Axial Disc 1

About

Axial Disc 1 is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Sawyer Friend and was released on August 15, 2021. It received very positive reviews from players.

A modern turn-based deckbuilding JRPG involving party synergy for attacks that features unique pixel art and chiptune music!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

story16 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

The game features a nostalgic retro aesthetic reminiscent of classic turn-based RPGs, with beautiful pixel art and a fantastic chiptune soundtrack.
The battle system is engaging and deep, allowing for a variety of strategies and character builds, which enhances the overall gameplay experience.
The story and character development are compelling, with unique personalities and arcs that keep players invested in the narrative.

The writing can feel uninspired and lacks depth, often prioritizing quantity over quality in its narrative delivery.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as the blue-magic learning system, can be overly complex and frustrating, leading to a grindy experience.
The high random encounter rate and difficulty spikes may frustrate players, making exploration feel tedious at times.

story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
45%
9%
The story of the game is praised for its depth and character development, featuring a blend of humor and serious themes that resonate with players. While some characters and villains may lack potential, the overall narrative is engaging, with a unique pacing that integrates exploration and lore. The combination of compelling storytelling, memorable characters, and a nostalgic art style creates a rich experience that appeals to fans of JRPGs and indie games alike.
- “The story is great, telling it seriously while still having plenty of humor, and the main characters all grow through their arcs.”
- “The carefully crafted art style, the great soundtrack, interesting story, and very well-designed and fun combat system all come together to make this game a real gem.”
- “The story wonderfully exhibits relatable themes of self-discovery, purpose, and building relationships.”
- “The story has a very simplistic formula with traditional friendship beats revolving around a girl who wants to understand her destiny involving a legendary sword, an artificial half-human hybrid who wants to learn about her origins due to amnesia, and a self-proclaimed coward who broke the hybrid out of captivity just to rebel against his stern, controlling father.”
- “Honestly, everything is a bit amateurish - from the overall plot to the dialogue to the graphics, but that is completely okay for what is a freshman project with such high-quality gameplay.”
- “- No real opinion on the plot since I stopped playing, but it didn't keep my interest enough to keep going.”
music
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
36%
12%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic quality, with many reviewers highlighting its retro chiptune style that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the memorable soundtracks that often leave them humming tunes long after playing, and the music is noted for its impressive use of recurring themes and motifs. While some minor audio issues were mentioned, the consensus is that the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's charm and nostalgic feel.
- “The music is fantastic and the story has more layers than one would expect from a free game on Steam.”
- “The carefully crafted art style, the great soundtrack, interesting story, and very well-designed and fun combat system all come together to make this game a real gem.”
- “And on the topic of music, the game has an incredible chiptune soundtrack to where even I personally listen to some of the songs on my own time outside of the game (which I typically don't for the style).”
- “Man, this game's soundtrack is more crusty than the Yamaha YM2612 caw caw.”
- “It's not perfect; some scene transitions are still harsh on the eyes, and some sound effects or music I've encountered could also be described as such, at least through my audio setup, but I don't want to nitpick.”
- “But my favorite part has to be the graphics and music of the game; it has that old school retro Game Boy feel to it and it brings back a nostalgia wave.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay is a blend of classic RPG mechanics with innovative features, such as a blue mage system for learning spells and a variety of unique character abilities that encourage strategic planning. While some players find the initial complexity overwhelming, the depth and balance of the combat system, along with diverse boss encounters, create a rewarding experience as players invest time in mastering it. Overall, the game offers a unique JRPG experience with a strong emphasis on skill synergies and customization, despite some minor critiques regarding gear impact and initial mechanics.
- “The gameplay is classic RPG combat with a twist of special sub-commands you can use before the turn starts, and there are a lot of choices in attacks for the characters, especially Oli and Amara.”
- “The gameplay revolves around collecting a wide variety of combat skills and figuring out the best synergies with them, as there are over a hundred skills to potentially acquire and each character can bring a maximum of eight skills each into battle.”
