Paths of the Visionaries

Paths of the Visionaries is exactly the kind of retro RPG that I found easy to get invested in. It has that classic 16 bit look and feel, but the story goes in a much darker direction than the colorful presentation initially suggests. I liked following the different characters as their separate stories gradually begin to connect, with high schoolers, a detective and a street tough all getting pulled into the same disturbing mystery. The turn based combat is fast and straightforward, which I think suits the old school design really well. Battles do not drag on unnecessarily, and I can focus on choosing the right attacks and managing my party rather than dealing with layers of complicated systems. I also really liked that enemies can be seen on the map before I engage them, so I can decide when I actually want to fight instead of constantly being interrupted by surprise encounters. Exploration is another part I enjoyed. The game moves between woods, waterways, streets, abandoned mines and other locations, and each area feels like another piece of the larger mystery. I liked searching through these places for clues while talking to characters and trying to understand what is happeni…