Mary Skelter Finale

Mary Skelter Finale is the third installment in a series of jRPGs by Idea Factory, also responsible for Dragon Star Varnir, Death end re;Quest and Hyperdimension Neptunia.

Plot

True to its title, the game was conceived as the final chapter of the trilogy. In the previous installment, the heroes managed to climb to the very top of a magical underground structured known as the Jail. Unfortunately, having encountered a group of villains, the party was defeated and separated. Although they have been scattered around the world, they all feel a strange attraction to a flying fortress, where their stories are due to end.

In addition to its brand-new campaign, Mary Skelter Finale also includes the campaigns of the previous two installments (Mary Skelter: Nightmares and Mary Skelter 2), as well as the graphic novel Love Prison Tower Mary Skelter, originally a pre-order bonus included with the series' second installment.

Mechanics

Mary Skelter Finale expands upon the mechanics introduced earlier in the series. The game is an old-school dungeon crawler RPG. It makes use of first-person perspective, the players can only move entire rooms at a time and turn by 90 degrees.

The party must explore trap and monster-infested dungeons, solve puzzles, develop the characters and fight enemies in turn-based battles. Occasionally, the player will encounter Nightmares, immortal monsters they must run away from.

An unusual mechanic is the presence of three different parties, between which the player can freely switch. Doing so is necessary to complete the game. Oftentimes we'll reach a challenge our party cannot overcome, necessitating a switch.

Yet another innovation is the Insectmare mechanic. Its namesake is a strange creature that can attach to party members, temporarily disabling some options such as attacking or running away. The condition can be removed with special items. Ignoring it causes it to spread to other functions as well.

Game modes

The game is only playable in singleplayer.

Technical aspects

The game's visuals are simple, though appealing, making use of an anime-like artstyle. The locations and monsters are 3D, while the characters during gameplay and cutscenes are 2D.