Wolf RPG is an interesting beast, an engine made by someone who worked on RPG Maker, which is often called RPG Maker for advanced users, for a while exclusive to Japan, until a translation effort started around 2015.
Some classic horror games attributed to RPG Maker, are actually made in Wolf RPG, more notably, Mad Father, and Misao.
The biggest appeal of the engine, is the higher range of customization, and a higher ceiling for what is possible to create (when compared to pre-plugins era RPG Maker).
Still, due to how difficult it is to use, its rare to see games made with it. Even though its intended for more story focused games.
Anyway, about LiEat, pronounced Lie Eat, is kinda niche but very popular within its niche, with Wolf RPG games being niche themselves already, well…
The version I am reviewing, is colloquially known as LiEat remake, so, to avoid confusion, this version contains LiEat 1, 2, and 3. You can still play the 3 original games, as they are freeware, this version is just to have all 3 in 1 package, and to support the dev.
Some classic horror games attributed to RPG Maker, are actually made in Wolf RPG, more notably, Mad Father, and Misao.
The biggest appeal of the engine, is the higher range of customization, and a higher ceiling for what is possible to create (when compared to pre-plugins era RPG Maker).
Still, due to how difficult it is to use, its rare to see games made with it. Even though its intended for more story focused games.
Anyway, about LiEat, pronounced Lie Eat, is kinda niche but very popular within its niche, with Wolf RPG games being niche themselves already, well…
The version I am reviewing, is colloquially known as LiEat remake, so, to avoid confusion, this version contains LiEat 1, 2, and 3. You can still play the 3 original games, as they are freeware, this version is just to have all 3 in 1 package, and to support the dev.
Story & Setting
We follow a con artist of many names, who travels around the world together with his adopted daughter Efina (Efi), a dragon who feeds on lies, in search for valuable information to sell.
Keep in mind LiEat is episodic.
LiEat: Our duo arrives at Vermilion Town, an almost abandoned village with a dark history, it is said that vampires live there, and it is not a good idea to walk alone at night. Yet, when someone is murdered, is time to investigate.
LiEat 2: Following rumors of a dragon, our duo are led to a resort in Azure Town, where they learn about the missing memories of both guests and staff, when someone is almost killed but doesn’t remember anything about the event, is up to our duo to solve the murder attempt mystery.
LiEat 3: When given an invitation to a high society event, our duo make their way to Gold Town, where they will attend the unveiling of a noble man’s latest acquisition, however, it seems that a phantom thief is targeting the event’s main display, and, this thief is connected to the con artist’s past.
Due to the episodic nature, I will refer to each as episode from now on.
Keep in mind LiEat is episodic.
LiEat: Our duo arrives at Vermilion Town, an almost abandoned village with a dark history, it is said that vampires live there, and it is not a good idea to walk alone at night. Yet, when someone is murdered, is time to investigate.
LiEat 2: Following rumors of a dragon, our duo are led to a resort in Azure Town, where they learn about the missing memories of both guests and staff, when someone is almost killed but doesn’t remember anything about the event, is up to our duo to solve the murder attempt mystery.
LiEat 3: When given an invitation to a high society event, our duo make their way to Gold Town, where they will attend the unveiling of a noble man’s latest acquisition, however, it seems that a phantom thief is targeting the event’s main display, and, this thief is connected to the con artist’s past.
Due to the episodic nature, I will refer to each as episode from now on.
Presentation
Old Wolf RPG game having esoteric resolutions, fun times.
Since originally each episode was its own game, there are quite a few changes between them, you can also see the dev improving as well.
At the start of each episode, you get to see a short picture-book like introduction to the motif of the story.
Something quite noticeable, is how between episodes, both the con artist (I could say his name, but that’s a spoiler), and Efi change appearance. With both of them changing sprites and portraits.
Efi grows up between games as well.
The text boxes and menus also change color between episodes.
Recurring characters only have portrait changes.
As for the artstyle, its a very charming spin on an anime artstyle, but, for the portraits, there is a certain amount of repetition when it comes to the poses.
Its rare to see them, but, on occasion you can see messy versions of the main duo’s portraits, specially after a fight.
The game also makes use of CGs on either key story moments, or when relevant characters are introduced, these CGs vary slightly from the look of the portraits, with the CGs having their own unique anime artstyle.
