Land of Fleeting Flowers (Free SRPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an introductory article for "Adabana no Kuni," an SRPG created with SRPG Studio.
While it lacks a strong narrative, this work is characterized by its unique, melancholic atmosphere.
I had seen talk of the demo version before and was curious about it, but now that the full version is complete, I decided to give it a try.

There are seven maps that are primarily combat-based, and it took about two hours to complete them.

Game Overview

This is an SRPG where you control the protagonist, Bell, and fight by using fragments of souls.
最初はベル1人しかいませんが、マップ上の「魂の断片」に触れることで、その魂が仲間になってくれます。
If Bell is defeated, it's game over, but if any other units are defeated, they will revive in the next stage.

Saving is only possible at the start of each turn.

In this game, there are parameters called "FP" and "EP," which hold significant meaning.
"FP" accumulates each time you attack an enemy, and when it's full, you can use the "Awakening" command.
When you enter the awakened state, your FP will decrease every turn, but you will be able to act twice.
FPが無くなるまでは2回行動し続けられるので、敵に対して一気に畳みかけることが可能となります（ちなみに覚醒中に敵を攻撃してもFPは溜まっていきません）。

"EP" is similar to "MP".
It is consumed when using special techniques or powerful weapons.
If this runs out, you'll only be able to attack with basic weapons that don't consume EP, so be careful.

Another feature of this game is that all allied units can move again after taking an action.
Since units other than those mounted on horseback can also move again, it becomes easier to perform hit-and-run tactics, such as attacking the enemy and immediately retreating.
By combining it with the "Awaken" command, you'll be able to fight enemies more efficiently.

thoughts

I was able to complete it successfully until the very end.
I couldn't think of many good situations to use the "Awaken" command, so I hardly used it until the final Chapter 7.
しかし7章の難易度が高かったため、覚醒をどのように活用すべきか考えて、次項で説明するような使い方に落ち着きました。

Since you could be defeated very quickly if the enemy attacked you repeatedly, the gameplay was quite tense.
Since all units can move again, it felt really satisfying to launch small, wave-like attacks against strong enemies.
I found the pattern of having a hunter whittle down the enemy, a knight bring them to near-death, and then someone else deliver the final blow to be simple yet effective.
Bell's magic attacks are powerful, so there were many situations where I wanted to heal my allies but also attack the enemy, which created a pleasant dilemma.

It was fun to use each of the souls, each with their own unique personality, to conquer the game.
They all look like shadows, but it was strange how they started to look cute the longer I fought alongside them.

Chapter 7 Walkthrough Notes

There are no character deaths, and I was able to clear up to Chapter 6 without any particular problems.
However, I found Chapter 7 challenging, so I've written about my strategy in this section.

Useful tactics

I feel that a hit-and-run strategy utilizing "Awakening" is quite useful in any situation.
I found it particularly safe when breaking through groups of enemies that were clustered together.

First, advance your allies as far as the enemy's attack range allows.

Move to a location where you can attack the enemy in the next turn, use "Awakening" there, and wait in that spot.
(This is the swordsman located just below the enemy cavalry in the image below.)

Then, in the second action, attack the enemy from that spot, and move as far away as possible after the attack.
This means that during the enemy's turn, the only person a swordsman can be attacked by is the one they just attacked (an enemy cavalryman).
However, if that cavalryman is defeated by another ally, the swordsman's safety is guaranteed.


By using this series of hit-and-run tactics with multiple people, you can safely reduce the enemy's numbers while drawing them in.
However, this tactic won't work if there are highly mobile enemies waiting in the rear, so in that case, you'll need to wait until those enemies come to the front lines before using it.
Heavy knights, who have low mobility, are unsuitable for this strategy.

Chapter 7 Walkthrough

It was a very challenging map.
After trying various marching routes, I found that the route where the entire army advanced from the left side was the easiest to fight with.
With the knight and hunter at the rear, you'll use hit-and-run tactics to whittle down any enemies approaching from behind, reducing their numbers.
The battle will involve pushing the heavy knights to the front and first eliminating the archer units.

For a while after that, we'll focus our attention on the enemies in the rear and concentrate on reducing their numbers.
Along the way, make sure to stay close to the left wall to avoid being attacked by the mage on the other side.
When enemies are grouped together, it's a good idea to make effective use of the bandit bombs.

The general positioned in the center will use his large shield to neutralize three attacks.
Even if it's neutralized, the poison will still work, so use the thief's attacks and other indirect attacks to remove the large shield three times and then fight.
Since it requires many actions, it's best to eliminate some of the surrounding enemies before engaging in combat.

The boss mage's life-draining light is troublesome, so try to whittle him down with a longbow or wind slash before taking him down quickly.

Character impressions (with some spoilers)

Bell
This unit has powerful magic attacks and can also heal allies, making it a very versatile unit.
The skill that heals adjacent units by 10 is also useful when you're busy.
有能なので前線で戦いがちですが、敵の攻撃に晒されると2撃程度で倒されてしまうことも多いので、運用が悩ましいユニットです。
It becomes even more useful when you acquire the Wind Cutter with a range of 3.

- The mercenary's soul
He's a reliable attacker who performs well right from the start.
The fact that she quietly possesses a natural healing skill is also a big plus.
The Falcata, which allows for two consecutive attacks, is more effective at avoiding counterattacks than the Red Tassel Curved Sword, which allows for follow-up attacks.

Warrior's Soul
This attacker is useful because of the power of their single blow.
In addition to suicide attacks with maces and bardiches, attacks delivered with full force are also powerful.
Whenever I have some free time, I'd like to use my all-out attack frequently.

Hunter's Soul
This is a powerful ranged attacker that can unilaterally attack from outside the enemy's range.
Even the Composite Bow, which consumes no EP, is powerful, and the Wind Bow can also be effective against heavy knights.
With a longbow, it became easier to perform hit-and-run tactics from outside the enemy's range, making it a unit that often spearheaded engagements.

Knight's Soul
This is a highly mobile attacker with excellent mobility.
The Crimson Knight's assault spear, with its uncounterable attacks, is ideal for inflicting initial damage.
The Pyramid's high mobility makes its pecking attacks very effective.
Although it consumes a lot of EP, it was a very useful unit that could deliver a one-hit kill with the Holy Knight's Silver Lance when the time was right.

- The thief's soul
This is an unconventional mobile attacker.
Although its offensive power is inferior, the Shadow-Possessed Dagger can be useful in many situations for temporarily immobilizing enemies.
Additionally, obtaining a highly poisonous knife will simply increase your damage output, allowing you to function effectively as an attacker.
The poisoned state reduces the enemy's HP by 20 at the start of their turn, so if you manage to poison the enemy and reduce their HP to 20 or less, it's essentially the same as defeating them.

- Soul of the Heavy Knight
It has extremely high defensive capabilities, and its counterattack using the pyramid when pushed forward is very powerful.
Along with knights and hunters, this unit is strong in close combat.
As long as you're careful of enemies with magic or special attack weapons, you can even use a rough approach, like just charging straight into the enemy.

- The soul of a bandit
While similar in type to the Warrior, its map-wide bomb weapon is very powerful.
It feels great to throw bombs into densely packed enemy areas when you're awakened, then unleash a full-scale attack on them after they've been whittled down.
Since its attack power is simply high, you can expect significant damage without relying on EP.

- The Soul of the White Knight
For starters, the White Knight's ceremonial sword provides powerful indirect attacks.
This unit can be expected to deal consistently high damage to enemies other than magic-users.
Since it's somewhat vulnerable to damage, I think it's important to engage it at a distance about one step ahead of the hunter.