Exatron Quest 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWS9xz_1Pzo

Exatron Quest: L’Épée de Sang (The Blood Sword) is an RPG Maker French game developed by one person. It had been updated and replaced with the “Silver Dust Edition”.

While it's not my cup of tea, I like my RPGs with a deeper plot and with more character development, Exatron Quest is easy to pick up and play. Even a child could finish this game easily. However, do note that the saves are limited with the save crystals or at an inn so, if you are not careful, you’ll have to redo parts of the game over and over again.

The maps are well done. The combat system is the default RPG Maker MV’s one, but it is robust, dynamic, and fun to play. The graphics / images are from the engine RTP, but they fit well with the game’s fantasy world. The music is ok. Not bad, but not great either.

So, if you don’t mind a retro-looking RPG using the RTP assets, with a simple plot and with limited saves, get Exatron Quest: The Blood Sword. The game is available in English, even if the Steam store page only mentions French.

You can complete it in 5-6 hours, if you rush, or 8-10 hours if you do all the side quests. Since you can choose your hero class and gender, you can do several playthroughs too.

The English version does have some tiny bugs, but they are not game breaking. The translation is ok. You can understand what going on, but some parts of the text are rougher.

There is an important plot point part not translated, but basically, after you finish the Water Grotto/Cave with Rubis, you must go to the Infinite Desert after recruiting Hector in the main city.

During your quest, you’ll meet various characters and some of them will join your party. You have Mercuria, the last of her kind, the last for the sorce-blade. She can wield both sword and magic. You have Rubis, a “sage of water” who wish to go on an adventure, away from her watery town. A ”mage” character. You have Hector, a veteran fighter who wish to help you on your quest to stop the evil Demon King and to save the world.

Exatron Quest also got elemental themed dungeons, many boss battles, side quests, and places to explore. The world of Exatronia is waiting for a Hero. To fix their mistakes (yeah ‘cause they freed the villain!) and to save the world. Will you hear the call? YOU DECIDE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI3OQ2GS2to

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 My grade: 6/10 - "Fair".
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 The good (+):
 * Easy to pick up and play.
 * Nice little story.
 * Well done maps.
 * The art style (RTP assets) fit with the fantasy world.
 * The combat system is fun to play.
 * Many classes for the main character, so there is re-playability. You can also choose the MC’s gender.

 The neutral:
 * The music. I feel like the more "metal / rock-style" songs doesn’t fit the Exatronia world.
 * All the "guest stars" cameos in pubs, bars, during the tutorial, and for many side quests. You don't have a very detailed explanation of who they are or why they are in the game, so I think they "clash" too much with the fantasy setting.
 * The English translation. It could have been better. Also the untranslated text.
 *The short “lifespan” of the game.

 The bad (-):
 * Limited saves. This system - saving only at an Inn or if you find a Save Crystal - is more of an annoyance then anything else. You could easily save everywhere, and the game would have been even more fun to play. Now, you must always be extra careful when you play, otherwise you might lose some hours in-game, and having to do them over and over and over again.
 * The "insta kills". There are 2 of them. If you refuse to remove the sword at the start, and if you try to open the chest in the store with the kid in the big town. Now, I think in the French version, you don't get a game over by not removing the sword, but still, those "cheap insta kills" are dumb, happen out of nowhere, and doesn’t contribute anything meaningful to the game. Add the limited save system and you are bound to get frustrated.
 * All the assets from the RPG Maker engine. They do fit with the game universe, yeah, but I like fully customized rpg maker games way more.
 * Its story is nice, but it's not very deep and developed. In a nutshell: "You freed the demon king, then you purified the holy sword by doing the elemental dungeons and defeating the spirits. Now you find the demon king and with the final battle you defeat him then you seal him away. The world is saved. The end."
 * A serious lack of characters and lore development. You barely know anything about Morgana, the Demon King, Mercuria, Rubis, Hector, the Exatron Goddess, etc. What is a “sorce-blade” (for Mercuria)? She doesn’t explain it to you in-game. What’s a “Water Sage” (for Rubis)? What happened to Prince Ernest after he defeats the Demon King 5 years ago? Is he dead now? Why do you need to go to the academy to choose a Class if the MC start as an “Adventurer”? Does every character in this universe need to go there to get a Class? Etc, etc.