An excellent turn-based RPG adventure | Full Review - Battle Chasers: Nightwar

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Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a turn-based RPG game in a fantasy world where players command a group of heroes on a quest to uncover the secrets of The Lost Vale and defeat an evil sorceress.

🟩Pros

+Engaging storyline

+Strategic turn-based gameplay with unique mechanics

+The combat is flashy, kinetic, and pure fun

+Exploration and overworld Navigation

+Effectively translates the essence of the comic series into video game format.

🟥Cons

-Confusing Map Design

-Limited frame rates and minor touch control issues

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a role-playing game (RPG) developed by Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. Battle Chasers: Nightwar is an adaptation of Joe Madureira's fantasy comic book series of the same name. Originally released as a PC game, it has been ported to the mobile platforms as well. For the purpose of this review, I will be talking about the Android version.

The game immerses players in a captivating storyline where the main cast of characters finds themselves stranded on an island. In order to secure their escape, they must embark on a heroic quest to thwart the wicked schemes of an evil sorceress.

The game's narrative centers around a group of heroes known as the Battle Chasers, who embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of The Lost Vale and rescue a missing friend. As players progress through the game, they unravel the mysteries of the island, encountering intriguing characters, engaging in side quests, and facing formidable bosses. The story is presented through beautifully crafted cutscenes, dialogues, and two levels of exploration gameplay, providing a captivating and immersive experience.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar offers a well-balanced and satisfying gameplay experience, blending various elements seamlessly. Players will need to form a party of three, from five a selection of five characters. During the first five hours, you quickly start off with three party members, and will discover the rest of the crew later on. The game can be divided into three core components: exploration, overworld navigation, and turn-based combat.

Exploration: The exploration aspect of the game captures the essence of dungeon crawling. Rather than random encounters, enemies are visible in the game world. Upon contact, the game transitions into turn-based combat encounters. Players can switch seamlessly between any party member, and use limited abilities while exploring. These abilities can stun enemies, heal party members, or provide other benefits, further enhancing the gameplay experience. This unique approach adds a strategic layer even while outside combat.

However, at times, the map design can be slightly confusing, leading to occasional “getting lost” moments and some backtracking. Fortunately, the game provides unlockable teleports to alleviate navigation issues.

Overworld Navigation: The overworld navigation utilizes a point-and-click system, where players select their desired destinations on a hand-drawn cel-shaded campaign map. The artistic aesthetics of the overworld map are visually appealing and contribute to the game's immersive atmosphere. In both the overworld and exploration parts of the game, players will encounter numerous situations that involve making choices, rolling a metaphorical dice, and experiencing corresponding outcomes. These elements instill an added sense of role-playing, where decisions carry risks and rewards that shape the gameplay experience..

Turn-Based Combat: The main highlight of the game is its traditional turn-based combat style, where units take turns attacking or using abilities against each other. The turning queue system is intuitive, allowing you to easily determine the order of actions. Each skill has its own weight in the turn order, influencing their placement. For instance, selecting an Instant skill immediately casts the spell, while choosing Very Fast or Fast puts the character a few steps behind.

One notable aspect of the combat system is the overcharge mechanic, which accumulates based on the character's chosen attack or ability. This overcharge mechanic can provide additional damage and/or mana for the characters. Moreover, you have the opportunity to build up an ultimate ability charge periodically, which can be utilized by any of the characters.

Overall, aside from being tactical, the combat is flashy, kinetic, and pure fun presentation wise. All the abilities of the characters are well balanced and are all actually usable, depending on the situation. The addition of the overcharge mechanic adds more freedom to the character to perform abilities despite lacking mana.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar also features a robust crafting system that allows players to create powerful equipment and items. Throughout the game, players collect resources and recipes, which can be used to craft and roll enhanced weapons, armor, and consumables. The crafting system adds a greater sense of customization and progression, as players experiment with different combinations to create the most effective gear. It also encourages exploration and resource gathering, providing a rewarding experience outside of combat.

Technical Details:

Touch Controls: The game is fully adapted to touch controls, but the UI sensitivity can be too sensitive, leading to unintended commands being recognized.

Performance:

The game performed well on a Snapdragon 888 phone. However, the game limits its performance to 30fps during exploration and overworld segments, while combat runs at 60fps. I would have loved the option to max out the frame rates to 120, or at least 60 fps.

Conclusion:

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is an excellent turn-based RPG adventure that successfully blends classic turn-based combat, APRG dungeon crawling, and new novel mechanics. The game's engaging storyline, strategic gameplay elements, and visually stunning art style create an immersive experience that effectively translates the essence of the comic series into video game format. Despite minor issues with map design and touch controls, Battle Chasers: Nightwar delivers a unique and unforgettable journey, making it a must-play for RPG enthusiasts on the mobile platform.