Mimamoroll! (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

I saw it frequently on my Twitter timeline, so I became interested and decided to play it.
This is a medium-to-long-length RPG created using RPG Maker MV.
This work is characterized by its colorful and vibrant graphics and adorable characters.
The UI design is also elaborate, and you wouldn't guess it was made with RPG Maker.
The completion time was approximately 16 hours (ver2.031).

Game Overview

This game is an RPG where you control three zombie dolls created by a witch: Ada, Brera, and Lucia.
The immediate goal of this story is to make 100 friends in order to gain acceptance from others.
The player takes on the role of a mother, accompanying the children on their journey as a camera watching over them.

In this section, we will introduce some of the most representative features of this work, "Mimamo Roll."

Regarding character enhancement

There are three main ways to strengthen your characters in this game.
There are three things to do: leveling up your characters, allocating friend points, and equipping gear.

First, let's talk about leveling up.

In this game, defeating enemies only earns you money and items; you don't gain experience points.
To level up your character, you need to buy level-up items from a special shop.
Each character's maximum level is 5, which isn't very high.
On the other hand, the stat increases from leveling up and the effects of the skills you acquire are quite significant.

Next, let's talk about how to distribute friend points.

This enhancement method is closely related to the game's main goal: making 100 friends.
During the game, you'll receive 1 Friend Point for each friend you make.

You can make more friends by talking to NPCs and completing events.
While the stat increase is smaller than leveling up, you can freely allocate your points.
You are free to use it to develop your strengths or to compensate for your weaknesses.
For dedicated players aiming for low-level clears and other challenging content, this will be an important method of strengthening their characters.
Furthermore, the point allocation can be easily reset and reallocated.

Finally, let's talk about equipment.

In this game, equipment is mainly divided into "parts" that increase stats and "skills" that allow you to acquire skills.
You can equip up to four parts and six skills.
Equipping skills greatly expands your tactical options, making it a crucial element when battling tough enemies.

About exploration

In this game, you can switch leaders while moving.
Switching leaders will change the "leader skills" that are activated during battle.
By designating a specific leader, you can activate mechanisms to progress through certain areas, and there are also many exclusive events.

Sometimes the game clearly indicates which leader will trigger an event, but sometimes it doesn't.
If you suspect something is wrong, it's a good idea to switch readers and check multiple times.
Even if they don't directly affect the game's progression, there are a huge number of dialogue variations prepared for each leader, so you can enjoy a variety of patterns.

About combat

The battles are command-based, with actions taken in order of agility.
There are two types of skills: those that consume MP and those that consume TP (points accumulated through actions during combat).
What's distinctive about this game is how it handles incapacitated characters and the chain mechanic.

The three party members in this game are zombie dolls.
One of the zombie's characteristics is that even if it becomes incapacitated in battle, it will revive after 3 turns.
At that time, a bonus is also applied that increases attack power, allowing you to aim for a comeback when you revive.

However, your HP won't be full when you revive, and if everyone becomes incapacitated, you lose.
(There is no penalty for defeat; you are simply returned to your base.)
If you want to recover quickly, you can also use skills or items that revive fallen characters.

Next, let's talk about chains.

Chains are additional effects that occur when the same skill is used in the same turn.
A two-person chain will restore a small amount of MP to everyone, while a three-person chain will restore a moderate amount of HP to everyone.
If there's a moment when everyone can take the same action, aiming for that moment can give you a significant advantage in battle.

The skills you acquire early in the game consume little MP, so everyone can easily aim for chain attacks.
Using weaker skill chains for healing is also an important tactic.

Other fun elements

Nico Nico Work

This system becomes available after you've progressed a certain amount in the game.
You can earn money by choosing a job and leaving it unattended.
While you can't do anything else during work, even if you save and quit the game on that screen, time continues to pass.

If you finish your gaming session by working on NicoNicoWork, you'll receive your wages when you start playing again, allowing you to earn money efficiently.

・Super public bathhouse: Scorching Desert Bath

This is a facility where the characters who have become friends come to relax.
It's like the "immigrant towns" in Dragon Quest or the "bases" in the Suikoden series, where you can gather friends and have fun.
There are also sub-events that occur here.

While these elements don't significantly impact the main storyline, the fact that they've included these little breaks shows meticulous attention to detail.

Review (no spoilers)

At first, I thought it was a lighthearted, slapstick RPG.
However, as the story progresses, it gradually becomes more serious and heavy.

The side events, which are not related to the main story, feature plenty of frank conversations and jokes, making them very enjoyable to play.
However, since the entire film is underpinned by heavy themes such as "life and death," "growing up," and "bonds," even though it looks fun on the surface, I can't shake the feeling that the fun will one day fall apart.
While the illustrations are cute and colorful, the content contains many gruesome depictions and extreme statements, making it a work that shouldn't be taken lightly.

In RPGs, I tend to want to advance the story as quickly as possible, so I don't usually talk to every single person in town.
However, this game has a major goal: to make 100 friends.
Therefore, I talk to all sorts of people, but something always happens, so it's not a burden at all.
On the contrary, it's satisfying to fill up your friend list by talking to various people, and you can also strengthen your character with friend points.

This system makes it fun to talk to different people, and it motivates you to explore every corner of the map.
The order in which you complete events is fairly flexible, so it gives the impression of a free-scenario RPG like the "Romancing SaGa" series.
As you freely explore the world of this game, you'll find yourself completely immersed in the world of "Mimamoroll" before you know it.

