NEXT DOOR: The World of Eternity (RPG) - Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This article introduces the indie game "NEXT DOOR: A World of Leisure" which is available for purchase on BOOTH.
This RPG was created using RPG Maker VX Ace, but it's been heavily customized and includes many unique elements.
The winner of the gold prize in the long-form RPG category of the "14th Freegame! Contest"Daydream RiverThis is a full-length RPG by Kanji no Kusa, the creator of "[Title of previous work]".
I was drawn to the unique atmosphere and story of "Daydream River," so I wanted to play this game as well and bought it.

The completion time to reach the first ending was approximately 13 hours.
It took another nine hours or so to reach the other ending.
I was wandering around and getting lost for quite a while, so I think it would actually be shorter.

Game Overview

The protagonist is Towako, a girl who is summoned to another world having lost her memories.
According to Eva, the scientist who summoned Towako, in this world where humans are ostracized, people from other worlds are a beacon of hope, potentially capable of saving humanity.
To oppose the Black Kingdom, which is ostracizing humans, Towako and her friends embark on a journey through this mysterious world.

This game is an RPG, but it incorporates a variety of unique elements.
I'd like to introduce several elements one by one.

battle

In this game, battles proceed in order of speed, with the fastest character moving first.
The character whose face icon at the top of the screen reaches the right edge will take action first.
The higher your speed, the faster you can move, which is advantageous in combat.

The battle screen displays a lot of information.
By referring to the party members' stats and the enemy's stats, you can know the damage you will inflict beforehand, making it easier to plan your calculations.
If you analyze enemy information using the "Investigate" command, the enemy's status will continue to be displayed in all subsequent battles.
This command is essential when encountering an enemy for the first time.

In battle, in addition to normal attacks, you can use special attacks (which correspond to techniques and magic), defense, and items.
When the "Idea" gauge, which fills up through attacks and damage taken, reaches 100%, you can use the character's unique special move, "Identity."

Another interesting unique feature is that with some specials, you can adjust their power by consuming extra MP.
While it often results in less efficient MP consumption than usual, it's particularly useful when you're just a little bit away from defeating an enemy.
While there are limits to the values that can be adjusted, the interesting thing is that the same magic can be used in various ways depending on the situation.

By the way, after a battle, everyone's HP and MP will be restored by 5 each.
Saving your specials for too long can actually lead to greater damage, so use them without hesitation.

Status allocation

In this game, you are given allocation points as you level up.
You receive 1 point for each level increase, and there are no parameters that increase automatically.
The players will be responsible for allocating the resources.

As mentioned in the combat section, in this game, the damage dealt can be precisely calculated based on the stats of both allies and enemies.
The degree of inflation in ability scores is very low, and you can really feel the significant effect even if your ability score increases by just one point.
The difficulty of battles will change significantly depending on which ability scores you allocate points to.
Note that you can easily reset your ability score allocation using items or at churches, so there's no need to be overly cautious.
You'll get the hang of how to allocate things by trying different methods.

At the start of the game, the maximum number of points you can allocate to each parameter is 8, but this increases as the story progresses.

Skill acquisition through equipment

In this game, in addition to the special abilities unique to each character, there are many special abilities that can be learned from equipment.
A typical example is a badge for learning magic; while equipped, you can use that magic.
As you continue to fight while equipped with that special ability, your proficiency level will increase, and once it reaches its maximum, you will be able to use it even when unequipped.
It's most efficient to teach your characters special abilities that match their individual strengths.

Autosave

In this game, you can save up to 30 files at any point where you can access the menu.
In addition, in this game, even if you only move a short distance, 30 more save slots are automatically created.
While the difficulty level doesn't require frequent saving, the game is designed to provide peace of mind even if unexpected errors or shutdowns occur.

Other elements

In addition, the game incorporates various elements, such as quests to complete various requests, action games that are surprisingly well-made for mini-games, shooting games, and puzzles within dungeons.
The game also features enhanced systems for a more comfortable gameplay experience, such as the ability to double the battle speed and review conversation history.
The game incorporates many detailed mechanisms to address the aspects that can often become tedious in RPGs.

Review (no spoilers)

After seeing the first ending on my first playthrough, I restarted from where I left off and was able to reach the second ending.
The main storyline of the game can be progressed smoothly without getting lost, but I had a lot of trouble with the side quests related to the conditions for the second ending.

Because there were so few hints, I was unable to complete some of the events on my own.
However, by exchanging information with a mutual follower who was also in the process of completing the game, I was somehow able to overcome the challenge.
I really wanted to see the second ending, so I'm overjoyed that I was able to clear the game successfully.

Now, this work begins with a story reminiscent of a classic fantasy: "The protagonist, who is summoned to another world and loses his memory, travels through a world where animals can speak."
However, this film portrays animals as beings with rights just like humans, and depicts issues related to ideology and discrimination without glossing over them.
Rather than fantasy, it gave me the impression of being reminiscent of Fujiko Fujio's science fiction.
While there are sometimes brutal and graphic depictions, the story is so compelling that you'll want to keep reading to see how it unfolds.

