QualiaNext - Illuminating the Path - (Free RPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

I have very fond memories of playing the previous game, "Qualia - The Blind and Mute Diva -".
I had no idea that they were working on their next project, but I found out when I saw the announcement on my Twitter timeline, and I was really surprised.
I hurriedly downloaded it and played it straight through.

I felt that this work delved deeper into the characters' inner lives than the previous one.
If you're expecting something similar to the previous game, you might find this one a little subdued, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has played the previous game.
My first playthrough took about 7 hours, and my second playthrough took about 2-3 hours.

(Added on August 2, 2020)
You can now choose a mode with a lower combat difficulty.
I think even people who primarily want to enjoy the story will be able to play it easily.

Game Overview

Although it's labeled as a "cyber slow-life RPG," I think it has a stronger adventure game feel to it.
The basic gameplay involves exploring the map on foot and progressing through the story.

In the dungeon, you clear it by solving puzzles while avoiding or fighting enemy symbols.
This isn't a game where you just keep defeating enemies and leveling up.

The synopsis is as follows:

This game features mini-games interspersed throughout, which you will play.
These mini-games are not the kind where you absolutely have to get a good result.
However, if you achieve good results, you'll be praised by everyone, so you'll be tempted to take on challenges.

The combat in this game is an active-time command battle system that incorporates the concept of relative positions between you and your enemies.
Actions require "SP," and you can perform an action each time you accumulate one SP square.

However, if you want to use a move that consumes 2 or more SP, you will need to use the "Focus" command to accumulate SP.
While powerful special moves are impressive, you need to accumulate a corresponding amount of SP to activate them.

Each technique has an effective range, so you need to choose your technique based on your position relative to the enemy.

Also, just like in the previous game, enemy attacks can be blocked by stopping the moving points on the circuit diagram on the battle screen at the right time.
Because the timing and speed of each enemy technique are different,It is essential to get used to the attacks and learn to dodge them.

This kind of gameplay, which requires light action, can be challenging for players (like myself), but with the right use of items and other resources, it should be manageable.

However, since regular battles in this game are symbol encounters, unnecessary battles can be avoided.
Rather, if you can escape, it's easier to do so, so it's important not to fight unnecessarily.

Review (contains spoilers)

I saw both endings.
I feel like I can't definitively say which ending is better, so I'm glad I watched both.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film as a coming-of-age story for the protagonist, Laika.
It seems that Kudryavka had already taken over Laika at the start of the game, so her personality is likely different from her original self.

However, the true impression of Leica comes only from the recollections of Professor Fuinel and Monica, so we can only infer it from those recollections.
Judging from the flashbacks, Laika is quite different from how she was at the beginning of the main story, suggesting that Kudryavka had a significant influence on her.

Kudryavka argues that if we have subjective conscious experiences (qualia) such as "what we feel and think," then whether we have a mind or not is not a significant issue.
Both humans and machines experience qualia, and just as Kudryavka was able to fill the mental space of Laika, this suggests that there is no difference between them.

During my conversation with Alice, I vaguely remember her saying something like, "Androids are created with a purpose."
However, once an android has fulfilled its purpose, does that mean it's no longer an android but a human? I don't think so.
Even if a human has a purpose for being born, they are still a human, and even if an android has no purpose, it is still an android.

Leica also said, "No matter how precisely something is made, there is a boundary between humans and machines that cannot be crossed."
However, I think this probably refers to a boundary in a hard sense, and there is no boundary in a soft sense (such as "mind" or qualia).
That's probably why Laika and Kudryavka were able to travel between each other's bodies.

In the previous work, I think one of the themes was whether or not androids can experience qualia.
I've interpreted one of the themes of this work as being whether the qualia born in androids are the same as (or interchangeable with) the qualia of humans.

I absolutely love Rick, the protagonist of the previous film, so I was really happy when he made an appearance.
His role of not being overly assertive and instead assisting the protagonist of this work is reminiscent of Amuro's role in "Z Gundam," which provides a sense of reassurance.
Acting like Kira from "Gundam SEED DESTINY" here would be a real letdown.

