There are few RPGMaker games that are truly worth your time. Meria and the Island of Orcs isn’t one of them, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome and has enough redeeming qualities to warrant a cautious recommendation. Let me preface this review stating I have installed the adult patch, and there’s no point to this game without it.
You play as a novice sorcerer named Meria. She likes magic. She doesn’t like orcs. Orcs like Meria. See where this is going? The story is extremely shallow, and is merely a delivery mechanism, or more accurately an excuse to have the characters’ clothes ripped off. Please don’t buy this for the unpatched gameplay. Meria and the Island of Orcs functions without the patch, but it really is mediocre without the added features.
Everything is vanilla RPGmaker. The turn based combat is the same as every other one of these clones… with the added downfall of harsh difficulty spikes that don’t seem fair. When you take damage, your clothes tear and eventually you are subdued. Almost all of the extra scenes happen in combat. If you take too much damage, your clothes rip and you’re eventually orc’d.
The scenes are short. The art is not that great. Most of them consist of a single frame or picture, with “ooh that feels good” and “stop that’s ouchie” variations. Most games like this use these as a payoff, but upon delivery I found myself pretty underwhelmed here.
Before you thank me for helping you dodge a bullet, I must remark that the soundtrack is tibetan monk tier relaxation. The message sent here is clear – orc rape is chill. Who knows, I just might find myself firing up this game to cure a future bout of latent insomnia.
Meria and The Island of Orcs isn’t a bad game per se, it is just extremely average. Get this on sale to round out a collection, don’t jump on this title as your first entry into the world of anime depravity.
