Info about False Skies:

Official game description:
  
_It has been 2000 years since the stars fell from the night sky.  
To see them in this place... what does this mean for us?_
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The throne room of a long-forgotten ruin lies ransacked. Communication is lost, monsters run rampant across the land, and ships that leave the safety of the shore are quickly sunk. And among all this, rumors of a group of strange horned people, hailing from a city that vanished millennia ago, are quickly spreading...
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False Skies is a classic RPG with fast-paced, turn-based battles and an involved class system.
Features:
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*   Create a party with any combination of 8 distinct classes.  
*   ...and, when the time comes, layer on new classes! Each of the four tiers has its own set of 8 classes to choose from, with no restrictions on what classes can be chosen.  
*   No equipment restrictions! Go put that sword on your mage - but be aware that it might not be the best idea to do so.  
*   Explore well over a dozen dungeons, encounter over 300 types of enemies, and associate with a varied cast of characters as you travel the world.  
*   Enjoy many quality of life features, such as reduced penalties for falling in battle and obsolete skills being replaced.
The Battle System
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False Skies employs a simple, traditional, and fast battle system. With clever and effective skill selection, your foes shall fall fast - but you'll sustain heavy damage in return if you're not careful, especially if you hit with attacks that are readily countered by whatever you're facing.
The Class System
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At certain points throughout your journey, you'll get the chance for your party members to change class. Each class comes with its own unique traits, whether it be what skills they learn, how strong their stat growths are, or equipment they can use effectively. Furthermore, each new class layers onto your older ones, with your party members keeping all their old skills and stats intact.  
While a few classes will be available for you to change into immediately, data on most of them are scattered around the world. Go off the beaten path, and you shall be rewarded...

Release date: Nov 30, 2022

Categories: Turn-based RPG, Class-based Combat, Player Customization, Exploration, Story-driven Gameplay, Retro, JRPG, Progression System


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $9.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence indicates that users find the game worth its price, even at full price. Multiple reviews mention that the game is worth buying without waiting for a discount, suggesting that the current price is considered fair and possibly even low for the value provided. The specific mention of 'only nine bucks full price' provides a clear data point for the upper end of the price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 74.0h
  - Story completion: 24.0h
  - Session length: 8.0h
  - Endgame: 20.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct references to playtime metrics. The first quote mentions a total playtime of around 72-76 hours for game completion, which aligns with the 'gameCompletion' metric. The second quote indicates that around 50 hours of playtime were spent without completing the game, suggesting a high level of engagement and supporting the 'gameCompletion' metric. The third quote discusses the depth and complexity of the game, implying a significant time investment for completion and endgame content. The fourth quote suggests that 8 hours of playtime felt like being one-third to halfway through the game, supporting the 'storyCompletion' and 'sessionLength' metrics.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts slow with initial friction from repetitive encounters but becomes significantly more enjoyable after early progression and unlocks.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Unlocking world-map traversal tools and story progression.
  - Time to anchor: 30h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive encounters; Lifeless early environment; Slow start
  - Unlock drivers: World-map traversal tools; Story progression; New classes and abilities
  - Conditions: Patience with early game; Enjoyment of story-driven RPGs; Preference for exploration and combat
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic Retro Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for retro gameplay mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys classic turn-based combat and exploration, appreciates the retro aesthetic and gameplay.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: retro gamer; JRPG fan
    - Reference games: Final Fantasy; SaGa
  - Hardcore Grinder (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of challenging and time-consuming gameplay.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on grinding, experimenting with class combinations, and overcoming high difficulty challenges.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: hardcore gamer; completionist
    - Reference games: Final Fantasy; Dark Souls
  - Story-Driven Explorer (buy)
    - Motivation: Engagement with the story and world-building.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on exploring the game world and uncovering the narrative, enjoys the story-driven aspects of the game.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: story enthusiast; explorer
    - Reference games: Final Fantasy; Chrono Trigger


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Highly praised class system (weight 0.74): The class system is frequently highlighted for its depth, flexibility, and uniqueness. Players appreciate the ability to create unique and creative builds, often describing it as interesting and highly customizable.
- Appeals to retro JRPG fans (weight 0.51): The game is noted for its retro style, reminiscent of classic JRPGs and Gameboy RPGs. It captures the essence of older games, appealing to fans of the genre.
- Compelling and unique story (weight 0.5): The story is often described as interesting, complex, and full of twists and turns. Players find the narrative compelling and the story premise unique.
- Charming and cohesive art style (weight 0.45): The art style is described as charming, cohesive, and lovely. Players appreciate the aesthetic and the retro-inspired graphics.
- Outstanding music and soundtrack (weight 0.4): The music is frequently praised as outstanding, catchy, and fantastic. The soundtrack is a significant highlight for many players.
- Large world for exploration (weight 0.25): Players appreciate the large open world and the delight of exploring it. The game captures the good feelings of discovery and exploration.

