Fire Emblem-Like Roguelite Overview Holy crap was this a hidden gem for me. It’s in early access yet I’m already entirely hooked on it. I’m obsessed. I never knew how much I needed a roguelite version of Fire Emblem in my life. I love it. Can’t wait for more. Devs are responsive on the forums so I have high hopes they’ll address the issues. But for now? I’m just having so much fun that the issues aren’t that big of a deal. If they get fixed? It will make an already great game into an amazing one. I feel confident enough to recommend it already to anyone with an interest in tactical rpgs, meta progression, and/or the slay the spire formula with relics, room choices, three act maps, etc. This game combines them all into one hell of a good time. Story You died. A mysterious witch meets you in death and binds you to her. Then she sends you back on your merry way to fulfill your purpose in life. What that purpose is, is a mystery even to you. Conveniently, the tragedy of death erased your memories. All you have to go on is a letter and a name mentioned in it. Of course, the witch cares not for that and has her own purpose for you… You’re on an island with no escape. The island is overcome by an epidemic of undeath. You convince newfound companions that there is no point in staying put. It is best to set out and do something yourselves. You have a person to find. The others come around and you form an adventuring party. Throughout the adventure you face humans on the other side of war, monsters, and the undead. While the story isn’t finished yet due to the early access nature, what is there is intriguing. Serves well enough as a reason for the gameplay loop, including the roguelite nature of starting all over again upon death. After all, you’re bound to the witch. Presentation This game certainly looks more modern and westernized than Fire Emblem. I actually like the character art quite a lot. Music is OK. I find myself humming along to it at times. Sometimes it sounds a little out of place; sounds more rock than I’d expect for a medieval setting. But it’s cool. User interface and controls are all just fine for me. I’m able to understand what is happening, what each status effect does, etc. You can also press a key to toggle between layman and detailed descriptions which I think is neat. I find myself using both. Importantly, there is also a toggle for speeding up the gameplay or even skipping the enemy turn. I would suggest there needs to be more options. I like seeing the enemy turns and don’t want to skip them; but x2 speed is still too slow. Gameplay This is where the game truly shines; it is just a joy to play. To sum it up? Addictive. Worse than meth (not that I’d know, I’m too busy playing this to do drugs). I finish one run and immediately jump into another, eager to play again. You start at your base which will unlock more feature as you play. These features include talking to your companions to get more story, meta progression, and challenges. Meta progression comes in a few forms. You can promote characters so that they start with upgraded stats and skills, as well as a stronger pool of skills available. It makes a noticeable difference. You can change the main character’s class – this is more for variety sake rather than getting any stronger. His default class is actually good. There is a shrine to boost stars, starting gold, better chance for upgraded skills, etc. When the shrine reaches level 7, there is an ultimate upgrade you can choose that is beyond minor stat buffs, but only one. You can upgrade the shops you encounter in runs. You can have him sell more items, discounts, etc. Lastly, there is a method to transform meta progression items into other items so that they always remain useful even after you unlocked everything. Challenges are the same as steam achievements. You get extra meta progression currency by completing challenges and earning challenge points. The rewards are small compared to just playing through runs, but I find the challenges fun to pursue. There are some interesting ones to encourage diverse parties and replayability. For example, beat the game without a healer. I like these kind of challenges that encourage mixing things up from your usual winning formula. Once that is all sorted out, you set out with your chosen party members (main character and four others). At the start you have only four to choose from; but can unlock four more by playing through the game. All of the characters are viable and can turn out very strong with the correct upgrades. More on that later. At the beginning of each act, you choose a relic. This works the same as Slay the Spire, it’s just a passive item that grants some effect throughout the run. You lose it (along with everything else that’s not meta progression) after defeat or victory; hence roguelite. From there, you pick a new place to venture based on the rewards shown to you. Some areas are non-combat and just have events. Some events roll dice, a feature I’m not entirely sold on because it tends to screw me. Maybe there should be a meta upgrade for higher dice rolls? Or partnerships enhance dice rolls? Combat is the meat of the game. It plays just like Fire Emblem. Both the heroes and enemies are on a grid and can move/attack in certain tiles. You go first, then all the enemies. Repeat. Unlike Fire Emblem, there is no hit chance. Every attack will always hit. Instead, there is a guard system. If guard is high enough, it will reduce the incoming damage. I actually like this a lot. It makes positioning and tank characters all the more vital. High burst damage characters like rogues are still very viable and deadly in this system, despite being vulnerable themselves. They may gain new ways to cloak from enemy sight. This sounds like normal Fire Emblem gameplay so far. But wait, it gets better. You can get an upgrade item to enhance your equipment. These enchantments may grant additional skills or passives that can impact the gameplay. See earlier comment on the rogue. Characters also grow mid battle. Each level up grants a roll of stat buffs or skills to choose from. Skills GREATLY impact the gameplay. You absolutely need good skills to be able to make it pass the wall that is the Act 2 boss. It’s also how to give your healer even more healing spells! Skills cost no MP; can cast them whenever but just have to wait for a cooldown period to cast again. This upgrade system is ADDICTING and so fun. While I may often choose the same OP skills, my runs still end up quite different. I’ve had runs where the mage was the clear MVP. Others where the rogue was. I’ve had a run where the friggin’ healer didn’t even open her book and just stayed as a shield maiden the whole game… and still healed the party that way! It’s just so very cool how things come together in the end. With all the different combinations available from the 4 extra party members and challenges – I’m still playing this over and over! Constantly want to play again. Summary This game is still in early access! As of right now there is only one boss per act – three acts. I’ve started to see maps repeat. But also been surprised to see a new one every now and then. I know this game like the back of my hand now, but still find it fun. It hasn’t outstayed its welcome; in fact I am looking forward to more content. Note that runs are lengthy – there’s an achievement for beating one in less than 5 hours. My typical runs are 3-4 hours. Long for a roguelite, but the combat is TRPG so it’s fine. I don’t think the length is a problem. Overall, I recommend this game. There is plenty to do even in early access if you like this kind of game. You can even leave feedback for the developer to help shape it into the best game it can be. Which it’s already pretty damn good.
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