Being the connoisseur of rpgs of all kinds since I was a kid (shut up im old) this game was a real interesting treat to behold since I always been a big fan of the old school games that were real popular in the 90's. Knowing Bara-Diction's work already and being familiar with his tastes I started investing and playing this game when it was halfway through it's infancy and just starting to pick up some real steam. At first I had BIG expectations from the story and watching it change, evolve, and ripen into a fully released and well polished game was an inspiring journey that tbh I wish I could repeat again, and again. There was something truly special about being there to watch it become what it is now. It was like watching a smith forge and fold a real katana blade. You see every hammer strike nail out the imperfections until becomes a work of art that is truly remarkable. for all you here in the comment section giving a read-this is my collective opinion on My Time at Etheria.
If ya want spoilers or for me to discuss certain points-sorry. But I truly feel this game is like a mystery dessert. Needs time and patience to appreciate every bite. This little review is not going to be entirely positive, I do have things to say that are critical so brace yourself for those lil tidbits at the end of every paragraph that contain minor potential spoils.
Character Dev.
The start of the story opens up alot of questions about where the character comes from and throughout the story you are told some real important details about where Drey is from and where he is going. You know right from the start that he is not from this world and he is about to go on a pretty interesting journey that has alot of acceptance, self-discovery, and growth. I am actually really glad this character was not a blank slate like so many rpg characters. He is a bit token and tropey but this is kinda what you need when you have an old school rpg and you need to give the main character a personality. Something to relate to and sympathize with-and plenty of that is given down the road. Something you are gonna need to discover for yourself. I do like Drey, or however you like to name him as a character and I think Bara-Diction has done a good job personifying him by giving him a sense of humor, some brains, and strength. And bad stuff does happen to this character, often. This to me was very important because the more you make a character look vulnerable the more human they simulate. I didn't get all my questions about the main character that I been speculating about since the start of the adventure and that to me is a real huge loss. I genuinely do feel like we needed to know more about where Drey comes from and how he got to Etheria. That plot point felt like a big pit needing filling because it was the key turning the car on to start the engine.
Garet is a character who has a real interesting story to him from start to end. He is a totally different person by the end of the story and seeing how he got there and how his relationship with Drey grows is where alot of the heart of the story comes from. It is actually real hard to talk about the character without giving very much away but I really hope that you all enjoy this character as much as I do. Totally not biased by his looks. At all. Ever. Lex is best boy and remains best boy throughout the story. Easily my favorite character and party member. Lex is the gooey little comic relief that is there to be the 'awwww' factor for the story and the massive fuck off button in battle and I love that. RPGs really like to utilize deadly but cute characters in games and this was a fun little way to get in on the trope.
Overall, the characters feel like they all fulfill their roles very well. We are given time to know them and see them establish themselves in the story to mark their importance. For the most part. Some of the characters feel like they needed a bit more time to them so that we can have a deeper feeling for them, particularly one near the end who shows up beside another very well established character from the late game. I had so many questions about this person so it felt a bit rushed to see them fall off the game after a deus-ex machina with little understanding.
