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Amazing game, definitely one-of-a-kind


evaporate

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Not quite a traditional roleplaying game, definitely not a Harry Potter ripoff, and not quite a life sim - I'm not sure how to classify Academagia, but all I can say is that it's truly unique. Unique, and FUN. I've sunk way too many hours into this game and its DLCs, and I'm definitely looking forward to playing Year 2 when it comes out.

 

The idea behind Academagia isn't particularly original, but as part of a generation of people who grew up with the Harry Potter books, I was hooked on the premise immediately. Although I quickly realized that this was nothing like Harry Potter (despite the many elements and characters reminiscent of the books), I kept playing - the game was too much fun.

 

I can't say for certain why this game made such an impression on me, so I'll just rattle off a list of what I liked about it. For one, the lore makes roleplaying easy. The world is richly developed, there's so much lore, and it definitely feels like I'm a student in another universe. Ironically, I felt more immersed in the world of Academagia - a text-based game - than I had in most modern RPGs, like Skyrim, which touts itself as an 'immersive' experience. Also, the game feels very polished. The soundtrack and artwork are fantastic, especially the scenery/landscape artwork that pops up in random events and adventures. I remember encountering a random event where I was in the library at night, full of floating candles - the accompanying artwork for that event was simply breathtaking. The skills and spells are a lot of fun (especially Gates), though I wish Gates and Mastery options popped up in adventures more often. I also wish there would be other first year students (even if it's just one or two) who also dabbled in the illicit arts - I mean, how likely is it that I'm completely alone in my unbridled curiosity? Finally, the random occurrences and adventures are definitely the best part of the game. Most of them are SUPERBLY written and just a pleasure to play and read.

 

I do have a minor gripes about the game. For one, it feels like there's no reliable way to increase the maximum relationship between yourself and another student, and some of the student descriptions/events are misleading. For example, I had a random encounter with a male student who had been secretly drawing portraits for my female character, but I could never build their relationship high enough to get the 'Love' emotion. Another is the strangeness of the game's learning curve: to a new player, it's not quite apparent that the adventures and random events are the 'meat' of the game. I know there's an expansive tutorial adventure that explains everything, but even then, that takes a long time to complete (and requires development of skills).

 

Overall, the game is amazingly addictive. Just wanted to say thanks for making such a unique game. :)

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