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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Witty dialogue and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- The game offers a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic JRPGs, with a unique story and engaging exploration.
- The developer is responsive to community feedback, continuously working on improvements and updates.
- The game is plagued by bugs, crashes, and performance issues, including significant frame drops and slow loading times.
- The combat mechanics and skill formulas can feel unbalanced and underwhelming, leading to tedious gameplay.
- The user interface and menu navigation are clunky and slow, detracting from the overall experience.
- story22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its unique and innovative presentation, showcasing a deep love for the JRPG genre. Players appreciate the well-written characters and the intriguing overarching plot, which unfolds through both main quests and engaging side content. The narrative is described as refreshing and continues to develop strongly, particularly in later chapters, keeping players hooked with its exploration and plot thickening.
“The story clearly shows a lot of love for the JRPG genre and is not afraid to show it.”
“It has a very unique story, and an intriguing way of presenting it, so that alone might be enough for some of you to consider this one.”
“The story has me hooked and I love the exploration this game has had so far.”
“The story follows the protagonist, who you name; he or she is called a 'wanderer,' and you get these really interesting mechanics called glitch techs.”
“Though some skills are locked behind things in the game, and not just story content.”
“While I haven't yet fully explored all the side quests, the world and story continue to be refreshing and well put together.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this indie JRPG combines classic 16-bit inspirations with unique mechanics like glitch techs and a timing-based combat system, offering a compelling experience despite some rough edges. However, it suffers from slow menu navigation and an overwhelming number of mechanics that lack depth, leading to a cluttered gameplay experience. While the core mechanics are solid and engaging, there is a call for refinement and focus to enhance overall gameplay fluidity.
“This JRPG clearly takes inspiration from some of the classic juggernauts of the 16-bit era while throwing in its own blend of quirky mechanics and meta-narrative to make a pretty compelling little open-world indie JRPG.”
“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 developer is attentive and inspired.”
“The game has potential, but as it stands, the graphics, gameplay, mechanics, and overall polish are rough.”
“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.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics are noted for their unique and interesting visuals, effectively utilizing system switching, though some graphical issues remain to be addressed. While the environments are thoughtfully designed and evoke a nostalgic old-school RPG feel, the overall polish and execution are currently considered rough, indicating potential for improvement.
“I am impressed with how the graphics take advantage of the system's switching.”
“Music is top notch, visuals are pretty unique and interesting.”
“The art style gives me old school RPG vibes.”
“Now it is true that there are some graphical issues at the time of this writing that still need some working out.”
“I don’t want to dig into that too much, but essentially stuff in the world will be all distorted, and when you try and fix it, you might end up in a totally different looking area, art style, or pixel count.”
“The game has potential but as it stands the graphics, gameplay, mechanics, and overall polish are rough.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the immersive experience, with players enjoying the catchy tunes so much that they leave the game open just to listen. However, some users expressed disappointment that the original soundtrack is not available on Spotify. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that complements the unique visuals and believable world.
“Witty dialogue between characters, boppin' music!”
“Spent some time just leaving the game open to listen to the music.”
“Music is top notch, visuals are pretty unique and interesting.”
“My only complaint is that this game’s OST isn’t on Spotify.”
“To bring this all together, I think the best part of Infinite Mana is the believable world, and the music that helps immerse you in it.”
- 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 frustrating slowdowns during transitions and certain visual effects. Comparisons to other 2.5D titles suggest that there is room for improvement in performance. Despite these issues, one reviewer rated the performance and UI highly, indicating that there are positive aspects to the game's optimization.
“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.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players find it enjoyable despite occasional bugs, others report significant instability that can render it unplayable at times. Glitches are present, but they sometimes contribute to the storytelling experience.
“The game is great, but it is so bug-ridden and unstable that it can be unplayable at times.”
“A bit buggy, but still a fun ride.”
