Review of Lost Eidolons, a strategic role-playing game that works while silent

The possible fulfillment of a prophecy further hardened the emperor, prompting him to violently suppress any protest. Eden is a mercenary living quietly in his village with his comrades when a series of related events forces him to become the commander of a group of rebels organized by a nobleman who is dissatisfied with the current political situation. The road ahead is full of wars, dangers and betrayals that will mature him and become someone he never suspected. Of course, he will also learn that it is better to remain silent when you have nothing to say. Lost Eidolon reviewOcean Drive Studio is a turn-based strategic role-playing game with a medieval fantasy setting that shines when you forget it’s also an RPG.

game structure

Lost Eidolons is a title structured very classically: on the one hand, there are battles built around a turn-based system similar to the Fire Emblem, albeit more direct in execution, on the other, there is the narrative part modulated with intermediate sequences, long dialogues reminiscent of the world of visual novels, and exploration set in a military camp with sequences before and after the war.

There History It’s pretty predictable and basically follows Eden’s rise to power with various twists and turns along the way and different characters to interact with to achieve the goal. But as we shall see, its purpose is divided into twenty-seven (because about fifty hours of gameplay), but the quality of the writing and the need to stretch the water that leads to many repetitions, and the excessive lengthening of often useless and unnecessary dialogues that always revolve around the same topics. We will talk about this aspect in the paragraph devoted to the East German side, which is the weakest of the whole study. Now let’s focus on its strong point, which alone is worth the whole experience.

strategic part

There strategic part Lost Eidolons is reminiscent of many classics of the genre (Shining Force, Final Fantasy Tactics, the aforementioned Fire Emblem, just to name a few). At the beginning of each fight, we see our soldiers deployed on a 3D map divided into squares. After doing a quick scout on the battlefield, counting the enemies and evaluating the available forces, you can start by moving one unit at a time. You usually start at the bottom of the map and have to work your way up until you reach all targets, the most common being the defeat of the boss, the classic strongest unit commanding others. Each character has different characteristics according to their class, so wizards are more adept at casting spells, knights have a fighting style based on the use of swords and shields, warriors usually do great damage, lose something in defense, etc. The example of the genre is there with a basic look at progress, which is one of the mainstays of experience. Second, it is largely self-directed: each skill used by the characters makes them grow in a certain direction.

for example a character Usually a person who uses the bow as an attacking tool will definitely improve their hunter skills, just as a character who fights by browsing a library with light magic will become a priest. In this way, it is possible to mix classes better by addressing different units as you wish. Combined with the traditional increase in levels that happens by accumulating experience points (each action yields some efficiency), it works quite well to be honest, and it also has a certain unrepentant depth that makes you a lot more noble and famous. titles.

this wars They are the best part of Lost Eidolons, which we can define as undoubtedly the most successful. Developing strategies to achieve all objectives is often rewarding, even though they are very simple tasks and only require clearing the maps. There may be few extra missions to do like opening certain containers or escaping to certain places to get items, but these are the minority. The important thing is that the player is often asked to consider their moves, as any mistake can cost the loss of a unit or the battle itself.

in thisartificial intelligence Directing opposing units helps a lot because he can devise interesting tactics, ringing and poking at weak spots whenever possible. It’s not perfect, but it does its job and doesn’t create holes that allow a particular tactic to be repeated ad libitum until victory is achieved. The level design also adds to the goodness of the battles, in this case the map set and location of the troops which often creates interesting and challenging tactical situations.

Talking about enemy unitsThey are mostly made up of better or worse equipped soldiers. If it weren’t for some monsters like hellhounds, manticores, giant snakes, dragons and others that had to be confronted using a particularly successful combo system of hitting the right point of the beast with the right weapon, wooden fences protecting muddy and impoverished villages, castles protected by stone walls and, so to speak, general Amongst the very earthy atmosphere, it looks like a realistic medieval world.

role playing game

If the strategic part works, and it’s also very good, it’s when Lost Eidolons claims to be one, where the experience it delivers promises. role playing game. At the beginning of Eden, after each battle, we will find ourselves in the camp of our increasingly growing team to conduct various activities, first of all by talking to other characters. This is where we will promote heroes to the upper classes, buy weapons, manage inventory and grimoires, hire new mercenaries, and perform so-called prestige missions, i.e. small tasks that can be solved in the field that earn resources and points. It can be spent to increase our impact on individual characters, including those who are still undecided about whether or not to take part in our campaign.

As the battles continue, a few will also open buildings Inside the camp, like a square for traders or a training ground for units. The purpose of this chapter is to allow us to direct the advance of the army and to inform us about the campaign, to allow us to listen to the perspective of our men on the most diverse issues. Too bad the latter has little to say and in most cases the dialogues are resolved in vicious and fruitless exchanges, often on topics previously covered.

this problem As a result, the characters are pretty flat in their characterizations and therefore don’t have an interesting backstory. Thus, the insecure archer who gets better and better, or the virtuous woman overwhelmed with guilt for killing the man holding her captive (to give just two examples) develops in such a predictable way that in some cases it is possible to skip dialogues. Something really basic is missing.

This plain actually resonates in many places. secondary activities, often barely scratched, turns out to be really irrelevant in the long run. Quests often require you to roam the field and talk to this or that character, buy goods from merchants, or look for items that are usually clearly visible. In the long run, they’re more than a welcome addition, they’re tiring. Of course, the entire administrative part is appropriate because it serves to account for the progress made, but precisely the nature of the entire part, in which many hours have been spent in total, leaves more than a few doubts. The gist of it is that you usually skip as much as possible to get back into battle as soon as possible, the ops are clear so as not to penalize progress.

technical

from technical point of view Lost Eidolons is a nice title overall, but it has its ups and downs. On the one hand, there are the battles in which 3D models of well-made and well-animated characters stand out in not-so-exceptional but still solemn scenarios. On the other hand, there are some elements that are very indigestible, such as the pre-rendered static screens of the dialogue sequences, the direction of the dialogues itself, which is really ugly and wants to emulate the visual novel, dissolving the characters, creating an overall unpleasant effect that is not exactly nice.

also there movie soundtrack He lives on these contrasts, he knows the music is on point, but he knows it’s already heard in so many other titles. Let’s just say the result was acceptable in principle, because you couldn’t expect much more from a production that wasn’t exactly a millionaire. Of course, rethinking certain elements could achieve much better results, but that will be for the next title.