Onyx (2017)

Onyx by Valkyria Games is a classic-style role-playing game that embraces the familiar structure of RPG Maker adventures while attempting to distinguish itself through personality, scale, and a steady sense of progression. It presents a traditional fantasy journey on the surface, but its strength lies more in how it delivers that journey rather than in reinventing the formula. From the beginning, it feels like a deliberate throwback to older RPG design, prioritizing exploration, character interaction, and gradual development over innovation. The story follows Rowan, a solitary and often irritable witch whose life is disrupted when an important heirloom tied to her past is stolen. What starts as a straightforward personal quest slowly expands into a broader narrative involving hidden truths and larger forces at work. Rowan’s personality plays a major role in shaping the experience, as her blunt, sarcastic attitude contrasts with the more typical heroic archetype. This gives the dialogue a distinct tone, adding moments of humor and character-driven interaction that help carry the story even when the plot itself follows a familiar trajectory. Gameplay is rooted in traditional turn-b…

I played this game years ago, and I just bought it and the guide again. I have replayed to the end. It is a nice longer rpg that is well made by the dev. I ended up with curious items that are not in the guide or the Aldorlea forum. I wonder if there is any use for rust-away. But this dev is a notoriious trickster, so he is probaly just messing with us, haha. I am starting a replay since I missed a couple of emblems, not that I use them much, but I like to find everything.

Graphics feel like a 90s screensaver, puzzles drag on forever, but I keep hitting start because the glitches are oddly entertaining.

Onyx tells the story of Rowan, a witch with a bad temper, who embarks on an epic 30-40 hour adventure to recover her stolen ring, which holds deep sentimental value. The game features side-view battles, 100% visible encounters, three difficulty modes, and plenty of humor. While the plot offers an intriguing setup and there's clear effort in the art and battle design, the game ultimately feels lacking in polish and depth. The gameplay is repetitive, with clunky controls, and I can't recommend it based on its current state.

Onyx me dejó con un mal sabor de boca, colega. Me arrepiento de haberlo comprado, la jugabilidad es aburrida, los gráficos no ayudan, y todo se siente forzado. No hay nada que lo salve, y cada minuto que pasé jugando lo sentí como una pérdida de tiempo. No lo recomiendo para nada.

Honestly this game is pretty fun. I put it on easy mode though, because there is a tad much encounters forced on you. I like the self aware humor of how hard it is to find objectives. Specifically a girl in Hexewasser (a big city) that excitedly tells you about how much her city sucks and how you can't find anything that you're looking for. I got this game through a crafting coupon with like 80% off, so for my price it was pretty fun to check out. I'm not sure about paying full price for this, but then again, I haven't finished the game.