Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Themm: Haruka Naru Meikyū offers a classic first-person dungeon‐crawl experience that will feel immediately familiar to fans of titles like the Raidy series. You guide Lucido, a courageous hero, through winding corridors, hidden traps and secret passages, all rendered in an old‐school grid format. Exploration is methodical and deliberate; every turn could conceal a chest, a puzzle or an ambush by seductive demon foes. The game strikes a careful balance between risk and reward, encouraging players to map their progress and conserve resources for deeper floors.

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Combat is turn‐based and emphasizes strategic positioning and skill selection. Encounters with the demon girls trigger a menu of abilities—light attacks, elemental spells, status‐inflicting techniques and defensive maneuvers. As enemies disrobe when defeated, battles take on a risqué edge, but it never feels gratuitous thanks to responsive controls and clear action feedback. Boss fights introduce more complex mechanics, including enemy phases that demand quick adaptation and the judicious use of healing items.

Random encounters can be brisk or drawn out, depending on your approach. Themm encourages experimentation: do you muscle through every fight for experience and loot, or evade weaker foes to reach the next save point? Furthermore, permadeath settings and optional difficulty modifiers let seasoned dungeon‐crawlers tailor the challenge. Whether you prefer to meticulously clear each level or dash for the ultimate magical stone, the gameplay loop remains satisfying and encourages repeated runs.

Graphics

Visually, Themm embraces a retro aesthetic infused with modern touches. The dungeon environments are comprised of tile‐based walls and floors, punctuated by atmospheric lighting that shifts from flickering torches to ominous shadows. Though textures are relatively simple, the moody color palette and dynamic sound design immerse you in each claustrophobic corridor. Occasional environmental details—bone piles, ruined altars and glowing runes—add depth and hint at the divine conflict simmering beneath the surface.

Character and enemy illustrations are the true standout. Each demon girl features distinctive visual themes, from forest nymphs with emerald hair to fire spirits wreathed in embers. The highly detailed artwork shines during victory scenes, where the disrobing animations are smooth, animated and tongue‐in‐cheek. Boss illustrations, meanwhile, depict elaborate stages of transform ation or fusion, reinforcing their status as extra‐dangerous adversaries with unique flora and fauna motifs.

Themm’s UI remains clean and intuitive, with transparent menus that never obscure your view of the action. Health bars, status icons and hotkey prompts are crisply rendered, and the mapping system uses clear symbols to mark doors, stairs and points of interest. While you may not find cutting‐edge shaders or 4K textures, the cohesive art direction and character designs more than compensate, delivering an art style that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

Story

At the heart of Themm lies a mythic tale of gods scorned and humanity in peril. Long ago, once‐worshipped deities grew fury when mortals abandoned their faith, plunging the world into chaos. Demons—masquerading as alluring young women—emerged from the shadows, sowing madness and despair. This premise sets the stage for five rival kingdoms to dispatch champions in search of a fabled magical stone, rumored to restore cosmic balance.

You step into the boots of Lucido, one of these chosen heroes, guided by both duty and rivalry. Through journal entries and sparse NPC interactions, the narrative gradually unfolds: Lucido’s pact with a simple village girl provides emotional ballast, contrasting the cold ambition of competing heroes. Occasional dialogue choices allow you to shape Lucido’s disposition—merciful or ruthless—a subtle mechanic that influences a handful of late‐game encounters.

While the story sometimes takes a backseat to dungeon crawling, it maintains enough momentum through bosses’ taunts and environment lore. Ruined temples and derelict villages hint at the gods’ fading influence, and each demon girl you defeat offers a snippet of tragic backstory. Though the pacing can dip between major plot beats, the rewards—both narrative and mechanical—make every descent deeper into the labyrinth feel narratively purposeful.

Overall Experience

Themm: Haruka Naru Meikyū delivers a compelling blend of retro dungeon exploration, strategic turn‐based combat and mature themes. Fans of classic JRPG dungeon‐crawlers will appreciate the challenging random encounters, the need for resource management and the satisfaction of mapping out each floor. The adult‐oriented disrobing sequences and boss interactions add a unique twist that sets it apart in a crowded genre, though they may not appeal to every player.

Replayability is strong thanks to multiple difficulty settings, unlockable content and branching dialogue options. You can experiment with different item loadouts, focus on speed‐runs or take the slow road, uncovering every hidden alcove. The balance between risk and reward remains finely tuned throughout, ensuring that no two runs feel identical.

Ultimately, Themm strikes a sweet spot for players seeking a mature spin on traditional dungeon‐crawl mechanics. Its artful character designs, atmospheric dungeons and myth‐rich lore combine to create an experience that’s as intoxicating as it is challenging. If you’re drawn to strategic combat, retro aesthetics and a storyline steeped in divine intrigue (with an adult edge), Lucido’s adventure into the depths of Haruka Naru Meikyū is well worth your time.

Retro Replay Score

null/10