Beloved Rapture

86%
Game Brain Score Based on 121 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Beloved Rapture Game Cover
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"Beloved Rapture" is a mid-length retro-style JRPG that focuses on storytelling, exploring themes of trauma, friendship, existentialism, and LGBTQ+ experiences. The game features turn-based combat with six playable characters, dynamic battles, and no random encounters. With a focus on exploration, players can discover riches, loot, and mini-games as they journey through Johan's conflict in a world beyond his comprehension.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

86%
Audience ScoreBased on 121 reviews
story47 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning pixel art and a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The story is engaging and emotionally impactful, with well-developed characters that players can connect with.
  • Exploration is rewarding, with numerous secrets and treasures hidden throughout the game world.
  • The game suffers from bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes and soft locks.
  • Some dialogue feels awkward and inconsistent, detracting from the immersion of the story.
  • Combat can become repetitive, and the balance of difficulty may not be challenging enough for some players.
  • story170 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its emotional depth, character development, and engaging plot twists, particularly highlighting the slow-burn gay romance and complex themes of greed and revenge. However, some critiques point to pacing issues, plot holes, and a lack of resolution for certain character arcs, leaving players feeling that the narrative could have been more cohesive and fully realized. Overall, while the story captivates many, it also frustrates some due to its execution and occasional disjointedness.

    • “The story is beautifully written, and you can tell this game was made with so much love.”
    • “The main conflict in the story wasn't due to some comically evil person trying to destroy the world, and every antagonist had something motivating them.”
    • “The story flow constantly moves at the perfect pace, giving the player endless character and story developments, blended perfectly with exploration, puzzles, secrets, and combat.”
    • “The storytelling is lacking; there is no sense of drive or anticipation for what happens next.”
    • “As I continued to play, the confusion only deepened, and I felt that the main storyline drifted off course and became disjointed.”
    • “The background story of events is very weak and lacks depth.”
  • music51 mentions

    The music in the game has been widely praised for its nostalgic chiptune style, reminiscent of classic SNES RPGs, with each area featuring unique tracks that enhance the emotional experience. Reviewers noted the soundtrack's quality, describing it as catchy and immersive, with standout themes that evoke strong feelings during gameplay. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, significantly elevating the overall experience.

    • “The OST was fantastic, with tracks that perfectly captured the emotions of the events on screen.”
    • “Every single track crafted for this game just rings out with magic and emotion; there were so many times where I just stood still in the game, got a great view, and just let the music do its thing.”
    • “The battle themes will have you banging your head, the exploration songs will fill you with wonder and excitement to explore, the emotional scenes will grip at your heartstrings, and the villages and cities are filled with personality and atmosphere.”
    • “There's some music that doesn't loop properly and some environments that are hard to see too, but they're minor things.”
    • “The music fits well with the ambient, but nothing stands out apart from the title theme.”
    • “The game would still play music and the animations would play, but I could not choose any actions.”
  • graphics42 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful pixel art style, which effectively captures the charm of classic JRPGs while also feeling fresh and vibrant. Many reviewers highlighted the intricate environment designs and the overall aesthetic, noting that the visuals significantly enhance the gaming experience. However, some users reported bugs and graphical issues at launch, though the developers are actively addressing these concerns.

    • “The visuals of this game are beautiful, especially in the environment design.”
    • “The graphics consist of beautiful pixel art that really complements the scenery, characters, liveliness, and just the mood all around.”
    • “The pixel artwork and music are both absolutely incredible.”
    • “The game was released pretty buggy with crashes, hard locks that required alt-F4, graphical errors and collision errors, player inventory bugs, combat bugs, lag, and frames struggle to render on the old engine, etc. I make it sound terrible but the devs are actively working to fix reported issues.”
    • “I have problems with the map... I understand the aesthetic, but it's generally a bit difficult to read, especially in large areas.”
    • “Some character lines were very unnatural sounding given the game's aesthetic, but even that is fine if you want to polish it with a more modern-sounding style; just it wasn't consistently implemented.”
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a blend of old-school JRPG mechanics and modern storytelling, offering an engaging mix of exploration and combat that appeals to fans of the genre. However, players have reported significant technical issues, including frequent crashes and unbalanced battle mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the game successfully captures the charm and depth of classic JRPGs, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate its retro aesthetic and narrative.

    • “I could see the old school JRPG inspiration in gameplay and story.”
    • “JRPG retro goodness wrapped up in some sleek gameplay features, statistical min/maxing... it's an addictive mix of exploration and combat.”
    • “The characters are deep, the gameplay is fun without being overwhelmingly complex, and everything feels like it has a purpose.”
    • “Literal 22 minutes of gameplay and it's crashed 3 times so far.”
    • “A 10 hour game that turned into 23 hours of gameplay because it keeps crashing.”
    • “Mechanically, 80% of it feels untested.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players generally appreciate the grinding mechanics in the game, noting that it feels efficient and rewarding, particularly for newcomers to JRPGs. While some enjoy the gradual progression and the opportunity to grind for better builds, others find that the game is designed in such a way that grinding is largely unnecessary, leading to a potentially easy experience without it. Overall, the balance of enemy strength and rewarding exploration minimizes the grind while still allowing for meaningful character development.

