Argus (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

I played "Argus," an RPG created with RPG Maker VX.
With its weighty storyline dealing with religious wars and philosophy, this is a story I would recommend to players who enjoy military chronicles.
My completion time was approximately 18 hours (I selected "Easy" difficulty for combat).

Game Overview

First, let's talk about the story.
The main characters could be described as two knights: Kiara of the Frenia Kingdom and Aldin, the Holy Knight of the Melia Theocracy.
As you progress through the story, the character you control will change, and you will follow the narrative from different perspectives.
The story begins when the Melia Theocracy attacks and captures the capital of the Frenia Kingdom, using doctrinal differences as a pretext.

As Knight Chiara retreats from the capital city, she joins forces with Prince Karel's troops from the Kingdom of Frenia, and together they aim to recapture the capital.
From Chiara's perspective, the story follows a narrative reminiscent of a military chronicle, focusing on rebuilding forces and preparing for future counterattacks.
On the other hand, from the perspective of the Holy Knight Aldin, the story unfolds as he encounters various events during a journey of simple missions intended as a distraction, leading him to question the doctrines propagated by the Church.
In the latter half of the story, it delves deeply into philosophical themes, starting with the question of what God is.

In terms of combat, it's basically a standard turn-based command battle system.
The game uses a symbol encounter system; you enter combat when you come into contact with an enemy on the map.

Enemies are color-coded, and after the battle, your party will receive a bonus corresponding to their color.
For example, defeating a red enemy will give you a bonus to your attack power in the next battle, while defeating a blue enemy will give you a bonus to your defense.
Defeating red enemies in succession triggers chain reactions that increase the effectiveness of their effects, so it's essential to utilize this before battling tough enemies.
Incidentally, enemy symbols do not respawn, with a few exceptions.

This game has a unique system called "Engage."
In this work, "engagement" can be described as "how others perceive that person."
Engagements are unique to each character and can be obtained primarily through conversations and event progression.
Equipping items can grant you effects such as increased stats or the acquisition of new skills.
Each engagement consumes capacity when equipped, but you can freely swap them out.
You can change your equipment in various ways before battles against tough enemies.

Spoiler-free review

I was able to clear it.
However, whether I can recommend this film to everyone is debatable.

I'll start by writing about the good points.
The story was very good.
In the beginning, there were a lot of proper nouns, which made it difficult to grasp the situation at times.
However, the appeal of the characters' dialogue and the story development outweighed these issues, so I didn't really mind them.
Especially as the story progresses into the middle section, it accelerates, and you become increasingly engrossed, wondering what will happen next.
Many of the characters were unique and charming.

The background music and graphics are original, and I think they have a unique charm that matches the story well.
In particular, the background music was memorable; for example, there was Arabian-style music in the desert-themed maps, and appropriate music for tense battles.

Now, I'll write about a few things that caught my attention.
Overall, I was bothered by how sluggish the operation was.
I noticed the speed issues in various aspects, including events, menu screens, and battles.
Since this game tends to involve a lot of battles, a slow pace can make the battles themselves become tiresome.
I set the battle difficulty to "easy," so I was able to progress relatively quickly.
However, when I chose "Normal," I found even the regular battles quite difficult, so I probably would have given up if there hadn't been an "Easy" option.
I felt that this was the kind of dissatisfaction that accumulates gradually.

Next, the dungeons are dark, confusing, and complex.
Opinions on this point may differ depending on the player's skill level.
For those who want to progress quickly, the game's structure is complex, the screen is dim, and many of the dungeons are difficult to explore.
However, precisely because of this, each dungeon is very memorable, and the atmosphere is well-captured, so I don't think it's all bad.

Also, there were many times when I didn't know what to do next.
In such cases, the story usually progresses if you talk to everyone within your reach.
However, I feel like there were many cases where I had to talk to everyone.
It's not like I get stuck, which is good, but the pacing isn't very good, so it was difficult for me since I'm the type of person who likes to move forward quickly.

I've written about various things, but I personally enjoyed it.
While there were a few things that bothered me about the gameplay, even taking those into account, the story kept me engaged and I was able to play until the very end.
If you can get drawn into the story, I think this is a game that has the appeal to keep you playing until the end.
Conversely, if you don't like the story or the game's atmosphere, I wouldn't recommend playing it.

