DioField Chronicle tries Square Enix’s new strategic RPG

Announced completely by surprise during State of Play in March, The DioField Chronicle was never taken too seriously for a variety of reasons: the visibly lagging tech industry, weird name, and reduced advertising hype suggest a mid/low budget, but then it’s heavy for a few hours. Playing the demo, we can say that strategic RPG enthusiasts should have more than one reason to keep an eye on this cross-platform Square Enix build, due out in September.

Besides the fact that he’s working on lancarseA Japanese developer best known for collaborating with Atlus on Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey over a decade ago, our Tried by The DioField Chronicle We will tell you about our first impressions, which, albeit with some reservations, were quite positive.

God Field!

Let’s just say that DioField Chronicle doesn’t present itself well. this technical sector An observation that is certainly outdated, but especially true for very finely detailed 3D models, but is woody and really too expressionless in animations. That won’t help increase one’s wealth complo struggled to really stand out during the demo. We learned about DioField – that’s what it’s called! – An island rich in Jade, a powerful resource with a multitude of abilities that lure warring factions across the continent, the Empire, and the Alliance that opposes it.

Now everyone is staring at the deposits. Jade The story of DioField, who has other things to rob on his own amongst the bandits and monsters invading their territory. The story goes, at least initially, that some of the mercenaries who received the Duke of Hende’s salary, needless to say, eventually become embroiled in a complex conspiracy.

The protagonists are unfortunately pretty stereotypical and don’t help the cinematic rich in expressionlessness, dialogue, and exposure that we’ve already critiqued. The narrative looks adult and complex, and at times reminded us again of Square Enix’s latest Triangle Strategy and Game of Thrones; after all, the soundtrack was composed by the same writer of the TV series, Ramin Djawadi. Fortunately, at a certain point, a library is unlocked among the many named characters where it is possible to consult diagrams and summaries to learn about their roles in the conflict and the power relations that bind or divide them.

However, it looks like we need to rely on some to get to know the various heroes better. side missions those who tell their stories and pasts. The writing, in that sense, did not look very bright. The first characters we recruit are reluctantly joining our cause, and we hope the script develops them better in the future.

mercenaries

But we were surprised in a much more positive way in terms of gameplay. DioField Chronicle a Pretty traditional Japanese tactical RPG, at first sight. The player takes control of the main character Andrias and transports him in third person to the mercenary base Elm Camp, where it is possible to access traditional services and features such as shop, Practice mode that allows you to repeat already completed missions, etc. In the early stages of the game, a character is also unlocked that allows you to spend SP earned in battle to improve the archetypes of the units, unlocking additional bonuses and abilities. This is a talent tree It is very intuitive despite forks that can be reset at any time by spending a certain amount of guld, which is DioField’s currency.

Moving around the base is very quick thanks to the fast travel system that gives you instant access to each room, but we have to admit that in that sense, we found the 3D structure of the scenario pretty useless when a simple list was made. features would have sufficed.. Hats off to the effort, then, even if this elm campat least initially it seems a bit thin.

Also, there are different potentials in the development of the characters, accumulating another resource called AP, which allows you to buy it individually in each case. upgrades more specific for each. Characterized by an archetype – defender, offensive, ranged and so on – the characters wield different weapons that define them. A shielded unit can better withstand blows from enemies in close combat, while archers and mages can strike from afar but are much more vulnerable. After all, it’s something that fans of the genre should know very well.

However, the more interesting dynamicssupport worker. In fact, we can deploy up to four characters in battle, but each can be associated with a sidekick or a character that would normally stay in reserve. Basically, the Helper will only appear if we use certain abilities, but it doesn’t seem to have any other role in encounters. While gaining less experience points than first-person units, it still provides an extra variety of usable abilities.

battle system

Then we come to the war, the missions that we can start from the special geography map of DioField. The demo doesn’t offer much variety in terms of gameplay; it is more like a training that teaches the basics of warfare, which immediately seems intuitive and interesting, but not devoid of angularity. The first thing you should know is that the war in DioField Chronicle is a hybrid: Square Enix calls it Real Time Tactical Combat and indeed, the first approach is not much different from Real Time Strategies. The four units move freely and, as with many Japanese strategists, are not connected to a grid; The player can choose just one or all of them and then choose the point on the map they want them to go to or the destination they need to merge.

In most cases the enemies will stop at certain points on the map, but in some cases, for example when we are busy defending a certain place, it is scripted to focus directly on the heroes. This means you have to react. real time from the movements of the enemies, the movement of the units and the selection of targets at the right time.

An interesting feature of The DioField Chronicle is, in fact, what we often refer to as a “telegraph”, a visual effect that predicts an enemy’s attack in a specific and restricted area. Some enemy units will actually use spells or special abilities that were telegraphed a few minutes ago and we will need to be careful to move our units from the ‘ position immediately.domain or using an ability that stuns the target to stop the attack. Some enemies, such as bosses, are immune to stuns after a while, so it’s not possible to bypass the mechanics of wired attacks by abusing status disturbances, and you’ll need to react quickly.

It might seem like The DioField Chronicle is expecting a little too much from the reflexes of the players, who basically need to detect the incoming attack, pick the right character – for example, Izelair – and select a Shield Bash stun ability to slash the enemy, and all in a few seconds or less. In fact, the Lancarse title continues as a “tactical pause” each time the talent list opens, allowing players to calmly choose what to do.

Most skills are positional, in the sense that they hit a certain area and therefore there is a need to move a unit correctly to block as many enemies as possible in the attack’s area of ​​effect. For example, Fredret’s Full Frontal Strike strikes enemies in its path and pushes the rider from behind. Andrias’s Leaping Strike, on the other hand, hits a circular area from afar, but moves the mercenary towards its center, placing him among potentially enraged enemies. Other skills come in handy when redirecting: Convalescent Circle Waltaquinfor example, as long as the mage remains inactive, it will heal allies in the area of ​​effect.

Every time you use a skill, you have to wait a few seconds before using the others: a real skill. charging time this causes the player to carefully choose which spells to cast and when. However, given that each skill essentially “freezes” the game for the duration of the animation, dynamic half real-time and half turn-based dynamics can turn their noses up for those looking for more homogeneous gameplay.

But in general, battle system It made a good impression on us, and the structure of the maps allows for smart and strategic use of space and mechanics. You can get the enemy’s attention by getting in the field of view and then take it to a bottleneck and take advantage of the bottleneck to attack AoE skill targets, for example, as long as they’re very close.

Enemies can also use life points, magic points (here called EP) or EXP Indicatorrepresents a kind of real super move in the form of a call. Bahamut is the first person the game makes available from the first mission and without much ceremony. Load the gauge and then select the corresponding skill to deal a short cinematic and tons of damage to enemies. The player decides when and how to land the XP Gauge: in the demo, for example, you also learn how to summon Goldhorne, a deer that heals the entire team but requires two XP Gauge charges.

Despite being scaled down by a technical sector that isn’t exactly the most sophisticated, and a narrative that emerges early on, focusing more on the power relations of enemies than the characterization of heroes, The DioField Chronicle is a hybrid strategic RPG with interesting potential. . Remembering that it will be possible to import the demo recording in the final version of the title Square EnixWe recommend that you wait for our review without prejudice, because this is one of those situations where you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.