Square Enix has had a pretty busy year, that's been stacked with a wide array of games ranging from remasters and a ton of new titles.
But they have so much more to come with the final quarter of the year filled with several diverse titles.
Amongst these games is a strategy RPG, The Diofield Chronicle which Square Enix has co-developed with Lancarse.
The Diofield Chronicle is an adventure that takes place on a continent plagued by constant war between the Trovelt-Schoevian Empire and the Rowetale Alliance over Jade, a resource for Modern Magic.
When all seems lost the Rowetale Alliance is aided by the Vherman Republic who help bring the war to a stalemate.
With the war brought to a stalemate, the Trovelt-Schoevian Empire set their sights on The Kingdom of Alletain which is situated on the island of Diofield, in the north-western part of the Rowetale continent.
The game’s main story revolves around childhood friends, Andrias, Fredret and Izelair who find themselves entangled in the conflict after they are enlisted into a private military unit, called Blue Fox.
The Diofield Chronicle has all the makings of a fantasy epic filled with wonderfully named characters and plenty of action.
The game does a great job at keeping players entertained by constantly introducing new characters and expanding its lore during each of its chapters.
The plot is filled with plenty of woes and dark turns of events that one would expect from this genre.
That being said, Diofield Chronicle does throw a lot at the player early on, with some of the characters and plot devices not being as compelling as others.
However, the developers have created a strong foundation that can be greatly expanded as I feel they have only scratched the surface of what can be experienced in the world of The Diofield Chronicle.
The Diofield Chronicle has a captivating visual aesthetic that mixes different elements from various eras. Each character flaunts a different style that personifies their personalities like Fredret’s regal medieval armour suits his bold demeanour.
There’s a lot thrown in here, even a character with a plague doctor mask, but it all comes together nicely.
The character art illustrated by Isamu Kamikokuryo are by far one of the highlights of the game.
Each character looks fantastic when their portraits appear during battle or in narrated cutscenes, I would’ve loved to see this art style utilise a lot more than the CG cutscenes.
The game does slightly fall short with its stiff character models who often appear emotionless when interacting with each other during cutscenes or in the Elm Camp.
Battle locations are hit and miss as some feel really empty while others are filled with well-crafted structures.
That being, players will predominantly be occupied with the stunning particle effects during combat with each captivating special attack dazzling the screen when executed.
The orchestral soundtrack has been created by world-renowned composers Ramin Djawadi and Brandon Campbell, who are known best for their work on Game of Thrones.
The soundtrack is a great blend of epic battle tunes and moving pieces that admirably complement the visuals.
The game also features voice acting in English and Japanese that helps bring the action to life.
It’s always great when a game has duo audio but I feel the English voiceover was filled with accents that didn’t really suit certain characters. The Japanese voiceover is superb, especially the battle cries during combat.
The Diofield Chronicle is a real-time strategy RPG where players will control units that battle other armies. Players will be able to choose from different missions that vary in victory conditions, difficulty, and length.
The missions have been eloquently designed, offering a plethora of gameplay types that push the player to devise different strategies.
The different completion paths and map gimmicks elevate the overall experience and stop the game from becoming repetitive. This alongside the free-flowing gameplay will keep players constantly on their toes.
The Diofield Chronicle is a lengthy game that offers players a magnitude of different experiences granting it longevity and major replay value.
The game also has a wide variety of enemies and bosses to defeat, which is very pleasing to see as even though some missions can be very long they are never dull.
Players will be very impressed with the enemy's A.I. and how quickly they can shift their strategy to counter yours.
The player will control a unit of the Blue Foxes during missions with each of the characters falling into a different military archetype.
Each character has their own strengths like Iscarion the archer will be able to deal damage on multiple enemies while Andrias is better for close combat.
There may only be a few types of Soldiers but each of them varies in how they execute attacks, granting players a diverse pool of talent to choose from.
When not in battle players will return to Elm Camp which acts as the game's hub where they will control Andrias and interact with other characters. This part of the game is a nice change of flow and allows grants players to chance to learn more about other characters.
The game also offers extensive customisation, allowing players to dictate their characters' skills, abilities and weapons they use in battle. This emphasis on character customisation is fully welcome because it adds an extra level to the strategic gameplay.
Verdict 4 / 5
The Diofield Chronicle is a thrilling adventure that offers great strategic gameplay and is constantly challenging the player.
Deep customisation is always a great addition in RPG’s and the developers have found the right balance that allows players to create a unique version of each character without being too complex.
It may not redefine the genre but The Diofield Chronicle is an enjoyable game that's hopefully the first of many.
The Diofield Chronicle will be released on 22 September for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5
