[This review was originally sent to the creator of Ixias, Sinathor on Febuary the 20th. Parts of it have been minorly edited, for proper readability. It has not been posted to the reviews section of this web site due to the rule regarding a required download link for the game. The release is currently private, and the game can only be obtained via Sinathor himself.]

 

 

 

The following is my sum total views of the incomplete Alpha release for Ixias - Stellar Complex, by Sinathor, Sinathor Productions, following 4 playtest reports over the course of approximately 1 month and 3 days. During this time, I casually played through the game as for mock Q/A and was also asked to give my impressions as a player. As part of this, I have intended to create a final summary of my thoughts, here. At least, final, for the time being.

With your (Sinathor) permission I'd also like to post this. If not, by the rules, to the Topic, then via a blog, on the rpgmakervxace.net forums.

 

I'll be basing this analysis off several key areas including firstly some noteworthy Impressions, Gameplay and Design, Story, Art Design, Sound Design, and then some Conclusions.

 

Ixias - Stellar Complex Credits

 

 

 

IMPRESSIONS

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I'm a little hesitant to say for certain - but I feel confident enough to say that Ixias: Stellar Complex even in it's current form is both the best game I have played in 2015, and the best RPG Maker Game I have ever played. Perhaps you could say that it is the best I have ever played, because I very rarely play RPG Maker games at all, and that's quite true. However, I rarely ever play RPG Maker games because I am extremely discerning of the games I play. If I am not certain I will not rate it 75% or higher, I will not play it. Simple as that. Ixias was certainly one of those 75%+ games, if not an 80%, or a 90% - it's just that good. And to think, it's not even done yet.

 

In giving a general impression, it's hard to decide where to begin. I suppose it'd be best to start off what particularly sticks out about the game. If I were to pick one thing I think it would be something like theme. RPGs are a pretty stagnant genre, fantasy, like all RTP has been, in particular has been quite dead for a long time. Ixias is such an incredible revitalization for the software. Dystopian cyberpunk? Does that genre still exist? Hell yeah! Even though many parts of it are very standard (a majority of the art assets are Steam-bought, the combat is vanilla for the engine), there's an overriding atmosphere that comes from the combination of story, gameplay, art, and sound that makes the standard parts of the game contribute to a far greater whole. It's truly an astounding job, stellar, you could say, the kinds of which would be way too easy to get obsessive over.

 

 

GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN

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Stellar Complex is something of a strange hybrid of a JRPG and a WRPG - something I think that could be attributed to the combination of it's inspirations. The player takes control of an initally small, but eventually middling party of 4, with a central protagonist. Outside of a few choices with questionable impact on the game as a whole, there is very little input the player has on the proceedings of the game, and its narrative. Despite this however, the player has the ability to travel between several large hubs, and explore numerous interiors in a very alive, if destitute semi-open world. Outside of the proceedings for the main quest, there are numerous side quests the player can perform for loot, experience for leveling up, and world-building story.

 

Despite the largeness of the hubs, frequency of NPCs, and shops, the overworlds feel fairly standard for the game it portrays. Other than searching for quests, and a few collectables, there isn't all too much to do while walking around. For the game as a whole, this doesn't present a problem, and in fact, works well for pacing, but a large amount of time is still spent wandering around. This occurs especially a lot when exploring all the hubs for the first time.

Of interesting note, is also the complete lack of a world map. For some, this might cause some difficulty in navigation, but for me personally, added to the sense of exploration. While at the beginning of the game I found myself staring at the maps on the walls endlessly, by the time I finished the 12 hours of gameplay, I knew I could navigate from one point of a hub to another without stopping once. It is a rewarding feeling to become familiar with the world, and to find all the fastest little route between the numerous point A's and B's.

 

Puzzles are few and far in-between, but of additional gameplay note is the hacking minigame. While a bit of a non-sequitur at times, it also helps diversify the gameplay. I know at least a few hacks that will have some people pulling their hair out.

 

As for combat...

Ixias has a fairly vanilla combat system for RPG Maker. Front view, turn based combat, often with RTP battlers. This could be a colossal blow to the game if it wasn't handled so well. While Ixias might not flaunt all too much in the way of originality, there's a few extremely interesting things that the game does to make something you would consider stale. Every boss is an absolute adventure, and some kind of (what I would consider) innovative exploration of the default RTP mechanics. The constant balance of HP / MP / and TP gets extremely intense, surprisingly quickly. Having to buy a majority of the skills in the game also creates a bit of a WRPG character customization feeling to it, that I haven't really seen in other games.