- “The sheer variety of unique commands allows for deep levels of strategy, and this is coupled with gripping mechanically-designed boss battles that never feel the same as one another.”
- “Oli is supposed to be a blue mage character who can learn spells, but her version of this mechanic feels overengineered.”
- “If I had one complaint about the game mechanics, it's that gear initially doesn't make much of an impact on your character setup, but this definitely changes later on as customization and tuning become paramount.”
- “The battle mechanics can be overwhelming at first, but its depth shines as more time is spent learning and using it.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a classic retro aesthetic reminiscent of Game Boy titles, which some players find charming and nostalgic, while others consider them somewhat amateurish or ugly. Despite mixed opinions on the visual quality, many reviewers appreciate the effort put into the art style and how it complements the engaging gameplay and story. Overall, fans of retro graphics are likely to enjoy the game's visual presentation, while those less fond of pixel art may still find value in its other elements.
- “The graphics are classic retro, but a great deal of effort was put in to make the game's world look amazing.”
- “An amazing indie RPG with beautiful retro graphics, a compelling story, fantastic music, and a skill system with near-endless amounts of customization that lets you theory-craft almost without limits.”
- “But my favorite part has to be the graphics and music of the game; it has that old school retro Game Boy feel to it and it brings back a wave of nostalgia.”
- “The graphics are a bit ugly, but the Game Boy aesthetic for the most part makes up for it.”
- “Honestly, everything is a bit amateurish - from the overall plot to the dialogue to the graphics, but that is completely okay for what is a freshman project with such high-quality gameplay.”
- “It won't blow anyone out of the water on its aesthetic sense, but that's okay.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on grinding in the game are mixed; while some players find it enjoyable and rewarding, particularly for skill customization, others feel it can be tedious and luck-based, especially when trying to acquire specific abilities. The game's high difficulty can make grinding more challenging than in similar titles, but quality-of-life features help alleviate potential monotony. Overall, grinding is not mandatory but can enhance the experience for those who enjoy it.
- “Unfortunately, the luck-based, grindy nature of getting abilities can be a real drag, especially for people who are loathe to let a potentially cool skill pass by.”
- “The high difficulty out of the box makes grinding tougher than most similar titles.”
- “Spinel difficulty feels like it was meant for players who accidentally overleveled in the process of farming eater eyes or teaching Oli spells, so I would recommend the lower difficulties for a non-grinding playthrough.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Character development in the game is generally well-received, particularly highlighting Sai's growth, though some villains like Swed and the agency are seen as underdeveloped. The unique story and character designs contribute positively to the overall experience, indicating a thoughtful narrative progression throughout the game.
- “The story is fine for the most part, and I enjoyed Sai's character development.”
- “The story and character designs are very unique in the indie RPG market, which is something you rarely see.”
- “The story is clearly well thought out, and there is steady character development.”
- “Some of the character designs and portraits were really something though, huh?”
- “The story and character designs are very unique in the indie RPG market, which are something you rarely see.”
- “Story is clearly well thought out, and there is steady character development.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game effectively balances a serious narrative with a wealth of humor, particularly through engaging dialogue with NPCs and interactive elements that provide comedic moments. Players are encouraged to savor the experience rather than rush through, enhancing the enjoyment of the humor woven throughout the story and character development.
- “The story is great, telling it seriously while still having plenty of humor, and the main characters all grow through their arcs.”
- “Talk to NPCs, check everything in sight for some hilarious dialogue at times, and try to enjoy the entire experience rather than speedrun it like an ape by looking up the most OP skill combos to try and oneshot enemies.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report experiencing glitches while exploring the game, indicating that while the game may have some stability issues, these can lead to interesting discoveries for curious players.
- “Even discovering glitches as I went by being aggressively curious about how far I could go in the game.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers theoretically infinite replayability due to the numerous ways players can customize and build their main character, allowing for diverse gameplay experiences.
- “This game has theoretically infinite replayability due to the countless ways you can build your main character.”
- “Every playthrough feels unique because of the diverse choices and paths available.”
- “The variety of character builds and story outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”