Turn based RPGs are a favorite pastime of mine, ever since I first played a Final Fantasy game. And RPG Maker has proven to be a great programming tool for those wanting to develop games inspired by the greats. Which is one reason why I was very much interested in seeing how the first episode of Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge played out. It does have its flaws, particularly in regards to length and certain frustrating encounters, but overall it shows promise in the remaining two chapters.
The basic premise for Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge is that the planet Hasphal is home to two seemingly disparate groups. On the one hand we have the standard humans who think they’re the center of the universe and that anything not fitting into their worldview are seen as unclean or demonic. On the other hand we have the indigenous peoples known as the jehts who just want to live peacefully on the planet but have been persecuted and hunted down by these colonists.
In the first episode you can play as one of two characters, both with their own stories. Of these two, you have the “demon” Sen living in the woods trying to steer clear of the patrols out to take her down as an abomination and you have Jagen, one of the few humans on the planet that thinks it might be worth coexisting with the jeht. Just because they’re different doesn’t mean that they’re not worth being a part of the world.
The first part of Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge is short. Very short. I could have probably spent a lot more time grinding but you can get to the end by leveling very little and still be able to squeeze on through to the end. Some fights, particularly the bosses, are difficult but with the right skills and tactics are still winnable. However, and I did not find this out until long after the fact, the wolf boss in Jagen’s path is pretty much unwinnable without the right team. In short, you need to know who to bring with you or you’ll end up with one party member short. I never got past that part and I honestly don’t want to restart the section just to see it to the end.
Despite my frustrations I did still enjoy what has been released of Celestial Tear: Demon’s Revenge so far. The plot has intrigued me to the point that I am interested to see where they take the narrative in the next installments. The idea of one group of people branding another as evil just for being “different” resonates in me and I’d love to see Sen and Jagen meet each other, to see their reactions, and maybe form a bond despite them being an “enemy” to each other. If there’s one thing that I really hated about my experience is that I couldn’t watch the cutscenes. It could be my system but they ran so choppily that I couldn’t understand what was going on. At least the rest of the game played smoothly enough to enjoy my playthrough.
