Gaia's Melody: Echoed Melodies

95%
Game Brain Score Based on 86 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Gaia's Melody: Echoed Melodies Game Cover
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"Gaia's Melody: Echoed Melodies" is an RPG-style journey that explores the complex story of friendship, bonds, and family secrets. You'll encounter happy and comedic characters while uncovering their past and the impact it has on their lives. The game features colorful graphics, challenging mode, and various quality of life improvements. Do you have the courage to accept the truth hidden in this dark story? NO RELEASE DATE OR DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER MENTIONED.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

95%
Audience ScoreBased on 86 reviews
story29 positive mentions
stability6 negative mentions
  • The game features a heartfelt story and a charming cast of characters, making it an engaging experience overall.
  • It showcases impressive polish and attention to detail, especially considering it was developed by a visually impaired creator.
  • The gameplay is fun and offers a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic JRPGs, with a good balance of comedy and serious moments.
  • There are significant balancing issues in combat, with some characters being much stronger than others, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
  • The game suffers from occasional bugs and crashes, particularly during battles, which can disrupt the flow of play.
  • Navigation can be confusing at times, with unclear paths and a lack of guidance for quests, making it easy to get lost or stuck.
  • story73 mentions

    The story of the game is generally well-received, featuring a heartfelt narrative centered around Akira's quest to find her missing sister after her town's destruction. While it follows a familiar world-saving adventure trope and is presented in a mostly linear format, many players appreciate its emotional depth, engaging characters, and the blend of light-hearted comedy with tragic elements. However, some critiques mention that the dialogue may feel juvenile for older audiences, and the game could benefit from improved quest tracking to enhance the storytelling experience.

    • “The story follows Akira, who embarks on a journey to find her missing sister after her town is destroyed.”
    • “The world was rich, the story was right up my alley with its light-hearted comedy and tragic drama flavors mixed together, and the presentation was super impressive and full of character, beautiful!”
    • “Aaaanyway, I could probably go on and on about this game for some time, so I'll cut to the chase: if you are a fan of RPGs that are story-driven and have a variety of characters (both likable and unlikable), then this is one of the games for you!”
    • “The story is your typical world-saving adventure presented in a mostly linear format, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but can be kind of constricting at times.”
    • “The story is decent, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table.”
    • “The story is made for tweens and, in my opinion, is going to feel awkward for those of us who are older, especially with all the intentional misspellings that were clearly made for the sake of memes.”
  • graphics27 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming anime art style, unique character designs, and vibrant visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some users noted minor graphical issues and an amateurish quality in certain aspects, the overall aesthetic is considered beautiful and reminiscent of classic RPGs like Final Fantasy 6. The combination of excellent visuals, sound, and music design significantly contributes to the game's emotional storytelling.

    • “The graphics and anime art style are adorable, colorful, and really suit the game, along with character designs that are, of course, really unique, and great level design.”
    • “The visuals are beautiful.”
    • “The artist has such a unique character art style that really makes the game stand out.”
    • “Fish tier aesthetics.”
    • “If the amateurish art and graphics don't bother you, and you're lenient with the frequent outdated internet 'lol random' writing and loads of tone inconsistencies, you should be fine.”
    • “Some graphical and collision detection issues that occurred last time I played.”
  • gameplay16 mentions

    The gameplay features a standard turn-based system with some balancing issues, offering around thirty hours of playtime and three different endings. While it follows typical RPG Maker conventions, the unique artwork and refined mechanics enhance the experience, making it enjoyable despite some characters feeling underutilized. Overall, players appreciate the engaging gameplay loop and the blend of narrative and humor.

    • “Above all else, I admire the craft of a developer who outshines her AAA counterparts by a colossal margin in every way - creating a work that combines an entertaining gameplay loop, a powerful narrative, and humor into one of the most lovable little experiences I've ever known!”
    • “Approximately thirty hours of gameplay with three different endings.”
    • “The gameplay uses a normal turn-based system, but there are several balancing issues.”
    • “I get that a lot of them were based off of real people, which helps in the long run, but many of the characters only serve one narrative (or gameplay) purpose, making it hard to justify keeping them all.”
    • “In just the bundle of minutes I've been playing, I have greatly enjoyed myself. The game itself is primarily a standard RPG that you would expect from an RPG Maker game; however, the original artwork and the tweaked gameplay certainly make the game stand out from what the base engine does.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The game's humor is subtle and not overtly comedic, often eliciting smiles and light chuckles rather than outright laughter. The protagonist, Akira, is portrayed as a likable character with a good sense of humor, and the game's style reflects the developer's personality. Additionally, accidental funny moments during gameplay, particularly with camera movements and flashy special skills, contribute to the overall lighthearted tone.

