That is, with none hint of exaggeration, concerning the eleventy millionth KEMCO recreation that I’ve been lucky sufficient to evaluate over the previous few years.
I’m positive it’s not one thing that crosses your thoughts everytime you learn a evaluate, however very often the beginning, the introduction to the sport evaluate, is the toughest half to write down. Can we attempt to fill it with jokes, will we go all critical, or within the case of this opening paragraph, will we twitter on within the hope that you just received’t shut the web page in disgust?
Properly, hopefully you’re nonetheless with me, as the topic of this evaluate is yet one more retro styled JRPG from KEMCO, this time referred to as Grace of Letoile. Is there something new right here, or ought to I refer you to any of the opposite KEMCO critiques I’ve written? Properly, the one strategy to discover out is to learn on…
Story is our first port of name, and right here the video games from KEMCO are historically fairly robust. And so it proves with Grace of Letoile, as we’re thrust right into a world the place want fulfilment is ready to justify virtually any deed.
At first, six automata referred to as Letoiles had been constructed, and the concept of their existence is to discover a associate, a Maschelle. From there, they battle to the loss of life till there is just one left. Simply so as to add just a little spice, the Letoiles have the flexibility to regulate time, and might go ahead, again, and even create “loop worlds”. We play as Vedley, a younger man who loses his dad and mom after wandering off to discover a demon. He’s saved, however his dad and mom die, and since then he had dreamed of having the ability to return in time and proper his mistake. A wierd man tells him the place to discover a Letoile, and the remainder of the story kicks off from there. It’s surprisingly mature too, displaying virtually the course of grief in somebody’s life as Vedley involves phrases together with his loss by means of forging new friendships.
Set-up is all good, however the presentation is a little more problematic, as there may be actually nothing right here that we haven’t seen dozens of occasions earlier than. Sure, Grace of Letoile is one other retro styled JRPG, with anime type characters, an overworld map and dungeons to search out, and extra of the tropes that we’ve grow to be extremely acquainted with over the course of KEMCO’s recreation design profession. Even the battle display could be very conventional, with our staff on the left and the enemies on the proper. The cutscenes are textual content solely, offered with an image of the speaker, and even the creatures we battle are the identical during the sport, simply with completely different color palettes utilized.
So what concerning the sound? There’s some, with some good tunes and the same old battle sounds all current and proper. I assume what I’m attempting to say is that you probably have performed a KEMCO recreation earlier than, you’ll be proper at house right here. Nothing to shock you!
However allow us to see if the builders have managed to shoehorn something new into the precise gameplay, lets? Properly, the information here’s a little higher, as there are a few new mechanics to familiarize yourself with, so maintain tight.
The primary mechanic is a big clock face within the backside left of the display, referred to as the Chronos Gauge. By utilizing abilities that match the numbers on the gauge (consider it as a clock, and it turns into simpler to visualise) the extent of the Chronos Gauge rises. It may get to a most of 200%, and as soon as it’s charged, the heroes in our occasion acquire entry to highly effective new assaults. As soon as they’re used, the cost is depleted and should be constructed up once more. Saving the makes use of of those assaults till a boss is discovered is an excellent tactic, and this can enable you to defeat the enemies with ease. Wanting on the abilities you need to use and seeing what quantity the Chronos Gauge needs, altering your assaults accordingly, quickly turns into second nature.
This gauge ties into one other new mechanic – the talent plate that every character has. You see, as a way to get new talents to make use of in battle, talent gems must be situated, both in chests or purchased from outlets. These gems are then slotted into the talent plate, and this can let new assaults and spells be discovered. Having a number of copies of the identical gem makes the assault or spell stronger, however this limits the pliability in combating. Since there are creatures on this planet who resist one or different of the weather you need to use, having choices is all the time good. Every slot on the talent plate has a quantity, and these correspond to the numbers on the Chronos Gauge, the plates rotated to vary the numbers. It’s a fairly cool system, all issues thought of.
One unhealthy factor right here although – you can not totally unlock the talent plate with out spending LTP (Letoile Factors, earned by successful fights) within the in-game store to purchase unlock keys. The store additionally has gadgets that you want to purchase to unlock entry to a few dungeons, as if you happen to don’t have them, you’ll by no means discover them. I don’t like being locked out of content material if I’m trustworthy, and whereas these aren’t microtransactions within the conventional sense, they definitely have that really feel to them.
Different points? Properly, the sheer quantity of random encounters in Grace of Letoile is suffocating, and there’s no strategy to flip them down like there was in earlier video games. I used to be wandering round Zarmok Fort, late within the recreation, and as it’s a little bit of a maze, I ended up having battle after battle earlier than I discovered the place I used to be meant to be. This will get previous, in a short time, and the pace of the fights can also be a problem – even with the motion pace turned up, it nonetheless takes an extended whereas to finish each encounter. I’ve taken to establishing the auto assaults and simply letting the CPU battle, solely stepping in when the occasion is getting battered. It’s not essentially the most involving fight system, I’ve to say.
All in all, Grace of Letoile could be very a lot one other KEMCO RPG. There isn’t something ground-breaking right here, however the story is best than most. It’s only a disgrace that issues are hidden away, there are too many random encounters and the sluggish fight implies that the thrill of the narrative is considerably diluted. Should you’re acquainted with what KEMCO ship, Grace of Letoile just isn’t one of many higher examples of the breed, I’m afraid.