Although this game is an RPG, unlike traditional RPGs, it didn't give me the impression that combat was the main focus.
Since the main characters are zombie dolls, there wasn't much to panic about even if they became incapacitated during battle.
Even if everyone was defeated, there was no penalty for retrying, so like the protagonists, I didn't have much fear of "death."
For that reason, the game is balanced in such a way that you can defeat strong opponents even if you fight a little carelessly.
However, it's not easy, so you'll need to think about some tactics.

Overall, this is a very detailed and well-crafted piece.
I think the creator fully unleashed their creative vision, and the gameplay itself is very carefully crafted.
If you're interested in the art style and atmosphere, or if you're drawn to a story that resonates with the heart, why not give it a try?

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

Detailed strategy guide

The author's website has a very detailed walkthrough sheet available for this game.

Therefore, this section will not be a walkthrough, but rather a description of situations where I got stuck and how I overcame them.

Stuck

This is the scene where Helios asks Patrick, who has gone to the desert after his identity as a zombie doll has been revealed, to help him.
In the vast desert, I had a hard time finding Patrick and got lost.
Patrick is in the upper left of the desert, near the painter's tent.

- The event related to Little Red Riding Hood in the Forest was something I couldn't complete the first time I tried it, and I spent a lot of time wondering why I couldn't finish it.
I also checked the letters scattered in the forest, but it seems the event won't progress at this point.
Let's visit again in the second half, when we're at the stage of confronting our past.

- This is a sub-event in "Head to Spring Waiting Pass" that takes place after clearing the events related to Ametry, where you search for a key at the back of the mansion.
I had a really hard time finding the key anywhere in the snowy world.
Ultimately, I found it in the church on Lucia's past map.
I thought it would be in the snowy area, but it's not, so be aware of that.

Boss Strategy

When tackling the boss, Ada, with her high attack power, was crucial to the victory.
To maximize Ada's attack power and critical hit rate, use multi-hit moves such as "Double Punch" and "Wild Slash" to attack.
This allows you to deal extremely high damage when a critical hit occurs.
When used in combination with Lucia's "Ain Soph Aur," it can inflict extremely high damage.

Incidentally, "Ain Soph Aur" can be used not only during combat, but also while moving, via the menu screen.
If you use it before the battle, you can unleash a barrage of critical hits with Ada on the first turn.

However, Ada has low durability, so there is a risk that she will be incapacitated quickly in battle.
Therefore, it is important to use Brera's abilities such as "Presto Guard," "Divide Guard," and "Heat Hate" to prevent Ada from taking damage.

Lucia would do well to utilize her agility by acting as a healer or casting support magic.
When it comes to healing, items are often more effective than skills.
Many items have a limited number you can carry, but having a lot of them can be useful when facing tough enemies.

Review (contains spoilers)

This was a work that deeply wounded my heart in many ways.
This is not meant in a negative way at all; it's more of a feeling of surprise.

I feel like the story really started to move forward once the townspeople found out that she was a zombie doll.
My heart ached for the three of them who, despite being persecuted by others, never tried to retaliate, but instead bravely did what they could.

However, perhaps due to the personalities of the three of us, or perhaps because we handled the situation fairly well, the attitudes of the townspeople softened quickly, which was a relief.

Throughout the entire film, the character that left the biggest impression on me and that I particularly liked was Brera.

Her characteristic childlike way of ending sentences with "-no da" was a defining feature, but her consistently positive attitude made her, I believe, the emotional anchor of the party.
I felt that he was the most protagonist-like character, as he admonished Kyuon when she made a mistake and spoke his true feelings honestly.
Compared to Ada and Lucia, Brera gives the impression of having already matured even before learning about his past.
This may stem from their inherent temperament.

If Brera was an innocent child, Ada gave the impression of being a slightly precocious girl.
(But he's a man.)

In this game, where it's hard to believe that everyone is a boy, Ada in particular is unbelievable as a boy.
Even the Sirens, who look the same, say, "I'm not that kind of easy guy," which makes you realize, "Oh, right... these guys are all men."

Ada's impression of Rosie, who was her friend, was much stronger, and that's what left the biggest impression on me.
The very idea of taking in twins just to feed them is pretty awful.
The headless appearance is frightening, and the scene where they investigate the three graves also had a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere that was quite scary.

Both Kyuon and Rosie kill people without hesitation, but the fact that they don't face any consequences afterward really illustrates the film's lack of morality.
Seeing Amazie and Sitley together in Lucia's past, just before she was taken in, left me with a very mixed feeling.

Lucia gave the impression of being the most sensible of the three.
However, the Hippogriff exposes her true nature: she lacks confidence in being loved by others and becomes dependent on the other two.

Even after going through past events, I think that rather than overcoming that issue, she reaffirmed her dependence on her two friends and decided to just accept it.
After that, I felt like something good was happening when I was able to get along with my difficult-to-manage mommy.

I've seen all three endings, and the best one is the bright and uplifting one that leaves you feeling relieved.
However, even though Brera and his companions' story has come to a close, I feel there are still many unanswered questions and settings in this film.
There are so many things I want to know, such as the details of each witch and the goals of Sector and Pyonsuke.
Since the work is being actively updated, I hope that more will be said about them in the future.

As a side note, if you ask Wendel to reset your level to 1, it will be treated as if you sold the child, and you will receive each character's "will," which will leave you feeling very sad.
In terms of gameplay, the character doesn't actually disappear, but it's treated as if a new one has arrived, which makes me feel quite guilty.
Mimamoroll is a game that lets you experience the feelings of parents who sell their children.