    • “Akira, the protagonist, is a likable character who has a pretty good sense of humor yet is very serious when she needs to be.”
    • “Speaking of which, the game's style and sense of humor definitely matches that of the developer herself, as shown by her YouTube videos.”
    • “It's not 'laugh out loud' funny (at least not to me), but it got me to smile and give a light chuckle at times.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted as a deeply impactful experience, combining a heartfelt story with relatable characters and transformative themes. Reviewers praise its ability to evoke strong feelings through a blend of quirky charm and poignant writing, making it a standout example of what a JRPG can achieve in terms of emotional depth. Overall, the game is described as both fun and heart-wrenching, leaving a lasting impression on players.

    • “Without any doubt, I can say this is one of the greatest and most transformative works of media the last century has given us; with a strangely charming mix of 'quirkiness' and writing straight out of the narrative school of 'emotional daggers to the heart', Gaia's Melody: Echoed Melodies stands as the paragon of what a JRPG should be.”
    • “Through a simple blend of stylistic flourish, relatability, and boundless creativity, this game delivers a breathtakingly memorable fantasy experience that achieves the near-impossible feat of getting the player - rather an average person, most likely - to relate to characters capable of slaying god-like beasts on a deep, emotional level.”
    • “The story and events from what I've seen so far are, while pretty amazing, also pretty emotional and heart-breaking.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised, with many reviewers highlighting the incredible soundtrack that significantly enhances the overall experience. It complements the story, visuals, and gameplay, contributing to a captivating atmosphere during battles and throughout the game.

    • “The story, visuals, sound, and music design are excellent and do a great job enhancing the story of the game.”
    • “The soundtrack is pretty incredible, and the battles (including the enemy and boss designs) are pretty cool.”
    • “The story, characters, battle system, music, and graphics were wonderful!”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game's stability is generally described as somewhat inconsistent, with users noting the presence of game-breaking glitches and bugs, particularly in tight areas. While the overall experience is praised for its beauty, the bugs are a common expectation for RPG Maker MV games, which are perceived as less advanced than their VX Ace counterparts.

    • “A messy ending is one thing, but game-breaking glitches are another.”
    • “It is also kind of buggy, but that's what many would expect from an RPG MV game, as the program is not as advanced as RPG VX Ace, as far as I know.”
    • “Overall beautiful, a bit buggy around tight corners but awesome everywhere else!”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for lacking depth, as some characters, like Tara, have appealing designs but share dialogue that feels interchangeable with others, such as Kachie. While the graphics and anime art style are praised for their uniqueness and charm, the overall character interactions do not significantly enhance the narrative experience.

    • “The graphics and anime art style are adorable, colorful, and really suit the game, along with character designs that are, of course, really unique.”
    • “The character designs are really unique and contribute greatly to the overall experience of the game.”
    • “Even though Tara has my favorite character design, all of her dialogue could easily have been given to Kachie.”
    • “Even though Tara has my favorite character design, all of her dialogue could easily have been given to Kachie.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players feel that the grinding in the game is excessive and serves primarily as a means to artificially extend playtime, detracting from the overall experience. While the open-ended design is appreciated, it often leads to tedious and repetitive tasks that feel more like padding than meaningful gameplay.

    • “I get what you were going for, the open-ended part of your game; you get freedom, and that works in games a lot of the time, but this all just feels like tedious padding to extend the playtime of your game.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization of this RPG Maker game is viewed positively, as players appreciate the evident effort and heart put into its development, distinguishing it from many other titles in the genre that are perceived as cash grabs.

  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for poor performance, particularly given its development on RPG Maker, which typically allows for better efficiency. Overall, players feel that the programming does not meet expectations for smooth gameplay.

    • “The performance of this game is poorly programmed, even for an RPG Maker game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

30hMedian play time
30hAverage play time
30-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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