Vay

Background

Over a millennium ago, in a far away part of the galaxy, a huge interstellar war had taken place. During the conflict, a large machine (mecha) escapes the battlefield. Its guidance system is broken and the pilot is dead, but it continues hurtling outward into space.

After a time, it crashes into the planet of Vay. This planet is inhabited by people, but they have little technology. The machine, programmed only for death, rampages across the planet killing and destroying anything it sees.

It took the combined forces of the five strongest wizards on the planet to stop the machine. Its power was sealed away in five magical orbs, which were taken to far away hidden places. The machine itself was also locked away. In time, however, the legend of the machine was nearly forgotten by all.

Setting

In the kingdom of Lorath, Prince Sandor is about to wed his love, Lady Elin. The most important dignitaries of the four kingdoms have attended, ensuring that the kingdom of Lorath is secure for another generation.

While in the middle of their wedding ceremony, the castle is attacked by a large fleet of robots. During the siege, Lorath Castle is reduced to ruins, and Elin is kidnapped by one of the machines. Sandor vows to rescue his betrothed from her captors, and the story unfolds from this point.

Gameplay

Vay is an archetypal JRPG. Characters gain experience and gold by defeating monsters via random encounters. You can purchase new equipment and items, and most of the characters can learn new spells as their levels advance. The game also features a rudimentary AI system, allowing the characters to fight for you automatically. There are few real puzzles in Vay, aside from the occasional maze.

The challenge scaling in this title is quite erratic. Some of the bosses are much more powerful than their surrounding area/enemies may indicate. At the same time, more powerful creatures may offer less experience/gold than weaker variants.

Source: Wikipedia, "Vay", available under the CC-BY-SA License.