Laxius Force 3

[Cherish Asleson]

3 Stars of Destiny is the latest RPG offering from Aldorlea Games, an independent French developer best known for its flagship Laxius series, which includes the Laxius Power trilogy and Laxius Force. This old-school Japanese-style RPG offers a fun and lengthy quest that is both a standalone adventure and a precursor to the entire Laxius saga so old and new fans alike can enjoy it. So without further ado, here is my review.

Before the adventure begins, players are asked whether they would like easy, normal, or hard difficulty. There are no penalties for choosing easy difficulty, which gives players stronger characters and more frequent save points on the field. After the difficulty level is selected, players are asked whether they would like a low, medium, or high random encounter rate. Yes, in true old-school fashion the battles in 3 Stars of Destiny occur randomly. Battles are traditional turn-based affairs where characters can attack, use special skills, use items, or defend. A welcome addition is the option to escape from battles, which was missing in Laxius Force.

The meat of 3 Stars of Destiny comes not from battling but from exploring the vast environments. 3 Stars of Destiny does not mess around here. There are plenty of expansive dungeons/hostile areas where I found myself delightfully lost and running around in circles. Some dungeons even incorporate graphic adventure-style puzzle solving, which is a plus in my book since I like that genre. The main point here is that even if easy mode is selected, the game is still challenging.

Aldorlea is quite fond of making lengthy games that could keep gamers busy for over 30 hours, and 3 Stars of Destiny is no exception. Even after the main quest ends, the game allows players to catch up on incomplete sidequests, search for new quests, and revisit partially unexplored areas. This is quite welcome since the main quest has a point of no return, so completionist players need not worry.

3 Stars of Destiny is a standalone RPG that also acts as a prequel to the Laxius mythos. In terms of canon, 3 Stars of Destiny takes place prior to the Laxius Power trilogy, which, in turn, precedes Laxius Force. The Laxius Power trilogy is available from Aldorlea as freeware and Laxius Force is available for purchase. Even though the main characters in 3 Stars of Destiny played starring roles in prior Laxius games, exposure to the Laxius mythos is not necessary to enjoy 3 Stars of Destiny.

3 Stars of Destiny was created using RPG Maker XP, so its overall look resembles a 16-bit-era Final Fantasy game. RPGs made using RPG Maker often get a bad rap, but a handful of developers such as Aldorlea show that RPGs worth their salt can be made using this accessible and surprisingly robust development tool.

Aldorlea has a reputation for intricate detail in its environments and excellent mapping. That meticulous attention to detail I expect from Aldorlea is here in full force. I can only imagine the worldbuilding possibilities Aldorlea could pursue with more powerful development tools. The game also has custom sprites for the playable characters and some key non-playable characters. The stock townspeople have stock sprites, which is fine. During battles, there is custom artwork for almost all of the enemies and some of these enemy designs are quite creative. I particularly liked the drawings of insect- and fish-type monsters. Some enemies use RPG Maker stock art and those stand out like sore thumbs amidst the far superior original monster artwork that makes even mundane monsters appear compelling. Even the color swapping in some of the monsters, namely the butterflies, looks like it was done with care.

The music consists primarily of original compositions as well, save for minor fanfare/jingle themes, such as the inn theme, which use stock music. The original music is mostly orchestral fare with other pieces taking a cue from more modern genres. Some pieces even have vocals in them. The sound quality is quite good and allows the music to really impart an epic feel to the game. The lengthy compositions are generally slow to medium tempo and never feel repetitive, thus complementing the lengthy dungeons and hostile areas and sometimes lengthy battles that players will find themselves in. Some of my favorite tracks include the normal battle theme, the title theme, and the theme that plays in big cities such as Rillia and SankT Leona. There are also times when music is not played at all to allow the sound effects to create ambience.

3 Stars of Destiny is an enjoyable RPG, but its enjoyment is definitely proportional to how much the player enjoys old-school. It has random encounters, save points, and is more driven by explorative gameplay than by an intricate narrative. Those aspects can be showstoppers for some gamers, but not for me. When all is said and done, 3 Stars of Destiny is the smoothest game Aldorlea has created so far and the one I had the most fun with.

Retro RPG fans, perk up your ears: Laxius Force is your latest old-school fix. Inspired by classic 16-bit role playing games, Laxius Force boasts 17 playable characters, multiple storylines that gradually weave together an intriguing plot, and original artwork and music. All while battling countless foes, earning experience, and equipping your party with powerful weapons and armor.

