The Sacred Tears TRUE – Review
Doujin games have been a long time fan-favorite in Japan for a while now. Well done games that have been made out of pure fun have some kind of aura about them that make them stand out, just look at the game Touhou, which is popular even in the western part of the world. The Sacred Tears TRUE is no exception on this rule, as it is quite the unique game made with good care. Enjoy a world in which thieves are not always bad kinds of people and are sometimes people to be respected.
Story
The story mode in RPG games are always something that will be of great importance, as they give meaning to the game in their own world. In The Sacred Tears TRUE you play the role of Seil, a young man who is part of a thieves guild called the Thieves Guild of Genoseed City. You are a pretty self-centered young man that calls himself the Shadow Knight (I don’t think the title of knight is suitable for a thief though) and doesn’t really have much of a sense of responsible. Thankfully you are accompanied by your childhood friend Seana, who helps you by taking care of you in your daily life and during combat while on a mission.
The further you progress, the more characters you will meet on you journeys. The game is divided in a total of 24 main story episodes and 24 side mission episodes, where each episode will last for a small/moderate amount of time (say about 20-40 minutes). Depending on what episode you are in, you’ll be accompanied by a different character, mostly Seana though.
The background story of the game is as followed: In the world, a stone that has been around since ancient times, the Sacred Tear, is said to be a source of great power. The stone reflects the heart of the one who possesses it, being beautiful in the hands of good and vile in the hands of evil. Thanks to a couple of circumstanced, the stone has been in the possession of the empire. Many thieves have attempted to steal the Sacred Tear, but have failed miserably as nobody has ever succeeded. For this reason stealing the stone is a main objective for many ambitious thieves, as they are thrilled by the difficult challenge it brings.
Graphics
A doujin game is typically a game where graphics aren’t the main focus, as you’ll see with this game. The game makes use of traditional old school RPGs like the early Final Fantasy games. The sprites may look a little bit too simple as they don’t really vary too much and don’t have the perfect balance, but the environments have pretty good detail on them to satisfy all your RPG needs.
One of the main things that is pretty notable, is the fact that after each event that has transpired, you’ll see a bit of artwork of the game, which are really well drawn are a nice addition.
Sound
Music-wise, this game does a splendid job to improve the environment and scenes you are in. Each track, either during battle, suspense and daily life do really feel memorable and are certainly an aspect of the game that deserves praise. Nothing sounds out of place, so the sound alone makes this game a doujin game that will be memorable for quite a large amount of people.
Gameplay
Just like the most traditional RPGs, the Sacred Tears TRUE makes use of a turn-based battle system. However, what makes this game unique and different from other games is the fact that the fighting is not done by commands, but by a card system.
You have 5 types of cards in your arsenal: Attack cards, Special attack cards, Evasive cards, Defensive cards and Magic cards. When battling an enemy, you’ll have to choose 3 cards from your arsenal which replace themselves after each turn. Your opponent does the same, but you’ll be able to predict what he/she’ll do because you can see different colors of cards. Green cards indicate defensive or evasive cards, blue cards indicate attack or special attack cards, while red cards indicate magical cards. You’ll have to take these in account, as each type has a weak spot. For example, if you happen to choose an attack card and your opponent chooses a defense card, the opponent will win because defense is greater than offense.
If it would happen that you have the same type of card or a card that is equal, you’ll need to check the power on the card. the power can vary from 1 to 4, where 4 is the strongest and 1 is the weakest. If you and your opponent choose a special attack card and yours is of higher value you’ll win the trade and deal damage. In order to make it a little bit more easy for you, the game will let you know if your opponent has a level 4 card, so you’ll have to take this into account too. However you’ll need to be cautious when predicting, as nothing is a 100% certain. Even if your opponent shows a green card, it is possible that this is a bluff and is instead a offensive type of card. Meaning that carelessness is definitely not worth it.
Aside from combat, the game is pretty similar to most RPGs You’ll encounter certain missions that you’ll have to complete, varying form objectives. As each episode is pretty short, you’ll have no real problem with getting bored of it. If it would happen that you don’t want to do any missions, you can enter the free episode, where you can farm and grind all you want without needing to worry about missions.
Conclusion
Having no real issues except the lack of variation on the sprites and the pretty short episodes,
the gameplay is pretty unique, which makes the game stand out on its own. The art the game offers you at times is a nice addition to the game, and the music is simply splendid and is definitely something that will make you remember this game. If it would happen that you are looking for a smaller RPG which is pretty cheap, definitely take a look at The Sacred Tears True.
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