 to 12 hours.

Game Overview

As a game, it's a short RPG with strong adventure elements.
It might be more accurate to describe it as an adventure game with battles.
The scenario branches into four different paths based on your initial actions, each requiring approximately 3-4 hours of playtime.
Each of the four routes features many characters that only appear in that particular route, ensuring that the game remains engaging and interesting.

As the title "qualia" suggests, this work deals with the philosophical theme of the hard problem of consciousness.
To get a sense of the game's atmosphere, it's easiest to imagine a near-future setting similar to "Ghost in the Shell," which deals with a similar theme.
The fast-paced dialogue and atmosphere, reminiscent of a movie, make it enjoyable from beginning to end.

The protagonist is Rickerman, an elderly detective and head of the cyber division.
It seems unusual to see a story with an elderly protagonist, but he's a stereotypical detective in a good way.
Although his tone is rough, he is a fascinating character, with insightful lines and a hidden kindness beneath his harsh words.

There are no battles until an "incident" occurs in the story.
After the incident occurs, there will be many battles, and you will need to fight your way through them properly.
The battle system is a bit elaborate, with a four-square field prepared for both the enemy and the ally.

The basic strategy is to position yourself so as not to get in your teammates' line of fire, and then attack the enemy.
Additionally, players are required to press keys in time with enemy attacks to prevent damage and status ailments.
This defensive method is extremely important when fighting a formidable opponent, so it will likely result in a tense and exciting battle.

thoughts

All the routes had very interesting storylines.
Each route is roughly the length of a movie or a novel, so if you like the style of the work, I think you'll enjoy it.
Route D is a culmination of the story and presents a high level of difficulty.
The most enjoyable way to proceed would probably be to follow Route A ⇒ (B・C) ⇒ D.

The boss battles were tough, and I enjoyed the tense and exciting combat.
Players who aren't good at guarding will likely struggle, so in that case, you'll probably need to grind for cooldowns during normal combat.
The battles themselves are unique and interesting, but the party members are fixed, and the attack methods don't change much.
Therefore, as the number of battles increases, it might start to feel a bit repetitive.

Also, there were many times when I didn't know where to go next, which caused me a lot of trouble.
In most cases, there are hints about the destination, but sometimes there are no hints at all.
If you investigate thoroughly, you'll eventually be able to progress the story, but I think some people might get discouraged at that point.
However, I think it would be a real shame to give up on clearing the game because of that.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

I'll write strategy notes focusing on the parts where I got stuck.
This page contains spoilers that include cheats and glitches, so please be careful if you want to complete the game on your own.

Route A

This is the main storyline scenario.
I don't think you'll get stuck in the story progression.
If you obtain a key, go to a place where you can use it. If you are told to go somewhere during a conversation, go to that place, and some kind of progress will be made.
If there are any notable moments, they might be when you use the kill switch to move the android in front of the megacomputer, or when you use the megacomputer to search for the fugitive's location.

The combat had some moderately difficult parts.
However, in most cases, you can manage by earning money and buying lots of recovery items.
If you find restarting after a game over tedious, make sure you have nine items, including the auto-recovery option.
You don't even need to go to that extent; I was able to clear it with just 9 Rescue Patch EXs.

The weapon I bought from the weapons shop that proved useful was Slea's Photon Blaster.
It requires a one-turn charge-up, but it's powerful and useful.
In the boss battle, we defeated the boss by having Slea constantly position herself on the same horizontal axis as the boss and use Photon Blaster, while Rickerman acted as a healer in the back.
If you find the boss's movements difficult to deal with, you can try using Slea as a healer and having the Rickerman continuously attack with his rifle.
However, I think it will take some time.
In normal combat, Rickerman's rifle seems to be the most practical weapon.

Route B

The story focuses on Rick and Marco, while also delving into the mastermind behind Route A.
The story has a somewhat weak connection to the title "Qualia."
The way to enter the scenario is as indicated in the hint.
After talking with Leon, let's talk to Marco outside the ship.
Compared to Route A, this route is less sentimental, but it really highlights how cool Rick and Marco are.

There were two points in the scenario progression where I was a little unsure.
When I was looking for the couple and the part-time security guard, I got completely stuck because I couldn't find them anywhere.
In Route A, one of the locked guest rooms on the first floor has been unlocked, and I am currently in that room.

The next time I got lost was after defeating Mokkun, when the announcement about the "gangway" was made.
In that case, go to the area near the underground shop, and you'll find Leon there, which will trigger the event.

The final boss is quite a formidable opponent, but you should be fine as long as you have plenty of healing items.

Route C

Route C focuses on Leon's past.
The instructions for accessing Route C are not as clearly written as the hints for Route B.
Right after your conversation with Leon, simply unlock the conference room door and go inside.
To enter the conference room, talk to the worker who seems to be in trouble in the upper right corner of the map on the second floor, and then talk to the worker playing the slot machines in the arcade to obtain a pass card.
This card will allow you to enter the meeting room.

After defeating the fox-masked android, let's go back to the first floor.
The stairs leading to the basement next to the shop on the first floor are open, so explore that area and obtain the basement management code.
This will unlock the control area on the third basement floor, allowing you to explore it.

Route D

Route D is a culmination of the story, centering on the members of the Cyber Bureau, with each passenger playing an active role.
The unused plot points are neatly utilized, resulting in a wonderfully polished work.
Based on the hint-like messages in Route C, if you earn 1000 CDs at the casino early on, you'll get into trouble with Rider at the exit.

The easiest way to earn 1000 CDs was through slots.
When the game starts, if it lights up yellow, the speed will slow down slightly, making it easier to time your button presses.
And if it glows purple, the speed will slow down even further, giving you a great chance to aim for the highest mark.

There's also another way to get them easily, though it might be a little sneaky.
When the game is in windowed mode, the game will freeze while you hold down the left mouse button on the window frame (you can then drag the window to move it).
When doing this, if you press the confirm button when the target mark is slightly above the line you want to align, it will slide along the line when you release the left mouse button.

This is about the right timing.

The second one can be timed and timed in the same way.
This timing is fine; it's not that strict.

I collected the third one too, and now I have 500 CDs!
Repeating this twice will give you 1000 CDs.

Other routes might also be effective when you want to make money.
(Well, you could just use a tool like "Rabbit Ear Hurricane," but...)

A key feature of Route D is that weapons cannot be purchased; they are acquired naturally as the story progresses.
This route includes many mini-game elements that weren't present in the other routes, and the difficulty level is slightly higher.
However, the story is well worth it and I highly recommend completing it.
The motorcycle game is quite difficult, but in the worst-case scenario, you can use the same techniques as with slot machines to carefully dodge attacks.

About the passcode

You can obtain a passcode each time you complete a route.
Once you complete all four routes, you'll have all four passcodes, allowing you to enter the locked room on the second floor.
Inside, there are elements such as a staff room, a sound room, and the ability to apply cheat codes, which serve as a reward for players who complete the game.
I was especially happy to see the sound room, as this game has a lot of fantastic background music.
The passcodes are A "219", B "732", C "485", D "966".