2022 is a great year for all turn-based RPG lovers. Recent delays though Marvel’s Midnight Suns While there has been a strong blow to the genre, there are still quite a few worthwhile options. Last February came The triangle techniqueOne of my favorite games of the year and the long awaited game will finally be available in November Strategy Ogre: Reborn. Fortunately, before that happens, Square Enix has another tactical JRPG that has turned heads. The Dewfield Chronicle It will arrive in our hands in September, and I recently had the chance to try out an early demo, which revealed the full potential of this installment, as well as some of the mistakes the title seems to make.
The Dewfield Chronicle Recognized by the Japanese studio being developed by Square Enix in collaboration with Lancaster Monarch, Junkie Zero: Last Beginning, Lost Dimension y strange journey, a spin-off of Shin Megami Tensei. Thus, the game is in very good hands. The demo had a chance to put me right at the beginning of the adventure, and this is where one of the main problems of this installment comes to the fore The Dewfield Chronicle It starts out unfriendly. Instead of giving some context about its world and gradually introducing the main characters, a cinematic greets us with what seems like a section that could take up several hours of adventure.
Complicated start
In the blink of an eye, the opening movie presents us with several important concepts and establishes part of the context that characterizes our heroes. After that, we jump back in time and finally get to know the heroes of this story. Here we meet Andreas Ronderson and Fredret Lester, two young men who, after losing their families and friends in war, decide to become mercenaries and join a group known as the Blue Foxes. At the same time a neighboring nation started a major war conflict. The Trovelt-Chovian Empire and the Rotel Alliance go to war, with the former gaining an early victory. This leaves the Alatine region, where Ronderson and company live, in a rather difficult situation.
While the story is clearly going in a direction where our heroes have to face the Trovelt-Shovian Empire, the first chapter of the game, which is included in this demo, is more focused on presenting what seems to be endless ideas. Alliances, political parties and organizations within Alaitan where conflict game of thronesWith treachery everywhere.
As I said earlier, the problem with the story seems to be its bad start. Although eventually everything becomes clear, there are still many names and characters that are introduced and deleted without a great explanation, all this while the game hopes that you will have a great knowledge of the great political and social context that characterizes the three nations. . Fortunately for this world, a library that elaborates many of the concepts is within reach of all players, but it’s something that clearly needs more work from the developers.
A strategic game on the move
Although the story seems like something that will pay off in the end, the gameplay managed to captivate me from the first minute. Here we are presented with a tactical JRPG, but instead of having a board, we find a system similar to titles like XCOM and Valkyria Chronicles, but in real time. That’s right, there is no change here. Plus, the way you interact with characters and enemies is like an RTS, Age of Empires style. By this I mean that you lead characters one at a time or in a group to a direction marked on the map and direct them to attack, take control of some structure to open a path on the map, or collect. some treasure Similarly, you can mark the exact path that your units can take, thus avoiding a collision or attacking from behind, which will cause you more damage.
Once you decide to start fighting, we see something more traditional here. Each unit will automatically attack as soon as they see an enemy within their line of sight. I got a chance to test four different classes during the demo. We have the classic Swordsman, who deals direct damage. Then we have riders, who are fast. Often we find archers, who work perfectly at a distance. Finally, mages specialize in dealing large amounts of damage in a given area.
In addition to normal hits, each unit has different abilities at its disposal and each requires a certain amount of EP, this installment’s MP. This is the freezing time, so you don’t have to worry about being a little slow in choosing the option that suits you best. While all the special abilities were pretty common during the demo, like a powerful hit or a shower of arrows, there were also hints of some more interesting stuff, like a hit that was able to stun and delay your powerful attacks. opponent, or a push on horseback that changes the opponent’s position. Obviously, there will be a wide selection of skills that will play a big role in preparing you for combat in future missions. Each encounter has different objectives, such as not killing any of your units, or completing objectives without finishing before a certain time, and each offers some bonus that you can use in your barracks.
Similar to a Fire Symbols: Three Houses, at the end of each mission you will return to your mercenary barracks, where you can interact with different characters, buy items, use skill points to give your units new moves and improve their attributes. In addition to the personal skill tree, we also find a general one for the class and this, for example, allows all magic to be more effective, or a certain movement to be more powerful.
Something I really liked was that, although the missions only allow you to use four units, each of your troops can use the abilities of those outside the battlefield. Of course, there are limitations, but, for example, one of your swordsmen can use certain skills with better attributes that only one of his teammates has. In addition to encouraging you to experiment, it forces you to know all the cards in your hand in detail and to pay attention to some information that you might have overlooked in other games.
I can’t wait any longer
Although I only had a chance to play a demo that lasted just under two hours, The Dewfield Chronicle I was charmed. Although it has problems with its narrative, there is clearly a story that is worth discovering. Also, its gameplay is highly addictive, and considering that everything happens in real time, you are always thinking and reacting in a natural way, and the game forces you to think about strategies, item usage, skill selection, and more. Instant.
The Dewfield Chronicle It’s PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, will arrive on Nintendo Switch and PC on September 22. For its part, the game’s demo will be available for everyone tomorrow, August 10.
