A techniques RPG with respectable fight however little else.
The tactics-style RPG popularized by video games like Closing Fantasy Techniques and Ogre Battle is seldom imitated and infrequently duplicated (maybe for that very purpose). After I got here throughout Arcadian Atlas at PAX West in 2022, I may see that it had promise, with a character-driven plot and a few participant selection by way of how the story unfolded. Quick ahead greater than a yr later, and the sport is arriving on Swap and different consoles a couple of months after its summer season debut on Steam. Sadly, Arcadian Atlas is one other isometric tactical RPG that fails to hold with–not to mention reside as much as–the standouts within the style. Poor Swap efficiency, unsatisfying aesthetic, and odd pacing make it robust to push via even the 10-20 hours required to roll credit.
In Arcadia, a political battle is brewing, threatening a battle that might destroy the nation and people who name it house. Queen Venezia has ascended the throne as her husband the king ails on his deathbed, and to guard the facility she has seized, she exiles the 2 princesses, Lucretia and Annalise. A lot of the plot revolves round two warring factions, every led by one among a pair of siblings, Desmond and Vashti. Whereas initially the 2 battle collectively, the truth that they find yourself on both aspect of the battle makes for some intriguing and emotional story beats. The primary two chapters concentrate on the battle between Venezia and Lucretia, with the previous pursuing the latter all through the nation, however the remaining chapter does an about-face and delves extra into the fantastical, and it’s troublesome to reconcile with the best way wherein the political side of the narrative falls by the wayside so all of the sudden.
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Gameplay sees you progress throughout nodes on a map to enter cutscenes, have interaction in battles, store for gear to outfit your troopers, recruit new comrades, or tackle aspect missions. On the usual problem, it’s fairly vital that you just do join additional jobs on the tavern as every profitable mission raises the extent of the taking part occasion members by one, growing their stats and awarding a talent level to be spent on every character’s talent tree. The development is pretty easy, however the truth that the leveling up occurs off display is a little bit of a letdown–you miss out on the satisfaction of seeing numbers go up. The talent timber are completely different for every of the sport’s 4 fundamental lessons: cavalier, ranger, warmancer, and apothecary (warrior, archer, mage, and healer, primarily). The warmancer can select to spend factors to grow to be more adept with fireplace, ice, or lightning, whereas the apothecary can wield each restorative and damaging potions on the battlefield. At stage 18, superior lessons open up that provide a couple of extra choices for customizing your occasion.
Whereas some elements of the story are a transparent spotlight of Arcadian Atlas, the fight is the place you’ll spend extra of your playtime, and thankfully it’s pretty stable. These turn-based affairs characteristic a timeline on the backside of the display to point who’s subsequent to behave, and your group of 5 – 6 characters will usually be combating in opposition to seven or eight opponents. Which means you’ll typically want sound technique and a correctly outfitted crew to win the day. Checking the retailers frequently for brand new gear is a should, as are assigning earned talent factors and having a effectively balanced squad. I realized fairly shortly of the significance of bringing an apothecary with me always, given their capability to heal and even revive downed teammates. If one among your occasion members has their well being lowered to zero, there’s a three-turn window the place both they are often revived or you possibly can win the battle and never lose them.
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The place Arcadian Atlas stumbles is by way of its presentation and general aesthetic. It leans closely on a jazzy soundtrack that clashes with the gravity of its story and the stress of its fight. Worse is the fixed hitching of the Swap model, with inputs not acknowledged instantly and characters merely freezing for seconds at a time, leaving me questioning whether or not the sport itself had frozen utterly. Battles additionally play out very slowly and awkwardly, with no possibility to hurry up the proceedings and even rotate your view across the battlefield, not to mention zoom in or out. Throughout cutscenes, the deliberately zoomed-in perspective makes it troublesome to understand the environment and conditions the characters face. Whereas the character sprites themselves are effective, the artwork utilized in dialogue exchanges isn’t as enticing, and it’s onerous to not really feel delay by the visible expertise of the sport as a complete.
Arcadian Atlas makes a tactical misstep by way of its soundtrack and general efficiency on Swap. Even other than its technical and creative weaknesses, there isn’t an abundance of power in its story pacing, even when a couple of beats do land pretty effectively. The exercise you’ll spend most of your time with, the turn-based battles, are fairly good however characteristic little in the best way of selection. For those who’re a diehard techniques fan, Arcadian Atlas could also be price trying up on one other platform if the efficiency is healthier there, however video games like Triangle Technique and Techniques Ogre Reborn are a lot stronger choices when you’ve but to play them.