PROTOTYPE 1 - Turn Based RPG

Take up your sword and shield in this intense JRPG where everything hangs in the balance - literally. 

Loop Showcased: Combat (Select an ability to use --> Observe stat changes --> Repeat)

This prototype showcases a basic representation of only the combat portion of the game. Each ability raises or lowers a different statistic, which each have different effects. 

STATS: 

Health: Hit points, lose if reduced to 0

Skill: Used for Dodge, Buff, and Heal, 5 maximum

Adrenaline: Increases damage the higher it is, but increases damage taken and decreases accuracy

Evasion: Lowers the chance of being hit

ABILITIES:

Attack: Small damage, Adrenaline up, regain 1 skill point

Reckless Attack: Large damage, Adrenaline up a lot

Adrenaline Rush: Huge damage, Adrenaline Maxed

Dodge: Evasion up, Adrenaline down, uses 1 skill point

Buff: Damage and accuracy of next attack up, Evasion down, uses 1 skill point

Heal: HP up, Adrenaline down, uses 1 skill point

Recharge: Refills all skill points, Adrenaline way down, starts a dodging minigame

Reflection:

Is it representative of the core loop you wanted?: Yes, I think the demo is representative of the core loop that I wanted to represent. 

Did it give you an answer to the question you posed, and if so, what is the answer?: I believe that it did give me answer, which is that yes, adding extra layer/layers to a typical JRPG combat system can make it more interesting, but I do think there were some ways that I could have made it better. 

How would you change it, if at all?: I think it could be interesting to have the game work off of a party system as opposed to a single character, since balancing resources may feel more interesting/difficult if there's four different pools to pay attention to. I also think in general there's more work that needs to be done in order to balance the different skills and ways they influence the game. 

Where would you take the idea next?: I think that aside from developing this particular loop more, such as adding more party members and making the different stats have more influence over the game itself as opposed to only damage dealt/taken, I think it could be interesting to explore how those stats could influence the JRPG in general as opposed to exclusively the combat system.