YMMV / Max: An Autistic Journey

• Anti-Climax Boss:
  • Apart from an admittedly cheap move in his third phase (which he may or may not think to use), the final boss of the main game isn't all that hard. With the right moves, it's possible to deplete almost all his HP in a single round.
  • The boss of the DLC is even easier. He has a paltry 5,000 HP, which Max, his brother and their step-siblings can deplete in one or two round.
• Difficulty Spike: Max helping Jimmy with his game is unusually difficult, given that the enemies are fairly strong and some of your weaker abilities do negligible amounts of damage.
• Enjoy the Story, Skip the Game: The game's primary focus is on its story, while in terms of mechanics, it's a fairly bare-bones RPG, which some have criticized for odd scaling and poor ability balance.
• Fridge Brilliance: Max imagines the other kids at school as aliens because their rowdy behavior is so foreign to him.
• Funny Moments:
  • Max is quite funny in general when he's in a good mood. His jokes are hilariously adorable.
  • The game lampshades Max's "King of Dinosaurs" toy being in the video game he and Jimmy are playing (which is necessary, since the KOM is also your save point.)
    Max: What are you doing in the game!?
    King of Monsters: (looking bewildered) In fact, I don't know... (switches to default expression) Oh well, do you want to save your progress?
• Game-Breaker:
  • Max's "Magic Marker" ability, which he gets after art class, is a strong multi-hit attack that hits all enemies.
  • Elisabeth's "God Save The Queen" move. While it costs 50 TP, not only is it does it heal full health and remove status effects for the party, but it also grants a large number of TP, usually enough to max out Elisabeth's TP, allowing her to use her ultimate move easily.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • When Max is at his lowest point, angry with himself and wishing he wasn't autistic, the King of Monsters says that his autism can also be good, since it gave him the imagination he needs to deal with his problems. Not only does it help Max come to terms with himself and his condition, but it's also clear that the King of Monsters owes his imaginary existence to Max, so it's especially heartfelt.
  • The final Pictogram stresses that while autistic children may not always show that they love their parents, it doesn't mean they don't feel it. It's truly a fitting final message for a game that tries to help you understand autistic children.
  • From the DLC, there's a subtle one. In spite of everything Max put Mathis through in the main game, Max apparently thought of him as enough of a friend to invite him to his birthday party, and Mathis accepted.
• That One Attack: The Final Boss has an attack that can put the entire party to sleep. Since he acts twice per round, he can attack your party with his first move and put you to sleep with his second, thereby forcing you to waste your turn and starting a vicious cycle that can end with a Total Party Kill.

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