Since originally each episode was its own game, there are quite a few changes between them, you can also see the dev improving as well.
At the start of each episode, you get to see a short picture-book like introduction to the motif of the story.
Something quite noticeable, is how between episodes, both the con artist (I could say his name, but that’s a spoiler), and Efi change appearance. With both of them changing sprites and portraits.
Efi grows up between games as well.
The text boxes and menus also change color between episodes.
Recurring characters only have portrait changes.
As for the artstyle, its a very charming spin on an anime artstyle, but, for the portraits, there is a certain amount of repetition when it comes to the poses.
Its rare to see them, but, on occasion you can see messy versions of the main duo’s portraits, specially after a fight.
The game also makes use of CGs on either key story moments, or when relevant characters are introduced, these CGs vary slightly from the look of the portraits, with the CGs having their own unique anime artstyle.
Sometimes, the CGs will be animated, although with very simple movements, or simple panning shots. It does get the point across, and I did find that they do enhance the experience.
The sprites of all relevant characters are pretty good, making each character standout, on what is mostly pretty barren tilesets (this isn’t a problem, I actually like the minimalist approach to the maps).
Enemy design is pretty simple, only bosses get some special treatment.
Sound wise, for music its the same as the graphics, each episode has its own soundtrack reflecting the motif of the episode.
The combat music is similarish between episodes, with some slight variations to it to fit the episode better.
Sound effects are minimal, mostly used in combat, when lies spawn, and to add impact to the animations.
Between all 3 episodes, I’d say episode 1 has my favorite soundtrack, albeit, all 3 have some REALLY good tracks.
The best way to describe the whole presentation of LiEat is, the elegance of simplicity.
The sprites of all relevant characters are pretty good, making each character standout, on what is mostly pretty barren tilesets (this isn’t a problem, I actually like the minimalist approach to the maps).
Enemy design is pretty simple, only bosses get some special treatment.
Sound wise, for music its the same as the graphics, each episode has its own soundtrack reflecting the motif of the episode.
The combat music is similarish between episodes, with some slight variations to it to fit the episode better.
Sound effects are minimal, mostly used in combat, when lies spawn, and to add impact to the animations.
Between all 3 episodes, I’d say episode 1 has my favorite soundtrack, albeit, all 3 have some REALLY good tracks.
The best way to describe the whole presentation of LiEat is, the elegance of simplicity.
Mechanics
For the most part, its a very simple game.
Efi has the power to turn people’s lies into physical monsters she can eat.
The combat system is very simple, the standard take turns smacking each other until one side is dead, since its short and simple, encounters won’t take longer than a few seconds, and combat is rare all things considered.
At the start of each episode all levels and equipment resets, with the con artist at level 3 and Efi at level 1.
Each episode will always have the same equipment (with the exception of an episode having an easter egg) hidden somewhere, including utterly op items which make combat even easier than it already is.
Efi’s power often comes into the forefront during interrogations, with characters spawning monsters, however, during these moments, both lies and truths will spawn.
Since the game doesn’t use random encounters, you interact with the lies, they will give a statement, then, you will have to decide if its a lie or truth, lie starts combat, truth doesn’t.
For battles not related to interrogations, lies will always say gibberish, which just count as lies, sometimes, Efi will say she can’t eat them, which is your cue that you can grind some levels by killing it.
There are a few special lies which are to be avoided.
Efi has the power to turn people’s lies into physical monsters she can eat.
The combat system is very simple, the standard take turns smacking each other until one side is dead, since its short and simple, encounters won’t take longer than a few seconds, and combat is rare all things considered.
At the start of each episode all levels and equipment resets, with the con artist at level 3 and Efi at level 1.
Each episode will always have the same equipment (with the exception of an episode having an easter egg) hidden somewhere, including utterly op items which make combat even easier than it already is.
Efi’s power often comes into the forefront during interrogations, with characters spawning monsters, however, during these moments, both lies and truths will spawn.
Since the game doesn’t use random encounters, you interact with the lies, they will give a statement, then, you will have to decide if its a lie or truth, lie starts combat, truth doesn’t.
For battles not related to interrogations, lies will always say gibberish, which just count as lies, sometimes, Efi will say she can’t eat them, which is your cue that you can grind some levels by killing it.
There are a few special lies which are to be avoided.
