Creatio Ex Nihilo: Aition

”Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.” -Malcom S. Forbes

***Before beginning, I would like to give a special thanks to my brother, Cold Dingo [33rd], for proofing this lengthy review so early in the morning when I am certain he would have preferred sleep. Your selflessness was not overlooked.

Creatio Ex Nihilo: Aition-literally translated from Latin as, “creation from nothing: cause”-is a turn-based strategy roleplaying title depicting the inception of the universe from a being known as Uros. As an avid fanatic of Dungeons & Dragons, this title struck my interest considering much of the former lore from the tabletop game stemmed from Greek mythology as does CEN:A. Even though the concept of this project is intriguing, the execution does appear to lack polish.

Here are some things that provoke discussion with this title:

Writing – As described previously, Uros is described as the being of creation: a god before gods. With this, you as Uros experience various story arches, and must extinguish the primary conflicts within them to progress. The narrative explains Uros’ boredom with the nothingness prior to macrocosm, and, subsequently, the absolute entity conceives the stars. Like with this example, the premise gradually reveals just how the development of the cosmos was influenced in this reality’s lore. Though the script is not the most refined work I have personally seen in video games, it holds merit within its intrigue and plot advancement.

Gameplay – Similar to other titles developed in RPG Maker, CEN:A’s core gameplay lies within turn-based combat. The theme of each interactive segment is preceded by a visual novel-style story presentation outlining the current struggle’s objective; there is no direct instruction for which to follow, and you must instead saunter through said setpieces until the next narration portion is revealed. Combat is your standard array of selecting whether to attack with brute force, utilize various skills unlocked through level progression, defend against oncoming assaults for the turn, apply items to Uros, or attempt to escape the conflict. However, in the introduction scenario especially, this title holds a very high emphasis on grinding, with no clear indication as to whether or not your abilities are sufficient for upcoming clashes. In my own experience, I repeatedly defeated enemies on a blank tableau-after traversing similar barren environments-directly outside of the first boss for nearly an hour, given there was nothing else to do but progress by defeating said creature.

TL:DR – It was difficult for me to post this as a negative review primarily due to the ambition displayed by the development team, as well as the abstraction presented in the story. However, there is an obligation in publishing reviews that they must be truthful, and I did not enjoy Creatio Ex Nihilo: Aition. The opening is far too much of a grind, without any clear indication of purpose. There was a great emphasis on story aspects, but little polish in terms of gameplay; it is understandable how one can become overzealous with the concept of a project while subsequently lacking focus on the product’s stabilization, and I believe that is what occurred in this instance. Thanks for reading.

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Originally posted February 13, 2018. Last edited May 1, 2018.