We get more and more game developers taking what inspired them and pushing forward with those ideas.Keylockeris one of these games. Inspired by theMario & Luigi RPGseries andChrono Trigger, the developer ofKeylocker, Moonana, is taking notes on what made some of the best JRPGs truly amazing games. They’ve somehow captured the gameplay, silly dialogue and overall feel of their inspirations and made it their own to bring us something new and refreshing. Right when you boot up the game you are met with music and visuals that are fitting for the theme. Hardcore Gamer was granted access to a preview ofKeylockerso that we could get a look at what it is all about.
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The Sounds of Silence
In our preview, we got a good view of the overall setting ofKeylocker. In this world, music has been outlawed for 141 years, and we start with a character named Bobo, who has been arrested for holding a concert. In this bleak future, being a musician is illegal and will land you in jail due to the now class-based society rejecting music. The world is already intriguing and makes it so that players will want to know more about it while exploring. Music and how it is portrayed is a big part of howKeylockerplays out. When you start the game, the opening music is phenomenal and sets the tone for what we are in for. When you begin in the locked-down areas of the prison, there’s a distinct lack of anything resembling music. Since it has been outlawed, there isn’t going to be any music playing in the background. It feels alien, but in a good way, as it hammers in why Bobo is out there trying to fight the system and express why music is so important.
The serious tone ofKeylockeris complemented by some of the silly content in the game. Characters will have their reactions to each other and each one has their own unique charm, they’ve all got that absurd feeling to them that the genre can get away with without breaking the rules of their world. This is their life, they aren’t going to be overly serious one hundred percent of the time, and it’s nice to see them living in the moment and being sarcastic when something outlandish pops up. Enemies and characters you run into have thatSuper Mario RPGfeeling and style to them, and it’s a fun thing to see in action.
It’d be a shame if the art forKeylockerwasn’t brought up either as everything is just stunning in the game. From the character portraits and backgrounds to the sprites, they all had a ton of love and effort put into making them pop out. A nice, yet small, detail is that you can change the color of the class you use and then change your UI to match the chosen colors if you’d like. Nothing huge or game-changing, but it helps make it feel like this run is yours.
Brand New Day
Shortly after starting, you’ll get to choose between several different classes with their various ways to attack or defend enemies in the game. On top of each class playing differently, they also have their own branching skill trees and story paths to explore, making it so that each playthrough will offer more content and value to players. A quick example is the Samurai class, which is based on counter-attacking your opponents to deal solid damage. The skill tree has so many interesting skills that will allow players to play their way, just a whole lot of options for everyone who plays the game to explore.
Just like the games that Moonana has listed as inspiration, you’ll need to perfectly time your attacks to hit harder and when you are getting attacked you will have to time your button presses correctly to completely negate any damage that could have been done. Each enemy type will have its own unique tells for you to exploit and deal some big damage. Then you also need to properly position yourself on the field so that you can avoid an enemy attack, get past their guard, or get in some attacks of your own. The combat is simple yet still complex enough for those not new to games to have to learn some new tricks. It’s beautifully done and makes every encounter feel like it’s going to be a decent fight.
Enemy encounters are also a lot like how they are handled inChrono Trigger. You get to explore the world as you please, and enemies will be littered across the map for you to fight. None of the hassle of exploring and getting hit with a new encounter every couple of steps that a lot of JRPGs go with. Not having to deal with random encounters allows you to explore the world and look at all the hard work the developer put into it without having to worry about getting punished for looking around for items or looking at the beauty of the game.
The demo forKeylockerhas been a joy to play and anyone looking for a new JRPG should keep an eye out for it. The combat has that high risk and high reward feeling to it that can be lost in a lot of JRPGs. The game already has the makings of a great JRPG: rewarding battles, minigames, art and music that are all around just made with a ton of love from the developer. Moonana has given a Summer 2024 release window, so it won’t be too long of a wait for fans looking to get their hands onKeylocker. The demo is out on Steam for folks to try out to get an opinion of their own and even get a good feel for the combat the game offers.
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