For interrogations, if Efi eats a truth, she will say that it tastes disgusting, and nothing will happen, interrogation ends when she eats all the lies (truths will just despawn when all lies are dealt with).
Episode 3 introduces some minor extra puzzle elements, which are pretty easy as well, which I have seen before in other Wolf RPG and RPG Maker games, which I can’t describe at all without plot spoilers.
The basic gameplay loop is simply walking around interacting with everything until plot progresses, since the design of the areas is simple, and NPCs aren’t that numerous, it actually isn’t that bad.
Each episode has multiple bad endings, but they are very easy to avoid.
Episode 3 introduces some minor extra puzzle elements, which are pretty easy as well, which I have seen before in other Wolf RPG and RPG Maker games, which I can’t describe at all without plot spoilers.
The basic gameplay loop is simply walking around interacting with everything until plot progresses, since the design of the areas is simple, and NPCs aren’t that numerous, it actually isn’t that bad.
Each episode has multiple bad endings, but they are very easy to avoid.
Final Thoughts
LiEat its a classic, it was among the wave which actually put Wolf RPG on the map outside of Japan (even though the engine is pretty niche in Japan). Despite not being as popular as its horror focused brethren, or its older sibling Alice Mare (might review it at some point).
It has a very charming artstyle which improves as you go through the trilogy, and the animations, despite being simple, offer a good spice of variety.
The main duo changing appearance between games its also a nice touch.
When it comes to tone, I feel that going for a murder mystery in the 1st episode wasn’t that good of an idea, as it makes episode 2 feel far too tame in comparison, and makes episode 3 lack a lot of bite on what its going for.
There is also the issue, that people are a bit too chill about being caught lying.
The story for each episode is simple and short, with each taking a little over an hour at most, despite that, they are the kind of stories which evolve the more you allow them to simmer within your mind, the more you think about them and their implications, the better they get in retrospect.
I consider these minor problems, my actual issue with LiEat is that its too short, its such an interesting world, with a lot of interesting characters, thankfully, there is a prequel novel (don’t read it before playing, it spoils a few plot points), which does scratch that itch.
All in all, LiEat is a nice and short collection which you can beat in an afternoon, with simple yet very interesting stories, very charming art, and a pretty good time overall.
It has a very charming artstyle which improves as you go through the trilogy, and the animations, despite being simple, offer a good spice of variety.
The main duo changing appearance between games its also a nice touch.
When it comes to tone, I feel that going for a murder mystery in the 1st episode wasn’t that good of an idea, as it makes episode 2 feel far too tame in comparison, and makes episode 3 lack a lot of bite on what its going for.
There is also the issue, that people are a bit too chill about being caught lying.
The story for each episode is simple and short, with each taking a little over an hour at most, despite that, they are the kind of stories which evolve the more you allow them to simmer within your mind, the more you think about them and their implications, the better they get in retrospect.
I consider these minor problems, my actual issue with LiEat is that its too short, its such an interesting world, with a lot of interesting characters, thankfully, there is a prequel novel (don’t read it before playing, it spoils a few plot points), which does scratch that itch.
All in all, LiEat is a nice and short collection which you can beat in an afternoon, with simple yet very interesting stories, very charming art, and a pretty good time overall.
Pros
- + Fascinating story with great world-building.
- + Very good message and themes.
- + Charming art and great music.
Cons
- - Far too short.
- - Barely any actual gameplay.
3
Gameplay
There is barely anything, and combat is standard, this isn't the reason you play this game for.
9
Graphics
Very charming artstyle which only gets better with each episode, the only problems are minor nitpicks with repetition of portrait poses.
9
Story
Each episode has a simple on the surface story, yet very deep the more you think about it, its a story that stays with you, and makes you ponder about.
9
Sound
The music is stellar, greatly enhance the themes of the story, each track always being a delightful new discovery, only taking a point away due to lack of sfxs.
2
Replayability
Despite the multiple endings, in on itself, the game is pretty linear, so, its left to player's discretion.
7
out of 10
Overall
LiEat is a game which is simple yet very elegant, with beautiful art, and a very interesting story with multiple layers of depth, with many interesting characters, and great world-building. Its music is an absolute treat to listen to, and its animations add a lot to the whole vibe, although the resolutions its stuck with aren't that great. Despite barely having any gameplay, this game is very worth playing by story first gamers, but, this same lack of gameplay is why I shouldn't give it a higher score.
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