Developed by Kanawo, Noel The Mortal Fate is an excellent example of how RPG Maker can be used for interesting and varied gameplay.
The chapters in Noel - The Mortal Fate
The game consists of 7 chapters so far. The Japanese release is currently running through Season 11. Each chapter is short, usually lasting 2 hours at most.
Noël Cerquetti
Noel the Mortal Fate tells the story of Noel Cerquetti, a wealthy girl who spent much of her life becoming a famous pianist like her parents. However, this dream is shattered during the annual competition organized by Laplus, the town where she lives. After feeling humiliated, a series of circumstances lead her to break the taboo and make a deal with a devil. The pact doesn't go as well as she had hoped as she is placed in a situation that forces her to lose her limbs. As she hits rock bottom, Noel embarks on a new path of revenge against those who took everything she had alongside the devil Caron.
Noel the mortal destiny
The story follows how this 15-year-old comes to terms with her circumstances and focuses on revenge. The writing can be a little immature, with some plot points falling apart at several points. Logic aside, Noel the Mortal Fate knows how to hit the emotional aspects of it. It's the kind of melodramatic story that knows how to make revenge compelling without bothering to make it reasonable or realistic as far as a world with devils can go.
The character development
In turn, the narrative focuses on character development as Noel, the great devil Caron with whom she makes a pact, enemies and potential allies all have to cope with their circumstances. Seeing how they develop and understanding them better is a great motivator, but the explosive endings always offer a bombastic twist as well.
The gameplay
In terms of gameplay, Noel, Caron and other playable characters have to find their way through different areas. To advance, they must solve easy puzzles, stealth sequences and head-to-head combat. A special chapter even focuses on a casino with different types of interactions related to gaming, cheating and extortion.
The fights
Battles against opponents usually work with a bump system, meaning contact with the enemy is the way to deal damage. It's also the way to take damage, so hitting them from behind is more beneficial. It is usually Caron who must protect Noel from the brute force of her enemies. Caron can equip specific stances to deal with these situations. They change his HP and attack parameters and can affect other things as well.
challenges
The areas that offer you some kind of challenge are rated with a reward in P-Points, which you can use to buy recreation items. Not being seen during stealth segments or providing the correct answers when speaking to a guard can result in more points.
Graphics and sound
Noel the Mortal Fate also has a good soundtrack. As the story is more of an emotional revenge plot, the music represents the feelings of the characters. Particularly epic are the moments that deliver big twists, accompanied by adrenaline-pumping tracks, usually electronic music with enough nuance to make each moment unique and immersive. On the other hand, the optics are a bit mixed. The sprite work has this spatial sense that makes it look slightly 3D-y, but it looks really blurry. Facial expressions are undefined with untinted eyes and the body lines feel like a bad HD filter applied to amateurish sprites. The portraits and CGs compensate for this lack of sprite work. During the conversations, the characters have detailed portraits showing what they are supposed to look like. They are very expressive with a nice variety of versions. The CGs compliment big twists well, which makes them feel more impactful when paired with the soundtrack. The best part is how they use specific colors to represent characters rather than settling on how they should look. For example, Noel's Yellow and Caron's Red make for striking images that act as cathartic set pieces.
Conclusion
Noel the Mortal Fate is all about impact. It's a revenge melodrama that wants to keep you in suspense with unforeseen twists. It spurs you on because you want to see how the characters end. This might not be the whole story, but it still manages to offer a wildly emotional ride, even through limited visuals. In this game it means access.
kanawo and Vaka Game Magazine are the developers of the game.
Click here for the Wiki about Noel the Mortal Fate