After I begin a brand new retro RPG from the KEMCO / Exe Create combo, I achieve this with the information I’ve seemingly been right here earlier than. Their video games are typically lower from the identical fabric, however the higher ones convey sufficient twists and allure to assist them stand out. Spirit Valor, sadly, didn’t.
The sport does have a promising begin. We’re as soon as once more on the finish of the standard 100 years of peace after vanquishing an as-of-yet undefined evil, however we’re additionally on the finish of that journey. Spirit Valor begins with what seems to be the ultimate boss battle, solely it doesn’t finish as deliberate. Our hero passes out, two different heroes disappear, and nobody appears certain of whether or not the evil overlord was truly defeated.
We find yourself becoming a member of two pairings as they piece issues again collectively. The extra compelling of those is Richard and Alice, primarily as a result of Richard can be fused with a spirit who’s capable of management his physique whereas he’s sleeping (good factor Richard’s not Roger). The opposite duo consists of Vivian and Finn. They’re all pretty typical, however too broadly drawn. Extra on that in a bit.
Due to his spirit connection, Richard is ready to use magic by default. The opposite forged members, nevertheless, must type contracts with spirits or seize the essences of enemies throughout battle. This permits gamers to customise and stage up the characters’ magic skills as they see match, and you’ve got the choice to take away these skills to make room for extra (4 lively from an inventory of ten). It’s an honest system that helps to allay the redundancy of the random, turn-based battles, which largely play out as you’d count on; a timeline dictates when your social gathering members can take a flip, at which level they’ll defend, assault, use an merchandise, or use/summon a spirit.
Past that mechanic, nevertheless, there isn’t an entire lot to do along with your social gathering. You stage up as you acquire expertise, and you’ll purchase/buy higher armor and weapons as you go. Most KEMCO titles have been a bit extra creative with social gathering administration and expertise as of late, inflicting Spirit Valor to really feel like a step backwards. It doesn’t assist that the sport can be fairly straightforward. Like most KEMCO video games, you should buy pretty priced DLC that helps you stage up quicker, nevertheless it’s not wanted right here. The traditional issue spike with bosses is just not as pronounced, so you may simply push by way of with a bit grinding or a well-optimized social gathering setup.
Exploration additionally feels lackluster. You’ve received your standard cities to go to and dungeons to discover, each of which have minor drawbacks. The dungeons are fairly linear, so working by way of them doesn’t really feel as adventurous as regular.
I do like, nevertheless, you could open warp factors in them for later entry. The cities are oddly linear, too. If, graphically, the highest of a tree meets a stump, it’s best to be capable to stroll behind/beneath the treetop, proper? No, it’s blocked as if the tree has truly fallen down. It appears like a lazy method to management entry, and the final overworld simply isn’t very properly achieved.
The battles, nevertheless, look significantly better. The characters have respectable element, and the animations/settings are fairly full of life. It’s bizarre that the heroes have a chibi-like design that the enemies don’t, nevertheless it’s not off-putting.
All of those little points could be simpler to beat if the story was higher, however I wasn’t capable of get into this one. That is largely as a result of the dialogue felt compelled and juvenile, typically simply attempting too arduous to be humorous. The characters are likeable sufficient, however their personalities and interactions at all times felt fabricated.
I’ve really helpful quite a few KEMCO RPGs as enjoyable time-fillers between bigger adventures, however I can’t achieve this with Spirit Valor. The battle system appears good and performs properly, however the recreation is just not compelling exterior of fight. If KEMCO’s subsequent launch returns some urgency, I’m able to go. In any other case, I’m comfortable to sit down within the inn of the introductory village and await the following adventurers searching for help.