Circus Electrique is a tried-and-true turn-based RPG with a quirky circus theme.

Although generally known for his major contributions to the pinball industry, Zen Studios He always had another passion, RPGs with strategic elements, but he never had the opportunity to express it with the right continuity. However, for some time now, the small Hungarian team seems to have decided to pursue the profession, and after two undercover experiences such as Dread Nautical and Operencia: The Stolen Sun, it is now ready to propose a new adventure set in the dark. Victorian London, where the real superheroes were circus performers, not comic book characters.

Before coming to consoles and PC on September 6, we’re talking about Circus Electrique, an interesting turn-based tactical RPG that we discovered thanks to a demo that can give us a standout taste of the game’s many systems.

Grab some popcorn, relax, and get ready to be amazed at all the wonders hidden under the circus tent. Tried by Circus Electrique.

circus heroes

Anyone who reads the game’s presentation will surely think of Freaks Out, a 2021 movie directed by Gabriele Mainetti that shares an unconventional narrative concept with Circus Electrique. Both in the movie starring Claudio Santamaria and Pietro Castellitto and in the game developed by Zen Studios, the heroes are actually the protagonists. circus performers In the latter case, it has extraordinary powers, even if we are in a dark and dystopian London with a strong steampunk character, rather than a Rome controlled by the Nazis.

While talking to the developers themselves about this, the idea of ​​using such a particular universe for their next video games sprouted up in the late 1800s by looking at old posters that circus directors used to portray artists as supernatural beings in an attempt to sell them. a little extra ticket. One of these intuitions Tactical RPG with turn-based combat Clearly inspired by productions of the Darkest Dungeon caliber, it focuses on a story that will take you to explore London to investigate the causes of “Madness”, a mysterious phenomenon that drives the citizens of London to kill each other.

The short duration of the demo did not allow us to test the goodness of the narrative, but instead gave us the opportunity to adequately immerse ourselves in the many crowded systems.fun quote In addition to the fights, by Cirus Electrique, who will entrust us with the comprehensive management of the entire circus apparatus at the center of the game. In fact, resources and manpower are needed to conduct the investigation, and for this we will be called upon to lead the circus by holding shows and recruiting new artists to take with us as we explore London.

fights

For the most part, the adventure unfolds and is told through real events. city ​​dungeons, full of random encounters, rewards and dangers, but above all, fights between two teams of four characters that only end when one of the two formations collapses. As is often the case with builds of this pattern, circus performers are purely procedural and are permanently lost on death, so carefully managing each fight will be the only way to not give up on a character you’ve developed and maintained for several years. game hours. Each artist has their own traits, but moves and attributes are often governed by the class they belong to, which determines each one’s appearance and stats.

Strong Man and Pagliacci, an artist who uses all his strength to inflict a horrendous amount of damage to opponents, the game has a plethora of tanks supporting tanks that can impose on their enemies and the Villains, victims of Madness. negative effects. The Fire Eater specializes in ranged combat and has excellent damage, while the Escapologist alternates between debuffs and attacks involving the entire enemy team. While the classes featured in the demo weren’t many, the archetypes we observed seemed well-characterized and each responding to a different role in the field, so we can’t wait to find out what the degree of diversity Circus Electrique offers. be. when the player has full access and 15th grade circus performer available in the last game.

Each of them has access by different abilities and attacks, among other things. positioning The playing field is divided into four slots as the number of fighters. For example, Strongman can only use his strongest attacks when deployed on the front lines, only coming to hit opponents placed in the most advanced slots and close to him. Conversely, a forward Fire Eater can access few weak attacks while at its best when throwing fireballs from behind. Managing the arrangement of performers will be crucial if you aim not to lose them all to a devastating defeat, almost like in a card game.

Circus Electrique also applies another variant to fights: DevotionThis affects many aspects of the character, even outside of combat. In general, the higher this value, the more lethal the circus performers will be during the fight, for example they receive some damage and accuracy bonuses, while if it drops to zero, the performer will leave the circus forever. Devotion builds up in battle, but the character drops if left doing nothing in the circus, so micromanagement of the performers’ deck will always be necessary to prevent them from abandoning us in search of another adventure.

come on guys come on

Once you win a fight, you move on to the next day and are taken back to the circus.management spirit By Circus Electric. Here you can heal injured artists, collect new ones, improve their skills as they level up, and also create a long series of items that can be useful in battle through crafting, before throwing yourself back on a mission. But most important of all is the organization of the evening show, which guarantees a large number of shillings every day, as well as raising the level of the entire circus by unlocking new structures.

L’show organization it goes through a series of projects that must be completed by matching and matching the artists at our disposal to achieve a certain star rating. Stars, then, can be invested to receive different rewards: dedicating one to the public increases revenues and gifts at the end of the day, while turning it into entertainment gains more reputation, beneficial for raising the circus level. Finally, by spending one star on Complexity, we’ll be able to gain extra experience for the circus performers participating in the show. The organization of the show and the management of circus events represent an indisputable strong point in the production economy of Zen Studios, which enriches its formula with many crucial management dynamics, adding depth to the fights. conflicts