Laxius Force, by Indinera Falls, is a Role Playing Game (RPG) for the PC. A sequel to the freeware Laxius Power games, Laxius Force is the first in a three part saga. The game follows the story of a young warrior named Random, and the group of adventures who follow him as he seeks to unravel the mysteries behind a secretive organization, the Order, as the Great Winter begins to cover the lands of Deport.

Laxius Force reminded me a lot of the old Dragon Warrior, or Breath of Fire games from my Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) days. There are pyramids to explore, treasures to uncover, and wandering monsters to battle. The monsters are visible on the screen, however, so it is possible to avoid the dreaded “Random Encounters”. The game offers plenty of gear to equip your character, as any good RPG does. The game boasts 17 playable characters, 100 quests, and up to a possible 80 hours of playtime.

As you progress in the game, you will gain levels, join guilds and explore a decent sized world. It is very open ended and you can choose which quests to take, and which to skip. While there is an over all story arc, you are free to explore the world of Deport any way you want.

The graphics are in a classic Anime style. The “over world” graphics are very detailed and even offer the occasional weather effect, which helps to draw you into the game. You will find yourself traveling through forests in the rain, with woodland animals roaming about, or fog shrouded ruins, filled with wandering ghosts. The battle scenes are reminiscent of the early Dragon Warrior and Phantasy Star series, with your characters as static portraits on the bottom of the screen and the enemy facing you head on.

You may find yourself slightly put off by the opening tutorial. While it succeeds at setting up the controls of the game and the combat flow, it didn’t really grab me right away. You play a handful of characters exploring a pyramid with little explanation as to why, and it feels like you are coming into the game at the halfway mark.

Once the short tutorial is over, however, you leave the drab and relentlessly yellow pyramid and are introduced to the main hero and a much more colorful world. I was glad that I stuck with it, as the game turns out to be surprisingly deep, especially with the promise of two sequels on the way. Laxius Force is definitely worth the $15.00 and if you are a classic RPG fan, you should head over to Laxius Force and try it out.