    • “Chests, chests everywhere... and each contains meaningful loot, making exploration rewarding and not tedious.”
    • “The monsters aren't as frequent since their sprites appear in the main world rather than invisible random encounters, though occasionally backtracking allows them to respawn, which allows for grinding.”
    • “I have a natural tendency to take every encounter I come across, and by the end without any grinding the game was way too easy.”
    • “I wish the stone goddess statue were teleport waypoints because having to travel across the map on foot to do side quests is so tedious and frustrating, especially if you want to visit previous regions.”
  • stability10 mentions

    The game's stability has been a mixed experience for players, with reports of various bugs, including crashes, audio glitches, and combat freezes. While the game was initially released with significant issues, ongoing updates from the developers have improved performance, and some players have found it runs smoothly on platforms like the Steam Deck. Overall, while the game has a solid core experience, it is recommended to wait for further fixes before diving in fully.

    • “The game runs great on the Steam Deck (OLED) without any tinkering, and can be limited to 60 Hz, 5 W TDP, and 400 MHz GPU without any detriment.”
    • “The game was released pretty buggy with crashes, hard locks that required alt-F4, graphical errors and collision errors, player inventory bugs, combat bugs, lag, and frames struggle to render on the old engine. I make it sound terrible, but the devs are actively working to fix reported issues.”
    • “I keep experiencing a bug where during combat, my commands freeze and I cannot input anything.”
    • “Buggy, sluggish, clunky, and easy to glitch out and get stuck.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    Players find the emotional depth of the game to be a standout feature, blending nostalgia and lightheartedness with profound moments of shock and turmoil. The representation of queer characters adds a personal touch, while the music enhances the emotional experience, though some feel the conclusion could have been more impactful. Overall, the game successfully evokes a wide range of feelings, making it a memorable journey.

    • “As a fan of JRPGs for over 2 decades, it is so touching to see a game like 'Beloved Rapture' exist.”
    • “I find it so heartwarming to see openly queer-identifying characters like me presented in a polished game in the style of the ones I played and loved.”
    • “It's hard to describe how masterfully the developers have melded the lighthearted feelings of wonder, nostalgia, and fun with the deepest cutting shock and emotional turmoil I have seen in a JRPG in over a decade.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is perceived as lacking depth, with players feeling disconnected from the characters, akin to being an outsider at a social gathering. In contrast, other elements such as music, animation, and design are praised for their excellence.

    • “Everything else like the music, animation, environment, and character design is absolutely amazing.”
    • “The character development felt like going to a party where you're a friend from work and everyone else went to high school together.”
    • “The characters lacked depth and their growth felt forced and unconvincing.”
    • “I found it hard to connect with the characters as their arcs were predictable and uninspired.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game performs well on the Steam Deck, offering a smooth experience despite minor audio glitches and incorrect button prompts. However, some users noted that character dialogue could be improved, as the use of ellipses feels out of place in certain contexts.

    • “I've been playing on my Steam Deck, and it runs smoothly with a couple of audio glitches and incorrect button prompts.”
    • “The character dialogue feels unnatural; they use ellipses when stuttering, but repetition or exclamations would convey their emotions better.”
    • “The optimization of character speech is lacking; it often disrupts the flow of conversation.”
    • “The dialogue system needs improvement; the overuse of ellipses makes interactions feel awkward and unrealistic.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from the absurdly inept behavior of the monsters, who lack basic AI features like line of sight or awareness, leading to comically ridiculous interactions where players can stand directly in front of them without being noticed.

    • “The monsters are hilariously dumb; they didn't even program in line of sight or monster awareness into the game, which has been an easy thing to do since RPG Maker 2000. Even tons of free games have it, but here you can stand right in front of a monster, and unless they touch you, they are ignored.”
    • “The dialogue is filled with witty one-liners that had me laughing out loud. The characters have such a quirky sense of humor that it makes every interaction enjoyable.”
    • “I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously. The absurd situations and over-the-top scenarios keep the gameplay light-hearted and fun.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging battle themes that energize players, exploration music that inspires curiosity, and emotionally resonant scenes that evoke strong feelings. Additionally, the vibrant villages and cities contribute to a rich and immersive environment, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “The battle themes will have you banging your head, the exploration songs will fill you with wonder and excitement to explore, the emotional scenes will grip at your heartstrings, and the villages and cities are filled with personality and atmosphere.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Play time

7hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
6-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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