Quick Review: Legend of Mysteria

Welcome back to my unofficial sub-series about RPG Maker games! Today: Another intriguing blend of genres!

Well, that sets the tone!

Developed by Labyrinthine and published by Senpai Studios, Legend of Mysteria is an entry in the Labyronia RPG Maker game series, also made by Labyrinthine. In this one, released on October 9th, 2015, we follow a tale of a murder most foul in Mysteria Tower. Dinyon, a Demigod soon to take the throne to officially become a deity for the element of earth, is murdered in the middle of prayer, in front of a crowd. The assassin attempts an escape but is killed by a fire spell, but not before claiming to have been hired by Windir, an air mage present. Captured and treated as a murderer, Windir now has to clear his name by sneaking around, figuring out the actual culprit, and perhaps finding some allies for this quest.

Okay... To progress the plot, I'll have to anyway.

So, standard RPG Maker fare, right? Well, not quite. Battling takes a backseat in the first half. In its place, we have a greater focus on puzzle, exploration, and investigation, adopting the codes we more commonly see in an entirely different genre: Point-and-click. Find the items you need, and see how they further the plot. Hope you like reading, as you’ll gather several books. Some of those detail the twelve suspects, three per element. Other books and papers found during this quest can be used to learn more about this world, its inhabitants, and what each of them is planning. To find the culprit, inspecting everything is mandatory.

There are 10 more suspects, each with a page
like this.

We're controlling wizards (and a dragon).
Magic's the way to go for offense, they suck
at attacking physically.

The game timidly returns to its RPG roots in the second half, outside of the Tower and into the town of Labyronia, where wizards are captured on-sight and burned at the stake. (Meaning that if you walk in with a wizard robe on, it’s an instant game over.) The point-and-click aspect is still present, but combat is more frequent. However, without a level-up system, neither Windir nor his eventual allies get any stronger on their own, so they must rely on equipment and skills, which makes battles much harder. The quest of clearing the name and finding the culprit is still present, but the story takes more turns, many of which artificially lengthen the game’s duration. You can return to the Tower of Mysteria with a spell; however, if you need to go back to Labyronia, the road is long and tedious.

Gee, is it me or Labyronia is... a bit of a maze??
*ba-dum-tss* All joking aside, I have the other
Labyronia games, so I will find out why the city
has bottomless pits and is shaped like a maze.

Solve the crime you're accused of,
snitch on other crimes while you're at it.

Cool idea, this one! Not something I’ve seen done in an RPG Maker title before. Or, at the very least, if point-and-click-like quests exist in other titles, I’ve never seen it to that extent. From my own brief experience coding with the software, I can tell you that it takes a special script in order to have the point-and-click feel of having to show the right item to the right person to get the plot to progress. I’ve already discussed my gripes with the plot; I think expanding the scope of the world is nice, but it does lead to annoyances. Also, a lot of the necessary information is in the books you find, so you may need to frequently reread the stuff in your inventory, especially in order to figure out which book you must show to which character or how to solve a few puzzles.

The list of tools is nothing. The list of books is
so long you'd need a vertical scrolling bar.

Then again, that’s pretty standard for a point-and-click, in which you may end up stuck unless you take copious notes on everything that’s asked of you if you want to progress. Quests do pile up over time, making it tricky to remember what you need to do. The game is already pretty great as it is, but I know there are scripts that exist to include a quest tracker to the pause menu, and this title would have greatly benefited from one.

Putting my issues aside, I feel this is another great example of what can be done with RPG Maker; sure it doesn’t hit perfect notes, but it’s a creative title presenting a complex and intriguing story, with a pretty good length. It blends genres and features interesting characters and gameplay elements. If RPG Maker titles are your thing or you have some interest in creating your own game with the software, it’s an excellent demonstration of what it can do at its best.

Another sign doesn't lie: Look at the quantity of
scenery elements that have been put in every
single map in the game; it shows that the one
who made this game had great attention to detail.
Even the sunray had to be added in this screen!

Legend of Mysteria is currently available for 0.49$ USD.