Garun's Love Quest (Free Non-Field RPG) Introduction and Review

This is an introductory article for "Garun's Love Quest," a short, non-field RPG collaboratively produced by Rakuzuki Rei (Cathedral on the Hill) and Prakavi.
This game offers a lighthearted tone while still providing deep and engaging combat that can be enjoyed casually.

The clear time was approximately 2 hours (up to defeating the two bonus bosses).

Game Overview

Having received a divine oracle that in order to become a hero, Garun begins his search for a girlfriend with his best friend, Reinas.

This game is a non-field RPG.
There is no map of the town; exploration is driven by choices made.
The options you choose will darken, making them easy to identify.
I mainly use town to gather information and do some shopping.

Gathering information in town will advance the scenario and add new dungeons to explore.
Locations marked with a ☆ are dungeons that are essential for progressing the main story, while other locations are optional dungeons.

The dungeon screen has a very simple design, offering only two options: move forward or engage in battles to earn points.
The "3/50" gauge at the top represents your progress through the dungeon; when it reaches its maximum, you'll face the boss.

As you progress, conversations between characters appear on the side, so you can explore without getting bored.
Moving forward will trigger battles, and other events such as discovering treasure chests or healing your party will also occur.

Combat is turn-based, with characters acting first based on their AGI (Action Order) (the turn order is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen).
In addition to normal attacks, you can choose skills that consume MP, and powerful special moves and boosts that consume BP.

A major feature of this game's combat system is the summoning of Reinas.
During battle, you can summon up to two creatures, who will become reliable allies.
The number of summonable creatures you can call upon increases with your equipment, and deciding which combinations to summon depending on the type of enemy is also an important point.

In addition to weapons, you can equip up to five decorative items.
There are various items available, such as armor that increases defense, gems that boost stats, gems that increase the types of summonable creatures you can call upon, and accessories with special effects.
Deciding on tactics and equipment combinations is one of the enjoyable aspects of this game.

My thoughts (may contain spoilers)

The story, which begins with a comedic premise of searching for a girlfriend in order to become a hero, was enjoyable to play from start to finish.
While the title's theme of "dating" might draw attention to the story, I was able to enjoy the deep strategic gameplay as an RPG.
You can change the experience point multiplier from 0x to 4x in the options, but when I played with the normal 1x multiplier, I felt the difficulty was easy to slightly easy (defeating the post-clear boss at LV19 was about average).
Even if you find the battles a bit difficult, you can easily overcome them by leveling up.
The fact that the 4x experience point multiplier can shorten the time required for leveling up, which can otherwise feel like a chore, is a thoughtful feature.

The combat system is designed to allow you to fight using status effects and debuffs, but you probably won't need to think that meticulously during a normal playthrough.
For hardcore players who play with the experience point multiplier set to 0x, I think it's interesting to delve into these kinds of details.
I especially loved the music during boss battles, and I always felt excited while fighting.

My favorite combat system is Reinas's summoning magic.
It was fun being able to summon different monster companions depending on the enemy.
I wish there was a way to check the stats of the summoned creatures somewhere (apologies if I've overlooked a way to do so).

As for other combat systems, the CT (Cooldown Time) settings were good.
If there's no cooldown time (CT) set, all you need to do is secure a way to recover MP and keep using powerful skills.
Those kinds of tactics didn't work, and I had to master various techniques, which made it challenging and rewarding.

In the regular battles in the second half, I equipped Garun with the Amulet of First Strike and the Amulet of Valor, and proceeded to defeat all enemies as soon as the battle started.
In post-game boss battles, I primarily used the Fire Strike → Blazing Hammer combo, and equipped many Flame Blows to enhance my fire skills as described above (I wasn't aware of the existence of Hero Blade at the time).

My favorite character was Miradia, with her crazy eyes.

It's a relatively short game, making it easy to pick up, yet it features deep battles that will satisfy even hardcore players.
This is a work I would recommend to a wide range of people.