Beloved Rapture PAX Impressions - A vibrant and gorgeous pixel art RPG
Sometimes, it can be just as exciting to see a game do something correctly as it is to see it do something different. Enter Beloved Rapture, a classic JRPG-inspired indie RPG by Rapturous Studio, and published by 2 Left Thumbs (Picayune Dreams, Tower of Kalemonvo), a slice of which I got to experience at PAX East.
And I say “a slice” rather than “a demo” because, as I soon came to understand after playing for what must have been at least half an hour with no clear end in sight, it wasn’t a demo at all — it was just the game — and players could stop playing whenever they felt so inclined (or in my case, once enough time passed that my nervousness upon checking a clock finally outweighed my potential embarrassment from asking the person in charge of the booth how long the demo is). The full game, I soon came to learn, has been available on Steam since October.
The PAX East not-demo had me playing as a hopeful adventurer exploring what appears to be the starter town and its surrounding area, fighting the starter enemies scattered around. It was a to-the-point tutorial zone, which you’ve doubtless experienced some version of countless times already in other RPGs. For better or for worse, there’s nothing new to see here; it’s an opening experience that, on a fundamental level, you’ve probably already had (several times, in fact). But that’s not necessarily a negative thing in the case of Beloved Rapture.
The first thing I noticed about the game is its absolutely luscious visuals. Whether it’s the battle sprites, backgrounds, or character art, the pixel art in Beloved Rapture is vibrant and gorgeous at every turn. And when I was finally done marveling at the graphics, the second thing I noticed was how deliciously retro the whole thing is. Combining the rich visuals with the battle gameplay, which utilizes a pretty straightforward ATB system, transports me right back to the days when Final Fantasy wasn’t yet old enough to drive a car (let alone go on a Cup Noodle-sponsored roadtrip with its three best bros).
What I wasn’t able to pick up on nearly as quickly, however, is what’s going on story-wise — if anything is going on at all. To be fair, I’m not expecting a demo-equivalent to deliver a cohesive and comprehensive story. But even so, during my time with the game, I was given barely any context about the character you’re playing as, what’s going on, what your goal is, or anything similar in the fragment that I played. I couldn’t write even the most basic plot synopsis if I tried, which is all the more a shame, because one of the hallmarks from the era of JRPGs this game so clearly draws inspiration from is their brilliant writing and storytelling.
Still, despite its shortcomings, I see a lot of potential with Beloved Rapture. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, nor does it even seem like it wants to. Instead, it’s content to do what it’s doing, and doing it well — which is to say, bringing back that retro RPG experience in full, gloriously pixelated force. While I wish there was a dedicated public demo, and ideally one that gave you a better feel for the game’s story and who the main characters are, the first section of the game that I played nonetheless left me feeling impressed from a technical standpoint (even if I was underwhelmed from a storytelling standpoint), and curious to check out more of what this game has to offer. Luckily, as mentioned earlier, it’s already out, so there’s no wait for this one required.
Beloved Rapture is currently available on Steam.