Artis Impact Review

Artis Impact is incredibly difficult to describe, primarily because I've never played anything quite like it. While I've encountered games with similar elements, from beginning to end, I genuinely had no idea what to expect. Just when I thought it would zig, it zagged, and as soon as I felt I'd found a consistent gameplay loop, the game would completely flip the script, thrusting me into an entirely different experience. It's one of those rare titles that stays fresh from start to finish, and despite its relatively short length, it's absolutely packed with discoveries. Even after two full playthroughs and dozens of hours exploring every nook and cranny, I'm still not convinced I've seen everything it has to offer. And that's what keeps me coming back for more.

Despite being such a unique experience, at its core, Artis Impact is a turn-based RPG with life simulation elements mixed in. It tells its story through a blend of hand-drawn comic panels and pixel art, and even the world itself shifts in style depending on the area you're exploring. You'll navigate a world map, towns, and dungeons, while battle screens are a full-on throwback to the genre's "good old days." So yes, it can be described as a retro-inspired RPG, but that description honestly doesn't do it justice.

This game is more than just an RPG; it's an unforgettable experience.

The Story:

Artis Impact follows the life of a young woman named Akane in a world that has been completely ruined by machines known as AI. The towns are on the smaller side, people live in fear of the robots that might attack and kill them, and they rely on a group known as Lith for their safety—an organization of which Akane herself is a member.

The game begins simply enough, with Akane being woken up by a loud sound that leads her to investigate. Along with her very own AI companion, "Bot," the two make their way to the source and eventually discover it is being caused by an AI that has somehow made it within the city walls. It being her duty to take care of such issues, Akane brandishes her massive sword, eliminates the AI, and then goes back home to catch up on her much-needed rest. Of course she is stopped by some cops on the way, and, much to her annoyance, is taken back to the police station for questioning. She is then picked up by her neighbor and friend Mrs. Wilson, and finally gets to go home. 

Tomorrow is another day, but unknown to Akane, things will never be the same again.

After reporting back to headquarters, Akane begins her test to become a full-fledged member of the team and is assigned her first official job. This is where the game leads you to think the story starts, but in reality, the game began the moment Akane woke up. This isn't a story about Lith, nor is it about the AI menace. Artis Impact is focused on Akane's life, and that life is exactly what the player chooses to make it. Outside of a handful of key points that unlock additional areas, players are free to come and go as they please, and while doing so, they will eventually uncover the truth of the world, those living in it, and even Akane's very own past.

Due to this freedom to explore and interact with the world, Artis Impact contains multiple story paths and different endings. It is a game designed to be played more than once to discover the answers to questions that arise, and there is more than one ending when everything is said and done. 

Living Akane's Daily Life:

Drawing inspiration from life simulators like the original Harvest Moon (Story of Seasons), Artis Impact features a "Daily Life" system that makes up a large section of the game. Rather than simply following the main story, the game encourages you to head out, explore the town, talk to people, and help those in need. The simple act of talking to a townsperson can set in motion a massive chain of events, often ending in surprising ways. Little simple acts also go a long way toward developing Akane as a character, which impacts how the world views her.

For example, helping an old lady at the bank is a one-time thing, but the scene itself is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face and tells us a lot about who Akane is. Then you have the homeless man who can be found not too far from Akane’s house, to whom you can toss a few coins from time to time. Will that evolve into something more later on? Or are you only doing it out of the kindness of your own heart? Like in real life, we can’t know the outcome of such acts, but it’s always worthwhile and fulfilling to take action and find out. 

This is how the vast majority of Artis Impact plays out, with countless scenes to discover and multiple ways to handle each. Not all of them give a "true" reward, but they are more than worth it for the scenes themselves.

Moving past simply talking to people, Akane has the ability to interact with nearly everything she sees. Talking to the side of an ATM will unplug it rather than use it, flipping a light switch too many times will annoy the people around you, and when someone tells you to only take one free sample, they actually mean you should only take one. There are so many little details hidden throughout the entire experience that it makes you want to experiment and try everything. 

The reactions from other characters are great, but seeing Akane’s responses to each situation is something else. Even something as simple as walking up to a fast-food restaurant to order presents a little cutscene where Akane tries to figure out what she wants. It's details like these that really help Akane feel like a real, living person. Of course, to get food, she has to order at the counter and not from the employee standing to the side, and when the bank tells her to take a ticket for her place in line, they actually mean for you as a player to grab a ticket and wait. Thankfully, wait times in the game are never too long, but the simple act of being forced to wait your turn as you would in real life also goes a long way to help make this world feel like a living place.

And it doesn’t stop there. Like in other simulation games, there is a clock system in Artis Impact that somewhat controls events. The main story and quests are not controlled by the clock; you honestly could forget about it and not notice a difference. However, when it comes to the “side events” and social aspects, that is where timing comes into play. The people around town will come and go throughout the day, and some places are only open at specific times. This mainly comes into play with Akane taking part-time jobs, as working them will not only quickly advance time, but some have set times for their shifts as well. These part-time jobs are a main source of gaining money in the game, but they are also just one of many options.

