12 years of development by the Lithuanian studio Fulqrum.
BY is a fantasy RPG with turn-based combat that stands out greatly thanks to a very particular hand-drawn graphic style.
History
In BYdeveloped for 12 years by Karaclan and published by Fulqrum, we will put ourselves in the shoes of Cyrusa young 23-year-old hero who tries to find a new life in Micropolis, a small town that hides more than it seems. Cyrus soon discovers that he possesses a special teleportation ability, as well as an affinity for the magical world.. As you move from floating island to floating island in this magical world, you will encounter peculiar creatures and fight enemies that can take you down if you are not careful.
Gameplay
We will move between the world of magic and the world of humans using the Altars of the Elders. In a few moments, we will be able to return to the magical world. Keep in mind that each portal can only be used once. If you reactivate a portal that is already in use, the hero will be sent back to the starting island.
The decisions you make along the way will influence the development of the story.. Additionally, you won’t be able to make every decision you want right away, as some will be tied to a skill check. Key actions in a story battle will be highlighted in yellow and will therefore be more difficult to complete. Successfully completing all key actions will lead you to victory in combat. If you succeed in additional actions, the overall difficulty of other action tests will be reduced by 2 points. In case of failure, it will be increased by 2 points.
How are dexterity, magic and strength tests resolved? The trait parameter is added to a d20 die roll and the final number is the value against which the check is performed. Also, for battles in the magical world, Dexterity adds a bonus to sword damagemagic adds a bonus to spell power, and strength provides a bonus to health. To increase a single trait point, you will need to gain 3 experience points. Our hero will gain a single experience point for a trait for each action taken during a battle or story event, regardless of success or failure.
At the start of each combat round, there will be the option to activate one of the previously imposed blessings or curses.
Graphics and sound section
VED stands out for its artistic direction and visual design, particularly in the magical world. The hand-drawn style is fantastic and some scenes remind me of the covers of fantasy books I’ve read. Each of the magical world’s biomes is beautiful, with different color palettes that catch your eye. There is a wide variety of enemies, both in visual and mechanical design.
The varied soundtrack helps distinguish the two worlds, but unfortunately the looping tracks end up becoming repetitive. The sound design is good, particularly in combat, with clanging sword swings and enemies roaring and growling. A rather negative point is that the game is entirely in English.
Conclusions
I think everyone who likes RPGs or narrative adventures should play VED. It’s one of the best indie titles this year and has enough gameplay mechanics and ideas to justify a purchase over its average length of 7 hours. It is also a visual delight that enters the eye from the first minute.
Unfortunately, I also think he has too many ideas and can’t implement them.. The story is not very interesting and it gives the feeling that, despite 12 years of development, it still has a little left to become a more than remarkable product.
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BY
$24.99
Benefits
- Delicious graphics section
- Original and fun combat system
- Many decisions to make
Disadvantages
- Completely in English
- Failures when combining its mechanisms
- The story starts well, but quickly falls flat.
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