Select 2nd (Free SRPG) Introduction and Review

I played "Select 2nd," a free game made with SRPG Studio.
It was advertised as an "escape-themed horror movie-style psychic SRPG," and since it had a setting not often seen in SRPGs, I was intrigued and decided to play it.
It was a unique game with a stylish UI design and a gameplay style that blended adventure and SRPG elements.

My first playthrough took about 4 hours (all stages on normal difficulty).

Game Overview

When the nine main characters suddenly woke up, they found themselves trapped in an underground research facility with no memory of what happened.
In that state, monstrous creatures appear and attack them.
Using the combat aptitude program "2nd," they successfully work together to defeat the monster.
Although each of them harbors their own ulterior motives, they attempt to cooperate and escape to the surface for the time being.

What makes this game unique is that you can set the gender of the nine characters yourself.
While the gameplay doesn't change drastically based on gender, the ability to freely adjust between heterosexual and same-sex couples might be a major draw for those with specific preferences.
At first, you might not know which gender suits you best, so it's best to choose based on what feels right.

The difficulty level can be selected at the start of each stage.
The enemies will be stronger, but you'll also gain more experience points, which is a benefit.
It's generally safest to play on normal difficulty.

This game is characterized by its large map.
Whether you choose to take a direct route with many enemies or a longer, less-traveled route depends entirely on the player's style.
There are many items scattered around, but in many cases you can't collect them without defeating enemies, which makes you wonder whether or not to collect them.

The combat is in a relatively orthodox SRPG style.
Because attack attributes are finely divided, it is very important to exploit the opponent's weaknesses when attacking.
Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to fight easily, but if you try to fight by brute force, it will take a long time and you'll struggle a lot.

When a character's HP drops to 1, they enter a state of "suspended animation," and must be revived using a stimulant or similar item.
If you continue to take damage while in a state of suspended animation, your LP (Life Points) will decrease. When your LP reaches zero, you die, and it's game over.
Furthermore, if the character becomes "infected," the player will lose control of the character, and if it enters a state of suspended animation, it will die, resulting in a game over.
Since there are many status effects with unique characteristics, be sure to understand what effects they have and secure means of recovery before proceeding.

Review (no spoilers)

I think the appeal of this game lies in its suspenseful scenario, which is reminiscent of a horror movie.
Like escape games, you can enjoy the fun of a visual novel, as you progress while being suspicious of each other, yet cooperating, and sometimes even betraying one another.
In most SRPGs, your party members tend to increase, but what's unique about this game is that they tend to decrease.
I think it was great that, in addition to simply reducing the number of members, you could strengthen the remaining companions by inheriting their equipment and second abilities.

Allied units have distinct characteristics, and their attack attributes are also clearly defined, resulting in a clear division of roles.
By exploiting their weaknesses, you can inflict significant damage, making it possible to easily defeat even powerful enemies depending on the matchup.
However, there were many different attribute types, and it took a little effort to match up units that had an advantage.
Furthermore, even if a unit possessed attack methods that could exploit a weakness, it was difficult to use them in combat if they weren't suited for battle, so ultimately, it often came down to using combat units instead.

What I found refreshing were the attack methods that knock enemies back after an attack, and the attack method where you take a step back after an attack.
I found it interesting that moving either an ally or an enemy unit increases the chances of other units getting adjacent and attacking.

The map is quite vast, but the placement of enemies and items is immediately obvious, making it easy to plan a strategy.
However, because the map is so large, the number of times you have to move your units can sometimes feel a bit cumbersome.
Furthermore, there was no specific explanation of what disadvantages would occur if the "time elapsed" or "air pollution" values increased too much, making it difficult to find a balance between rushing to complete the game and carefully collecting items.

From the second playthrough onwards, you can enjoy additional benefits such as being able to add new allied units and unlocking more endings.
There's also the fun of changing the gender of your allied units, so I think it's a game that's enjoyable to play through multiple times.