Starry Sky Priere (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is an article introducing "Hoshizora Priere," an RPG created with RPG Maker MV.
I decided to try this game because I enjoyed playing the author's previous works, such as "Thornstrana" and "Memories of Alnista," which were hack-and-slash and dungeon RPGs.
I recall the two aforementioned works being rather serious, but this one is quite lighthearted and easy to enjoy.

This game offers a satisfying experience, with robust combat and character enhancement elements that are hallmarks of RPGs.
The main story took about 10 hours to complete.
(Additional dungeons available after clearing the game)

Game Overview

story

This is the story of Plica, a girl who can "read the stars," as she travels the world with Bailey, a perverted, muscle-brained yuri girl.
The story is mostly comedic, with very few serious scenes.
However, it contains meta-commentary and crude humor, so those who are uncomfortable with such content should be aware.

Abundant equipment

This game uses a symbol encounter system.
When you come into contact with an enemy, a battle will begin, and you will always obtain a treasure chest if you defeat them.
Since you can obtain various equipment such as weapons, armor, and accessories from treasure chests, I think it will keep your motivation to fight high.
However, encounters on the field map are random, and you cannot obtain treasure chests.

Recruiting members using recruitment tickets

In this game, in addition to unique characters who will automatically join your party as the story progresses, there are also characters that can be recruited at the guild using "recruitment tickets."
It's a system similar to what's known as a gacha (loot box) system.
Ultimately, you'll get an unlimited number of recruitment tickets, so you don't need to overthink who you want to recruit.

In addition to the four combat members, you can bring up to eight reserve members with you.
During combat, you can freely swap in and out standby members, meaning you can fight with up to 12 people.
If the number of members exceeds 12, you can replace members within the guild.
I think one of the enjoyable aspects of this game is raising and mastering characters with various unique characteristics.

Skill Set

Characters automatically acquire skills as they level up.
Skills become effective when they are equipped.
Each skill has a set CP requirement for equipping, and you can equip as many as your CP allows.

In the later stages of the game, when the number of skills increases significantly, choosing which skills to equip becomes a key factor in success.
Deciding which ones to include and which to remove is a real headache.

battle

Combat is turn-based, with characters acting in order of their agility.
You will have to use your skills to fight.
Many skills consume MP, but some also consume TP.
TP accumulates gradually through various actions during combat.

During combat, you can access information about the enemy.
This will show you the enemy's weaknesses and effective status effects, so use this as a reference to help you strategize.
The combat in this game isn't easy, but if you understand the enemy's weaknesses and how to inflict status ailments, you can definitely defeat them.

Illustrated book

Additionally, there's a compendium where you can register the enemies you've defeated and the items you've obtained.
I think even hardcore players who enjoy filling out these kinds of encyclopedias will be satisfied.
The descriptions of enemies and items each have amusing comments, so those who understand the references will surely chuckle.

Review (no spoilers)

While the story has a lighthearted tone, the RPG gameplay is well-crafted, making it an enjoyable experience for many.
The difficulty level isn't particularly high, but you won't be able to defeat the boss with a sloppy fighting style.
I think the game is balanced so that you can defeat the boss if you properly counter its attacks with elemental attacks and status ailments.

As you progress through the game, you'll acquire more companions, skills, and equipment, and the range of tactics you can employ will increase.
I felt that the overall degree of customization was high, as it allows each player to employ the tactics they envision.

The characters you can recruit using recruitment tickets are diverse and each has their own unique personality.
While it doesn't affect the main story, the difficulty level might change slightly depending on who you recruit as a companion.
However, the difficulty level is such that you can clear the game using only the unique characters who join your party as the story progresses, so those who are confident in their skills might want to try playing with self-imposed restrictions.

Normal battles are fun because you can quickly defeat enemies by repeatedly using area-of-effect attacks, and you're guaranteed to get some kind of item.
While the graphics may look pop-style, this game is packed with the fundamental enjoyment of RPGs, where you strengthen your characters by collecting experience points and items through battles.

Strategy notes and character impressions (contains spoilers)

In this game, you'll often struggle if you charge straight into a boss fight without a plan.
However, conversely, if you take the right measures, you can win in most cases.
Instead of individual boss strategy notes, I'll be writing about effective tactics for each character.

I will write separate strategy notes only for the Gigantes in the mountain caves, which were particularly tough in the early stages of the game.

Mountain cave Gigantes
We defeated it with a party average level of 20.
By using both physical and magical counters, their counters are extremely powerful.
Since it recovers HP by charging up its power, you'll need to deal damage quickly.
Since the opponent's agility is 107, adjust your equipment to increase your agility and create two characters, one for physical attacks and one for magical attacks, so that you can reliably attack before the counter switch.
In my case, I increased the agility of Plica and Lian, and fought with Plica using Celestial Ray and Lian using Full Power Smash.
When Full Power Smash was on cooldown, I equipped Lian with Poison Dagger and fought in a way that would inflict poison.
Bailey's skills, such as Magical Explosion, which rely on both physical and magical attacks, seem to be immune to counterattacks for some reason, so I continued attacking without worrying about it.
Since its attacks other than counters are also powerful, try to draw its attacks away by having Selphie taunt it or something similar.

Character usage impressions (story characters only)

・ Prepaid card
He is the main character and also the healer.
The basic strategy was to have her focus on healing, and then use magic to attack whenever she had a free moment.
Since this character has low HP and is more easily defeated than other characters, you will need to devise ways to increase their defense with buffs.
Since it learns many useful skills such as the passive skill "Starry Sky Prayer," it becomes even more powerful when it undergoes a class change in the later stages of the game.

・Bailey
This tough, heavy attacker is characterized by its unique skills that depend on both physical and magical attacks.
You can learn earth-element magic, but I think muscle magic will suffice.
By utilizing its high attack power and continuously using attack skills, it will become a stable source of damage.
Axes have high attack power but low accuracy, so equip them with gear that can compensate for their low hit rate.

・Lian
This is a fast, light attacker.
While the area-of-effect attack Wide Slash shines in regular battles, mastering Full Power Smash will allow you to excel in boss battles as well.
Also, the ability to reset enemy buffing magic with the Dispel Sword is a surprisingly useful feature.
With their speed, they can also take on the role of using healing items.
MP tends to run out quickly, so it might be a good idea to switch to another member when it's depleted.

Selfie
He's a tough tank.
They have high HP and defense, and many skills that enhance the party's stability.
Use Provoke to draw enemy attacks and protect characters with low HP, such as Plica.
Since healing magic is also available, you can act as a healer in case of emergency.
Skills that increase the overall durability of your allies, such as Angelus and Element Guard, are useful in boss battles.

·basil
While it has many support skills such as buffs, its attacks with the Napalm Cannon and Burst Cannon are also powerful, making it very useful in boss battles.
Armor Breath, Divine Breath, Weapon Curse, Magic Curse, and others directly make it harder for allies to be defeated, so there are plenty of things to do in boss battles.
By increasing your maximum HP with Mass Growth, you can quickly make your entire party tougher.
Since they are somewhat vulnerable to damage, it's a good idea to use them as a tank in the early stages of combat to provide cover.

・Nell
This versatile character possesses a variety of skills, including healing, sword, fire, and ice.
Because it's so versatile, it tends to consume a lot of MP, but it's convenient to be able to act as an attacker, healer, and buffer all in one.
Using the ice magic spell Hail after applying an elemental boost is powerful in boss battles where there are few enemies.
While it may not be as effective depending on the boss's attributes, I feel it's generally a powerful unit capable of doing almost anything.