Review with spoilers

There were many fascinating characters, and just watching them move was enjoyable in a way.
Chiara's party was interesting because it included a diverse group of people—children, nobles, and the elderly—all military personnel from unconventional backgrounds, offering a variety of perspectives.

Especially in the early stages, Reichel is a foul-mouthed and unpleasant character, but as he gradually warms up to you, he becomes more affectionate, which is quite endearing.
The two ministers standing beside Karel maintain their usual tone until the very end, but it's nice to see their attitude towards Chiara gradually soften.
I initially thought David, the military strategist, was just another genius strategist like you often see in war chronicles, but it turns out he's just a superhuman with master-class swordsmanship as well.
It seems that in the end, his intellectual curiosity got the better of him, but I'm curious to know what happened.

Among the members on Aldin's side, Nazelhem is probably the most appealing.
He appeared from the beginning to the end, and while he had a laid-back demeanor, he was reliable when it mattered, and he was quite a capable individual.
I was glad to have a truly "friendship" with Aldin, who is a serious and upright person.
I also laughed when I saw that Salman's records described him as a "fool."
However, I don't understand what he did at the end, after he fell while chasing Bernadette.
He seemed to know a lot about the ruins, which are the final dungeon, but did he already know about them before he started his journey?
If that's the case, does that mean he's been searching all along for an innocent being to serve, and that being turned out to be Bernadette?
Since that part isn't clearly explained, we can only speculate.

To begin with, we don't really know Bernadette's true identity anymore.
The fact that Chiara was resurrected after her death in Baia Frey is likely the result of a combination of Bernadette's power and some kind of power Chiara possessed.
(In his recollections, Chiara's grandfather also hints that Chiara is somehow special.)
However, since we don't know the circumstances that led to Bernadette's change of heart, we can only speculate.
Perhaps something was whispered to him by Nazelhem when he was devastated after losing Chiara.
The story in the final stages shifts from war to a philosophical discussion focused on the inner lives of the characters, which made it quite difficult to understand.
The story in the first half revolves around resolving external problems (such as war), but in the latter half, the focus shifts to the characters' inner lives, and I was confused by this change.

The final boss battle reminded me of the fight against Giygas in the Super Famicom game "Mother 2".
It was nostalgic to see things like the battle message, "I can't figure out the true nature of the final boss's attack!", and the fact that you can inflict damage by "praying".
Looking back, I realized that the "α," "β," and "Σ" prefixes that appear after skills in this game follow the same rules as the PSI system in "Mother 2."
If the title of this work, "Argus," refers to a monster with 100 eyes, then it might be referring to this final boss.
Or perhaps it represents people (including players) who define the existence of others through their "gaze."
In any case, if that's the end of the story, then it must mean that the story was depicting the relationship between Chiara and Bernadette from the very beginning.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

Often, there were no instructions on what to do next, which frequently led to me getting stuck.
If you get stuck and can't move forward, first try talking to everyone you can.
Often, the story progresses by talking to everyone.

If you encounter a boss you simply cannot defeat, review your list to see if you can use any special skills or items.
You might be surprised at how many useful items there are.
(Like using "Ignathi" on a hairy monster...)

Claddagh

During the Golem battle, use fire when the event occurs.
This will lower the golem's defense.

A small village with a church

Once you can explore the village, you can obtain the "Sheepskin" in one of the upper rooms of the cathedral.
Afterward, you hand the "Sheepskin" to the soldier standing in front of the eastern river and receive the "Holy Seal" and Aldin's Engage "Gentle".
Then, use the "Holy Mark" in the cave northwest of the village and proceed through the door.
It's pitch black inside, but if you equip the "Gentle" engagement, you'll be able to see the map.

Alemali Tower

The dungeon had such a complex structure that I almost gave up at one point.
Let's explore while looking for notes.
The black shadow may change to the character corresponding to the displayed character on the map when you switch between them.
By the way, if you want to know the name of the person who defeated Joshua in one hit, just enter "Aldin".

Holes in ragsilt

There are doors that open and close depending on the color of the enemy you defeat.
If you encounter a door you can't proceed through, try switching the characters displayed on the map to change the enemy's color and then engage in battle.
Pressing the switch will recede the water, revealing areas you can proceed through, so check the map to see if any new paths have opened up.
Due to the mechanics of the game, enemy symbols respawn after being defeated, which often leads to a large number of battles and can be quite tedious.