Today it is fashionable to make games in the spirit of different decades – the 50s, 60s, 70s and especially the 80s. Here are the authors of the JRPG Orangeblood decided to plunge us into the atmosphere of the 90s. Apparently, this is why one of the four main characters is a DJ and never parts with her boombox – almost like a hero Disco Elysium. Only, unlike him, these groovy girls prefer the powerful scream of a weapon to the power of words, fortunately there is absolutely no shortage of it here.
Dashing 90s
So, action Orangeblood takes place in Japan, on the man-made island of New Koza near Okinawa. The authors themselves describe it as “a place where debauchery and exoticism have long become more common than ever”. Indeed, New Goat resembles a kind of pirate freemen, full of colorful personalities and criminals of all stripes.
The developers are telling an alternative story in which even in the late 90s the fierce confrontation between the largest superpowers did not end. That’s why the CIA and KGB are constantly mentioned here. And our heroines, typical dressed-up anime girls, are either mercenaries, or spies and even double agents – at the beginning it was specially made so that nothing is really clear, but this only makes it more interesting.
Sweeties, dogs and robots
In any case, they will have to perform various tasks for money, but first they need to recapture their favorite club from the bandits, which will become a base for the girls – there they can sleep, save, and from there they will travel in their car to different points of the island. In the process, the same “DJ” with a boombox, naturally, stands up to the remote control and turns up the music at full blast.
That’s all Orangeblood – a combination of https://vertbetcasino.co.uk/login/ upbeat music, drive, cute, but at the same time lively girls with machine guns at the ready, who do not mince words, aggressive robots and cute dogs, one of which can be found on the streets of the city, brought to your club and called by any name. In general, a vigorous hodgepodge typical of many Japanese games – especially considering that here you are allowed to visit eateries at any time to buy lunches there (first pay, then take the food and sit at a table!) to restore the girl’s health, shaken in battles.
There are many other places besides the eateries, including a gun shop and even a black market in the subway. In our own car, I repeat, we are free to travel to any accessible point on the island at any time. True, first you will have to pay a considerable amount for the car. But you can also get a discount if you complete a side task and teach a lesson to one guy hiding somewhere in the alleys. In the process, it turns out that he stole a cool “+6 strength” item from our customer in an online game – the authors are fine with humor.
A girl’s best friend is a rifle!
The gameplay itself is also typical of JRPGs – we explore the territory, collect keys to open chests, complete tasks, take part in turn-based brawls and clear multi-level “dungeons”, where at the end some huge boss robot awaits. Plus, of course, we do a lot of grinding to defeat especially strong enemies. The characteristics of the heroines are automatically pumped up as they gain levels, but it is better to select equipment personally, although there is an auto-equipment function – there are many items, each with unique characteristics that also influence each other. For example, if you chose an automatic rifle for a girl, then it makes sense to put shoes or armor on her, which just give a bonus to damage from rifles.
In general, each type of weapon, as a rule, has its own interesting effects – one shotgun sets enemies on fire, another with a certain probability immobilizes and weakens them for a while, the third can cause double damage, but at the same time immobilize the shooter himself. There is even a berserker machine gun, taking which your ward will go out of control and will decide for herself who and how to attack. The probability of a particular effect triggering (as well as a hit) is determined randomly – in one turn you can miss everyone, and in another turn you can “stun” everyone at once. On the one hand, it’s not entirely fair, on the other hand, there’s intrigue and the need to constantly be on guard.
About the benefits of savings
At first, only two heroines are available, then two more girlfriends join them. Each has its own role in battle. One, for example, deftly fires pistols and machine guns, the other is a kung fu master and deftly scatters enemies in close combat, the third is ideal for supporting allies.
The battles themselves are quite simple in terms of mechanics and do not boast particularly sophisticated mechanics, which you can’t figure out without Japanese and a bottle of vodka. But there are some highlights here too. It is very important to use the characters’ skills wisely, which often allow you to destroy almost all opponents in one turn. At the same time, the energy for their use (SP) accumulates directly in battle, as damage is dealt. There is practically no other way to restore it – after a victory, it is important to shoot at another enemy approaching you in time, immobilize him and initiate the battle yourself, because in this case the accumulated SP will be saved for a new fight, and will not be reset.
Orangeblood does not offer interesting new mechanics, but overall it is an exciting and varied Japanese role-playing game that focuses primarily on atmosphere, mood, unique surroundings and charismatic heroines. Not everyone, of course, will like it, but if you don’t like “pixelated” JRPGs, then it’s worth a try.
Pros: interesting plot; non-trivial surroundings; colorful heroines; unique atmosphere with humor and references to the 90s; vigorous battles; bosses challenge; many types of equipment with interesting effects; free exploration of locations; nice picture and lively music that doesn’t get boring, despite the constant repetitions.
Cons: technical flaws; There are practically no ideas or unusual mechanics.