The user-friendliness of the system is what encourages players to want to progress quickly.
The game provides all the necessary information for combat, allowing dedicated players to meticulously plan their battles.
The ability to double the combat speed was also very convenient.
Depending on your playing environment, I sometimes found it difficult to tell what I was selecting when choosing an item during combat, especially with the default color scheme.
However, selecting "Invert" in the color pattern settings made it look fine, which I thought showed thoughtful consideration.

The graphics are mostly original, which I think is a nice touch.
Not only the player character but also the main enemy characters move around dynamically, and when you add the cut-in animations for their special moves, it looks spectacular.

The background music is fantastic, with plenty of exciting and catchy tunes that really stick in your mind.
The background music for regular battles and boss fights changes as the story progresses, so I was able to approach each new area with a fresh feeling.

Regarding the combat, as I will explain later, I didn't find it particularly difficult.
(Perhaps it's because I got lost and my level went up quite a bit.)
However, the "Help GUI" (a kind of quest where you solve people's requests) sometimes had very few hints, and I found it to be quite difficult.
It seemed like there weren't many instances where there were absolutely no hints, but I still enjoyed the search.
When I finally find a clue to the solution after an endless search, I get incredibly excited.
I fondly remembered playing games as a child, trying out different things and experimenting on my own.

The story isn't exactly lighthearted, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as a comfortable and enjoyable mid-to-long-length RPG.
While it is possible to understand the story on its own, to fully grasp the meaning of the true ending, it might be beneficial to play the previous game, "Daydream River," first.
(This is perhaps similar to the relationship between "Chrono Cross" and "Chrono Trigger.")

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

The combat difficulty in this game is not very high.
As long as you don't make any major mistakes in allocating your stats, I think you should be able to clear it without being wiped out.
In fact, I was able to reach the ending on my first playthrough without ever being wiped out.
In this section, I will describe some combat tips that I found important, as well as some points where I got stuck while progressing through the game.

This contains many spoilers, so please be careful if you want to complete the game on your own.

Regarding combat

The usefulness of "researching"

The "Investigate" ability, which can be learned in "Scholar's Apprentice," will automatically display information about the same enemy the first time it is used on them.
It's convenient because it also displays the remaining HP, so it's great to use it frequently against enemies you're encountering for the first time.

The basic strategy of "allocation"

This section discusses the stat allocation system, a distinctive feature of this game's growth system.
Basically, I felt that a more focused, high-stakes approach to allocating points was more effective than trying to raise each item evenly.
While you can eventually distribute Towako's stats in a balanced way, I think it's easier to fight in the early stages if you focus on increasing her magic power, which makes it easier to exploit weaknesses.
Similarly, I think Eva would do well with a magic-focused build.
If you focus on raising Nasha and Daryl's physical attack power, they will be more efficient in regular battles.

If you get stuck during a boss battle, you can simply readjust your stat allocation at any time.
However, in this game, you can level up quite a bit just by defeating enemies along the way, so it seems like you don't need to do too much trial and error.

Identifying useful accessories

This game offers a wide variety of accessories, but I'll focus on those I found particularly useful.
The "Stone from the Seashore," which can be purchased in the Sea Kingdom, restores 2 MP each turn, and also gradually restores MP just by walking around.
Since equipping multiple items stacks their effects, if you have extra slots, equipping several will allow you to cast spells much more frequently.

Additionally, "Cost Cut" is an accessory that reduces MP consumption by half, although its effects do not stack.
Since it can be purchased later in the game, you'll want to equip it on all your magic-focused characters.

The "Church Indulgence," which can be purchased towards the end of the game, is expensive, but it is an accessory that prevents major status ailments.
Buying one for everyone would be ideal, but since they're expensive, you can substitute them with the "Immunity" spell.

There are also accessories that are effective for melee characters, such as the "Lucky Charm" and "Dual Attack" combo, which makes attacks more likely to hit critical spots.

Regarding the ending branches (spoiler alert)

If you proceed as normal, you will reach an ending that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
The epilogue that follows hints at the conditions for reaching an alternate ending.

I was thinking of listing the conditions for the true ending in this section,Strategy GuidebookSince it's already mentioned, I decided it would be better not to write about it.

Regarding the parts I personally struggled with (in the main game)

There were no particular obstacles in the main story, and we were able to proceed almost smoothly.
I'd like to make a note of the parts where I had a little trouble.
I think RPGs can be tricky for some people, and even a small misunderstanding can cause them to get stuck, so it might not be a problem for some people at all.
Some of you may be thinking, "I'm not having any trouble with this kind of thing," so if that's the case, please just skip this part.

How to get to the land of snow
To get to the Land of Snow, take the left path along the sea route immediately after entering the Elder's Shell in the Land of Sea.
If they had listened to Melona's warning that "this route is cold and dangerous" when they first took the sea route, they would have immediately realized the danger.

・Tetris in the Snow Country
The answer to the puzzle you encounter at the gate to the snow country is written on a note in the house just above and to the right of the stone monument at the town entrance.
I think it would be quite difficult to clear it on your own.

