Another fun team-based RPG from Exe-Create! Get the PC or console version. The mobile version gates too many good things behind the cash shop.

Wizards of Brandel is another of Exe-Create’s “team-based” RPGs, in the style of Fernz Gate or Asdivine Hearts 2. While the core of the battle system is traditional turn-based RPG combat, characters are grouped into three teams that each share a health pool. The leader of each team must be one of the main characters; the subordinate or “sub” member of each team can be either one of the main characters or a “familiar spirit”.

Many different familiar spirits with various abilities can be recruited to join the party. A few familiar spirits are heroes from other Exe-Create games. On mobile versions, these cameo characters can only be obtained randomly, through a lucky cash shop gacha pull. PC and console versions allow the player to buy the cameo characters with the in-game currency of maid coins.

(Relatively) easy access to the cameo characters is one reason why I recommend playing the PC or console version of Wizards of Brandel. Another reason is that PC and console versions let the player grind cash shop currency through regular battles. A few of the game’s nicer items are cash shop exclusive, including the item that allows the player to force a battle with every step, and the key to an early-game optional dungeon.

The team-based system has the player give commands to six party members, with certain restrictions – only “sub” members can use items, and some character abilities have different effects when used in the lead or the “sub” position. To keep combat from becoming too slow-paced, Wizards of Brandel lets the player turn battle animations off, speed up the flow of battle at will, use an auto-battle feature, or toggle the option to instantly win battles against weak enemies.

More convenient features include a device in almost every dungeon that gives the player control over the encounter rate. At first, the player can’t lower the encounter rate below half or raise it above double, but upon reaching the end of the dungeon, the player can turn all encounters for that dungeon off or raise them to triple at will. Only a couple of optional dungeons (notably the metal monster dungeon and the gold dungeon) lack this feature.

Wizards of Brandel depends heavily on battle statistics; like most Exe-Create games, more speed means more turns in battle. The player gets access to a garden that turns stat-boosting seeds into stat-boosting fruit over the course of real time. Deciding how to distribute these stat-boosters is crucial – concentrating most or all stat-boosters on a single character will break the main game even on the hardest difficulty, but optional challenges will still be extremely dangerous, especially when losing one’s strongest character to a status ailment or a stroke of bad luck can doom the party!

A weapon fusion and customization system adds more depth to gameplay. Weapons can be customized to boost statistics (this can’t surpass each stat’s cap of 9999), add special effects in combat, or just plain hit harder. Eventually the player gains access to a limit break system that makes all the difference in the toughest optional fights.

Like Fernz Gate, Wizards of Brandel does not have a “magic point” system. Instead, a cooldown system rations the party’s use of abilities. One very welcome improvement over Fernz Gate is that individual abilities are NOT leveled up. How hard a spell hits in Wizards of Brandel depends entirely on statistics and assorted combat buffs and debuffs, NOT on whether the player engaged in a long and tedious grind session using the spell over and over again!

In addition to the main story, Wizards of Brandel has plenty of optional content to keep the player busy, including sidequests, optional dungeons (unlocking these dungeons involves talking to various people who may be cleverly hidden from view), and Arena matches.

The story of Wizards of Brandel begins when the wizard Darius wakes up one day to discover that his house is gone. The Maid Association has repossessed everything he owned as back payment for his debts! With nowhere else to live, he accepts the hospitality of Mark, an immortal wizard in the body of an ageless young boy. Darius earns his keep by helping Mark’s familiar spirits with housework and cooking, but one day during chores Darius comes across a wanted poster for the notorious Evil Lord – and the poster looks exactly like Mark!

Could the wanted poster be a case of mistaken identity? Or is Darius really working for the Evil Lord…?

No matter who the Evil Lord is, his depredations are quite real and his monsters have slaughtered entire villages. Darius eventually embarks on a quest to learn the truth behind the Evil Lord, with help from an idealistic swordswoman and young girl who has survived experiments that transformed her into a hybrid of human and plant-monster.

While the crimes of the Evil Lord make the main story of Wizards of Brandel fairly dark, there are moments of comedy relief, especially from the Maidame Curie and Jolie Curie of the Maid Association. There are also optional moments where Darius has the chance to interact with his comrades, and some of these scenes are quite funny, especially if the player picks the “wrong” option!

Unlike certain other Exe-Create games, Wizards of Brandel does not have character-based endings. Character interactions just improve a meter that lets characters acquire items hidden behind various obstacles. This meter can also be improved by certain Arena prizes.

The main story does have weaknesses. A sizeable amount of the story is predictable; although there are a few sudden twists, some of these twists make more sense than others.

A couple story elements are bizarre, such as the obsession that Darius and his friends have with restoring a former monarchy. The world of Brandel does have mayors, implying that elected leadership is a known concept, yet it’s never brought up because… why? Another “wait, what?” story moment is the revelation that magic to take control of people exists – but Darius and his friends seem completely unconcerned that such magic could take control of them, or anyone else (such as THE MONARCH THEY WANT TO RESTORE TO POWER) and the whole concept is just dropped as suddenly as it appeared.

If the player chooses to overlook the story’s “Seriously?” moments, then the overall narrative is still quite engaging. The story works best as a cautionary tale about the dark side of human nature, and about what it truly means to be a wizard.

Overall, Wizards of Brandel has a very good mix of customization, battle choices, and optional challenges. Like Fernz Gate, Wizards of Brandel is an excellent choice especially for anyone new to Kemco RPGs. The story is worthwhile in spite of its flaws.

Just… get the PC or console version. Buy it when it’s on sale, if the $15 base price is too high; PC and console Kemco games regularly get temporary discounts ranging from 30% to 50% off. The mobile version is a little too keen to extract cash in exchange for convenience.

I love this game

Well, I actually love this game. If I had bought this game I would not regret, but I would take a star from somewhere because… getting IAP is not really hard. It only requires some patience.

======== First Impression
People told me this game was a rip-off from Fernz Gate, and had slow load times.

======== Comments After Playing
The mechanic part is, indeed, a copy of Fernz Gate – skill cooldown, buddies, team battle, full HP after each fight, no inns, plant, etc.
There were minimal innovations like Dousing – which gives items after 10 battles – and the limit burst system, which was not enough to gain a star from creativity and I hardly used.
The efforts to make the game look less like a Fernz Gate codebase copy were too weak, but the game does fine even if the mechanics are the same – mostly because, you know, Fernz Gate is an amazing game.

The storyline was well written (unlike some recent Kemco games), there was even a plot twist here and there. There was Maidame Curie asking for huge amounts of money which really was totally uninteresting and unnecessary, but it helped to build your own story and, well, it was something *new*.

======== Rating Summary
I hadn’t problems with controls and it was intuitive, easy to guide around – so five stars here. Keeping things simple is the rule for controls.

Gameplay and Skills work very like Fernz Gate. Four stars because it’s great, but not impressive, very original, etc.
Gameplay have various bugs (see forums). It will never reach 5 stars like that.
But I’m letting it slip and giving 4 stars because these bugs didn’t impact negatively my gameplay experience.
Battle System have the Limit Burst addition, but, I don’t know, I didn’t thought it was important and/or useful. So, it’ll have 4 stars too.

Story is good, so, five stars. This concludes my review.

======== Monetary Worth
I would consider buying the premium version of this game.

…Although if you wait a month on Freemium, just doing the watch-six-ads campaign, you will have a premium-equivalent freemium (just with ads).

un buen juego con personajes trajico bizarros