While the laid-back, slow-paced life-plus-horror elements of the first half of the game are nice, personally, I find the atmosphere of the previous game—that is, the developments in the second half of this game—more exciting.
However, I think the concept and approach are different between the previous work and this one, so it's not possible to simply compare which one is better.

The previous film, which focused mainly on "solving the case," was a film that I found enjoyable from a cinematic standpoint.
This work, rather than being a typical film, leans more towards being a novel or a work of literature, placing a greater emphasis on depicting the protagonist's inner world.
I think it won't work if you try to enjoy these two works in the same way.

I found the combat to be somewhat difficult, similar to the previous game.
In the previous game, there was a way to strengthen your character by raising their stats and collecting as many recovery items as possible, but in this game, there is no room for improvement in stats.
The most you can do with the money you earn is to stock up on items to the maximum extent possible.
Therefore, it was very difficult because I had to carefully observe the enemy's attacks and fight using conventional methods.

However, in return,The sense of accomplishment I felt after defeating a formidable enemy was amazing.
I think my motivation was sustained by the desire to advance the story, which allowed me to complete the game.

I thought that motorcycle looked familiar, and it turns out I was right!
The memory of having to restart so many times on Route D came flooding back.

Leon is also included, though only in text form.

The security forces members being given gifts as a thank you for helping with the harvest are somehow endearing.
This kind of collaboration between cyber and analog is great.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

General combat

First, there's not much benefit to engaging in normal combat, so try to avoid touching enemy symbols.
Only engage in regular battles to farm items if you absolutely cannot defeat the boss.
Basically, running away is the best option.

If combat breaks out, make good use of your talismans.
However, using talismans also consumes SP, so effective use is required.

The basic strategy will likely involve using damage-focused moves such as Shooting Star, Strobe Meteor, and the Galaxy Coil series.

While the Little Star Cluster can block one enemy attack, if the battle is going to drag on anyway, I think it's better to try to defeat the enemy quickly with the Shooting Star Cluster to reduce the number of attacks they can make.

I don't think there are many situations where Ion Tail or Roche Limit would be useful.

Puzzle solving

In this game, there are hardly any puzzles to solve, except for the ABC numbers that appear early on.

For those playing through the game a second time, I've included the answers below.
"A+B+C=191"

Ending branching

This game has two endings: A and B.
I think you'll probably get a B if you play normally.
I get the feeling that people who get an A on their first try are the kind of people who, in RPGs, have a habit of talking to every villager as the event progresses to collect all the dialogue variations.

You'll get hints after clearing the main story, but for those who want to proceed to A on their first playthrough, I've listed the conditions below.

To reach Ending Route A, a conversation with Diana is crucial.
Before you go to Meme's house, and before the lighthouse lights up, you need to talk to Diana at as many different times as possible.

- Turn back once before going to Meme's house
- Go to the entrance of the professor's room before breakfast.
- When pursuing Saint-Exupéry's shadow in the research lab's basement, head from inside towards the cave (you wouldn't find this if you were playing normally...).
- When visitors arrive, speak to them near the elevator to the basement.

After completing these steps, I was able to successfully trigger the flag.
Regarding the flags, you can check them after returning from Inujima by examining the doll in Leica's room.

In Ending A, the main storyline remains the same, but the final boss and the ending itself change.

Rewards after clearing the game

By seeing one of the endings, you will be presented with valuable information.
At the start of the game, you can activate the Comfortable Combat Mode by entering "Kudryavka" as Laika's name.
When this mode is turned ON, attack power and SP accumulation speed will be doubled in battles other than event battles.

Additionally, the dial number on the hut in front of the entrance to the House of Light will be displayed.
By entering that four-digit number, you can enter the staff room where you can play sounds and more.
If you've completed the game, be sure to visit!