02/05/2020

Bonds of the Skies: Baby's first Kemco RPG


But not the last, perish the thought. I just made my Kemco RPG debut, a whopping 30 years after I played their stuff for the first time; but trust me when I say that indeed, I won't let another 30 years pass until I go Kemco again.

We did indeed.

Following that heartfelt declaration, I'd like to write a ton about BOTS; but to be honest, that game is kinda hard to describe. The best I can say is that it's perfectly generic, yet perfectly wholesome. It ticks all the 'serviceable RPG that somehow encompasses all 16-bit RPGs' boxes, from the Secret of Mana-ish graphics to the snappy first-person turn-based combat à la Dragon Quest, without forgetting the roamable word map, the stronger gear in every new town and many more charming 16-bit RPG tropes. To put it simply: anything you love(d) in 16-bit RPGs, you'll probably find in BOTS.


You'll also find a number of neat quality-of-life improvements that may or may not have been a thing back in the '90s, such as instant save, sidequest end messages, tweakable battle speed and the like. Last but not least, BOTS is pleasantly manageable: in roughly 20 hours, you can accomplish everything there is to accomplish, from maxing out all characters' levels to acquiring every single skill. Not only does the game offer a reasonable number of goals to achieve, but it's also perfectly upfront with said goals. For instance, unlike some RPGs that viciously hide sidequests, BOTS kindly lets you know when you're done polishing off all sidequests — and it lets you know in-game, not as a trophy. It's probably the first time I ever encounter an RPG with completionist velleities that also utterly respects the player's time.


A special mention must be given to the narrative, which manages the tour de force to be totally unintrusive yet intensely compelling. In fact, it's probably one of the best story progression I've ever had the joy of following in any RPG, ever. How could they pull that off? How could they offer such clear goals, yet give such delicious leeway to accomplish them? How did they manage to revisit the uber-cliché 'mankind doesn't need gods' theme in such a refreshing and touching way? How did they know exactly where to insert cutscenes in order to get the best emotional impact? How did they manage to create such familiar yet engaging characters? A tour de force, I'm telling you.


And then there's the postgame, which is hands down the best postgame I've ever had the joy of playing — and I mean that quite literally, mind you. You know postgame is not my cup of tea, dear fellow gamers: as soon as the credits roll, my drive to play plummets, never to rise again. But not this time: this time, I wanted to keep playing, because Kemco fiendishly designed the most gripping postgame ever. Most gripping because:

It's short. On top of being draining, long postgames have an infuriating way of making the main game look futile and pointless — thus insulting the player who poured time and energy into said main game. BOTS wisely avoids that pitfall and keeps it short and sweet. If you grind dutifully all through the main game, postgame will hardly occupy more than 1/20 of your total playtime — case in point, I spent roughly 30 minutes on it for 20-or-so hours of total play.

It's challenging. Short it may be, but BOTS' postgame is tough as nails nonetheless. It challenges you to a couple of extra bosses, including an final, OP one that I only managed to beat by the teeth of my skin despite being at max level. Needless to say, I lapped it all up.

It's a closure. This is Kemco's true stroke of genius when it comes to BOTS' postgame: to actually make it an epilogue, and to give the player a major role in making it happen. To play an epilogue is just a million times more satisfying than to simply watch it — especially when said epilogue gives you all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings like BOTS' one. I'll admit it: I even teared up a little.


Well, well, well; that's actually a lot of writing for a game that was supposedly hard to describe, ain't it? To sum it up: I loved Bonds of the Skies, and I'm most certainly going to play more Kemco RPGs — maybe in a very near future, because I'm currently in a very grindy mood indeed. I'll see you soon with my gaming instinct's next catch, dear fellow gamers; take care during those rocky times!

4 comments:

  1. What a coincidence, I just finished this game myself about two months ago on the Vita. Also my first Kemco game, and I've acquired all I can for the switch, Vita and 3DS from their lineup.

    Not much to add, you hit the nail on the head. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed it, considering how maligned these games are. But I guess most reviewers aren't hardcore RPG gamers, so every RPG they play must feel "special" or else it's a waste of time. For those whose RPG is their main genre, simple and quick titles like these are just what we need to replenish our energies between bigger and more difficult titles.

    For how "hated" these games seem to be by reviewers, Kemco sure puts them out everywhere, so it must make a profit for them. So I assume fellow RPG fanatics also enjoy these on the side.

    If there's one complaint, is that one of the companies that makes the Kemco games does nothing but harem games. Which I can see myself liking for the first 3 games, then getting sick of getting nothing but a female cast all the time. I'm currently playing Asdivine Hearts, and while the gameplay is lovely, none of the girls interest me since they're as bland as they come.

    Still, one of three companies, so if nothing else I'll enjoy the games the others put out.

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    1. Now that's a serious number of coindidences, Kumiko! :D I'm sure our feelings about Bonds of the Skies are very similar indeed, since we discovered it in the exact same circumstances. ^^

      I have yet to play one of those harem Kemco games; we'll see how I like 'em. Asdivine Hearts was the very first Kemco RPG I purchased, and I'm seriously itching to play it right now. It has this adorable fluffy cat character, which I'm totally going to adore because cats are me passion. ^^

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    2. Good news, the cat is cute. Even better news, you can end up with the cat.

      Yeah.

      It's actually the only reason I'm sticking with it instead of trying out another of their games in hopes of getting a better cast.

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    3. A bestiality ending? Seriously? Those Kemco RPGs are decidedly full of surprises! Gee, now I want to play the game even more. Not that I'm a closeted furry lover or anything, but... I'm really curious to see how that feline love story plays out. Maybe I'll get flashbacks of my strange, undefinable relationship with Incineroar in Pokemon Sun&Moon :P

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