Laxius Force is largely linear in nature, though like any RPG there are numerous side quests and optional adventures you can embark upon to earn extra items, experience, and gold. Or you can head out just for the fun of exploration! Battles are turn-based and take place from your party's point of view. Use the menu system to choose actions, then sit back and watch the fighting ensue. Random battles are mostly absent from Laxius Force, as you can usually see enemies before you engage them. There are some areas where your foes can hide, however, so don't be too surprised if you're forced into a fight here and there. Besides, what's an RPG without combat?!

Once you get a few characters together you'll need to do some party management to keep things flowing smoothly. Each character has his or her own set of skills on the field of battle, so forming a party requires a bit of thinking. Only active members gain experience from combat, so be sure to switch people out from time to time so no one falls too far behind.

Analysis: I'll have to admit it right from the start: part of the reason I enjoy Laxius Force is due to my love of Super Nintendo-era RPGs. The tiled graphics, the slightly cheesy plots, the menu-based combat and the raw challenge of felling massive foes are a part of my blood. That being said, Laxius Force does a great job of evoking that mid-90s feeling without bringing back the pitfalls that haunt me to this day (level grinding, cheap enemies, etc.). It's new age retro, if you will, and I really couldn't ask for more than that.

In terms of challenge, Laxius Force hits the middle of the mark. Cheap deaths aren't too much of a problem, though you'll have to do some light leveling and/or smart battling in order to survive early portions of the game. Bosses can be tricky and won't simply fall to your blind attacks, forcing you to watch, learn, and adapt your strategy with each one.

Laxius Force isn't without its flaws, however, and if your vision isn't clouded by those rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, they may stand out more than you would like. A big part of any role playing game is the dialogue. You spend a lot of time talking to characters and reading text boxes, so naturally having a skilled pen behind the scenes is an important facet. While the story and characters are interesting in Laxius Force, the developer's native tongue isn't English, and this shows through in the occasional awkward paragraph or slightly confusing sentence structure. Nothing you can't overlook, of course, but it does detract from the experience a bit.

One curious exclusion from the game is the lack of a way to flee from combat. If you can't avoid an enemy outright, you're forced to fight, so you'd better be ready to win. If your party is defeated you'll restart from the last town or dungeon entrance at the price of 10% of your gold. Not too bad, considering how most role playing games simply reload your last save.

Fans of other indie RPGs such as the Aveyond series will feel right at home in Laxius Force. Keep in mind, however, that these games aren't aimed at a casual audience, per se, though their pick-up-and-play value is still quite strong.

A good looking, lengthy (30 or so hours of gameplay) and delightfully retro role playing game that will please just about any RPG buff out there. There are some minor quirks in the dialogue and battle system, but otherwise it's smooth adventuring.

There are some original graphics. The tileset for the pyramid at the beginning looks original. But about 90% is provided by RMXP. I recognised one of the music tracks provided by RMXP. This shouldn't be viewed as a criticism - original graphics take time to create!

Plotwise, the game simply drops you into the action with little set-up. Some people prefer this I suppose, but I would prefer some more interesting backstory. It feels like the game forces you to explore "dungeon #1" without giving me any desire to do so.

Someone mentioned Eternal Eden in the comments above; I second it. Yeah, the majority of the graphics in Eternal Eden is straight from RPG Maker, but it is an excellent game. I hope this site will review it soon to give it some more popularity.

It continues the epic story from the previous laxius power trilogy. (all of which are free) I played the LP before LF and i have to say that the development of the story and the multitude of quests are what will keep you hooked on the game.

I love Laxius Force and have been playing it for weeks now. I've started and restarted it over and over. I keep getting stuck, lol. What I want to know is how in the heck are you supposed to finish the side quests, when you can't get the items you need until you go to different towns or screens and then you can't go back to where the items are needed? Such as, I finally found where the Thieves Guild is and completed most of their quests. But, I had to go to Adretna to get the garden key to open the chest in the Thieves Guild. However, I can't go to Mt. Tulle to get back to the Guild to open it. I wasn't able to buy the pheasant's hat in the Thieves Guild, in order to persuade the man in the palace to help in another quest, either. I am stuck, lmao. Anyone have any ideas? On the whole, I highly recommend this game for days and weeks of fun. It really makes you think and it's very addictive.

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