As a seasoned RPG player, the most impactful thing about Artis Impact is the fact that you are not privy to all of it. Akane and her blocky AI partner Bot are their own characters. Their choices may frustrate, but they are the ones to handle them. The world moves, or stays, and you often do not know why or how. You have to accept it and keep moving. Maybe at some point you will learn.
It draws you in because it looks and moves like nothing else out there—simultaneously blocky and flowing. From a solo developer, Mas, who painfully put together everything pixel by pixel, Akane is detailed and expressive—stylized into everything from comic panels and Looney Tunes-style comedy scenes to wide shots and these astonishing black-screen animations where her signature white hair guides your eyes as her sword flashes during flurries of blows. The game is also best played windowed, on a smaller resolution, as recommended when starting up a new game.
Split into days, you should take as much time as you need. From the moment Akane wakes up in her junkyard heap home, she is being sent on missions to investigate suspicious activities as part of a defence force against the overwhelming AI threat, but before you head out for something big, you want to explore the starting town. The first time she returns home, her bed breaks from habitually being jumped on. You will need money to fix it.
There are many ways to earn some, from selling loot to everyday work at the local supermarket or night shifts at a nearby restaurant. Most days will bring on new events, and concluding a storyline/questline may reward Akane with an item or a permanent stat boost. She grows stronger no matter what she chooses to do—do not be afraid to use your resources on things that seem interesting and pursue paths that initially seem fruitless.
Embrace that feeling and delve deeper into this palpable world. Run around, try things out, enjoy the sprawling soundtrack. A lot of objects can be interacted with, leading to unique animations. There are also usually two ways of interacting with each object, either by pressing the interact button or holding down Shift while doing so. Persistence in certain activities may result in a special event or a new opportunity. Repetition and indulgence are key features of Artis Impact.
Though the early goings may feel weightless, once Akane starts to find herself in a routine rather than a series of unfortunate events, growing stronger through menial tasks feels great. She takes it all in stride and enjoys every minute of whatever life throws at her, finds ways to reach out to the people around her, and becomes part of each new community she comes across.
Her kindness does reach levels of absurdity early on, making it hard to buy into at first. A fellow soldier who believes all women should stay in the kitchen gets maybe too much of it. Her friends are not as generous, unceremoniously punching him in the face every time they get the chance. A job interview turning into a humiliating, absurdist beatdown (perhaps I missed a reference here, but it is seriously weird) gets a few tears before she picks herself back up.
Though Artis Impact is advertised as “light,” lots of these events quickly turn heartwrenching. It is especially difficult to stomach given how little control you get over Akane’s actions. This is her story, and she will often choose to shrug off things I would be unable to let go. It is, however, consistent throughout, and the moments that result from this unwavering dedication are ultimately well worth the wait.
Like me, you will likely miss out on many possible events. Triggers for some may be obscure, while others are simply missing due to the choices you make throughout the game. Again, it is best to treat Artis Impact as a sort of window into a beautiful, fascinating universe as opposed to something to “complete.” Whatever happens may or may not be a result of your actions, and you may or may not be able to add your input to an event.
Like its story, combat is similarly heavy and impactful. Extremely loud clanks of blade hitting metal, followed by equally booming enemy multi-hits causing a retaliatory counterattack: a thunderous explosion of damage. The enemy designs are purposeful and threatening, and the satisfaction from being able to finally get through a roadblock after spending the time to grow stronger through daily activities is great.
I cannot properly discuss the difficulty curve or early game pacing, though, as I played through the game with some sort of preview buff. It was strong enough to get me through nearly the entirety of the first half. However, since you are given unlimited time for your objectives, I believe the idea/fantasy of combat in Artis Impact remains the same: you are a trained warrior who is capable of defeating hordes of enemies, and as long as you keep training, you can only lose if you sabotage yourself by not preparing with potions/equipment.
The customizability is fairly limited, but important for a few sections of the game. It is more important to not screw yourself over than it is to make yourself stronger. Some bosses may be immune to certain kinds of damage or even get healed by them. Others apply debuffs that seriously screws you over, draining away your health or resources needed to execute skills. You only get so many options during combat, and taking away the latter limits you to hoping for a chance-based counterattack.
While visceral, satisfying, and memorable, the combat is a lowlight of Artis Impact as a result of this limiting design. It often feels like if you do not one-shot an enemy, the fights drag on for way too long due to the powerful debuffs you may have no way of countering. This leads to overtraining, making some bosses, even ones seemingly meant to be intense encounters, perish in a matter of seconds.
Occasionally, it can also be hard to differentiate between intentional design and a bug. Should the equipment level, which persists throughout in-game days, be reset when you close the game? Are the number values working properly if a 30% regen debuff prevents me from gaining anything back? Did I miss a trigger for an event, or is it just not working?
Akane’s greatest feat is not losing her heart in a world that is rarely ideal. Perhaps that attitude became infectious, because I left Artis Impact with my heart full as well. As our paths finally diverge, I remember the variety, the beauty, and the sense of community that her journey showed me. I can guarantee that if you pick it up at any point, it will be one of the most special experiences you have that year.
Mateusz played Artis Impact on PC with a provided review copy.
