Through the Darkness: RE (Free SRPG) Introduction, Impressions, and Strategy Notes

This is a simulation RPG created using "SRPG Studio".
This game consists of 35 chapters in total: 20 main chapters and 15 optional side story scenarios.
While the scenario is fairly standard, I feel that the concept for each stage is clear, making it a game that you can enjoy without getting bored until the very end.
The ":RE" designation indicates that the work is a remake of a piece created by the author in the past.
My completion time was about five and a half hours (I only managed to unlock about five side story scenarios).
Since you can earn points by replaying stages you've already cleared, the difficulty level is relatively low.
Even without using any of my earnings, I'd say it's somewhere between moderately easy and average.

Game Overview

The story begins when the young girl Mea and the mercenary Falz, while on the run from their pursuers, encounter three people living in a mountain cabin: Lean, Aise, and Yume.
The story unfolds as the reasons for Mea's persecution and the pasts of Falz and Lean are revealed.

While "Through the Darkness: RE" is a fairly orthodox SRPG, it incorporates several unique elements.
I will explain the outline of the work and also write about those aspects.

A small group of friends

In this game, your final allied units will number seven.
Therefore, you don't need to worry too much when choosing which members to deploy.
Each unit has distinct characteristics, so you shouldn't have any trouble deciding which one to use when playing the game.
By the way, you can save at the start of each turn, and there is no character loss.

Support system

All units except Mea can use the "Support" command.
By providing support, you can temporarily strengthen the parameters of adjacent units.
The parameters that increase are determined by the unit you are supporting.

Initially, it only increases by 1 point, so its impact on strategy is minimal.
However, by continuing to support them, a hidden parameter called "affection level" will increase, and the points gained will also increase significantly.
Furthermore, as your intimacy level increases, many additional side story scenarios will become available.
It's possible to clear the stage without using any support items, but if you have the opportunity, use them actively.

A variety of stage patterns

In this game, there are very few stages that require similar strategies.
I feel that each stage is designed with a theme or concept in mind.
There are various patterns, such as being ambushed from the rear by reinforcements, or maps requiring a concentrated breakthrough at a single point.
I don't think there were many tricks that felt particularly malicious, so I think it's less stressful and more enjoyable for a long time without getting bored.

Review (no spoilers)

I thoroughly enjoyed playing the game until the very end.
As I mentioned in the previous section, I enjoyed being able to feel the different themes in each map.
That being said, there are virtually no mechanisms in place to prohibit defensive tactics, so I think the difficulty level is such that you won't get stuck as long as you proceed cautiously.

However, since there are relatively few friendly units compared to a fair number of enemy units, weapon consumption is quite high.
Since there are no allies who can use the stock command during the playthrough, you'll be stuck if you run out of weapons on a map without a weapons shop.
Fortunately, it's possible to earn points by clearing previous maps, so the game itself won't stop progressing.

Because there were fewer units, each character was thoroughly developed and I think the character portrayals were very detailed.
The additional scenarios also seem to be quite well-crafted, as many of them aim to delve deeper into the characters' backgrounds.
There are a few moments that are a bit disturbing, but overall it was an enjoyable story with a classic plot.

Strategy Notes (Contains Spoilers)

The ultimate strategy is to earn money and level up.
While some maps are quite difficult, most can be cleared even by simply brute-forcing your way through.
I'm writing this down as a record of my gameplay.

Chapter 1: The Princess, the Knight, and the Mysterious Assassin

This map isn't difficult even if you just proceed casually.
Units within 3 spaces of Mea receive a 5% boost to their hit, evasion, and critical hit rate, so make use of this.
Let's put Falz and Lean at the forefront, with Aise focusing on chipping away at the enemy's health and Yum delivering the finishing blow.

Chapter 2: A Lovely Maiden's Close Call

Effin is isolated, let's get her to our side.
The enemies that follow aren't very strong, but when luring them in, make use of the forest's terrain to fight efficiently.

Chapter 3: The Wandering Prince

There is a weapons shop, but you don't need to buy anything right away, as you'll be able to purchase weapons freely once you finish this map.
Luring enemy archers with a claw is efficient because you can then counterattack immediately.
The boss has high attack power, so I'll leave it to Leanne and Faltz.

