Good gameplay, poor story

This game is quite a bit different from Kemco’s usual offerings as it is a tactical RPG. In this game, you control several characters who move along a grid, and each character has their own unique skills and abilities. Combat is still turn-based, but positioning of your character is very important. The game’s gameplay is interesting because there are a wide variety of customization options offered. Not only are there different character classes for your main character, there are also a ton of customizable abilities that you can equip your characters with.

The story is more of a miss than a hit. The cast of characters is rather large, and this makes it harder for any single character to be memorable. Some of the jokes are also a tad off-color. The biggest problem is the plot. The game starts out at the end of a war that Ixtona and a neighboring country are participating in. As the war’s end is being celebrated, the main protagonist Kyle’s older brother Erbax assassinates the king. (This is not a spoiler as it happens within the first three minutes of playing.) From there, you are sent out to a frontier town, and for a long time, things just happen. It is only about three quarters of the way through that the plot actually picks up steam and becomes interesting. In other words, the plot’s pacing is awful; it is too slow throughout the majority of the game and then it hits you with everything right at the end.

The game is pretty cheap at $4 or so, and it offers a solid amount of play time. It should take about 8 hours to get from the start to the end if you focus solely on progressing the plot. The replayability of the game and side content should bring the total time closer to 12-16 hours (if you do New Game+). Overall, it is worth a purchase and the gameplay is fun. Just keep your expectations for the story rather low; it’s not a bad story, but it is not a good one either.