A banal 2.5D action-RPG with a heavy "disappointing Kickstarter game circa 2014" aura to it which isn't even that far from the truth considering its origins. Tries to evoke some Muramasa: The Demon Blade (and Suikoden, I'd imagine) vibes but feels way more like something akin to Indivisible which is most definitely not a compliment. Tiresome fetch quests and backtracking galore, the game opens up at such a glacial pace that even if you were into the throwback style and narrative you'd still be mashing through most of the pop-ups to get to the "good stuff." I did catch a glimmer of nostalgic charm in the characters' dialogue at first, sure, but like everything else in the game it wore out its welcome sooner than later and there's way too much of it. So much so that two-thirds of the way through I just started skipping every bit of text on-screen.
The visuals aren't as repugnant as Square Enix's HD-2D output but the art style still looks quite cheap and inconsistent. Combat is okay and there is some depth and variety to it in the form of character-specific attacks, linked combos and elemental damage but the enemies are such dull sponges that your battle tactics barely come into play. The moment you do get hit, however, the combat instantly feels off and floaty; it's like they forgot to implement a short period of invulnerability - or lessen the knockback - for the characters. The primary protagonist's movement controls felt decent, couldn't say the same for the other two.
Overall just an unfocused mess designwise, the game really can't decide whether it wants to be a colorful take on an Igavania or a nostalgia bait RPG with town-building elements tacked on. The light, fun premise tricked me into playing this and by the time I realized I'd been duped I just put on some podcast (no, no noteworthy music either in the game) and powered through. Very lackluster but not truly terrible. I wouldn't recommend this even though it's on Game Pass but I don't know, your mileage may vary.
The visuals aren't as repugnant as Square Enix's HD-2D output but the art style still looks quite cheap and inconsistent. Combat is okay and there is some depth and variety to it in the form of character-specific attacks, linked combos and elemental damage but the enemies are such dull sponges that your battle tactics barely come into play. The moment you do get hit, however, the combat instantly feels off and floaty; it's like they forgot to implement a short period of invulnerability - or lessen the knockback - for the characters. The primary protagonist's movement controls felt decent, couldn't say the same for the other two.
Overall just an unfocused mess designwise, the game really can't decide whether it wants to be a colorful take on an Igavania or a nostalgia bait RPG with town-building elements tacked on. The light, fun premise tricked me into playing this and by the time I realized I'd been duped I just put on some podcast (no, no noteworthy music either in the game) and powered through. Very lackluster but not truly terrible. I wouldn't recommend this even though it's on Game Pass but I don't know, your mileage may vary.