You can get money in the village, so don't forget to visit.
After clearing the game, your weapon durability will probably be low, so don't forget to buy replacements.

Chapter 4: The crest is still on my heart

This is a vertically long map.
Let's use the narrow mountain paths to create a wall around Lean and Pfalz.
After a while, reinforcements will appear from the lower left, so place your rearguard unit on the narrow path to deal with them.

The boss, Stram, uses weapons effective at both close and long range, so we'll deal with him using Leanne or Falz.
Since they won't move, we can fight them at our own timing.

Chapter 5: Proof of Loyalty

Diaz will come towards you from the first turn, so you can clear it in as little as two turns.
First, have Leanne wait so that he can take the attack on Diaz's first turn.
Effin, Aise, and Crow will be positioned to support Diaz's attack, so they will be kept in a safe location where they won't be defeated.
You could also use Falz and Yume as a shield to protect the other members.
If Leanne's counterattack hits, have him attack on the second turn, and then one more magic attack should be enough to defeat the enemy.

You might want to gain experience points by defeating other enemies, but in this game, you can earn experience points by repeatedly playing past maps.
I don't think you need to go out of your way to defeat it here.

Chapter 6: The Mansion of the Branch Family

This is a slightly challenging map in the early stages of the game.
There will be many reinforcements and you'll use up a lot of weapons, so make sure you're well-prepared.

Basically, we'll ignore the private soldiers' armor because it's tough to deal with.
First, go to the room on the left and collect the key to the door and the treasure chest.
As you do this, reinforcements will appear from the stairs in the first room, so use the narrow passageway to hold them off.
You can continue fighting there until the reinforcements arrive, or you can go around through the room above and advance.

Finally, the goal is to have Mea wait at the top of the stairs.
The armored enemies near the stairs will start moving, so have your characters wait right at the edge of their movement range to clear the stage.

Chapter 7: The Slender Guardian

Since Effin and Mea are isolated, let's retreat to the narrow part of the cliff.
Thanks to the forest terrain, you should be able to withstand attacks without taking too much damage.
You can get 500G by defeating enemies near Effin, so you'll want to take down as many as possible.

The boss will move and attack once you enter its attack range.
Since both sides are in the forest, attacks are unlikely to hit.
Use support or wait for Mea to arrive before engaging in battle.

Chapter 8: The Royal Capital Swirling with Weariness

This map is quite unique, as it forces you to fight a large number of weak enemies.
It may look intimidating, but it's not dangerous at all.
This map is perfect for actively letting Yume, who has difficulty leveling up in the early stages of the game, earn experience points.
It's okay if it takes time, so let's defeat them using inexpensive weapons.

Chapter 9 The boy harbors hatred

Since defeating Siren will result in defeat, you must prevent him from engaging in combat with Pfalz.
Fortunately, the Siren only targets the Pfalz, so let's use other units to block its path.
Let's have a few people accompany Pfalz and send them ahead towards the boss.
The other members lag behind, blocking the path of the siren.
If you block off a narrow area like a bridge, the siren will try to move away to the other side, so use this to your advantage to keep it away.

Chapter 10: Desired Parents, Desired Children

First, head towards the red house on the left side of the map.
If you ask in Aise, Yume will join your party.
The Magic Dolls are tough, so you can either recruit Yume before fighting them, or have Leanne equip Gigantes to counter them (though his accuracy is low).

There are many enemies around the boss, so let's lure them out little by little and fight them.
The boss, Euri, is an archer and moves aggressively, so be careful not to let the units you use to lure him get defeated.

Chapter 11: The Descending Raven

Since we're surrounded, let's try to escape in one of the directions first.
Knights will appear from the north and west on turn 5, so it's recommended to head to the bridge surrounded by the river to the east.

The reinforcement knights have fairly high attack power, so use narrow spaces to carefully intercept them.
The boss has high speed and critical hit rate, so fight it with units that won't be hit by follow-up attacks.
They are equipped with weapons that can be used at both close and long range, but they don't move, so it's best to fight them in Phalz or Lean.

