I have no idea what is a standard rpg is exactly. I don't really care about mechanics being different for different games, because that makes up part of the games identity. In asking for a definition for a "standard rpg", I am brought back to the discussion in a class of a definition of a salad. When the logical answer of a leaf based food is brought up, the teacher asks, "what about potato salad?" And so on and so forth. The lession is that there are words that hold a general meaning, but don't all have the same definition. So if I'm to give a definition, I'm guessing a story where something fantasical happens to the main character (usually at the beginning), that has a turn based battle mechanic in.

Aside from MARDEK as one of my favorite rpgs, my other top favorite is the Golden Sun Series. And other top Indie favorite is the Epic Battle Fantasy series.

Although its not the battle mechanics that drew me in, its the story. So that's a consideration on what kind of gamer I am.

MARDEK and Golden Sun are games that are more story driven that have a fun battle mechanic in my opinion. While for EBF, the main draw is the battle mechanics with increasingly complex enemies, with the cherry on top of the story.

So is Atonal Dreams a "standard rpg" by my vauge definition yes, however it doesn't feel that way, so i think there's something more specific in the battle mechanics that determine the "standard rpg" because the fantastical stuff is hard to quantify. Or maybe the feeling and thoughts are the differential. Or maybe its the next evolution of what the standard rpg will go to? Hard for me to say, but I did enjoy the bit I beta tested so yeah.