Besides being able to work in different locations, Akane has the ability to take over and manage shops on her own and also to buy other properties for additional income. This income can then be used to buy items, with plenty of “for-fun” options out there as well. Does Akane need that Gold Card at the bank? No. But does she want it? Yes, yes she does! Or what about renting an expensive room when Akane can simply sleep somewhere for free? Hey, why not, you only live once, right? If Akane has the cash, then why not let her enjoy it? Of course, you can't always go all out and buy everything you want, but once a steady income is established, you can let her go wild. One way she can do this is by upgrading her house.

The housing system in the game is pretty simple, with multiple areas to live, but a main house in the beginning town. This house can be upgraded with additional rooms, which don’t really provide many bonuses, but they are simply fun to have. It is yet another part of the life simulator aspect of the game and is something to sit and enjoy. Although some objects that get placed around the house will provide an additional boost to Akane's stats, many are simply there to interact with for the fun of it; something that can be found across the entire game. 

Maybe sitting on a bench will trigger a cutscene or conversation between Akane and her AI partner Bot, but other times, it’s just a basic act of sitting on a bench. You have no real reason to do such a thing, but the option is there, and sometimes it is nice to just stop and smell the roses. And there are plenty of opportunities to do so.

Of course, all of these options mentioned above are just a small part of Artis Impact, and I strongly encourage everyone who plays this game to seek out as much as possible on their own. Again, there are multiple endings, and Akane’s overall actions do have an impact on the story and character relationships, so it really is an important part of the game. But there is still so much more that makes Artis Impact, Artis Impact.

Combat, Customization, and Stats:

As an RPG, combat and character customization does play a role here. 

Combat is classic turn based, with Akane and Bot being the only two characters in the party. Akane herself has a basic attack option, but she also has multiple skills that unlock while progressing through the game. Some of these can be unlocked using skill books from stores, while others are discovered hidden across the game world. There is also a hidden mechanic where repeatedly used skills will become “mastered” and become upgraded further, and skills themselves also have different requirements to use. Some use Akane’s MP bar, while others use a second energy bar that fills with each successfully landed hit. It becomes a balance of using both types of skills, along with Akane’s main attack, and sometimes using the wrong abilities is a matter of life and death. These aren’t the only aspects of combat that are important however, as even Bot has his role to play as well.

Despite not being controllable, Bot’s equipment can be customized which also controls how he acts in battle. By default his actions will automatically heal Akane after every turn, but different types of attacks can be equip to alter his play style and even apply elemental effects to said attacks. These can also help give you an edge in battle, but Bot is fully on the support side of things and cannot take over if Akane herself were to fall. He’s not really a party member, but a piece of equipment by RPG standards which offers extra customization options.

As for Akane herself: her sword can be customized and upgraded at specific home bases which also add additional stats and effects. These require finding specific items initially to fuse into the blade, but going forward simply requires money for additional upgrades. She also has multiple equipment slots which lets her boost her different main stats and abilities, but players can simply hit the “optimize” button and have the game select the best ones Akane currently owns. Like with Bot and his equipment, these do help Akane to become stronger, but even this equipment system isn’t the true source of Akane’s strength. That honor actually belongs to what she does in her social life.

Resting in beds, eating meals, and simply interacting with the world will increase Akane’s stats in this game, making doing all of these things much more important than they initially seem. There are stat caps in place to prevent players from grinding and going past the recommended level in that point of the story, but there are still some things that can be done to get extra boosts. 

For example, Akane can make soup in her house for unlimited strength boosts, but she has to wait for at least six seconds to cook each meal, and it only boosts power by a single point. Going and eating a meal at the road side stand will provide a much larger boost however, but these meals only work for so long as well. Going home to rest in bed will once again increase specific stats, but after so many naps the stat gains will stop here as well. Special meals can be purchased with Meal Tickets for even larger stat increases, but these tickets are pretty rare making it something you cannot really farm for either. Again, all of this is set in place to prevent Akane from becoming over powered, but there’s no denying that it is still technically possible.

In my own experience, I almost always found that Akane was stronger than she needed to be. Most enemies could be taken out in a few hits of a normal attack, and bosses could be one shot killed using one of her special skills. Anything that didn’t die fast was typically killed by Akane’s automatic counter attack after she was hit, and that made the vast majority of the game pretty easy. On the other hand there are a few difficulty spikes, and extra bosses that do prove to be a challenge, but with a little preparation they can be taken down as well. 

One extra fight in particular killed me on my first play through, thus causing me to miss out on some substantial content, but on my second playthrough I was more than ready for it. Of course you wouldn’t know this was coming the first time through, and it is very clear the game doesn’t expect you to be ready. It is a smart way the game hides “new game plus” content within the main game itself, but again smart players can still achieve this the first time through. 