Common complaints:
- Dungeon length and design (weight 0.26): Some dungeons are criticized for being too long and overstaying their welcome. Additionally, certain dungeons can feel like confusing mazes.
- Game length and pacing (weight 0.25): The game is criticized for being too long and dragging on, with a final dungeon that feels tedious. The slow progression and overwhelming length can be tiring for players.
- Lack of information and guidance (weight 0.22): There is a notable lack of in-game explanations and guidance, including no introductory manual, no in-game notes system, and poorly conveyed quest and job information.
- High encounter rate (weight 0.19): The game has a notably high random encounter rate, especially in large dungeons, which many players find excessive and in need of fine-tuning.
- Objective clarity (weight 0.18): The game often does not clearly communicate its objectives, expecting players to guess what to do next, which can be confusing and frustrating.
- Inventory and UI problems (weight 0.18): The game features an inconvenient user interface, a messy inventory system, and low quality-of-life UI elements, making it difficult to manage items and menus.
- Combat and gameplay mechanics (weight 0.18): The combat system is criticized for being uninteresting and fussy. Additionally, some mechanics, such as enemy attacks and escape mechanics, are noted as problematic.
- Lack of character development (weight 0.17): Player characters are often seen as blank slates with little development, making it hard to distinguish between them.
- Design and level issues (weight 0.17): The game has been criticized for its level design, which can become increasingly annoying, and for certain design flaws, such as the obligatory fight against a robot immune to all damage except bows.
- Technical and polish issues (weight 0.16): The game is noted for lacking a basic level of polish, with issues such as initial resolution zoom problems and buggy interactions with certain mechanics.
- Grinding and progression (weight 0.15): The game features a grindy nature with forced grinding for game currency, which can feel counterproductive and overwhelming.
- Control and settings issues (weight 0.14): The game has awkward and non-customizable controls and graphics settings, leading to a choppy motion and potential motion sickness.
- Travel and navigation issues (weight 0.14): Players have noted troublesome travel mechanics, including slow movement in the overworld and late-game navigation issues.
- Map accessibility issues (weight 0.13): Players have noted problems with map accessibility, including issues with one-button map access and windowed mode.
- Dialogue and writing quality (weight 0.12): The dialogue and writing in the game are sometimes criticized for being rough around the edges, with some phrases being overused and bordering on cheesy.
- Difficulty spikes (weight 0.11): The game features sudden difficulty spikes, particularly noted halfway through the game, which can be frustrating for players.
- Puzzle frustration (weight 0.1): Some puzzles in the game are seen as frustrating and in need of fine-tuning, adding to player dissatisfaction.

Gameplay feedback:
- Deep class-based RPG mechanics (weight 0.97): The game features a complex and layered class system that allows for heavy customization and progression. Players appreciate the tier-based class system with unique abilities and diverse skillsets.
- Complex dungeons and puzzles (weight 0.28): Dungeons in the game range from basic mazes to extremely complex puzzle dungeons. Players appreciate the creativity and depth of the dungeon designs.
- Random encounters and exploration (weight 0.16): The game features random encounters and a vast world to explore. Players have mixed feelings about the encounter rate but enjoy the exploration aspects.
- Unique blend of fantasy and futuristic elements (weight 0.1): The game features a unique world that blends fantasy and futuristic elements. This setting appeals to players looking for a fresh take on the RPG genre.
- Mixed feelings on grinding (weight 0.09): Players have mixed opinions on the grinding aspect of the game. Some appreciate the lack of grinding, while others find it grindy.

Performance notes:
- Motion and framerate problems (weight 0.16): Players are experiencing choppy motion and motion sickness, likely due to framerate issues.
- Display and resolution issues (weight 0.11): There are problems with windowed mode and initial resolution zoom, affecting the game's display.
- Positive Steam Deck experience (weight 0.06): Players report that the game runs perfectly on Steam Deck, highlighting a smooth experience on this platform.

Recommendations:
- Try the demo first (weight 0.16): Players are encouraged to try the demo to determine if they enjoy the game before making a purchase. This helps in making an informed decision about supporting the developer.
- Use forums for help (weight 0.1): Players are advised to use forums for any questions they might have, indicating a supportive community and available resources.
- Exploration and NPC interaction (weight 0.06): The game is suited for those who enjoy exploring and interacting with NPCs, adding depth to the gameplay experience.
- Manage encounter rate (weight 0.05): The game includes a mechanic to manage encounter rates using Repels, which can help in controlling the frequency of random battles.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Excitement (weight 0.22): Players are particularly excited about the game's class system, which offers a variety of character building options and challenges. The engaging story, character development, and comparisons to classic games also contribute to this excitement, along with the game's art style, music, and overall atmosphere.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.2): Players find satisfaction in the game's story, combat, and growth systems, as well as its adherence to classic RPG elements. The game's depth, content, and overall experience, including its puzzles, creative world, and satisfying conclusion, also contribute to this feeling.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Players experience frustration due to difficulty spikes, tedious gameplay, and a finicky class system. High encounter rates, lack of information, and various design flaws, such as confusing dungeons and frustrating puzzles, also contribute to this emotion.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.14): The game evokes nostalgia by reminding players of classic games from their childhood, such as those in the Saga, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy series. Its retro style, dungeon design, and visuals contribute to this feeling of nostalgia.
- Disappointment (weight 0.03): Some players feel disappointed due to the lack of clear progression and poor map access. Difficulty in engaging with the story and gameplay, as well as issues with the game's design and class system, also contribute to this emotion.
- Engrossment (weight 0.03): Players feel engrossed due to the game's captivating world and polished gameplay. The story also plays a significant role in drawing players in.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players enjoy the game's interesting story and good music. The game's mechanics and charm also contribute to this feeling of enjoyment.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's adherence to classic JRPG elements. The game's depth, content, combat, class system, and world also contribute to this enthusiasm.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Players are surprised by the game's good narrative and unique story premise, which stand out as unexpected positives.
- Overwhelm (weight 0.01): Some players feel overwhelmed by the game's depth and the sheer amount of content it offers.
- Amazement (weight 0.01): Players are amazed by the game's depth and the extensive content it provides, which exceeds their expectations.
- Challenge (weight 0.01): Players find the game challenging due to its combat and puzzles, which test their skills and strategies.}