Oswald Review: Academagia - Text was never so magical.

Genre: Hell if I know. Life Sim Text Adventure RPG, I guess.
Platform: PC
Released: 2010
Developer/Publisher: Black Chicken Studios

Breakdown

Writing: 3 - Generally engaging, which is good because the game is 95% text.

Interface: 1 - Very poorly designed and implemented. Will be a deal breaker for many.

RPG Elements: 3 - Fairly deep but very confusing.

Art: 2 - Minimal and of questionable quality, but it serves its purpose well.

Overview

Arcademagia is the first game I have ever played of it’s kind, and it doesn't fit into any common genre. You play as a child who has just received a letter inviting them to attend the Academy of Magic in the city of Mineta, which is basically the Hogwarts of this fictional universe. You attend your first year of school, learn magic, make friends and go on adventures.

The basic gameplay is very simple. Each day you choose what you will do in the morning, afternoon and evening. You name the action and the game calculates how it went, you receive a report on how the day went and you will now have more experience, money or whatever you were working towards. Sometimes random events occur during the day, which are beneficial if your character can handle it or detrimental or not. I will discuss random events in detail later, but for now lets stick with actions.

There are many, many actions available. Most are variations of the theme of practice a skill and get better at it but framed in a fun and interesting way. For example, My character is good enough at reading people that I can increase my study levels by manipulating my professors into giving away what will be on the exam. In additional, I get a couple bonus points in random manipulation skills even if the action fails. Other actions include working a shift at a restaurant to earn money and cooking skills, gossiping about a person you hate to lower their social standing, or encouraging a fellow student so they will become your friend.

You will start the game with only 20 or so actions available, but new actions are earned as you play. If you improve your flowers skill you might earn the ability to go collect herbs which, with enough points in brew, can be used to make a potion. Leveling up skills can give you other benefits, such as learning of new school locations, upgrading your relationship with a certain professor or student, access to bits of lore, and other possibilities too numerous to name here.

With over 200 skills, 11 levels for each and a reward for each level of each skill, there is quite a bit of content and a real sense of progression as you play. You can unlock some really interesting rewards. My current favorite is the max level of calligraphy, which allows you to create invitations so spectacular you can mind control the target for a day or two.

There are problems with the skill system.  There is no clear indication of what earning points in a skill will get you, and the usefulness of the skills varies wildly. Negation magic (counter magic) is probably the best skill in the game, but I have rarely had a use for grammar. Also, redundancy of skills can make things a little confusing. Do we really need three separate skill for seeds, roots and flowers? However, these problems are generally minor and don’t really detract from a skill system where you can base a character around gossip and knowledge of hairstyles and they will actually be useful.

Unfortunately, not all of the systems are as compelling as the skill system. Spell casting is clunky, boring, and generally unfun, which is unfortunate in a game about attending magic school. Each spell requires a roll and most provide a temporary but fairly powerful skill bonus. Spells can be further augmented by adding extra phemes (the basic building blocks of magic) that will add effects but increase the difficulty.

The problem is that most spells you cast will be to temporarily buff a skill so you can pass a difficult skill check, so you will be looking for spells and phemes pertaining to that skill. With 266 spells, 364 phemes and no ability to sort by effect figuring out a useful spell to cast is an extremely annoying exercise in hunting through the poor interface. Having a browser with the Academagia wiki open is practically a requirement, and while hunting through wiki pages is easier it certainly is not fun. Fortunately, spell casting in this way is rarely necessary.

The last type of action I am going to touch on is going on an adventure. You choose an adventure, from exploring a haunted forest to helping another student with their bullying problem, and attempt to navigate the adventure through a series of skill checks. For example, I went on an adventure in which I explored an abandoned tower. Through the use of my negation magic I was able to disable the magical defenses of the place, and using rhetoric I was able to befriend a resident ghost who helped me as I explored. Most adventures have several steps (requiring several actions to complete) but they have rewards as you go along and usually a big reward at the end. Also, if you fail in the adventure you can just try again so you never have to reload when you fail. The adventures are generally fun and entertaining.

The random events I touched on before are essentially mini adventures that can come at any time. Random events usually consisting of “This happens! What do you do?” followed by a skill check based on your response. For example, as I was exercising the star athlete of my class wanted to challenge me to a race, knowing that everyone would bet against me. She would then throw the race and, with a third person acting as a bookie, make a bunch of money. I used my gambling skill to accept, hoping that I might also place a few choice bets and make some cash myself. This blew up in my face and I got beat up by the people I had hoped to con. Random events are fun, break the monotony of the daily gameplay cycle and add a great deal of depth to the world.

