Exploring Prisma: A Unique Persona-Style RPG
I recently had the pleasure of checking out Prisma, the upcoming Persona-style RPG from the creators of Crisis Tales, which was an ambitious indie project with a ponderous emphasis on time travel. Although it wasn’t entirely to our reviewer Alistair Jones’s taste at the time, I’m glad developer Dreams Uncorporated is back with another installment, as it has something really captivating going for it.
Unveiling the World of Prisma
Prisma is an upcoming JRPG with a planned runtime shorter than its inspiration, thankfully – I’m still recovering from my playthrough of Metaphor: ReFantazio. It has a universal concept: instead of collecting archetypes and personas, you will collect alternate versions of the main character, Alma. CEO Carlos Rocha and CCO Jeff Cardenas told me the idea was inspired by a classic pastiche of JRPG job systems.
Alma is a journalist living in Colombia – a country where, let’s call it a complicated relationship with journalism– who is thrown into Domacon, a strange world full of other versions of herself. Some ally with her, some play antagonists, and some just vibe and run the shop. Hey, someone has to do it.
The Unique Combat System
The Crisis Tales-style main plot has more to do with Alma’s profession than her what-if crew. Players will be able to employ different camera lenses in turn-based combat, which also uses a positional grid system. For example, a fisheye lens will warp your team’s attacks, allowing you to ignore the enemy’s frontline encounter – conversely, a cracked lens will split your attack into several different beams, acting as an on-demand AoE. Remember that these lenses work both ways – although you can also employ this to your advantage by redirecting enemy attacks into the reflective shield.
(Photo: Dreams Uncorporated)
Visual Delights and Narrative Depth
Compared to the ambitious time movement in Crisis Tales, I find the lens system more manageable from a development standpoint. It’s just conceptually advanced enough to be captivating without too much breaking the genre’s systems in its lap.
Visually, as I keep looking at the work in progress, Prisma already looks really lovely. The alternate versions of Alma really stand out solidly, even though they employ the same basic character design, and the enemies – inspired by Latin American folklore – are stylishly animated.
The Role of Plot in Prisma
Its strength, so to speak, will likely depend on how well it handles the cornerstone of the JRPG genre: plot. Although the game is to be shorter, taking about 20 hours (due to the creators not wanting to “put too much water in the soup”), some very captivating narrative concepts have already been introduced.
Your alter-Almas, of which there are supposed to be seven, will adapt your Alma to their worldview as you develop a bond with them, providing the usual set of Persona-style skills, side quests, and conversations. I’m told you’ll only be able to max out about four in a given playthrough, which makes sense given the game’s shorter runtime.
The Future of Prisma
But right now, this is just the beginning. Dreams Uncorporated plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in 2025 – and I truly wish them all the best. Prisma is just as ambitious as the studio’s previous game in terms of its advanced concept, but it packs a lot of really frigid ideas and clearly has some excellent artistic talent on board. Now all that’s left is to put everything in the frame.
FAQs
Q: When is Prisma expected to be released?
A: Prisma is set to launch a Kickstarter campaign in 2025.
Q: How many alternate versions of Alma will players encounter?
A: Players will interact with seven alter-Almas in the game.
Q: What sets Prisma apart from other JRPGs?
A: Prisma offers a unique combat system involving camera lenses and a captivating narrative centered around the protagonist’s profession.
Q: How long is the expected gameplay time for Prisma?
A: The game is anticipated to take about 20 hours to complete.
Credit: herosweb.com
