Artis Impact Review
Turn-based RPG Artis Impact pairs vibrant pixel art and sci-fi charm.
Artis Impact. Credit: Mas
Artis Impact is a turn-based RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world where AI poses an existential threat to humanity. Its stylish presentation and generous helping of side quests give the adventure a distinct charm. Malaysian solo developer Mas created the game over more than three years using RPG Maker MV, a fact that becomes increasingly impressive the deeper you go.
You play as Akane, a young recruit in a paramilitary organization tasked with protecting civilians from rogue AI-controlled robots. The narrative’s strongest moments come from Akane’s interactions with her floating robotic companion, Bot. Akane’s goofiness contrasts nicely with Bot’s dry, deadpan responses, creating a genuine, endearing warmth. Not all of the humor lands, likely a side effect of uneven localization, and the writing for side characters varies in quality. Still, the world itself is intriguing enough that I wanted to keep exploring despite these stumbles.
Artis Impact. Credit: Mas
Artis Impact. Credit: Mas
Combat is turn-based and fairly barebones, and it often feels wildly unbalanced. Akane has special attacks that consume MP, while others rely on TP, a separate gauge that fills during battle and is spent on certain moves. Bot acts autonomously; he heals by default, but his behavior can be altered through equipment. Encounters swing sharply between trivial and punishing. Some fights barely register, while others wiped me out with little warning. Eventually, I enabled the game’s easy mode, which dramatically boosts Akane’s stats, so that I could focus on the story. Alongside combat, there’s a life-sim element that lets you upgrade your home and take on mundane side activities to earn extra money or boost stats.
Exploration introduces a small but persistent frustration. Objects in the world can sometimes be interacted with in two different ways: a standard button press, or a secondary action performed by holding a modifier key—like Shift—while interacting. The game doesn’t clearly communicate when a secondary action is available, leading to trial-and-error tedium. Clear visual indicators or a simple interaction menu would have gone a long way here; as implemented, the shortcut feels confusing rather than helpful.
Artis Impact. Credit: Mas
Artis Impact. Credit: Mas
What initially drew me to Artis Impact is its impressive art. The fluid pixel animation is painstakingly realized and beautiful, giving Akane a sense of life and motion that few RPG Maker games achieve. Mas also blends pixel art with hand-drawn illustrations during cutscenes, sometimes layering them together with manga–style panels and insets. The result is striking and memorable.
While the gameplay never fully clicked for me, Artis Impact radiates the passion of its solo creator. I’m genuinely excited to see what Mas does next. For patient players willing to embrace its quirks and push through its rough edges, there’s a beautiful and thoughtfully crafted world waiting to be discovered in Artis Impact.
Artis Impact is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: Steam Deck