I'm somebody who enjoys challenge. I have beaten the first Dark Souls, five times. I have beaten Metro 2033 on the hardest difficult, nine times. I have played through a majority of Left 4 Dead 1 on Expert with only bots. I found parts of Ixias to be a challenge, just the perfect difficulty. There was no challenge that I was expected to face that was too hard, but no part in which I was fully confident of my ability. Balanced to perfection, sans a few possible exploits!

 

 

STORY

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Oh Christ man... if you want a story... If you want something that'll give the first Deus Ex a run for it's money, then check this game out. An engaging and even cerebral plot that goes the extra mile to a deliver the most complex and snaking plots I've ever played, let alone heard of for RPG Maker. For some, it might be a bit too much, but for those that can take a minute to follow along, it's a truly an enriching experience.

 

Ixias suffers from a story that is simultaneously its best part, but also its toughest to praise, in it's current state. As an alpha, the demo ends far before any loose ends are tied up, in fact, it ends just as we get into the main plot. As such the game gave me such an incredible kick in the balls to see the dev message at the end, I'm still kinda reeling from it. There are problems though. The main cast is all made up of 3 dimensional, and real feeling people, that might be equivalent to a small time Tales Of game - but at the moment, there simply isn't enough screen time devoted to the people, and not the plot, to build much an emotional connection with them. If there was, then I don't know, I might be a wreck right now. While the antagonists of the plot are all hidden nebulously in mystery, and cannot be spoken of at this time, the thugs and villains that do get screen time are all quite flat. Ixias is pretty quick and eager to get into some pretty dark themes of crime, murder, rape, prostitution, cannibalism, drug use, and manslaughter, and holds no punches. Some moments are really, incredibly, well executed and hit you where it hurts; other feel like stories out of a 90s comic book that are a bit '2edgy4u'. Sinathor has stated to me before, that he really didn't want to hold anything back for Ixias. It definitely shows, and I'd believe it if he told me this was a game he was cooking up for years, and poured his heart and soul into.

 

 

ART DESIGN

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If there is a crutch that Ixias has, its the art. RTP and vanilla looking assets seem pretty abound, and Ixias doesn't make many excuses for it. It is what it is: serviceable. While none of it really detracts from the overall experience, the game benefits little from it, enough to convey ideas and give impressions. Perhaps the extremely notable exception to this is the mapping. Some areas, are simply fricken' astounding. Every single area has a totally complete vibe, and it all works together to create a very consistent atmosphere. The game is without a doubt, what it was set out to be. Ixias does feature what I can decipher as being custom assets and graphics, notably facegraphics and its promotional poster however, and does benefit from these considerably at times, but, I wish they were more the rule than the exception. Any more can't really be expect of though. That all said, it makes me wonder what this game would be like if it had a small team of even 1 or 2 dedicated artists.

 

 

SOUND DESIGN

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Pfft-, no "

" or " "? 0/10.

 

In all serious, Ixias would be great, but not AMAZING if it weren't for, what I take to be its 100% custom music by Sinathor himself. Holy Christ this soundtrack is great, in a lot of ways as good as, if not better than the original Deus Ex's. If not, then it's at the least, very comparable to it. Its good, its really, really, good. It always perfectly sets up the atmosphere and tone, and has a good diversity to it that helps the game even further stand out from the crowd. The only problems with the music is that there simply isn't enough. Several areas, dungeons in particular, all share the same music. Does any of that matter though when you're listening to "Floating", "Longing for Something You've Never Had", or "Let the City Burn"? No. No it doesn't.

My brother's life is music, so growing up, I heard enough of it. Now, I don't really listen to music, and I infrequently seek out the OST for a game to put on my computer. For Ixias though I HAD TO.

 

Other than the music, the audio is a little hit and miss. Other than some rain, I don't recall any ME's, and the sound effects were all like the art. Pretty much just RTP. As JC would say, "

". With a week's attention to sound in this game, it'd really help elevate it even more.

 

 

CONCLUSION

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Scores are for fcking casuls, but this game isn't!

I don't know how I can recommend this game more, I honestly don't. The art may have been pretty middle of the road, but the music, story, and gameplay more than make up for it. It is the best RPG Maker game I have ever played. Period. It was an privileged to Q/A test and an absolute blast to play, I don't regret a second of it. Here's hoping for the full release, and the sequel.

 

On a personal note to Sinathor, it is been an absolute honor to work with you and I sincerely wish to continue working with you. Even though it's only been a month, I am proud to call you a friend, and even mentor. Do not hesitate in the slightest to come to me with future builds for Q/A, art, concerns, or anything! You have the utmost upper echelon of my respect, and I would be ecstatic to continue working with you.

 

Best of luck,

Chaosian