Familia follows four protagonists through a journey to retake their homeland. The game’s style is highly influenced by 90s style Japanese role-playing games like Final Fantasy 1-6.
Very Positive
26 Steam reviews
| LANGUAGE | AUDIO | SUBTITLES | INTERFACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | — | Y | Y |
This game really brought back a lot of nostalgia for me from the days when I used to play Ultima Online in the 90s. I really enjoyed cruising around and finding things in the town, the cave was also really fun, the story is unique with likable characters, and the fighting is well balanced. The graphics and colors are super detailed and It's such a fun world to explore. Still playing so looking forward to exploring more. I really like this developer and stoked to see what else he will create.
A short RPGMaker game.
It is sometimes hard to see characters, because they are very small.
Be warned if you want to play a story rich game....this is just the 1st Act...and seeing that the release on Steam was nearly 2 1/2 ago with no sign of the 2nd Act...like I said it is a very short game...and it wont get better because you can play a game+ after finishing it....also sadly you can only save at special points or outside of dungeons....but that's not a very big problem for an 2 hour game.
If you are looking for a modern RPG game with a great retro throwback feel to it, then this is the game for you.
With active development from the creator for the current Act I while also working on Act II this is a game that is going to have a lot of reply value. It even has a harder progression when you clear the first Act.
Act II looks like it was delayed, but I think that's a positive as it means more development time for it but it also allows current & new players to fully continue to explore & complete achievements they are working towards before new content drops.
As with all games, there are minor bugs here & there that you may come across & the creator is active on socials, so feedback like that is very important as it allows him to try to replicate these issues & work on solutions.
The music of the game is quite relaxing & the story is engaging while also emotional at the same time.
Trust me, you will catch feels playing this. The game seems very simple now but new systems are coming & I can't wait for it because it means I'll get to start over in a new save file & see what I remember & how everything feels come Act II.
This game is worth your time if you are a fan of retro JRPG games.
Note that this is just a review for Act 1. I will probably have to edit it when Act 2 comes out.
[h1]A Testbed for Big Numbers[/h1]
[h2]Story[/h2]
The main story thus far is very simple and short, since it mainly consists of an evil empire whose motives we still don't really understand. Additionally, since this is just the first act, there's a lot of unresolved plot points, like Lono recovering his memory and Sero's backstory. Whatever dialogue is there is decently written, and I like the interactions between Poki and Koko during the tutorial. I also find it interesting that the family is accepting of Lono's amnesia, though I wish there was a segment where they try to help him get his memories back by visiting various Kalbi locations. Maybe this will be saved for Act 2 or when the war dies down?
Also, are we going to get any character development for Bedge and Wicks, or are they just there for the headcount?
[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
The gameplay is extremely basic, at least by the standards of RPG Maker games that I play.
Every character has a class that determines what kinds of skills they learn. The problem is that the majority of characters are either ninjas or monks, giving them all extremely similar movesets. They might have a few skills or passive abilities to set them apart, but the redundancy is still there. The only real exceptions so far are Sero (a guest character sage), Shogun (mighty glacier who has a random number of hits per normal attack), and Muffins (glass cannon berserker).
For offensive skills, the monks get the majority of the good ones, since they have powerful defense ignoring attacks and decent AOEs. They overshadow the ninjas in almost every way, though ninjas have the slight advantage of being able to immediately use item-based skills instead of waiting for their Focus to build up. Shogun and Muffins have powerful normal attacks, but they don't ignore defense, so they'll struggle against enemies with high defensive stats.
The game's support skills are very lacking IMO. Keeria and Koko have group healing skills, but they don't always scale well as characters gain levels. The only way to increase their healing output is to increase their magic-based stats, but it can be hard to do so without gaining their Master Class at level 50. The worst part is that there are barely any real buff/debuff options available to the player. At best, the ninjas can equip a weapon that lets them cast a counterattack buff and Muffins has a random chance to inflict poison. That means your options against statistically stronger foes feels a lot more limited.
If you ever grind enough to reach level 50, you'll unlock a character's Master Class, which allows them to go to the reach and turn any new levels in their Master Class into stat points that they can manually allocate. This allows characters to grow infinitely and in whatever direction the player wants. Unfortunately, there is no shared EXP, so it can be tedious to get everyone strong enough for the endgame.
The game's balance for a vanilla story run is fair and grinding shouldn't be necessary other than for some of the early optional bosses. However, there are some bonus bosses that require so much grinding that it feels like they were meant to be postponed until after Act 2 releases. One of them is at the freaking stat cap, requiring me to get lucky with both the counterattack buff and Muffin's poison skill to win. There's also achievements for the Reach, which randomly generates dungeons where you can set the difficulty to be anywhere from story mode tier to ridiculously inflated enemy stats.
In general, this game takes a very bizarre approach to optional content. On one hand, the game seems to be going for episodic releases. On the other hand, the game tries to implement endgame worthy content, NG+, and statistically ridiculous bosses in what is supposed to be the first episode, even though such things are usually better reserved for the final episode so that the player doesn't become too OP for later acts. This game is basically trying to have things both ways, and it just doesn't feel right IMO.
Finally, one thing I hope to see in Act 2 is additional tiers of healing items, specifically percentage based heals. Right now, normal healing items other than the revive one heal by flat amounts, which doesn't scale well to the high level combat. It would also be nice to get a better variety of ninja tools so that the ninjas can stand out more compared to their monk counterparts.
[h2]Verdict[/h2]
If you're just going for the main story, it's serviceable as a first episode due to the character interactions. However, the optional content is basically a big number grind that feels more appropriate as final episode content rather than first episode content. Additionally, the player character movesets feel very limited, making it hard for Familia to stand out compared to other RPG Maker games.
