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Link: https://rpgmaker.net/games/10980/

As long as there have been RPG Maker games, there have been game designers struggling to use it to make Final Fantasy games. Sometimes they have even been successful. But the dark secret of the RPG Maker engine is that it was designed from the beginning to make PC-98 games, not SNES games. Many aspiring developers have struggled against that harsh reality. But only a few have embraced it. kainworks is one such developer, and GeaSaga is one such game.

GeaSaga was purposefully made in the antiquated RPG Maker 95 engine. It suffers from compatibility problems with modern systems as a result, but is otherwise perfectly made for the limitations of the engine. GeaSaga abstracts the gameworld into discrete events, each nestling in a square on the map. There's a pleasing simplicity to opening up the world square by square. Battles are simple (if challenging) but navigation requires foreknowledge of lanterns, location directions and other secrets of the world.

GeaSaga has an additional layer of cheesecake, with its four buff heroes dressed in very little clothing. Some may find this uncomfortable. Personally speaking, I appreciated how this extra detail from kainworks added personality to this thoughtful little game. RPG Maker games are at their best as vehicles for a creator's tastes and idiosyncrasies that could never find purchase anywhere else. GeaSaga does this brilliantly, and deserves a wider audience.