Well, before I get into the heavy stuff I'd just like to say, you've renewed my spirits for RMXP games. This game is a definite example of how well the engine can be put to use, if you have time and dedication. Now, a review.
Plot/Story/Dialog/Characters
This would probably be the games lacking area. The plot was a bit dry, and doesn't make for a good introduction (take in mind I'm only referring to the demo). It's missing some sprinkles here and there to give it a solid and interesting feel. In this particular demo I felt that it just jump into things a little to fast, although no real "plot" revealed itself. As is, this is just a "Complete a mission" scenario. I'm pretty sure you will expand on the actual plot later in the game.
The dialog, on the other hand, was very well done. It seemed as if you revolved it around the personalities of the characters as oppose to revolving it around the story and time setting. I believe in the case it was for the better. You can feel the essence of the characters come to life through their dialog (be they a drunk or other-wise.) This was the one thing that kept me in the story or lack thereof.
The characters were also a plus for this demo. As stated earlier the dialog helped substantially in defining the characters. You could definitely get the relationships amongst one character to another, and you could understand each individual personality amongst the party. A very nice job in this department.
5.5/10
Graphics
It's quite refreshing to see something that's not RTP. You went above and beyond here. The tilesets were astonishing. You were able to design the enviroment well enough to create an atmosphere fitting for the game. You also get points for the creativity factor. I admired the "waving grass," but I did feel that some static grass would've helped out a bit more in the huge patches. The spriting was also very nice. It matched the tilesets (aside from a few perspective errors).
The art work made me extremely jealous! It was very well done, and the style was quite impressive. The artist is very talented. I don't really have much to say in this area, because I couldn't really see much of a problem. Solid job.
8/10
Audio
Another great quality of this game. The music selection was excellent. This was another addition to creating that very good atmosphere. The only thing that I wasn't a big fan of, was the battle theme. It wasn't a bad choice. It just wasn't my style a fight music. I was most fond of the forest music; very calming and very refreshing. I enjoyed most of the Music Effects as well. The sound effects were something that I didn't really notice in this demo. If they were present, they didn't stand out.
9/10
Game Play
You had the typical RPG aspects here. This is my favorite type of game play. It's was very straight forward. You have the aspect of exploration with the absence of puzzles. I know you'll probably add puzzles in the complete game, but I'm usually not the biggest fan of difficult puzzles.
You added some systems in the game that help make it unique. The talent leveling was a great addition. There were a few things I would have liked to give a try, like the Tactics option.
The battles were surprisingly balanced. I felt that there were times where my entire party was missing far too much, but overall they battles were pretty fun to conquer. Random battles aren't really my favorite of the battle encounter styles, and they occured a bit too much in this demo. You also made me realize that hazardous when you fight under the influence. Don't drink kids.
7/10
Overall
All in all, this demo was pretty good. Were it lacks it shows much potential to improve. It gives you the feeling that you would get from a game like Final Fantasy 5 (minus some things, of course). I could see my self playing through this as a complete game and enjoying it very much.
I hope this doesn't get dropped and/or you disappear and we never hear from this project again.
Final Rating: 7.5/10 (Excellent Work)
