Reviews

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  chuckpolk

  Jun 26, 2022

  Lord, how I wish there was a "meh" button along with thumbs up or down. This game isn't bad, just bland. It's a strictly by-the-numbers RPG. Plot, writing, etc. just standard fare. Crafting advice: DON'T DO IT! Not until end game, Resources are finite, found through exploration and do not respawn. This was done intentionally to portray the rarity of materials in the game world. The equipment you can buy are almost as good as what you can craft (or even better at points) so save your resources until the end! The combat mechanic feels like it can be interesting, but the novelty wears off quickly. Each character has a set of skills (different attacks or defense measure) you can distribute points to enhance, and you can redistribute points outside of combat as much as you like. In reality, you'll likely just min/max then leave it be until level-ups provide more points. The tediousness of battles means you'll be using the item mechanic to reduce or avoid the plentiful random encounters. Unfortunately, boss difficulty scaling does call for some grinding. I'm near the end-game and just have no desire to slog through the finale and see how the story ends. Again, not a terrible game. Just a bland RPG-maker game that has its moments. Buy on sale, if that sounds like something you're down for.
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  kutzkutz

  Aug 25, 2022

  Really good old-school RPG. I had a game breaking glitch and the developer fixed the glitch within a day, even though this game is from 2017! Pretty awesome response. This RPG has really cool enemy design/folklore and scattered secret areas/items/achievements. This game kinda reminds me of Paladin's Quest (SNES) and Suikoden.
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  RenderTechnician

  Feb 8, 2017

  Great game if you're a fan of classic SNES style RPG's such as Final Fantasy or Earthbound. Alot of time has obviously gone into the game great art style Incredible soundtrack Would definately recommend
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  alek

  Feb 9, 2017

  Only played for a short time, but so far so good. Graphics, music, SFX all very nostalgic and true to the genre.
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  Flintsteel7

  Feb 10, 2017

  Arelite Core is a charming RPG from a dedicated developer. I hear Dragon Slumber worked over five years on this game, even writing his own engine. The characters are engaging, the story pulls me in, and the combat is fun and rewarding. Smithing your own equipment is a welcome feature to the game, and though I've just gotten started, it looks to be an in-depth system. This game is worth your money and your time if you're a fan of RPGs, or even if you're not, Arelite Core can get you started in the genre. Good work Dragon Slumber!
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  E-mortal

  Feb 11, 2017

  Haven't played much yet but so far I'm loving it! Interesting characters, good story, retro goodness! I'll upate this as I play more.
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  ShooterMG

  Feb 14, 2017

  Really enjoying the game so far. The story and dialogue are very well written, and the combat system brings enough new ideas to the table to seem fresh while sill having that nostalgic feel to it at the same time. While the graphics may be lacking that one final layer of polish that all the big AAA studios can afford, they are still very well done, especially the character portraits and animated monsters you face in battle. The music and sound are also top-notch and really round out this game. If you're a fan of old-school JRPGs, this game is a must-play.
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  mstie

  Feb 17, 2017

  Great SNES-style RPG with a fun combat system and excellent sound track.
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  Frenchie

  Feb 28, 2017

  Arelite Core. My review! Story: Traditional RPG with terrifyingly powerful supervillain who wants to bring about utter destruction of the world. You play a blacksmith who has made up his mind to journey across the world seeking out all other Master Blacksmiths to learn from - you want to become the greatest Blacksmith who ever lived. Oh, and it just so happens the most powerful sword in history is needed to kill the supervillain and guess what Blacksmiths do? CREATE SWORDS! Along the way cities are razed, friends die, levels are gained, and fun is had. Music: Fantastic. 8/10 Combat: Simplistic yet fun. You use a point system to make certain Moves of your choosing more powerful/more effective. These points can be subtracted or added anywhere on the map - no Inn or anything needed. Your healer can Parry and heal your entire party for some HP. There's a "Stun" system which the more you hit the enemy the better your meter until you fill it and the enemy is stunned for a turn or two. Gameplay, Mechanics, Funness, Overall Enjoyability: I mean it's an Indie SNES-era RPG released in 2017. It's done very well. I noticed some typos which I wasn't fond of, but there were only a few. I think the game is worth $19.99. Overall: 7/10
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  jepdraper

