Alterium Shift is a JRPG that curiously throws itself into a controversial graphic style, but which, if done well, shows a very good result. But apart from the graphics, what does the game have?

JRPGs – A genre that spans generations with a well-defined signature. And a genre that over the generations has seen many lows and few highs, where many try to copy the formulas of the titles most loved by fans, but fail to burst the bubble or even captivate players outside of it.

Alterium Shift: A Multi-Path Adventure with Nostalgic Charm and Clever Dialogue

In Alterium Shift we have a campaign with three different characters who have different classes. A mage who can use skills from various elements, a warrior with an affinity for the fire element and an archer with an affinity for the wind element. If this reminds you a little of Octopath Traveler, you’re not wrong.

The game uses a similar style, but without too many filters and with a look that resembles the infamous “HD-2D”. But just like the Square Enix game, here you follow different paths too and the game also encourages you to make saves with different characters to see what happens when you’re apart, which I thought was a very good idea.

Despite having a cheesy story of a conflict of races, parallel worlds and characters who are in between the two, the dialogues are very amusing, especially Sage’s. There’s also a very interesting addition where your friends are in a different way. There’s also a very interesting addition where your actions cause NPCs to surprise you and change the way they refer to your character, which increases the game’s replay factor.

Classic JRPG Gameplay with Modern Potential in Early Access

The gameplay also follows the style of JRPGs, with attacks, spells and special attack bars that deal a lot of damage, but there are a variety of skills that, if used at the right time, can give the player an advantage in decisive boss fights. Unfortunately, the game uses one of the most outdated aesthetics of JRPGs, which is to transport the player to a battle screen, where the game could very well make the battle take place without loading screens, even more so today when there are examples of games that have made this system more dynamic and agile.

I want to make it clear that the game is still in Early Access and everything I’ve analyzed could simply change and solve the problems, but in a current version and even more so in a scenario where the developer has disengaged from the publisher, making some changes to the current experience to attract the attention of more backers could be crucial. But that’s just my view and the developers have already promised updates for this quarter, so I’m already excited to see the changes.

Promising JRPG with Room for Improvement in Early Access

Changes need to be made, because apart from the fact that when you enter battles there are no sound effects or collect certain items, the game’s maps are very empty and sometimes have a confusing level design where the reward at the end isn’t always worth the journey. The battles are fun, but your characters are clumped together at one point on the screen and sometimes the player is left trying to find the character who wants to use an item or magic.

Not only that, but there’s a certain disorporation of some characters that can cause a strange feeling, because one moment they’re one size and then they seem to be another. These are small things that add up to a group of problems that end up making the game uncomfortable, since they are problems that even the older JRPGs, at least the best known ones, don’t have. But as I said, there’s an opportunity for all this to be fixed in a final version of the game.

The game is currently 50% complete and there is plenty of content for those who want to explore it. It didn’t have any problems running anywhere I tested it, which is great to be able to play on a portable device, but unfortunately it doesn’t currently support languages other than English.

STREAMER SCORE

Alterium Shift (2023)

Overall

3.5

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Summary

Alterium Shift exists, but all its content needs polishing to make the experience smoother and more enjoyable. There are many funny things that make the journey more enjoyable, but they are interrupted by these problems. But it’s still a game that needs to be checked out and I hope the developers manage to deliver a good experience.