The DioField Chronicle review: convincing sequel bait

The DioField Chronicle

MSRP $59.99

“The DioField Chronicle contains quite a lot of setup for potential sequels, nevertheless it does a stable job of laying down the correct basis to make that work long-term.”

Professionals

• Attention-grabbing private conflicts
• Tactical battle system
• Considerate sidequests
• Compelling groundwork for a sequence

Cons

• Enemy and mission selection is missing
• Animations are janky
• Development and pacing points

Sq. Enix has not too long ago been eager to publish extra middle-tier Japanese video games, together with the likes of Valkryie Elysium, Ways Ogre: Reborn, and Harvestella, all of that are popping out inside mere weeks of one another. The writer appears to be all-in on new IPs, bolstering its dependable roster of surefire RPG hits. The DioField Chronicle is a crucial a part of that technique.

The DioField Chronicle is a brand new IP from developer Lancarse and writer Sq. Enix that blends a political struggle story with real-time technique fight. It doesn’t look like a one-off deal for Sq. Enix; every part from the sport’s story to its characters screams setup for a possible sequel. This may very well be the start of Sq. Enix’s subsequent large IP, as long as gamers are keen to be early adopters.

Regardless of some missteps alongside the way in which, The DioField Chronicle creates a stable basis for a possible sequence with its partaking battle system and attention-grabbing forged of characters. If that is the beginning of a brand new franchise, its future can solely get brighter from right here.

Political backdrop

The RPG’s story takes place on the Island of DioField, which is wealthy with deposits of the pure useful resource Jade. Completely different nations are concerned about Jade, together with the Trovelt-Schoevian Empire, the Rowtale Alliance, and the Kingdom of Alletain. When the Alliance is defeated in struggle by the Empire, the latter turns its sights to Alletain. A mercenary group, the Blue Foxes, works carefully with Alletain to handle numerous requests from the royal authorities, which incorporates pushing again towards the Imperial forces. The 4 heads of the Blue Foxes are Andrias Rhondarson, Fredret Lester, Iscarion Colchester, and Waltaquin Redditch.

What makes the Blue Foxes attention-grabbing are the beliefs that every of the heads holds, and the way they battle with each other. For instance, Lester believes that solely a king is ready to lead commoners to prosperity, whereas Colchester is an advocate of democracy. Throughout missions that require quelling class rebellions and riots, they butt heads over whether or not commoners looting an space justifies utilizing power.

The best way the story is advised is much like Triangle Technique, one other Sq. Enix-published technique recreation that launched this yr. Between story missions, there’s a narrator that explains main plot occasions with book-like illustrations. Whereas this strategy is extra telling relatively than displaying, it contrasts with the precise cutscenes that concentrate on the dynamics between the heads of the Blue Foxes.

In a while within the story, the political tensions between Alletain and the Empire take a again seat in favor of the interpersonal quarrels between the Blue Foxes’ heads. Sure plot twists and irreconcilable variations between them drive the plot ahead and hold it partaking at a extra private stage, versus a grander lore one.

At sure factors, some characters have a falling out with one another. Regardless of these conflicts, the characters make sure that the participant is aware of that this isn’t the final time you’ll see them—this undoubtedly screams sequel bait. That may be a bit annoying as a result of it ends in some unresolved plot threads. Nonetheless, the characters have cogent causes for being disillusioned by what the Blue Foxes group has turn out to be and I’ve purchased in sufficient to wish to see how future tales inside the DioField universe may construct on them.

Fireplace Emblem: Blue Foxes

DioField’s gameplay consists of real-time technique battles and conversations with occasion members outdoors of fight. Throughout missions, you possibly can deploy a complete of eight items, 4 of that are the primary items that you would be able to management. The opposite 4 are subunits that don’t take part straight, however you possibly can name on their assist and particular abilities.

It’s an interesting battle system that required me to be tactical about the place I despatched my items. I may both focus all 4 on a single goal or cut up them between totally different enemies. Extra rewards (talent factors, supplies, and so forth). are earned by finishing totally different facet targets throughout missions, resembling stopping any allies from being knocked out, discovering the treasure chest positioned on the battlefield, and ending the battle inside a sure time restrict.

I do want that there was extra selection within the sorts of enemy items and mission targets. Whereas there are escort missions each every now and then, they’re only a few in quantity and most missions boil down to only eliminating each single enemy unit. Even so, the cinematic that performs when activating particular abilities is a deal with. Every character class has an final talent that transitions right into a cutscene. A private favourite is the Cavalier’s Lance Strike that grabs the enemy, launches them into the air, and slams them into the bottom, inflicting spikes from the earth to protrude and injury different enemies inside the assault’s radius.

Upgrading weapons and abilities is a comparatively simple course of. The usual reward for finishing missions is gold, which can be utilized to boost sure amenities to supply entry to extra weapons and abilities. The development is a bit lopsided, although. Within the early and center components of the story, I typically felt like I wasn’t sturdy sufficient and needed to grind a number of facet missions to afford new gear. Nonetheless, by the point I reached the top recreation, I used to be swimming in additional gold than I knew easy methods to spend.

The facet missions themselves present good characterization and backstories between Rhondarson and the plethora of different occasion members. They’re harking back to Fireplace Emblem’s Assist Conversations or Persona’s Social Hyperlinks. For instance, one facet mission had me take down assassins that the church had employed as a result of one in all my occasion members was a defected member. One other occasion member, hungry for revenge, wished to bloodbath your complete inhabitants of a fishing village as a result of their outdated political enemies resided there, regardless of a few of them turning over new leaves and even beginning households.

A bit uninteresting, innit

The members of the Blue Foxes reside in a base known as Elm Camp, and that’s the place virtually all the facet missions and conversations happen. The world jogs my memory of the Garreg Mach Monastery hub in Fireplace Emblem: Three Homes, besides that Elm Camp feels a lot much less alive resulting from it being a low-key mercenary base relatively than a full-fledged college with lecturers. There’s solely the minimal variety of NPCs wanted for issues like outlets and upgradeable amenities.

It doesn’t assist that the sport’s shade palette in Elm Camp is relatively muted. I don’t anticipate the characters to have toothpaste-colored hair like Fireplace Emblem Interact’s new protagonist. That might conflict with the general gritty tone of the sport, however I really feel like some brighter colours right here and there would have helped make it really feel extra visually distinct.

Whereas I really like the character portraits, drawn within the stunning and distinct Closing Fantasy type by Isamu Kamikokuryo, the 3D character fashions and animations outdoors of battle may have used a bit extra work. Their faces look oddly porcelain and doll-like, most notably throughout cutscenes. And Rhondarson’s strolling and working animations round Elm Camp seem like he all the time has a pebble caught in his shoe or he has to shortly discover the closest lavatory.

Even with these creative shortcomings, The DioField Chronicle is a promising new IP that has many good concepts anchored by an interesting battle system and character dynamics. It’s very clear that Lancarse needs to develop the sport’s world and lore, and there’s undoubtedly potential right here. If a extra polished sequel addresses a number of the gameplay and development points, then the Blue Foxes’ subsequent journey will probably be one to look out for.

The DioField Chronicle was reviewed on PS4.

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