Infinite Mana
- May 28, 2024
- Hydlide
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Infinite Mana" is a 2.5D RPG set in the magical world of Arukea, featuring classic design elements from 8/16-bit era games with modern gameplay. The game offers over 20 different Guises with unique abilities, and encourages exploration and discovery with glitch mechanics. Embrace the unexpected and enjoy a sense of wonder as you collect, learn, and interact with the world around you. The demo walkthrough can be found here. Glitches are a normal part of the experience.
Reviews
- The game is a love letter to classic JRPGs, capturing the essence of what made them great while incorporating modern quality of life features.
- The story is engaging and shows a lot of love for the genre, with interesting characters and a well-developed world.
- The exploration is rewarding, with plenty of secrets and side quests to discover, and the job system offers a variety of unique class options.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including frame drops and slow loading times, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Many gameplay mechanics feel clunky and underdeveloped, leading to a lack of depth and making navigation through menus frustrating.
- The combat system has balance issues, with some classes being overwhelmingly powerful compared to others, making it tedious to engage in battles.
- gameplay15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mixed bag, showcasing solid mechanics typical of class-based turn-based JRPGs, but marred by slow and clunky menus, and an overwhelming number of mechanics that lack depth. While some features, like character proficiencies and unique job skills, add variety, the overall experience could benefit from streamlining to enhance fluidity and focus. Players appreciate the game's respect for their time and the developer's attentiveness, but hope for a more refined approach as it evolves.
“There's a bunch of additional mechanics (like characters having proficiencies, jobs having unique field skills), an in-battle QTE mechanic (which in turn makes basic skills stronger than skills that spend resources) and more.”
“The gameplay is solid, the puzzles are the right amount of frustrating, the game is respectful of the player's time, and the dev is attentive and inspired.”
“The game mechanics feel solid.”
“However, the gameplay suffers quite a bit from two major issues: the menus are generally very slow and clunky to navigate, and it has a lot of complication but without much depth.”
“In a sense, it suffers from an 'everything and the kitchen sink' problem where rather than focusing on a few mechanics and really refining them, there's a bunch of different mechanics in varying degrees of usefulness or interest.”
“I'm hoping that as the game evolves over time it doesn't keep piling on mechanics; as it stands, I feel like it could do with trimming down bits of the gameplay it already has in favor of ensuring the gameplay is snappy.”
- story13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story is highly praised for its deep love for the JRPG genre, featuring solid writing and engaging plot development that keeps players hooked. With a strong narrative progression into chapter 3 and a wealth of interesting sidequests, the game offers a refreshing and immersive experience that encourages exploration. Overall, the storytelling is considered unique and well-crafted, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“The story clearly shows a lot of love for the JRPG genre and is not afraid to show it.”
“The story has me hooked and I love the exploration this game has had so far.”
“I think the game has some really solid writing and plot development.”
“If I had to break it down by story, gameplay, character cast, theme, and design, I would say the story is lacking.”
“The sidequests and main quests are there, but they feel disconnected from the overall narrative.”
“While I haven't yet fully explored all the sidequests, the world and story feel underdeveloped and fail to engage.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally well-received for their thoughtful design and nostalgic art style reminiscent of old-school RPGs, with environments that are logically laid out. However, some users note that there are still graphical issues that need addressing, indicating that while the game has potential, it currently lacks polish in this area.
“I am impressed with how the graphics take advantage of the system's switching.”
“The art style gives me old school RPG vibes.”
“World & aesthetics: 10/10.”
“Now it is true that there are some graphical issues at the time of this writing that still need some working out.”
“The game has potential, but as it stands, the graphics, gameplay, mechanics, and overall polish are rough.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report smooth performance on their PCs, others experience noticeable slowdowns during transitions and specific visual effects. Comparatively, it falls short against other 2.5D titles, indicating that further optimization work is needed. Despite these issues, some users still rate the performance positively, suggesting improvements have been made.
“I also want to note that I have no performance issues on my PC and the game runs perfectly.”
“Performance / UI: 9/10 (previously 8/10)”
“Comparing it to other 2.5D games out there like Octopath Traveler 2 or the recent Star Ocean 2 remake, there's some work that needs to be done here on the game's performance.”
“The performance can be grating at times; something about the engine used for this game causes slowdowns during transitions and depending on what effects are currently on the screen (like snowfall).”
“The performance issues usually show themselves in the form of transitional slowdowns, which after a few seconds fix themselves, but they can be annoying.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's original soundtrack is well-received, with players praising its quality and immediate appeal; however, there is a notable complaint regarding its absence on Spotify.
“The music is good, right out of the box.”
“My only complaint is that this game’s OST isn’t on Spotify.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has received mixed feedback regarding stability, with many users highlighting significant bugs and instability that can render it unplayable at times.
“The game is great, but it is so bug-ridden and unstable that it can be unplayable at times.”
“I frequently encounter crashes that disrupt my gameplay experience.”
“The frequent lag and glitches make it hard to enjoy the game.”
