Mofumofu Higanbana (Free SRPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This article introduces "Mofumofu Higanbana," a work submitted to the 13th WoodyCon held in July-August 2021.
While it's classified as a simulation RPG, this game is characterized by its heavy storyline dealing with themes of life and death, and its use of dual screens for presentation.

The total completion time, including the extra stages, was 3 hours.
However, if you include the time spent redoing it, I think it took about an extra hour.
(Difficulty: Classical)

Game Overview

This is the story of Yomi, who, fed up with reality, takes a large dose of sleep aids and finds herself caught between life and death alongside her "fluffy" companion (quoted from the "synopsis" within the story).

You can choose between two difficulty levels: "Casual" and "Classic".
The Classic difficulty is on the higher side, but there's a bonus after clearing it, so those confident in their skills should give it a try.
There is a thorough tutorial explaining the controls and basic game system.

This game is characterized by its summoning system.
Use the "fluffy" creatures you can summon and Yomi's special abilities to clear the stages.
As the story progresses, you'll gradually gain more abilities, allowing you to naturally learn how to use new skills.

The left side primarily displays the game screen, while the right side shows cutscenes and help messages, resulting in a distinctive design.
The use of two screens creates an immersive experience, and the beautiful background music enhances the overall feel of the game.

Regarding saving, there are plenty of options, including regular saves and map saves, and there's even a slot for automatic saving at the start of each turn.
In Classic difficulty, trial and error is crucial, so having easy access to saves is a great advantage.

Review (no spoilers)

I started playing on Classic difficulty and managed to clear up to the extra stage.
It was fun to think about how to make the most of each new spirit or skill I acquired.
I felt that the difficulty level of the classical pieces was quite high, but since it was easy to restart, I didn't feel much stress.

The objective is often to defeat the boss rather than simply annihilating the enemy, so I had to rack my brains trying to figure out how to get through the weaker enemies.
Despite being called a weakling, their attack power and killing intent are quite high, so if you face them head-on without a plan, you'll be defeated very quickly.
The red line that appears when moving a unit is very convenient and easy to understand, as it clearly shows at a glance which enemy's attack range it is within.
Furthermore, it was fun to incorporate skills with effects like "Warp" and "Rescue," which can sometimes be game-breaking in SRPGs, into the basic strategy to overcome challenges.
In the later stages, there seemed to be several possible solutions, and I appreciated the broader scope of the puzzles, which wasn't as rigid as a typical chess endgame problem.

The dual-screen presentation was quite interesting.
Since I mainly look at the left side of the game screen, I had to shift my gaze when long text appeared on the right side of the screen.
I thought it looked cool when it was used as a little visual effect or cut-in during combat.
Also, the way choices suddenly appear during certain map progression, and you become unable to act if you don't calmly choose the correct answer, was a refreshing and unique feature.
The background music had many catchy tunes, which often boosted my energy during the performance.

Although it deals with a rather heavy theme, I thoroughly enjoyed it as a challenging short SRPG.
The story and system are so well-structured that I was completely engrossed from start to finish.

Strategy Notes: Classic (Contains Spoilers)

I think the Classic difficulty setting in this game is quite challenging and provides a good workout.
I'd like to write down my own strategy notes for the mid-game and beyond, where the difficulty level increases significantly.
I hope this will be helpful to anyone who is stuck.

Overall tips

The recommendation to "protect"
Mofumofu can protect an adjacent ally once per turn.
To protect Yomi from attacks, it's safe to keep a fluffy creature nearby.
Remember that if you place them next to each other, they will also have the effect of restoring HP and EN at the start of each turn.

• The recommendation of "rebate"
If a spirit's HP is low and it's about to be defeated, use "Restore" to conserve spiritual energy before it's defeated.
If you have enough HP left to chip away at the enemy's health with a counterattack, then it's fine, but if not, it would be a waste to just wait to be defeated.
Once you've served your purpose as a decoy to attract the enemy, quickly return to your base.

・Recommendation for "Fluffy Dive"
With Fluffy Dive, Yomi warps to a fluffy area and can then perform actions from that location.
This technique is quite versatile, allowing for surprise attacks and escapes, so be sure to use it actively.
If you direct Mofumofu away from Yomi, you can buy yourself some time after the dive.

- Recommendation for two-stage movement using "Ray Dash"
Raydash can move again after it has moved.
Since this effectively allows for two-stage movement, use it when you want to quickly get away from enemies.
However, be aware that you cannot use it unless there is an enemy somewhere within the range of the Raydash after moving.
If there are enemies within range, you can dash in a direction where there are no enemies at all.