Design
The world is beautiful. Absolutely pretty to look at and well crafted through and through. The effort when hand-drawing the backgrounds and dungeons are speaking for themselves quite loudly. Every environment you walk in has a feeling that it is designed in just the right way. You have your mystique filled misty forests, dark and deep dungeons with big monsters, and happy towns with happy town music that makes you instantly recall towns with similar feels like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, Earthbound, etc. It really puts a smile on your face. The best ones would be places like Lemuria City-it feels like the perfect hub town like Goldenrod City where you can come back and rest after a long journey, find anything you are looking for, and you have such a big place to move around in and explore. This was the game at it's finest. When the story starts to pick up some real momentum. This is an aspect of the whole game that I can find very little to say anything negative about. I can't say each location on the map is absoluterly perfect but I can happily say that it has been tended to very carefully. If I HAD to say anything negative I would say that some of the puzzle made me want to pound nails into my eyeballs a few times and the Emerald Forest really forced me to play hard to avoid dying to the few obnoxious bosses I ran into there. I don't think hard games are a bad thing tho-I love having a real hard few moments in games that are meant to enjoy the journey now and then. Sometimes you just get hit with unexpected difficulties and I think this is good. One of my favorite design choices throughout the game are the bosses and the mobs. The creature designs range from generic to truly unique. I mean that is ok of course-there is only so many ways you can make a skeleton soldier lol. Some of the mobs have some designs that really give them an identity that I will be able to point to and instantly say 'oh this is from Etheria!', which is exactly what I was hoping for. If I could change anything I would try to see what I could do about the early bandits. Their design makes them look like they are a bit of an asset flip because their design is so different from the others. They don't feel like they belong and might need a bit of a change to make them look a bit consistent with the rest of the mobs you can encounter. The battle system is a typical turn-based rpg style that allows you to see the turn order so you can plan out your moves and each character is given their own movesets, strengths, weaknesses, and tactics. You CAN make everyone absolutely OP with the right build if the grind doesn't bother you at all and you just want to breeze your way through the fights. Sometimes the effects can be a little glitchy and stay on the screen after you use them but this has rarely happened and fixes itself when the fight ends. Despite the real strong attempt to utilize spells and powers in the game that give status effects like paralysis, poison, and confusion or sleep-they all feel inefficient when you can just spend a turn bashing them and wittling down their health. This is likely what you are gonna be doing too-ignoring the cc's. You will be having your hands full keeping your constant hunger for AP on the rise with food buffs and magical attacks so the cc's are in an awkward spot. Particularly poison. It doesn't feel worth the slot.
Music and Sound
The game has GREAT music! The dungeons feel like they have dungeon music, the battle music for each region I could listen to on repeat, and some of the boss themes are amongst some of my absolute favorites. The early boss music is easily the best piece of music in the game when it comes to fights. The sound effects are timed and orchestrated nicely too. The explosions feel like explosions, slashes are your general generic slash noise. I got a pleasant surprise to see that the characters eventually got their own little bits of vocals added later in the game's developement that really enhanced their expressions. Nice touch! The music has it's own cheese tho-and I love cheese in doses when it comes to games. Some of the music particularly during a particular camping night in the woods early in the game felt like it was SUPER awkward to listen to and really needed to stop. It fit to the moment like a thumb tack to the ear drum so I usually need to tune it out. And the last dungeon music was where I felt the game was at it's weakest. The expectations for the final dungeon and it's music was the only blemish I felt kept the game from having the epic ending that it deserved. I don't mean to sound harsh because I do accept it for how it is-I can just look and listen to the final act and only think of what could be so much better.
The story
Satisfied beginning, GREAT middle. And bit of an end that felt like it needed more time. The story was at it's strongest from the beginning to the middle, had some real muscle and good storytelling nearing the end and then it felt like it was just getting tired. I am satisfied with the story to a great degree and I am definitely going to play this again, and again in the future to relive the moments that were VERY good. Some places in the story really hit you in the feels, and a couple of them make you feel like something was lacking but the best times far, FAR outweigh the bad times. It is like the tip of an iceberg, the small problems in the writing are so small compared to the rest of the depth and body under the water. There were SO many moments where I was smiling and roaring in laughter, and from the looks of it some of the characters were too haha. I would say the story here has a real predictable outcome of course and you can see where the plot is going from miles away but the journey to get to that end is what makes it special. It feels like it's own story with a familiar feel to it that you heard before but the way the story is told and how different it is make it feel like it really has a place and should be experienced by anyone whose into a typical RPG but in this case- way more penises lol.
Overall!
There really is something special about this game and I encourage you to take your time with it. Don't speed your way through it and enjoy the best of times in it from the dialogue to the battles. Take in the sights and also take into account that this was constructed by hand by one man. It took a good couple of years to finish but I am glad I was there for the days when the gas pedal was stomped on. I wish I was there for the very beginning cause I would be backing this the entire time. I am still very satisfied with the investment and testing I conducted to see this game through to the end. This was a road trip I would repeat again for sure : ) It was an honor to test the game and give Bara-Diction some much needed pointers to bring it to the state it is in now. This goes for not just me but every tester who participated. Is it worth $20? Yes. Absolutely. I would buy it for more still. Now I just wonder when and if any merchandising will be done in the future cause my wallet is ready.
8.8/10. VERY solid score I can give. It gets my stamp of approval and my recommendation to anyone I know to pick it up and give it a try. It really has something to offer and I love it!