Sword of Convallaria review: Sword of Convallaria combines tactical RPG gameplay with mercenary company management showcasing a beautiful NeoPixel art style. Its battle system draws inspiration from classics like Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem aiming to offer a story with multiple paths, a large cast of heroes to recruit, and engaging team-based battles. But does it live up to these lofty goals?
Presentation: Eye-Catching Pixel Graphics with a Fresh Twist
The sword of Convallaria looks amazing. The game combines pixel art with modern features like soft lighting and floating particles. Some rooms have fancy intricate furniture, and you can spot small animals such as birds or cats playing in the background, which makes the world feel alive.
The characters look expressive and stick in your mind, with a clear anime-inspired look that makes the game stand out from other tactical RPGs.
The music, though not talked about much in the preview, seems to fit well with the visuals creating an exciting mix of sights and sounds.
Gameplay: A Known but Improved Combat System
Sword of Convallaria splits its gameplay into three modes, but the demo offers two. Fate’s Journey, the first mode, teaches players the game’s mechanics and starts the story.
The game uses a combat system based on a well-known rock-paper-scissors model. It includes classes like Defenders, Seekers, Breakers, and Watchers.
Defenders beat Seekers, Seekers beat Breakers, and Breakers beat Defenders. Watchers stand outside this triangle. They can help by healing using magic, or dealing damage from afar. Watchers also counter Destroyers, a strong mage class.
This class system is well-designed pushing players to create diverse teams and place their units strategically on the battlefield.
To win, players must flank and target the right classes, as the counter relationships affect the damage dealt and taken.
Gear has a big impact on how units grow. Players can craft equipment or earn it after missions, and it gives various stat boosts. Units also level up, which opens new abilities and makes them better fighters.
The Gacha Mechanic: A Needed Evil?
As a gacha summoner, Sword of Convallaria makes players pull for new units using in-game and real-world money. This way of making money is common in the genre, but it can split opinions.
The demo includes gacha mechanics, but they show up in the Fate’s Journey tutorial mode. The other story mode, which takes up most of the preview, doesn’t have these systems.
Keep in mind that the full game will have more gacha features since they’re a big part of this type of game. Players who don’t like these mechanics might enjoy the game less over time.
The Story: A Promising but Incomplete Narrative
The demo presents an interesting but unfinished story. It chronicles the main character’s unsuccessful attempt to escape a citywide riot.
In Fate’s Journey, they call upon allies to fight in a limbo version of the past aiming to gather the power to travel back in time and alter their destiny.
While the concept grabs attention, the demo’s execution seems a bit confusing and boring. Fate’s Journey has a tutorial-like quality that can take one to two hours to finish, which might make some players feel the story lacks depth or fails to captivate them.
Still, it’s worth keeping in mind that this preview scratches the surface of the entire game. The alternate story mode, which wasn’t included in the preview, might offer a more developed and engaging storyline.
Conclusion: A Good Beginning with Space to Get Better
Sword of Convallaria looks very promising, thanks to its beautiful graphics smooth combat system, and interesting story setup. The game captures what makes classic tactical RPGs great while adding something new in how it handles character classes and runs the mercenary company.
Yet, some players might find the game’s heavy use of gacha mechanics and slow story start unappealing. The game walks a thin line between paying homage to the genre and following current mobile gaming trends.
In the end, Sword of Convallaria will attract tactical RPG fans who can look past the gacha system to enjoy a well-made combat system and a story that could grab their interest.
While it might not cause a revolution in the genre, it stands up well next to classics like Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem.