TLDR: I'm a huge fan of Amaranth Games, but it somehow took me forever to get around to playing Stargazer, where they're billed alongside lead developer John Wizard. I'm so glad I finally did, because this game is a delight. The characters are all charming, the dialogue is engaging and funny, the gameplay is a perfect fresh take on classic RPG components, and the way the story is set up is genuinely very unique, even if it is a very common plotline. I beat the game in a little under 22 hours, but my Steam playtime clocks in at 37 total. There's a fair bit of idle time here, and a few areas where I died and had to restart my progress in game, but honestly a significant chunk of the ~10 hour discrepancy is me deliberately going back and replaying certain scenes and zones because I enjoyed them so much, or I wanted to make sure that character said what I thought they did. For $5, this game is beyond worth the price, it's a steal - if I could pay more for it, I genuinely would.
People I would recommend this game to: RPG maker fantasy fans, Aveyond fans, fantasy/adventure fans who like romance to play a central part in the story. If multiple of those sound like you, it goes double or triple.
Full review:
I have my criticisms - one character dynamic in particular felt like they were going for cheap laughs rather than legitimate development (I could never really tell what was up with Thyme and Grayson), some jokes were not particularly funny to me and overstayed their welcome, awful same face, and there was some REALLY cool world-building potential that wasn't explored as thoroughly as I wanted - but across the whole expanse of the game and how much I enjoyed it, they're honestly few and far between. Stargazer was a wild, wonderful ride, and I genuinely enjoyed every moment of it, even parts I took issue with.
Aura and Zach's relationship is sweet, compelling, and feels very real, if a little cheesy and overenthusiastic young love. The way their bonding over the stars drives the plot for the bulk of the game, not the quest the player can see rumbling in the background, is unique from the games I'm used to and how they prioritize stories. It was refreshing, and helped add depth to the leads.
The other characters are all a ball to be around, too. I may not understand what's going on with Thyme and Grayson, but I found their dialogue hilarious and their personalities, individually, very likable and fun. Grayson is probably my favorite character of the bunch - a fiercely committed, stern ex-soldier with an environmentalist streak who really just likes being part of a team. Other highlights include Scarbeck, an enthusiastic and confident detective who drives some very fun sidequests, and Kala, a late game party member who rides a giant Firewing bird named Mila.
The gameplay was fantastic. If you've played the Aveyond series, it uses the same battle style as Aveyond 4, which is my favorite battle system of all time. If you're unfamiliar, it's a variation on RPG Maker's default battle system that replaces attacks and skills with actions unique to each party member. It requires more strategy than most conventional takes on the RPG Maker battle system without requiring the player memorize a bunch of element match-ups and feels far more fluid to me. It also helps characterizing party members by reflecting their personalities in what they're capable of doing. And in Stargazer, it allows for a world where magic has largely disappeared, while still giving the bulk of the party interesting skillsets.
The maps were also great. They emphasized elevation in a way that both made for a really fun exploration experience, and mimicked the game's focus on summits really well. Despite these tilesets being really common in the RPG Maker XP community, I feel like this is a fresh take on them that I've never seen before. There are times when you get to interact with the map in unique ways, slowly learning new ways to explore an area, which are some of the most fun I've ever had playing a video game.
Do yourself a favor and play Stargazer!