Chapter 12: The Noble Pet Dog

This is a difficult path to take without taking any damage.
The mage's Thunderbolt is quite powerful, so it's best to support Crow with Aise and proceed slowly.
The two mages in the back are initially stationary, but they will start moving once you engage them in combat, so pay attention to the change in their behavior patterns.

From turn 6 onwards, swordsmen will appear as reinforcements from behind.
Place any idle front-line units in the back to deal with the situation.

Chapter 13: Swearing to the Goal

Since enemies keep respawning, you need to defeat them at a rate faster than their respawn rate.
If your allies are defeated, you'll be at a significant disadvantage in terms of combat strength, so be careful.

Diamond cards are exceptionally powerful and dangerous.
Equip Leanne with a high-attack axe and make sure to defeat the enemy in one hit.
If your attack power is insufficient, you may need to buy high-quality equipment from the weapon shop on the right.
The puppet soldiers are also troublesome, and only characters like Yume or Leanne can really inflict any significant damage on them.
If you're having trouble, earn some levels and money through quests, then buy some good equipment for your attackers at the weapon shop on the right before attempting to clear the area.

Chapter 14: The End of the Long Prelude

Make good use of the narrow terrain to lure the enemy in and engage them in battle.
It's not a particularly difficult map.
However, reinforcements will continuously appear, so wait in a location where you can easily intercept them.
Enemies equipped with the powerful axe, Berserker, have low accuracy, so there's no need to be overly afraid of them.

In the two side-by-side villages, you can obtain Cupid's Bow in the left village and the Burst magic in the right village.

Chapter 15: The Forest of the Crimson Dolls

Our allies will be defeated quickly, so don't worry about them and advance slowly.
Cavalry and other mounted soldiers will quickly close the distance once you get within a certain range, so you need to be careful.
The rest are mostly passive types, so let's gradually take them down from the outside.
Since this is a long stage, make sure you're well-prepared so you don't run out of weapons (there's a weapons shop on the map).

Chapter 16: Conflict of Noble Bloodlines

Mages with long-range aero spells are a real pain.
To avoid getting within range, let's first intercept the skeletons that are coming towards us.
When advancing from this side, it will be easier if you make good use of terrain effects that increase defensive strength and magic defense.
Aero's attack power isn't that great, so if you have him wait on a floor that increases magic defense while you advance, you can significantly reduce the damage he inflicts.
Be careful when approaching Guyne, as skeleton reinforcements will appear nearby.

Guyne is a formidable opponent.
Since Chaos will absorb your HP, first have Ace wait next to Guyne, and then deal damage with a counterattack during the enemy's turn.
After that, keep your distance and use the "cursed talisman" you can get in the village to whittle down its HP until it's just one hit away from being defeated.
Finally, you can defeat them by landing one last finishing blow.
If your units aren't sufficiently leveled up, you'll likely face considerable difficulty.

Chapter 17: Double Blind

This map involves going all the way around to reach Misuf.
Let's proceed cautiously, making sure to avoid entering Misuf's range at key points.
Since only cavalry units are actively advancing towards you, coordinate your position and timing to engage them in a favorable location.

The area north of Misf is dangerous because it overlaps with the range of Misf's attacks, the magic puppets, and archers, so lure them out with tough members like Lean.
The final attack is powerful, coming from the armored character with the silver spear plus Misuf, but if you can at least make them use up all of Misuf's long-range attacks, it will make things much easier.

Chapter 18: The Red Joker

This map features Lucien as your only opponent.
If you are attacked and defeated during the enemy's turn, the opponent's skills can wipe out almost your entire party in an instant.
Let's try to defeat them all in one go during our turn.

It's quite difficult to defeat it using conventional methods, so keep resetting and try to land an attack to take it down.
We'll use Mea's support effect while overwhelming them with Lean's attacks, Yume's defense-ignoring attacks, and cursed talismans.

Chapter 19: The Last Assassin

Each enemy is tough, so let's take them down one by one and advance.
Enemies with Aero will have a hard time breaking through the forest, so let's take a wide detour from the right.
Many enemies won't move unless you enter their attack range, so if you can slow down your advance speed, this map isn't too difficult.