  Mar 31, 2017

  Game is good. Go buy it.
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  gamepromatt

  Nov 7, 2017

  Haven't finished it yet, but so far it's a solid RPGMaker game. Adds some innovation to the usual generic JRPG combat system and adds a unique level of customization with the stance system. It's nice that I'm able to customize my characters to whatever situation they're faced with. The plot thus far is interesting enough that I want to finish the game, which is pretty good for someone like me who so often loses interest halfway through. Overall, a gem of an RPGMaker game
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  Frosty40

  Apr 4, 2018

  This is really a well done game - does honor to JRPG and gives the players a new and wonderful world to explore. Also awesome the stary features the perspective of a blacksmith
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  Shining Phantasy

  Jan 11, 2019

  Arelite Core is a mostly solid JRPG with several good elements on display. There are some imbalances in quality on hand however. For the visuals the character battle art and designs are large, colorful, and detailed. There are also a lot of different creatures to encounter which keeps the battles from becoming too stale and derivative. Graphics in the overworld and dungeons however range from unremarkable to bland. The most lacking aspect of this game is definitely the area and dungeon layouts; they are very open and boxy in their design and not very enjoyable to explore. There is an occasional interactive function that will be encountered but that is not enough to compensate for the weak exploration elements. This drawback does not matter as much in the towns since they are more compact and without enemy encounters. The story is straight-forward and fair enough and while the characters feel a little vanilla at first the personality of the game grows as you get farther along. I liked the bickering between two of the characters in particular and all of the playable characters were unique and stood out in their own way. Battle system is based around striking, parrying, and blitz attacks/enhancements. Mainly the objective is to create uninterrupted combo chains between characters until a final combo crusher attack can be dealt, usually by Karden. There is a lot of strategic positioning involved regarding parrying to get characters turn order optimal for a strong combination sequence. Also there are other enhancements and tweaking that can be done to maximize this effect; you get the hang of it after a few hours or less and it is fun to set up a big and crushing attack. Music is mostly pleasing; it is done in the style of SNES chiptune with a lot of bombastic synth and horns up front in the mix. There are a couple of tracks that I like quite a bit and others range from fair to good; my favorite is one of the softer dungeon pieces during the second half of the adventure. The game is in the twenty hour range and provides a moderate challenge in places although the most challenging battle for me came in the first half where my available characters in battle were temporarily reduced; otherwise I was never in much danger and the challenge was keeping steady and well-managed during the marathon battles. As Karden is a blacksmith you can also forge your own equipment and add some basic properties to them as well as name them. The quest did drag a little bit towards the end though and I wouldn't have wanted ten more hours of similar content; the game also crashed a couple of times near the end and there are some typos present in the dialog however those are minor issues. You should also save frequently as there is no forewarning when you are about to fight a boss battle. Overall I would give Arelite Core a modest approval and would consider it to be worthy for somebody who is really into 16-bit era JRPG's; most appropriate value when it is on sale.
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  Bladezuez

  Nov 20, 2019

  I love the black smithing system. and how well the game flows.
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  bintock

  Mar 28, 2020

  This game has a lot of good points to provide people who like rpgs an enjoyable adventure for a really cheap price. The pros 1. Art- really great art for the characters and monsters you will fight throughout the game. 2. Skill system- There is also a robust skill system you can customize and fine-tune for each character as they level up. Characters through status effects and combo mechanics and depending on how you build them can synergize with each other in interesting ways. 2. Price vs value- It's price is really cheap for all the custom art and great gameplay provided. I highly recommend it for a good time to lose yourself in a game. Cons- 1- I can't think of any really bad aspects of the game. 2- Anything bad I can think of would be more subjective like disliking 16 bit art.