Did you love Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition? You’re going to love Stegosoft Games’ follow-up project – Rise of the Third Power.
Available to purchase and download right now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC, Rise of the Third Power is the long-awaited next game from that Stegosoft Games team, with DANGEN Entertainment behind them, hoping that it is able to deliver a return to the glory days of the 16-bit RPG.
Priced at £16.74, Rise of the Third Power whisks us off to the SNES era of RPG gaming, combining that with enough modern day intricacies to allow for a game that will appeal to all. Featuring the finest of both Western and Japanese design cues, in Rise of the Third Power you will be tasked with taking on a party of up to eight characters, each of whom come with their own backstory and personalities. Putting this party together is your objective, all so you can attempt to topple the Arkadyan emperor, saving the world in the process.
It’s an adventure that will take you upwards of 35 hours to complete, enjoying a blend of humour, drama and tragedy as you go. With a battle system that is fairly similar to that of Ara Fell, allowing you to utilise party member skills and abilities, items and equipment.
It plays out brilliantly, so brilliantly in fact that our full review of Rise of the Third Power on Xbox talks about the massively deep world, the exceptionally crafted narrative and lovely presentation. Our review also mentions how this is a game that doesn’t ever fall into the trap of grinding for progress and even though we feel the combat could be better, a more than solid 4/5 score is a seemingly worthy one.
Should you wish to pick up and play Rise of the Third Power for yourself, get over to the Xbox Store and grab a download on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. You’ll find the game on PlayStation, Switch and PC too. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, you can take your save game across Xbox through to PC and back again, too.
Game Description:
Rise of the Third Power is a retro-themed, console-style roleplaying game, loosely based on the political climate of Europe in the late 1930’s. The story takes place in the land of Rin during the height of the Age of Sail, following the events that would lead to the greatest war in human history. “1587, 2A – 15 years have passed since the guns of the Great War at last fell silent. The conflict rocked the world, leaving half a generation of men and women lying dead on the battlefield. Of the many players that had acted on the world stage, only two remained: the kingdom of Cirinthia and the ancient Republic of Tariq. In time, Dimitri Noraskov, a hero to the defeated Kingdom of Arkadya, rose from the ashes. He saw his king as a coward for surrendering, and a traitor for submitting to the Treaty of Evenheart. So did the people. They supported Noraskov when he overthrew the king. They supported him as he reclaimed the lands that had been stripped of them. And they supported him as he raised an army. Noraskov had theorized that the nations of the world were still too worn by the Great War to enforce the terms of the Treaty. Thus far, his gambit has proven successful. The Arkadyan Empire shows no signs of curbing its aggression. It is feared by many that a reprise of the Great War, that at one time could have been prevented, is now all but inevitable. But there are those that believe it can yet be stopped…” Rise of the Third Power is a love letter to the glory days of the console style RPG, with modern conveniences such as auto-save and a combination of the best elements of Japanese and Western style gameplay and writing. Experience this fusion of East and West, old and new, in a game meant to surpass Stegosoft Games’ previous work in every way!
