Battle Chasers: Nightwar Reviews

  • FlakkFlakk155,799
    20 Jan 2018 20 Jan 2018
    6 0 0
    “Battle Chasers: Nightwar” is an enthralling love letter to the turn-based RPGs of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Based on the “Battle Chasers” comic book, the story revolves around the exploits of six heroes who are attacked and subsequently waylaid on a remote island. Over time, the heroes come to understand why they were ambushed, and uncover the truth of the dark menace that threatens them.

    The art direction of this game is astonishingly good. Frankly, it’s the primary thing that attracted me to this game (the goofy name certainly didn’t do it). The overland map appears as if you are wandering through a comic book, and the combat features extremely well-animated models on lovely, painted backgrounds.

    The story is hardly the best I’ve seen in a fantasy RPG, but it should be sufficient enough to carry the interest of most from quest to quest and dungeon to dungeon. The characterizations are a bit on the lean side. I would have greatly enjoyed each character being explored a just a bit deeper. The voice acting ranged from adequate to excellent, though again, I would have enjoyed more.

    The gameplay is truly excellent. Each character can be customized with points drawn from two different skill sets (typically offensive and defensive), and from these the player can build unique skill combos for each character, and also synergy between party members. Combat is quite satisfying, and can sometimes become difficult without feeling cheap. Each of the game’s eight dungeons can be tackled using one of three difficulty levels. The floorplan of each dungeon is pseudo-randomized, and higher difficulties typically produce better loot. These lend to significant replayability.

    There is sufficient loot with which to outfit your party, and the game also allows you to craft your own weapons, armor, jewelry, and potions using a basic crafting system. When crafting, the player can even “overcharge” the recipe with extra materials, and in so doing craft rare, epic, and sometimes even legendary items.

    There were a few minor bugs and one crash that hurt the game overall. Still, I feel as though I got much more than my money’s worth for a $30 USD budget title. To see everything this game had to offer, I spent around 120 hours delving through both a New Game and a New Game+.

    Unexpectedly, the story was left wide open for a sequel. I truly hope that Airship Syndicate makes it. I have grown fond of the mismatched and misfit Battle Chasers, and another outing with them would be quite welcome.
    4.5
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