Look, do you want Fire Emblem? If so, do you imagine the collection peaked with the discharge of Thracia 776, twenty years in the past? Well, if that’s you, then nice. You’re gonna adore Vestaria Saga I: War of the Scions. On the opposite hand, for those who’ve by no means performed a tactical RPG of this broad kind (suppose Disgaea or Banner Saga) earlier than, it is perhaps wiser to again away. This is a game for, and by, hardcore Fire Emblem followers, made by collection creator Shouzo Kaga and a small group of devoted followers.
What for those who’re someplace within the center? Well. More common ways game fans will discover a lot to like right here – however they’ll should be ready to get accustomed to some typical Fire Emblem idiosyncrasies which Vestaria by no means bothers to elucidate.
Vestaria Saga performs very equally to Fire Emblem games from the SNES-GBA period. the one factor lacking is the basic ‘weapons triangle’.
For the uninitiated: think about a chess board, however with bushes and forests and rivers on it. Your troops are your chess items. They come in numerous varieties, every with its personal perks. Mounted knights can cowl a variety of squares in a single flip. Archers don’t have the identical mobility, however can hit enemies from afar. Healers heal. Swordmen stab. You get the drill. You transfer all of your pawns without delay, after which your enemy does the identical.
There is a tutorial right here. In idea. See, the primary map is full of little homes. When one among your troops reaches one, they will get inside and chat with pleasant NPCs who will clarify the way to play the game. But you would possibly miss the tutorial fully, as a result of the game forgets to let you know “hey, you can visit homes and chat with people in the middle of a fight; it’s useful.”
The game doesn’t even clarify the way to transfer your handful of troops round. How to open the menu. Or the truth that urgent ESC quits the game fully with no warning.
(On which level: I extremely encourage you to open the game’s config.ini file and remap controls earlier than beginning. I by chance misplaced hours of play – however you don’t should undergo like me).
In technical phrases, the game is a multitude. It’s fairly ugly (although the music is, against this, fairly nice), it solely runs in 4:three decision, and mysterious crashes are usually not unusual. And earlier than you ask: no, this isn’t an RPG Maker game. Although it does exude the identical power: small funds, large ambitions, and a deep nostalgia for ye olde classics.
When in comparison with different technique games, then, Vestaria Saga might look deceptively easy and outdated. All your characters can do is transfer round on a grid, use objects or assault. There aren’t any particular strikes, no tools, and never a lot room for unit customization, both. Where Vestaria Saga actually shines, nevertheless, is within the degree design.
Because whereas different tactical RPGs, like Disgaea, are targeted on customizing your troops, Vestaria is all about unit positioning and planning forward. Maps are sprawling, with diversified targets that always change in the midst of a struggle. Defeating all enemies is never the principle purpose, both. During the game you’ll should escort characters, shield villages, conquer strongholds, remedy puzzles and negotiate with enemy leaders. A single map can take hours to finish, and can see you juggling dozens of allied items, social gathering members and enemy NPCs.
I really like the way in which the game seamlessly mixes cutscenes, dialogues and battles, making every little thing occur on the identical display. Enemy reinforcements would possibly seem in the midst of a struggle, otherwise you would possibly achieve a brand new unit by speaking to a foul man and persuading them to hitch your facet. It’s all so splendidly dynamic: it feels such as you’re telling a narrative by way of your actions, and never simply clobbering enemies in an effort to progress to the subsequent degree.
An early struggle, for instance, began with two essential targets: attain a village that was being attacked by bandits, and seize the enemy fort on the opposite facet of the map. The bandits instantly circled the village and, after a tense dialogue, three courageous villagers got here out to struggle. I despatched my knight, Troy, dashing North by way of the enemy traces to convey the villagers some much-needed assist. I despatched my slower items North as properly, hoping the enemies would assault them as a substitute of chasing after the mounted knight. The technique paid off, and Troy arrived simply in time to defeat the bandits. After one other cutscene the villagers, harm however nonetheless decided to struggle, determined to hitch my ranks.
On the opposite facet of the map, a broody swordsman entered the enemy fort. A brigand was boasting about killing harmless individuals, and the swordsman minimize him down, thereby establishing himself because the game’s evil-but-noble-hearted mid-boss.
I let my troops regroup, moved in direction of the fort, and… noticed {that a} second village was getting trashed by the surviving brigands. Saving this second village wasn’t on my to-do checklist, however I felt unhealthy about it. So I reloaded an early save, despatched Troy to the second village, and realised fully too late that his solely weapon, a sword, solely had three makes use of left. It broke in the midst of a struggle, leaving my boy defenceless. I reloaded once more. Needless to say, Vestaria Saga options perma-death.
But why is all this loss of life obligatory?, you is perhaps questioning at this level. Who are we combating? And why?
Honestly, I don’t know. The game begins with a fortress getting assaulted, and your speedy precedence is to escort the princess to security. Your handful of troops are guided by Zade, a vivid however inexperienced commander who abruptly finds himself with large tasks, a useless household, and no nation to name his personal. After fleeing the invasion, he and his social gathering escape to a neighbouring nation, however the native lords aren’t too eager to take sides within the upcoming battle. Zade and pals should show their price, achieve political allies, and… finally assist the princess get her kingdom again, I assume?
I bought a bit misplaced. Vestaria is all too desirous to info-dump you to loss of life, filling your display with maps, generals, kings, and buckets of lore. There are legends about wretched tyrants committing atrocious crimes centuries in the past. Brigands roam the lands, terrorizing villagers. Wizards brood. Knights struggle valiantly. There are dragons sooner or later. This is a fantasy game.
I don’t know of who any of these persons are.
But whereas the plot by no means steers away from generic fantasy fluff, the game does a great job of fleshing out its forged by way of cutscenes. Some characters may even speak to one another in the midst of battles, cheering one another up and offering some commentary. All their banter made me care about my little chess items, though everybody – and I imply everybody – talks as in the event that they took a basic literature class as soon as, and bought actually into the thought of Shakespeare.
I nonetheless cherished them, nevertheless, and because the game permits you to save each 5 turns, I dutifully reloaded the game each time somebody died. You ought to abuse of that perform too. Your troops will die typically and with out mercy, be it on account of a foul choice, a nasty bug, or a final wave of enemy reinforcements coming out if you least anticipated it.
Vestaria Saga is a cruel game. It could be wonky. Unpolished. Occasionally irritating. But I do know a selected subset of gamers received’t care, as a result of this can be a new, previous, Fire Emblem, and no person however Shouzo Kaga makes games like this anymore. Have enjoyable with it, then, for those who suspect you fall into that group. Enjoy this stunning mess.
Now, can another person make a non secular successor to Ogre Battle, please?
