After a draining day’s reportage upon the totally alien doings of huge company publishers, I like nothing higher than to flee, blabbing and weeping, into the arms of a micro-RPG. Scumhead’s Franzen – launched a number of days in the past on Steam and Itch – has a few massive attracts, straight off the bat. Firstly and least importantly, it is free, which it actually should not be. Secondly and extra considerably, it is a kind of uncommon RPG miniatures that’s each richly imagined and snappy, with a busy and befuddling world wherein you have got rapid clear motivations that escalate quickly and breed Dire Implications. It additionally appears to be like like a 16-bit Pathologic, so think about me firmly on board.
In Franzen you play odd couple Franz and Lefsa Dellia. Franz is a form of metally lizardperson, whereas Lefsa is a cheery, nimble soul who lives in a tuba, carried by Franzen (I’ve needed to write this line fairly fastidiously to keep away from any euphemisms). Each are beginner “technomancers” investigating one thing referred to as the Scream, a boiling sooty tear in actuality that has crammed the once-resplendent realm of Branzen with demons.
The sport begins with the Dellia airship being overrun by swooping gasbag creatures, and swiftly strikes to a rusty, crowded steampunk metropolis of various races and castes, the place you are instantly prompted to search out a assassin. Additional down the street – not that a lot additional, that is reportedly about 4 or 5 hours in size – there’s the chance to “rise to energy as you navigate an online of paperwork and corruption” whereas recruiting “charming occasion members”, studying up on Branzen’s removed from spotless historical past, and exploring the “true which means of Empathy”.
It is all glued collectively by a well-known however diverting active-time-style battle system, with standing results, back and front rows, potions, etcetera – all of the trimmings anticipated of a self-respecting SNES throwback. Clashes are sparse, nonetheless – in the midst of an hour with the sport over lunch, I’ve spent much more time selecting the brains of Franzen’s townsfolk, who handle to get to the purpose fairly shortly whereas nonetheless being vibrant characters.
When you dig this, you may wish to take a look at Scumhead’s different creations on Itch.io, which vary from id Tech Metroidvanias to Zeldary shmups. I am going to should suggest Franzen to our James. It was solely a few weeks in the past that he was ruminating concerning the joys of extraordinarily brief video games.