If the game wasn’t easy enough, there is one final aspect to Akane’s stats, and that comes from her “achievements.” To put it simply, Akane gets rewarded for doing specific things in the game, and each of these achievements provide an additional stat boost as well. One example is the fact she can be given one for being a “button masher” which is something that can easily be missed. On the other hand the nature of the game encourages you to do such things, so most players are going to find and achieve it anyway. These stat boosts can be substantial, especially when you’ve unlocked them all, but it does make an already mostly easy game even easier. 

That being said, the game does eventually ramp up in difficulty, but it is important to note for RPG fans that the combat might not be as big of a focus as they might hope. Killing enemies does net EXP, but Akane’s “level” is capped by her rank with Lith, and money is required to increase that cap. So there isn’t really any level grinding if that is what you are looking for, and some fans might be disappointed to learn this. 

Even so, everything else in the game more than makes up for it, and being underprepared will still result in your death. The game isn’t a complete cake walk, but it is pretty easy to turn it into one once you know what you are doing. 

You Will Miss Stuff:

With all of this being said, it is next to impossible to see everything in a single run, and you will miss out on things. 

My first playthrough of the game clocked in around the ten hour mark, and I felt as if I had seen the vast majority of what it had to offer. Going into my second play through however, I quickly realized just how wrong I was, and then proceeded to spend another twenty hours doing everything I missed. From full unique story chapters that were multiple hours long, to countless social aspects I completely overlooked the first time; I couldn’t believe how much I really missed. 

Houses and upgrades I didn’t buy, dozens of side stories I somehow overlooked, large sections of the map and hidden areas I walked past, and other features I didn’t even realize was in the game initially. It was a lot, and I’m honestly still not sure if I have discovered it all. There are also different outcomes based on Akane’s actions, so even with exploring and checking everything it is impossible to see and do it all in one go. 

This gives the game so much replay value, and encourages all players to go back through for additional runs; especially considering there is a true ending that all players should really achieve. Initially I was sad to see the credits roll so soon, and honestly a bit disappointed, but I had so much more fun going through the game a second time, and I truly enjoyed discovering everything I missed. I also had a much deeper understanding of the the story, so seeing things a second time helped explain things I overlooked as well.

It really is a game made to be replayed over and over again, and its shorter “main story” does make doing so much more manageable.

The Art Style:

The final thing I have to mention is the game’s unique, ever-changing art style. Although the main game features pixel art, there isn’t a single, consistent look. Instead, it constantly switches based on the situation, resulting in a visually pleasing, artistic take on storytelling. Black and whites are used to give the game an almost manga-like style, with manga and animation panels popping up for nearly every action Akane takes. 

Some cutscenes are animated, but others use multiple panels or slideshows to portray the events, and sometimes the game switches from these blacks and whites to full colors. Then there are times where real-world images are used as backgrounds, but they are gray-scaled, and the characters’ hand-drawn pieces of art are placed in front of them. You also have actual gameplay scenes that switch to a chibi-like style for world exploration or even become a side-scroller for visual effect.

Again, it is ever-evolving, and you never know what you are going to be seeing next or how it will be presented. It is charming, and the hand-drawn art is top-notch. The developer Mas is clearly a skilled artist, and it really shows in each and every one of these scenes. However, there is a disconnect that I had a hard time ignoring once I realized it.

With the non-hand-drawn backgrounds, things do not always match the current in-game scene. This is more noticeable with the interior environments, as the game world might display one thing while the cutscene background shows an image of a living room that looks nothing like the area the characters are currently in. It still looks nice and works well with the cutscene, but I found it a bit odd in some situations where the characters were supposed to be in a run-down building, but the background was so nice and clean. Again, this is minor, and chances are most wouldn't even notice without it being pointed out—something I technically just did.

Putting that aside, the artwork really is top-notch and such a joy to see. The character illustrations, especially, are stunning, and I loved the pixel art style of the main game as well. This is a game that deserves an official art book, and if it were to ever receive one, I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

Should you play it? 

I didn’t know I needed Artis Impact in my life. I’ve spent countless hours playing RPGs so similar to each other that I often forget what it's like to experience something new and unexpected. Artis Impact is both of these things, while also being familiar in a comforting way. It is a charming world with a main character I quickly grew attached to and an impressive amount of ways to interact with the environment. The social aspects helped keep me invested in this girl's life, and the ever-changing art style was visually pleasing from start to finish. The standard RPG elements were a bit light, as Akane became overpowered pretty easily, but role-playing her life more than made up for it. In the end, Artis Impact was a game I never wanted to end, and it had me jumping back in for a second playthrough once the credits rolled—something very few games have made me want to do.

Although I can't call the game perfect, it was still an enjoyable experience, and I feel everyone should at least give it a try. Some players may be let down by the turn-based combat, RPG systems, and short main runtime, while others might nitpick things here and there. But it is still a special game, and I am glad I had the chance to play it. Thanks to the demo, I already had a feeling I would like the game, but I didn't expect it to become one of my all-time favorites.

VERDICT: Essential
Reviewed on PC
Review Copy was Provided