Chapter 20: The Door to Light

The initial map requires you to divide your forces into three groups and advance through it.
In my case, I placed Yume and Aise on the left, Lean and Mea on the right, and the remaining three in the middle.
Since this is the final map, make sure you have plenty of weapons and healing items.

When Meiyu appears as reinforcements, if you leave her alone, she will talk to Diane and then allow you to retreat.
Let them move forward as they please.
After persuading Diane, reinforcements will begin to appear from the staircases on either side of the throne.
It's dangerous to deal with the reinforcements in an open area, so let's ambush them in a narrow passageway.
The reinforcements will eventually stop, so once they stop, attack and defeat the ranged healers on the left and right with your bow.

Neyev is a formidable opponent, so any units that attack him will likely be defeated one after another by his counterattacks. However, if everyone survives, you should be able to defeat him.
All units except Mare have dialogue events during combat, so be sure to check them out.

Additional scenarios

This quest is unlocked by increasing the affinity between units through the use of the "Support" command.
I don't know the exact conditions, but I think they will appear if you increase the affinity between the units that are currently in the spotlight.
If you regularly use the support function, some of the options will naturally be added over time.
However, to find everything, you'll need to actively participate in quests and earn a considerable amount of affinity through support.
I wasn't able to see everything, so I'll only introduce a portion of it in this section.

You can choose when to take on this challenge, so if you find it difficult, you can progress through the main story first and then choose to complete it more easily.

Chapter 0: Join Us...

This quest involves Lean, Aise, and Yume.
Everyone is at level 1, and the structure is very similar to a chess endgame puzzle.

Use the village in the upper right or upper left to position Lean in the front, followed by Aise behind her, and finally Yume to weather the storm.
Healing potions were my lifeline; it was a very difficult map.

Chapter 21: A Prayer to the Beyond

This is a scenario featuring Aise, Crow, and Lean.
There aren't any particularly strong enemies, so let's clear this quickly.

Chapter 22: In the Eternal World

This is the scenario for Lean and Pfalz.
The game changes to monster hunting partway through.
Since they have high HP regeneration, concentrate your attacks on them one at a time in one turn.
If you still have the Gigantes' Axe, it would be quite effective.

Chapter 23: Shattered Nostalgia

This is a scenario featuring Falz and Yum.
There are no particularly difficult parts.

Character impressions (contains spoilers)

Pfalz

He excelled in technique and speed, and was a reliable vanguard player.
While her attack power is inferior to Leanne's in the early stages, equipping her with high-performance weapons allows her to fight without being significantly inferior.
Against a fast and powerful enemy that you can't pursue, Leanne, with her heavy single blows, seems to be the stronger option.

・Mea

While there's the drawback of game over if you're defeated, the support effects you provide to everyone are surprisingly effective.
It goes without saying that you should position yourself so that you cannot be attacked, but carrying a weapon as a backup can be useful in many situations.

Lean

He possesses overwhelming strength and is a reliable frontline force that you can always count on.
Combined with the axe's high attack power, it's incredibly reliable even in boss battles.
Since its agility is also fairly high, if you equip it with a decent weapon, it can easily defeat enemies.

・Aise

In the early stages of the game, this wizard is a valuable asset, capable of dealing effective damage to most enemies.
However, its low defense against enemy fire, coupled with its low skill and agility, meant it was often difficult to use effectively.
Having low agility made me vulnerable to enemy attacks, which was tough.
If at least one of those stats had been higher, I think there would have been more opportunities for him to shine.
Being able to raise magic defense through support was a bit of a help.

・Yume

It was an interesting unit with high accuracy, defense-ignoring attacks, and close-range capabilities—something you don't see very often.
As a unit that could reliably deliver the finishing blow, it proved particularly useful from the mid-game onward.
Being able to consistently deal damage even against tough bosses is a great help.
If you can obtain the Falcon Eye Ring with a range of 2, its range of use will expand even further.

Effin

They are a valuable healer.
However, if you can give her holy magic, she will be more useful as a magic attacker than Aise.
This unit is busy healing and performing magic attacks.

Crow

Its decent resilience and high agility made it useful for luring enemies with a range of 2.
While its offensive power wasn't particularly high, its reliable attacks allowed it to steadily contribute to the team's success.