- A recommendation for recovering EN with "Moyamoya"
In Yomi's case, even if she summons a cloud of unease before taking action, it does not mean her action is over.
Summoning the "Misty" will restore your EN, so use it after you've used up your energy with things like Chaos Ray.
By immediately dispelling the summoned "moyamoya" (a type of energy), you can recover more EN (energy).

Progress level 5

I'll make good use of Raydash and Mofumofu in battle.
First, use Raydash to take down the dolls from the position one step above their initial position.
In the second turn, defeat all three of the dolls on the south side at once with a Raydash.
After that, seven dolls will approach from the upper right, so keep your distance and continue summoning fluffy creatures.
By skillfully maneuvering her fluffy body upwards, Yomi draws the enemy sufficiently to the left side of the screen.
After that, you should be able to get through it successfully by making use of Fluffy Dive and Ray Dash.

Progress level 6

It looks like it will be tough with so many enemies, but you can clear it in two turns by using Raydash.
First, on the first turn, use Raydash to move to the center of the three enemies in the bottom right.

All that's left is to use Raydash to perform a two-stage movement on the next turn and defeat the boss.

Progress level 7

The objective is to defeat spirits A and B.
When you defeat a spirit, the surrounding enemies it controls disappear, so as long as you defeat it, you'll be safe.

While escaping downwards, summon the fluffy creature and direct it away from Yomi.


In this way, pull Yomi downwards as much as possible to avoid being attacked, and position Mofumofu so that it can get close to the undead on the left.


After successfully getting behind the enemy with a fluffy dive, you defeat the undead by summoning mist and other means.
The other undead can be fought in basically the same way, making full use of the fluffy dive.

Progress level 8

Once you defeat the undead, the surrounding enemies will disappear, just like in the previous stage.
If you make good use of abilities such as "Moyamoya" which restores EN, "Moyamoya" which does not consume a turn, and "Mofumofu" which will take one enemy attack per turn when placed next to it, I think there are various ways to clear the game.
Summoning a "Misty" creature can sometimes boost your attack power, allowing you to defeat enemies with a single hit from Chaos Ray, so make good use of it.

First, summon three "Moyamoya" creatures on the spot, then on the turn they come towards you, unleash Chaos Ray and defeat the undead creatures together with the Moyamoya.
After that, defeat the enemies on the left with moves like Fluffy Dive + Ray Dash, and then deal with the enemies coming from above.
Wolfen has low HP, making him an ideal target for Chaos Ray.

In the end, you can use your accumulated spiritual power and rely on sheer numbers to easily defeat them.

Progress level 9

This is an event battle.
The stages progress without you having to control anything yourself.
The way the game progressed automatically was a refreshing change of pace.

Progress 10

This is the final map.
While fleeing downwards, she summons fluffy creatures and scatters them to the left and right, drawing the enemy's main force towards Yomi.
Once you've lured her towards the corner of the map, use your fluffy dive to jump and get closer to Shiori.
After a while, Shiori will start moving, which should make it a little easier to get closer to her.

Extra Stage

This stage can be accessed from the bonus content after clearing the main game, and you control Shiori to progress through it.
Shiori can act twice per turn, and her EN recovers by 30% each turn.
With so many enemies, it's a stage that makes you want the Ideon Gun, reminiscent of the Super Robot Wars games from the Super Famicom era.

Hit-and-run tactics with Chaos Ray and a full-speed escape with Ray Dash are key to success.
Identify the easiest group to break through from the four directions and aim to get outside the encirclement first.
The target is the northern undead A, which has low HP.

First, on the first turn, position yourself near your starting position, in a safe spot slightly north of your base, and summon a mist below you.


On the second turn, use Raydash to attack Undead A, move the mist northward to put Shiori within the range of the attack power boost effect, and then attack Undead A from the north to defeat it.
Although she will enter the attack range of a nearby golem, it will attack the mist instead, so Shiori will remain unharmed.

After that, you wait at the very edge of the enemy's attack range, fire Chaos Ray on the next turn, and then use a two-stage movement (movement + Ray Dash) to create distance, repeating this process to gradually reduce the enemy's strength.
If you run out of space to escape, use the Raydash twice in a row to find a space and get away.
After firing Chaos Ray, be careful not to run out of EN to use Ray Dash.
When space is running out, you can summon a Shadow and have it roar in the center of the enemy, using it as a decoy like a suicide weapon.

Once you've reduced the number of enemies to a certain extent, you should be able to summon multiple Shadows and overwhelm them with brute force.
It requires patience, but once you get into the pattern, it's a strategy that allows you to clear the stage safely.