7/10
Good game, and amazing art. Only played for 40 min and im excited to play for more. The story is already good, and it becomes a instant classic. I get undertale and pokemon vibes. It is blended very good with mixing the two. I would like for a bit clearer of start, too see what to do, (Like a quest board/log) But once you get past the first few things, its easy.
A great game, easy to get in to, but has a lot of depth and skills to master. Extremely well done retro game, with pleasing visuals and sound design. I've enjoyed the story so far as well, there was a lot of thought and effort put into this game. Definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking to scratch a retro game itch or is looking for a great game world to get in to!
Super fun game! Have always been a fan of RPG especially final fantasy. A friend told me to give this a try and it definitely reminded me of that final fantasy tatic feel, also with good art and funny dialogs and story. I feel the bond between the siblings in this game too so far. Am excited to play more!
This game is good so far.
I am still looking for the flower that the Grandma wants.
The battle system is nice. Looking forward to playing it some more.
Sincere, engaging story and fun combat. It's a traditional JRPG style adventure with charming characters and an efficient, fast-paced storyline. Well worth it.
Familia has great Humor, an intriguing story and a very colorful world.
The attention to detail doesn't end with the custom sprites and believable characters.
Reminds me of games I used play as a kid, like early Final Fantasy games. Interesting characters and story.
Fun game to relax and enjoy
Gostei muito do jogo e da história. Ansioso pela continuação para poder jogar mais. Parabéns para o desenvolvedor!
You can see how much work has been put into this game, it's really good story telling and effects. Can't wait for act 2!
I've spent an embarrassing amount of hours on jrpgs in my life, and Familia is such a fun throwback for me!! The gameplay draws you in and the dialogue and characters keeps you invested. Would like to try and watch the developer stream at some point too.
This game is the beginning of a new epic, in the short 16 hours I have played it all I can think about is where this story could go, and where it will take me. Playing the base game was immersive and wholesome to say the least. From reuniting a family of strong warriors to fending off a tyrannical empire, it is a rollercoaster of emotions that leaves you wanting another ride time and time again. And thus, Plus Mode offers to suffice until the next leg of the journey is developed. With new loot, harder bosses, and a dense lore to dissect. I can not wait to begin another adventure with these lovable characters and delightful soundtracks.
Note to the wise: Train hard before taking on the bonus boss, MOTHER!
Don't forget to share reviews here and join the Discord to discuss lore theory and compare playthroughs @ Familia RPG. [;
Very well made game. Enjoy the fresh graphics.
I am finding out though that the enemy to player
combat is a little off balance from the start. Enemies
are at a much higher level than the player. Even on
normal mode. Still, the game is really a work of art.
So I have played about 4 hours of this and not finished it, but have loved every minute of it. (A very interrupted 4 hrs with a couple of starts too! haha) This is a game made by a passionate dev, and it shows! He listens to his little community of Familia fans, and is constantly improving the game, fixing bugs, and adding content. It has never been a better time to try this wonderful turn-based game!
It has a neat story, and a bunch of little achievements you can go for as well. If you don't like random battles, this game does have them, but it doesn't feel too overwhelming.
It is great for the quick players who want to try and beat the game as fast as possible, it is great for those who like to explore, and follow the story. It also has a game+ mode!
Definitely check out this game if you are a fan of old school rpgs, and get to know his Twitch community as well!
This game has been an amazing journey to witness. I have spent a lot of time watching the very transparent game making process by the developer, Joseph Abraham. He has a dev stream on Twitch that has been very active, showing the thoughts behind choices made in the development, fixing of bugs, and fine tuning encounters and graphics.
The game is a callback to FF games of old, and I've had a great time sharing the genre, pixelart, and game development with my kids through this project. Kudos to Joseph and all that he represents, looking forward to what he does next and continues to do with Familia.
I played this for an hour. The music is well placed, the battles while the aspect of random battles are annoying the fights are easy enough. I enjoyed the characters. They are supprisingly diverse. I do hope the battle will not be dependent on one strong character and one weak character later in the game. It it a pleasant mix of game elements. It is likened to ff6 but I would say it has it own unique place, and after my second hour of playing it I am pleased with my purchase.
Really nice game and story on a jrpg like.
A love letter to FF and other classic jrpg's, Familia is a lovingly made indie game from a solo developer with serious passion and dedication towards his player base. After purchasing the game I ran into a bug, and after informing the developer in his discord https://discord.gg/Ncmy9j he started his live broadcast and fixed the bug immediately. Very cool game with a solid backstory and combat system. Will keep playing..
An indie gem with a martial arts twist! Many of the classic RPG have western focused classes and setting, but this RPG has the classic turned based mechanics and pixel art you love, but with a more "far east" setting!
Also, its just fun to play. (b^_^)b
Proudly made with RPG Maker MV, this game boldly states in the credits. It is true, and it is proud! It is also good.
An excellent little throw back project that will make you remember jrpgs of old!
I've had a couple of runs through this game now and in whole I've had a lot of fun. There's a couple things that I'd like to see more of in future episodes, and I'm fairly certain that the dev intends to explore those in detail in later episodes, which I'm definitely looking forward. The music is good, the assets are good, the maps are fairly refined, it's a good game and I've had fun with it :)
This game has an awesome old school retro Final Fantasy feel to it. Its has a nice flow and is easy to pick and play right after you download it. The developer is very active and streams the building and fixing of anything anyone finds wrong in the game.
The developer does live streams where he debugs the game and shows off the mechanics. He is very open to ideas and suggestions that fit into the narrative he has laid forth.
