Anyone can be their own worst enemy or their greatest ally. For Alma, protagonist of the upcoming RPG Prisma, that’s more literal than it is for most. Prisma, from developer Dreams Unincorporated, turns one character into an entire cast for a dimension-hopping RPG with an intriguing battle system that takes cues from a recent hit.
Dreams Unincorporated’s last game, Cris Tales, wove time travel into story and combat. Despite mixed reviews, its unique battle system and gorgeous art style clearly marked its developer as one to keep an eye on. Now, turning its attention from time travel to alternate dimensions, Dream Unincorporated is breaking the mold again with Prisma. Based on a 30-minute preview and its spot at the recent Latin American Games Showcase, the followup to Cris Tales is already looking like one of the most exciting indie RPGs on the horizon.
Prisma follows the story of Alma, a photojournalist. At least, that’s the version of her you meet first. In Prisma, Alma is transported to another world by a magical camera, along with versions of herself from other dimensions. These alternate Almas make up the game’s cast of characters, from potential party members and enemies to an assortment of NPCs found throughout the world.
Dreams Unincorporated CEO Carlos Rocha says the idea to have Alma split into multiple characters was inspired by class systems in RPGs like Final Fantasy XIV. If just changing what equipment you’re using can change your class, why couldn’t each of those classes be a different person entirely? The characters making up the game’s party all have different classes, abilities, and just as importantly, opinions about the world. Along with diving into battle together, these alternate Almas will clash with each other, leaving it up to the protagonist to decide whose side to take. The closer Alma’s opinions align with any alternate version of herself, the stronger their bond will become, opening up new story paths and combos in battle.
When it comes to combat, Prisma also wears its influences openly. Alma’s background as a photojournalist comes into play here, with her magical camera providing a twist inspired by Fantasian, which was recently ported to consoles and PC. By swapping lenses and filters on her camera, Alma can change how her allies' attacks work. Swap to a fisheye lens, and attacks will curve in response, allowing them to hit multiple targets in a line or bypass frontline defenders to hit squishier enemies behind them. Use a shattered lens and attacks will split along the fractures in the glass, turning a single-target ability into one that hits every enemy on screen.
Outside of combat, Alma will use her camera to explore the world. Looking through the viewfinder can expose things hidden to the naked eye, whether they’re secret paths or the game’s antagonists influencing events unseen. The world itself is heavily influenced by magical realism, a literary style that makes supernatural events a part of everyday life.
In some ways, Prisma feels like a mishmash of inspirations, with Final Fantasy, magical realism, alternate dimensions, and journalism butting heads. But it somehow all seems to work in practice. Alma’s pursuit of truth as a photojournalist leads naturally into her camera’s ability to pierce illusions, and using the technical aspects of lenses as combat modifiers is an ingenious move that only feels natural. Her split into multiple iterations still feels like a bit of an outlier, but it’s an intriguing premise for a party-based RPG nonetheless. The idea of using camera lenses to alter battles is intriguing enough to make Prisma worth checking out, and its gorgeous world is already one I want to explore.
