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It’s not often that an indie game made by a solo developer in RPG Maker becomes a contender for one of the most promising titles of the year, but Artis Impact has been just that. Over the last few days, I’ve had the pleasure of diving into this surprisingly deep and interesting game, and it’s a journey of dazzling highs and noticeable missed opportunities.
In terms of raw potential, Artis Impact is a complete surprise. It’s a story about humanity’s end and the total dominance of AI, a world where humans have become so insignificant that the ruling AI factions are more preoccupied with their own internal conflicts than with us. This gritty, seemingly hopeless backdrop is juxtaposed with charming, over-the-top humor that frequently had me laughing out loud.
A Masterclass in Art and Humor
The art style in Artis Impact is, hands down, one of the most impressive I’ve seen in a long time and stands as its greatest achievement. The game masterfully wields two distinct visual styles: a gorgeous, moody pixel art world and expressive manga-style cutscenes.
The game’s world is built on a foundation of stunning pixel art. It creates breathtaking sceneries that are rich with detail and atmosphere, from sprawling cities to serene natural landscapes. As seen in a beautiful sunset over the water, the game uses a striking color palette of purples and pinks to craft moments of quiet, reflective beauty that stick with you long after you’ve put the controller down. This meticulous detail isn’t just reserved for big moments, even crowded indoor areas feel vibrant and lived-in, with unique and expressive character sprites that give every location a distinct personality.
This pixel world is frequently punctuated by manga-style cutscenes, which is where the game’s unique humor truly shines. These sequences use expressive, hand-drawn panels with overly exaggerated faces to deliver jokes with perfect comedic timing. The style is reminiscent of comedic anime like Gintama, elevating what could be simple gags into moments of pure hilarity.
What is truly remarkable is how Artis Impact masterfully blends these two styles. Cutscenes often overlay the manga panels onto the pixelated game world, creating a dynamic visual language that is both unique and highly effective. This technique allows the game to snap between the immersive atmosphere of the world and the high-energy character reactions, enhancing the impact of both the humor and the story’s more serious undertones. You can see this in action during tense confrontations, where the detailed pixel art of an imposing AI army is contrasted with the stylized, black-and-white shock on the characters’ faces.
The result is a visual experience that is consistently stunning and a core part of the game’s charm. Truly, a monumental achievement for a solo developer.
A Tale of Two Extremes
This clash of tones is best personified by the game’s two main characters. You play as Akane, a 19-year-old paragon of morality. She’s not just a hero, she’s so benevolent that she’ll give robbers her wallet and then offer her spare one, just in case they need it more. Her backstory isn’t deeply explored, but her actions consistently show a profound love for humanity and empathy for anyone in a worse position than herself.
Her companion, Bot, is her complete antithesis. As a learning AI, Bot is a cold-blooded pragmatist. When Akane spends hours saving a bunny, Bot is busy contemplating the most efficient way to skin and eat it. He constantly suggests lying, cheating, and betraying others for personal gain. This dynamic creates incredibly fun interactions, as each character pushes their moral ideology to the extreme, constantly trying to one-up the other’s expectations.
The supporting cast is equally impressive. From a fellow AI hunter your Bot suspects is plotting your demise to a surprisingly misogynistic colleague with the most wholesome side-plots, the characters are memorable. It’s remarkable that a solo dev has hand-drawn such a large and unique cast. Even minor characters with similar archetypes, like the four random old men with a total of one cutscene, have distinct and recognizable designs.
A Story That Played It Too Safe
Story-wise, Artis Impact pulled me in with its initial promise. The mix of dark humor and a depressing world felt like a perfect setup for a narrative with real emotional weight. I expected the humor to be a tool to get me attached to the characters before things inevitably hit the fan.
However, after more than 20 hours and two playthroughs to unlock the secret ending, I realized the “grittier” side of the story was mostly for show. The horror-inspired enemies and grim setting create a vibe, but it feels like nothing truly bad ever happens. There’s a constant build-up of tension, especially between Akane and Bot, that never reaches a tipping point. I kept waiting for a moment where their ideologies would violently clash, but it never came. The game ends on a relatively happy note, even after toiling through confusing side quests with little guidance to get the “true” ending. There’s no moment of significant loss for Akane, leaving much of the dramatic potential feeling unused.
A Skewed Economy and Trivial Difficulty
On the gameplay front, Artis Impact is a very easy RPG, especially if you know what’s coming. Early in the game, I managed to beat a story fight that you’re supposed to lose in a single hit, simply because I had endless time to prepare. This one victory completely broke the difficulty curve. From that halfway point onward, the game became a breeze. My power progression felt far too fast, and I relied on just two abilities for the rest of my playthrough: one that does extreme damage to a single target and an AoE attack for mobs. With just these two, I was insta-killing everything, and I never once used a potion or felt the need to heal.
The real challenge wasn’t combat; it was the economy. Most of the game, I didn’t feel like experience, stats, or equipment were the problem. It was money. Money, money, money. That’s all I thought about, as everything revolved around it, yet there wasn’t a reliable way to make it until the penultimate area.
This frustration was amplified by the game’s part-time job system. Early on, two jobs are available, but after a story event, you lose access to the morning job. If you still want to work, you have to wait for the night job, which starts at 4 PM in-game. You’d think there would be a “wait” or “skip time” function, right? Wrong. You have to actually spend about ten real-world minutes letting the clock tick by. For someone like me, who had already explored everything and had no reason to fight weak mobs, this felt like a cruel form of torture.
I eventually decided I didn’t need the money, only to discover that the feature that was supposed to help me, the bank, was the biggest money sink of all. You can deposit money for interest and pay hefty fees to upgrade your membership for better rates. After spending thousands on upgrades, what was my new interest rate? Less than 1%. The moment I realized the bank was the most useless thing in the game and stopped using it was the moment I actually started making money. This skewed focus on a frustrating and unrewarding economic loop, combined with the trivial combat difficulty, created a gameplay experience that felt at odds with the game’s otherwise brilliant presentation.
Final Thoughts
Artis Impact might be one of my favorite pixel-style games of all time. The art is phenomenal, and the characters are an absolute delight. My only real issues lie with the underwhelming difficulty and a story that shied away from the emotional impact it spent so much time building up. Despite its flaws, it’s a testament to the power of a solo developer with a strong vision, and I can’t wait to see what’s next from them.
Artis Impact
Bottom Line
While its breathtaking art style and hilarious characters are a triumph, Artis Impact is ultimately held back by underdeveloped gameplay and a story that shies away from its own compelling potential.
