Dodge smartly in this free RPG

Adiasis is a free hilarious role-playing video game wherein you must save the world by defeating enemies and surviving their attacks. Developed by Albin “Crepecroop” Dahlheim, this 16-bit pixelated JRPG-style game lets you control two characters in a turn-based combat system. Unlike most RPGs, you don’t have to rely on your luck to dodge an attack here and you can manually do so by simply pressing the right button before it lands.

It’s dangerous to go alone

The story begins with a girl named Nia waking up after receiving a strange vision: she must kill someone named Adiasis to rid the world of evil. As generically-cliché as the quest is, Nia dutifully accepts and starts exploring the world. Her first encounter with an enemy prompts the battle tutorial and soon enough, she meets her new ally, Noe, after he helped her out. Noe is confused by her quest but nonetheless tags along.

This game is short, featuring only a small map and 5 enemy encounters overall. However, the battles themselves stretch the time—as unlike Nia and Noe, you can’t see the opponent’s health bar and have no way of knowing for how much longer will you have to fight. The combat system is like that of classic RPGs, with HP, SP, skills, and items as your deployable moves for every turn. These replenish after every fight.

However, the key mechanic here is dodging. Whether you’re using the keyboard or a controller, Nia and Noe have designated dodge buttons that pop up whenever the enemy attacks. Successful timings will save them from any damage—although it’s recommended to press both buttons when using the keyboard, especially in the boss battle as he attacks multiple times in succession. If the game had more content, this would be a more fulfilling RPG adventure.

Can still grow

All in all, Adiasis makes for a promising concept for role-playing games. Not only is the combat satisfying but the dialogue is also hilarious, with its tongue-in-cheek references on certain shows and the ridiculous premises of most RPG settings that Noe likes to point out. It can feel far too short for the genre but has enough potential to be expanded into a full-fledged game.