A new tactical turn based role-playing game has recently hit the stores. Boasting a wide variety of classes, over 40 different combat maps, and an incredible story. But is this game a fun romp through an incredible world? Or is it simply a complex mess for the new comer?
Maps
As the Developers promised, there are loads of unique and challenging maps for you to interact with. They range from dark alleys in the city, to the side of an active volcano, to a poisonous swamp. They are more than just a template swap. Each map is designed differently with it’s own challenges. Ranging from dealing with high cliffs, to water, to lava. These maps help the combat feel fresh and exciting.
Combat
The combat in this game is nothing too impressive. It gets the job done and requires some strategy and thinking, but it gets repetitive and the animation is limited. I found myself putting the speed to max just to get the combats done that much quicker, which is a shame. The combat, while fun in the strategy side of things, just is not fun to watch. This in part is due to the limitations of the developers using sprites as opposed to 3D models. This is not to say that one who loves these kinds of games will not have fun. The combat is still enjoyable, it just could have been better with some better animation.
Classes
The classes are the highlight of this game. Fell Seal does an amazing job of making each class feel unique and leaves the character’s design to you. You are given six characters from the main story, and while some of them get access to unique classes, you can choose to ignore those classes. The way the class system works is you choose your main class. As you play, you acquire Ability Points, AP. Using these AP, you buy abilities for that class. These abilities can be actions, passive abilities, or a counter. Your main class gives dictates what equipment you use, adjusts some of your stats, as well as access to all of that class’s actions and passive abilities.
After you have chosen your main class for a character, you can choose a sub-class. You only, however, get access to that class’s action abilities. Then, you choose two additional passive abilities from any class whose passive abilities you have unlocked. Afterwards, you get to do the same with your counter. So you can have a character with the Templar class, with the abilities of the scoundrel, passive abilities from the mender and the gambler classes, and the counter from the alchemist class. The possibilities seem endless.
Story
This game’s golden gem, however, is the story. The story is paced amazingly well. The character’s are very well written. I found myself thinking, I would have been just as happy if there was only the few boss fights and the rest was story/cutscenes. This game is worth it just for the story alone. Very few games of this length can reach this level of story writing and the character depth felt on par with something from Bioware. You follow Kyrie as she strives to determine the source of corruption affecting her government in letting a nobleman who has killed an innocent in cold blood go free. What follows next is an amazing story of intrigue, monsters, curses, and betrayal. This could be a hollywood blockbuster. I want to see more story driven games by these writers.
In conclusion, this game is a fun 20 hour or so game, made longer depending on how much grinding you need to do. There is also a secret ending that you can find, which helps extend the game time. While the combat could be made more enjoyable to watch, the strategy which is the heart of these games, is still a challenge and fun to do. I played on the absolute easiest difficulty, and even then, there were some situations that required careful planning and thinking on my part. I wish luck to those who challenge these creatures at tougher difficulties. The main reasons to play this game, however, still lie in the story and the creative class system. I hope to see more from these developers