All in all, Academagia is a very unique and interesting game. If you don’t mind reading and enjoy non standard game design, it is certainly worth checking out.

Final Score

3 - Interesting and fun but not for everyone.


For a breakdown of my scoring system, view this post.

I am currently accepting recommendations on what to review! I will review anything, from soundtracks to web browsers, but I can only claim expertise in video games and I will only review something if I feel like it. Put recommendations in the comments or send them to oswaldReviews@gmail.com.

Classic Review: Gimmick

Genre: 1980’s style platformer.

Platform: NESReleased: 1992
Publisher: Sunsoft
Developer: Authentic Entertainment

Breakdown

Gameplay: 3 - 80’s style platforming with a few unique twists.

Level Design: 3 - Generally solid with a few cheap shots thrown in.

Art: 4 - Amazing use of limited hardware.

Music: 3 - Strong, but not remarkable.

Overview

I like platformers, especially the 1980’s style platformer. There is an elegance of design in the 1980’s style platformer that generally isn’t seen anywhere else. The technological constraints and prevailing design sensibilities of the time created a genre that was extremely focused, delivering a simple but surprisingly deep challenge at the core of the game.

Gimmick is a great example of the 1980’s platformer. Inhabiting a space somewhere between Super Mario Bros. and Kirby’s Dream Land, Gimmick brings enough unique ideas to the table to set itself apart from the mess of platformers of the NES and SNES era, including an approximation of a physics engine that will play havoc with your platforming skills until you work out the quirks of the system. Overall, the unique features add a great deal to the game, making the old platformer genre feel new again.

There are 2 other fairly unusual mechanics. First, when an enemy is jumped on it is not killed. Instead most enemies can be ridden, SMB 2 style. Second, Gimmick can throw a star shaped projectile. The projectile is thrown at a sharp downward angle, conserves momentum,  and can be ridden like the enemies. These two mechanics, combined with interesting level design, make for some interesting platforming. Many jumps require creative use of enemies and your projectile.

Another highlight of the game is the artwork. The limited NES hardware is used brilliantly to create a game that looks good 20 years later. People interested in sprite art should take notes.

Final Score

3 - A very strong NES platformer. Highly recommended for anyone interested in old school platformers.

For a breakdown of my scoring system, view this post.

I am currently accepting recommendations on what to review! I will review anything, from Shakespeare to taco salads, but I can only claim expertise in video games and I will only review something if I feel like it. Put recommendations in the comments or send them to oswaldReviews@gmail.com

The Oswald Scale

My rating system is very simple. The possible scores are 1-5, with a single special category, 1*. Note that these categories cast a wide net, so 2 things with the same score may not be of the same quality. I make no attempt to be objective, all the reviews and scores I give are my opinions. I encourage you to post the score you would have given and the reasons why in the comments.

1: Category 1 casts a very wide net. Anything that is simply not worth your time makes it in here, from simply bad to truly offensive.

Examples: Sonic 2006, the Zelda CD-i games, Michael Bay's first Transformers movie (the only one I have seen and can therefore rate.)

1*: Anything that falls into a 1 category but has some unusual property that may make it worth watching. Usually these are things that fall into the “so bad it’s good” category or are historically relevant.

Examples: “Trapped in the Closet” by R. Kelly, Trolls 2.

2: Things that are ok. Generally speaking 2s are not worth seeking out but they aren't really bad either. If you like the genre or medium and material is scarce, you may want to check it out.

Examples: GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Michael Bay's Armageddon, Zombie Driver.

3: Generally good. Worth your time, especially if you enjoy the particular area that the thing falls into. A 3 is always a good score and is never an insult.

Examples: Gladiator, Super Mario Bros, Super Meat Boy.

4: Excellent. Highly recommended and must view for those who enjoy the category. Among the best.

Examples: Super Mario Bros 3, Half-Life 2.

5: The best. Very few things ever make it to category 5 and even fewer stay.

Examples: Super Mario World, The Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Knight.


Scores can and do change over time. For example, I don’t put anything in category 5 until it has sat for a few years and I see that it’s value remains over time. On the other hand, something like the first Super Mario Bros would have probably received a 4 at release but has lost points over the years as better things have come along.