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Frontier Story Title

Rakenzarn: Frontier Story title screen

Rakenzarn: Frontier Story is the spinoff to Rakenzarn Tales and the second entry of the Rakenzarn series for the RPG Maker VX Ace. Unlike Rakenzarn Tales, Frontier Story is a different entry with its own story. It also features numerous crossovers. It was announced at the creator's DeviantArt account on 20th February 2017.

It is officially released on 26th September 2017.

Story[]

The story takes place in different universes and timelines. These places are recorded in a series of books and can be teleported there through said books. The books are recorded from the point of view of the worlds' main heroes, which they are referred as ‘Beholders.’ It is sorted by universe (representing a series) and their worlds (representing different timelines and what-if scenarios).

One particular world/timeline is from the Danganronpa universe where the ‘Tragedy’ incident never happened. Unfortunately, Makoto Naegi has the worst luck of all his counterparts, to the point he’s mockingly referred as a traditional black cat and a constant subject of ridicule. Even after entering Hope’s Peak, his bad luck doesn’t cease. After a year in Hope’s Peak Academy, Makoto finds himself targeted by mysterious attackers only to be saved a young Lion Ushiromiya. After a series of mishaps, Makoto is accidentally dragged into the Chamber of Rakenzarn, an in-between dimension and home to the Realmwalkers, an organization who patrol the universes. Realmwalkers utilize ‘Rune Classes’ that confer the Class contained within them to their bearer.

Makoto learns that there have been mysterious attacks in different universes and killing off Beholders. If a Beholder is killed by any force outside of their respective universe, then said universe will start to decay and will eventually be destroyed. Makoto himself is a Beholder.

Against his will, Makoto – with Lion (from Umineko) who becomes his first comrade, Mei-Fang (from Arcana Heart) a robot girl who is searching for her creator, Rhajat (from Fire Emblem Fates) a creepy stalker who has a strange obsession with Makoto, Raiga (Original Character) who is a young guard of Lucis, Mika (Original Character) a hyperactive beastmaster, Tiger the Dark (from Tiger W) the infamous wrestler and rival of Tiger Mask, and Yuko (from Valis: The Fantasm Soldier) who is a magical knight – is thrust into the frontier and traveling through different universes/possible timelines while protecting Beholders from the mysterious enemies.

Chapter List[]

Gameplay[]

Frontier Story features a few returning elements besides its crossover aspects and some new elements.

Unlike Rakenzarn Tales, players control only 8 main playable party members with occasionally 'guest party members.' As Makoto Naegi, players traverse through different realms and universes on different missions.

The main hub is Makoto's world (mainly parts of the city and Hope's Peak Academy). Players can talk to various NPCs and party members for side stories/quests. The second hub is the Chamber of Rakenzarn. This is where players can accept various missions (mostly main missions) where they will be sent to designated universes. There are also shops for items, weapons, and equipment.

The battle system utilizes RPG Maker VX Ace engine's default battle system. Soul Breaks return, but now each of the main party members has 3 Soul Breaks. They start out with one Soul Break, but they unlock newer Soul Breaks through side quests. It utilizes a class switch in a similar vein to the Bravely Default series or even Final Fantasy IV. You start off with very few choices of classes, but you gain more classes by collecting Rune Classes, which can be obtained from NPCs or even defeated bosses.

Rune Classes can be used as either a Primary Class or a Sub-Class. Primary Class allows the party member to use the full extent of of the Rune Class (in terms of attributes, skills, and passive abilities). Sub-Class offers extra buffs based on the Rune Class, but you also can use the class' skills. The downside is that the Rune Class cannot be leveled up when in Sub-Class, only when they're set in Primary Class. Party members have 4 exclusive classes for them; three classes are unlocked as the story progresses while the fourth class is a secret one.

The Rune Classes also have their own weaknesses that the players must watch out for, no matter if they're in Primary or Sub-Classes. Some Rune Classes are strictly for Primary and Sub-Classes respectively. Most class skills require certain weapons for the party members to equip. Otherwise, the skills are inaccessible.

