Rainbow Moon: That's a wrap

Roughly one year after I took a break from my beloved Rainbow Moon, I went back to it and polished it off in one clean, swift go. I defeated my archenemy in a fight that was mostly a matter of patience over tactics, said archenemy being a massive HP bag whose blows hardly made a dent on my little Baldren's enormous HP bar. I could then at long last go back to my homeland, only to be kindly invited to go back to Rainbow Moon — the land, not the game — to tackle a flurry of sidequests involving massively overlevelled enemies. I passed on that, though: after 75 hours spent playing Rainbow Moon, I definitely had my fill of grinding, drawn-out battles and quests sending me all over the world to pick random items. More of this would spoil the pleasure, and I certainly don't want to ruin the memory of those amazing and fulfilling 75 hours of roaming, exploring and grinding. I used to think that I would play that game for hundred of hours, taking my sweet time and enjoying the ride; but then the credits rolled and, well... You know the drill: my drive to play plummeted and crashed down, never to rise again.

To wrap up that Rainbow Moon epic, I'll make a quick, non-exhaustive list of the things I loved in that amazing gem of a game. I was initially (read: last year, when my obsession with the game was at its peak) planning to write an exhaustive list of said things I loved; but now, one year later, I don't really feel like doing that — not to mention that it would probably be an exhausting (no pun intended) read. So I'll just stick to the features that really stick out (sheesh, enough crappy puns already):

• All randoms encounters can be avoided, fleeing never fails and the game lets you kindly know which foes you'll be fighting and how many of them. Perfect for micromanaging your level-grinding and your farming.
• Should you die in battle, you'll respawn at the exact same spot with 1 HP. No progression lost, no backtracking, no hassle. 
• Healers, merchants and the like can be found virtually everywhere, including in the deepest recesses of dungeons. Exploring those cutthroat places suddenly feels much more relaxing once you know you can rest and refurbish on the spot.
• Instant save anytime, anywhere. 'Nuff said. 
• You always get the opportunity to save and prepare before boss battles, even after you've engaged with said boss. This is the RPG equivalent of anime foes politely waiting for heroes to have achieved their transformations and delivered their introductory speeches before attacking them, and it's both hilarious and very handy.
• Tons and tons of loot ready for the taking. On top of the obligatory monster drops, the game world is overflowing with safes and money bags begging to be pilfered. Oh, and they glow. With a golden shimmer. You'll feel like Scrooge McDuck when you see them, I swear. 

Then you have more subjective points, such as the lush graphics that caress and soothe the retina, the pint-sized game world that does away with useless roaming (always a plus for a gamer who grew up on 8 and 16-bits offerings), the whole enchanting atmosphere of the game that reminds me of RPGs of old and fills me with nostalgia and wanderlust, the tight gameplay that features metric tons of grinding, and so on. I just ADORE that game, period. It's a perfect retro grindy treat with a heavy coating of modern player-friendliness, and this is a mix I'll undoubtedly come back to in the future. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!