Mikage Cube (Free Non-Field RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

I've played several games before where actions within the game are represented by cards in your hand.
Cardwirth, a well-known free game, is one such game, and all of its titles are intuitive and easy to pick up, making them very accessible.

"CardWirth" was a game that left a lot to the player's imagination.
However, many card-based deck-building games require players to manage resources and employ strategies and tactics, making them difficult to complete if you play haphazardly.

This game, "Mikage Cube," is a non-field RPG created with RPG Maker MV, and its battles are represented by a card selection system.
Each playthrough takes about an hour, and the game isn't particularly difficult if you're just aiming to complete it.
This game allows you to enjoy various fighting styles with multiple protagonists and to improve your clear score.

Game Overview

The story revolves around the reappearance of the calamity known as the Cube, which was defeated by the hero "Mikage" 10 years ago, and the protagonist's quest to defeat it.
You can choose from three main characters, each with different reasons and backgrounds for taking on the cube.

Since this game is non-field based, you can basically only move forward on the map.
The game is divided into several stages, with a boss waiting at the very end of each level.
You progress through the game by defeating enemies along the way and completing events to strengthen your character and deck.

Please note that saving is generally not possible in this game.
While it's possible to save your game on the map, loading the save data will erase it.
Therefore, since losing a battle results in a game over, the gameplay is tense and exciting.

Battles are fought using a deck of 12 cards.
At the start of each turn, you draw cards until you have five in your hand.
Using cards consumes AP.
AP is fully restored at the start of each turn, and its maximum value increases by 1 each turn as turns pass.
In the first turn, your maximum AP is only 2, but it increases to 3 in the second turn, and to 4 in the third turn.
(Basic maximum AP = 1 + n turns)

Since powerful technique cards consume a lot of AP, you can't unleash powerful techniques repeatedly from the beginning of a battle.
Therefore, if you fill your deck with only moves that consume a lot of AP, you'll end up with many unusable cards in the early stages of the game, which can make it difficult to deal with fast-attacking enemies.
It's crucial to build your deck by incorporating not only powerful special moves but also smaller, more strategic techniques, while visualizing how the battle will unfold from the beginning to the end.

You can create items and new cards by defeating enemies or by consuming a resource called "supplies."
If you keep items without using them, they will be added to your score when you clear the level.
If you're aiming for a high score, conserve your items as you progress.

Review (no spoilers)

I was able to complete the game with all three main characters.
The average completion time was about one hour per person.
I did get a game over once with Rusalka, but I think I managed to clear the game with all the characters in a total of about 3 hours.

The difficulty level is somewhere between slightly easy and average.
I feel that the game is designed so that almost all players can complete it if they understand the system.
For experienced players who find the difficulty level insufficient, there's the option to aim for a high score, so it felt like the game was designed to be enjoyable for a wide range of players.
While this game only allows for mid-game saves, I don't think the difficulty level is such that it becomes a source of stress.

Since the enemies are the same regardless of which protagonist you choose, you can clearly see the differences in the fighting styles required for each character.
Just because you cleared it in Tsukikage doesn't mean you should try the same strategy in Rusalka; you'll struggle.
Playing with a different protagonist can lead to new discoveries, such as "Oh, there's this way of fighting too!"
If you only complete the game by yourself, you've probably only experienced about a third of what makes this game so enjoyable.

While the game's most distinctive feature is its card-based combat system, the storyline was also very compelling.
The discussions weren't particularly long, but rather concise, yet each of the three perspectives was refreshingly different.
The graphics were incredibly beautiful, and there was a lot of cool music.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

Since each of the three main characters has different ability scores, adopting a strategy that takes these differences into account is the shortest path to victory.
One thing that can be said in general is that using the "Toughness" item to boost your DEF will make battles considerably easier.
If you're aiming for a high score, you shouldn't raise your stats unnecessarily, but if your goal is simply to clear the game, then by all means, make good use of them.

I made it a point to use every item box I encountered along the way to its maximum capacity, unless I was extremely low on HP.
When you defeat enemies, you'll want to collect cards as rewards in the early stages, but if you're unsure, choosing items is a safe bet.

Also, regarding the enemies you encounter along the way that you can choose whether or not to fight, I think it's generally fine to fight all of them.
Depending on your remaining HP and the cards in your hand, it might be necessary to avoid certain moves.

・Tsukikage
Since its ATK is particularly high, let's use a fighting style that takes advantage of that.
If you generate toughness to sufficiently increase your DEF, and build your deck to enhance ATK and focus on physical attacks, you won't have much trouble.

Since it was my first time playing, I didn't put too much thought into my final deck.
"Awakening" accelerates the increase in maximum AP, while "Hardening" and "Activation" are used to optimize stats.
Once you've accumulated enough AP, aim for massive damage by combining abilities like "Hailer's Flame," "Demon," and "Great Slash."

Rusalka
Since its base stats are low, you should create a deck that increases DEF, reducing damage and allowing you to recover HP.
Since its base ATK is low, it's easier to attack with fixed damage spells like "Logic Bomb" and "Napalm".

The final deck will include two "Awakening" cards to quickly increase maximum AP, while also building an impenetrable defense with "Hardening."
We'll weather the enemy's attacks with "Rusalka," "Shield," and "Crisis Avoidance," while targeting "Napalm" and "Angel" in our own attacks.
Battles often drag on, in which case "Magnus," which deals fixed damage depending on the number of turns, is very powerful.
Be careful of enemies that deal fixed damage and are unaffected by your DEF.
Status ailments are also troublesome, so the seemingly inconspicuous "Repair" ability proved to be quite useful.

After clearing the game with Tsukikage, I chose Rusalka for my second playthrough, but the same strategy of boosting ATK and brute-forcing my way through didn't work, and I was defeated on stage 5.
On my second attempt, I tried a strategy of "DEF specialization + fixed damage," and I was able to clear it without any trouble.

·alpha
It has a very specific set of stats: high TEC, and quite low ATK and DEF.
This character is the easiest to deal damage with and can defeat enemies in fewer turns compared to other main characters, making it easier to earn early defeat bonuses.
On the other hand, I think the player's skill lies in how well they can disrupt enemy attacks and minimize the damage they take.
It's efficient to use "Black Mist" and "Alpha" to suppress enemy attacks while accumulating AP by dealing continuous damage with "DigiVirus."

Although it consumes a bit of AP, the "Ring Arts," which increase TEC just by possessing them, were extremely useful.
Using it can significantly increase TEC, so it works well with "mincing".

If you have inflicted the virus status on your opponent, even temporarily increasing your own TEC will increase the virus damage you deal that turn.
Therefore, I think "DigiVirus" is an excellent card because it allows you to repurpose TEC-increasing cards as attack cards.

Because my DEF was low and it was difficult to time my healing, "Phoenix," which could lower the opponent's ATK while recovering HP, was very useful.
Additionally, if you acquire items like "Miracle," which restores HP every turn just by possessing it, you should be able to fight reasonably well without having to dope with DEF-enhancing items.