Each main party member plays a specific role as in the following.

  • Makoto Naegi: Despite being the protagonist, his physique isn't capable for full-frontal battle. While his stats are fairly balanced, his Luck is what stands out among the party. The best classes for him are the ones focused on inflicting ailments or granting buffs. His exclusive classes are Adept, Mediator, and Gunslinger.
  • Lion Ushiromiya: The jack-of-all-trades. Due to his extensive training with the Realmwalkers, he is capable of fighting off enemies better than Makoto. As a result, he is very versatile offering different abilities ranging from simple attacks to spells and healing magic. His exclusive classes are Blademaster, Knight, and Fencer.
  • Rhajat: The black mage of the group. Her magic comes in different forms either by your typical black spells or curses. Magic-based classes are highly recommended for her. Her exclusive classes are Black Mage, Sorceress, and Omnyoji.
  • Mei-Fang: Physically the strongest of the group next to Tiger the Dark. Mei hits hard and is surprisingly fast, which allows her to attack the enemies first most of the time (beaten only by Raiga). Offensive-based classes are highly recommended. Her default class is Xing Yi Fighter. Her other classes are Machina and Tao Fighter.
  • Raiga Akamura: The fastest of the group. Due to his speed, Raiga is capable of attacking twice. His exclusive classes are Kingsglaive, Daemon Hunter, and Dragoon.
  • Mika Fauziah: The beastmaster of the group. Her choice of attacks is summoning her Digimon partners. Unlike the rest of the party members, Mika doesn't have any exclusive classes, but she can still use Sub-class.
  • Tiger the Dark: Physically the strongest of the group next to Mei Fang. Not only do his attacks hit like a truck, he is also very durable. His exclusive class is Wrestler. His later classes are Beast and Striker.
  • Yuko Asou: The magic knight of the group. Yuko's attacks utilize elements but can also use magic (but not to the extent as Rhajat). She also can convert magic to pure physical attacks. Her exclusive classes so far are Dream Knight and Samurai.

Another returning element is the Choices and Consequences. Like Rakenzarn Tales, there are points where Makoto is confronted with questions from people and situations where he's forced to do certain actions. They are highly dependent on the player's choices, with their choices offering different results.

Like Rakenzarn Tales, players can romance some of the girls in the game, but they're restricted to five. The confirmed potential love interests are Kyoko Kirigiri, Sayaka Maizono, Celestia Ludenberg, and Aoi Asahina.

A returning feature is the sidequests, but with a second kind: Personal Quests. They're exclusive for the major characters, including the main party. Completing these quests help build Makoto's relationship with said characters, earning unique rewards, skills, and classes.

Development[]

  • Version 1: September 25, 2017
  • Version 1.2.1: December 28, 2017
  • Version 1.3: July 10, 2018
    • Version 1.3.1: March 24, 2019
    • Version 1.3.3: November 30, 2019

Related[]

Videos[]

Rakenzarn_Frontier_Story_test_footage

Rakenzarn Frontier Story test footage

Trivia[]

  • According to the creator, Rakenzarn: Frontier Story is meant to contrast with Rakenzarn Tales.
    • While in Rakenzarn Tales, the major aspect is recruiting many party members. In Rakenzarn: Frontier Story, it's restricted to 8 party members only, but collecting Rune Classes.
    • While Kyuu in Rakenzarn Tales gets progressively stronger, Makoto in Rakenzarn: Frontier Story stays the same with his weapon and Rune Classes being his means of attack. He also stays as the group's buffer.
    • Rakenzarn Frontier Story is the very first entry to be made using the RPG Maker VX Ace engine.
  • According to the creator, Chapter 3: Arcana Requiem suffered from development problems in August (mostly from personal issues with family, from a severe situation to constant disturbances). Because of this, the chapter suffers from many errors with the character dialogue and severe re-writings consequently causing some plot holes. The developer isn't very fond of Chapter 3's results.
    • Some content is supposed to be different as well. One content has Naegi and Lion form two different groups to reach the hidden mansion with Naegi's group stumbling upon Sayaka and Aoi.
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