- Final boss of Towako route
The final boss is quite difficult to damage, so I think you can deal damage efficiently with fixed-damage or percentage-based attacks such as homing missiles and stardust.

List of requests and strategy notes

I'll be writing about some of the GUI issues I've had trouble resolving.
The last chance to resolve it is in your adventure notes."We will split into two groups and explore the empty cave."These are the points that are displayed.
If you've progressed through the main story up to that point, you should be able to achieve everything.

The following is a list of requests, and ultimately 32 requests will appear.
I was thinking of writing a guide for the difficult requests,Strategy GuidebookIt's listed there, so I think it would be better to refer to that.
I will focus on writing about things that are not included there.

(The numbers are the serial numbers for the requests.)

6. Put out the fire in the dog village.
It will appear once you have collected all of the dog companions from 1 to 5.

16. Go to see Bubba
Daryl's father can be accessed from the left side of the house where the first-aid kit is located.

22. I can't clear the game.
A good strategy is to fire bullets rapidly from the bottom of the screen to make it easier to clear the level.
If your bullets hit enemy bullets, they cancel each other out and disappear, so you can clear the stage relatively easily as long as you pay attention to enemies and their bullets coming from the sides.

23. I want to test my skills.
Saladin is located in the deepest part of the Sea Temple, and he will join your party if you talk to him.

Afterword (Spoiler alert)

This section contains spoilers for "NEXT DOOR: The World of Eternity" and its predecessor, "Daydream River."
Please note that reading this before playing may spoil the enjoyment of the game.
I'm just writing down my thoughts and feelings after finishing the game.

The ending of the previous film, "Daydream River," was quite tragic.
However, I was glad that in this film, Haruka gained control of her time-manipulating ability, which opened up the possibility of salvation.
Even if rewinding the timeline erases the actions of Izawa and the others in "Daydream River," I think it won't be in vain if Haruka remembers them.
I think the elements in this part that relate to the previous game also serve as fan service for those who played the previous game.
「Strategy GuidebookThis guide not only provides walkthrough information, but also explains how to see the hidden ending of the previous game, Daydream River.
I think you'll find it particularly moving if you watch it after seeing the true ending of this game.

Setting aside its connection to the previous work, when viewed as a standalone piece, I felt that this story was a tale of "reincarnation."
The story is about a savior who appeared in Yondelswat long ago, and who reappears to save the world.
Perhaps because of this, many words closely related to Christianity, which has a similar storyline, appeared.

The words Haruka conveyed at the end, "Love your neighbor," are the very essence of neighborly love as taught in Christianity.
Furthermore, the idea of teaching animals who cannot understand language as much as possible is reminiscent of the Tower of Babel story (similar to the scene in the normal ending where Towako loses the ability to understand other people's languages).
Neighborly love and communication with others are both essential elements for mutual understanding.
As someone who lives in a world where conflicts are constant even among Japanese people who speak the same language, I felt that this film was not something I could ignore.
Even after the ending, it wasn't a simple "happily ever after" kind of feeling; it left me with the feeling that I would continue fighting on.

By the way, since I haven't talked about the characters yet, I'd like to talk a little about the characters that left a strong impression on me.
My favorite duo was Rodin & Saint-Pearl.
Once I learned that Rodin belonged to the Black Kingdom because of the dog village, I no longer saw him as much of an enemy.
This is especially true after experiencing the Dog Village reconstruction event.
Sanpearl, who is completely smitten with Rodin, couldn't show her affectionate side in the first half of the story, but in the second half she grew to the point of making lighthearted suggestions like "I want you to say hello to my parents," but it seemed that her feelings didn't reach Rodin.
However, the scene in the final battle where Sunpearl is shielded from Ryule's attack by using a "substitute" was a small detail, but it really touched me.
I think they make a good team.

I quite liked Colonel Enseal too.
From the moment he appeared, he was a lovable character who didn't seem like an enemy at all, and it was amusing when he asked if I would pretend to have been defeated after I had beaten him.
The gap between his status as a big shot and his insignificance made him a source of comedic relief and humor.
It's fun that you actually get 20,000 Mar at the end of the battle.

Although he's a quiet character, Saladin was one of my favorites.
When you first visit the Sea Country, you can rely on him as a physical attacker, and he has a cool demeanor because he gets the job done without saying anything unnecessary.
One of my favorite scenes is when, after Lyra awakens, Saladin is with them on their way back to Aevan Island from the Land of Snow, and he dives into the sea to find Melona for them.

Rolandote's appeal lay in the contrast between his incredibly powerful ability to extract the souls of living beings and his unique way of speaking.
Without someone like Nasha, defeat would have been guaranteed, so she definitely felt like a powerful character.
From what Daryl's father says, it seems he ended up in a town that was once abandoned, making him a character whose background is intriguing.

Daryl, with her mannerisms and speech patterns, was a character that didn't give off any impression of being female at all.
Because he is a rational and realistic thinker, he gave off an increasingly masculine impression.
Since the story mainly revolves around Ava and Daryl, their presence was very significant.