A Retro Strategy RPG or a Simple Skirmish?
Regular readers of these pages will be aware that I do like a strategy type game, and so when Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn rolled over the horizon, I wasn’t slow to put my hand up.
You see, the store page describes the latest from Eastasiasoft and ZOO Corporation as a “real time strategy RPG”. You may detect from my tone that this isn’t quite the game I expected it to be, but please read on to find out why and how it differed from my expectations.
The big question? Are you ready to save the world again?
Pixelated Provinces
We’ll kick off with the presentation of the game, and just for a change, for an Eastasiasoft game, it is more retro than a packet of Opal Fruits.
Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn is completely pixel art driven, and while I’m not averse to a bit of retro graphics now and again, this is almost too retro: the sprites of the party we control are tiny, as are the monsters that we fight, and while the levels that we fight on are fairly large, they only scroll left and right.
This is a determinedly 2D affair, and if you don’t like it, tough! The levels are all much of a muchness if I’m honest, with the islands left to explore likewise. In fact, while there isn’t anything intrinsically wrong per se, I was struck by an amazing feeling of deja vu.
Sound is pretty minimal too, with some music bleeping its way out the speakers, and the odd thwack of a sword to be heard. But as for voice over acting or anything approaching modern production values, you can forget it. Even when your little men die, there is nary a squeak to be heard: the only way you know they are dead is if their little portrait at the bottom of the screen gets greyed out.
A King’s Summons: Akatsuki’s Basic Story
But why are we doing the stuff we are doing, I hear you ask? Well, we play as Ark, a young man living in peace on a remote island. One day, a messenger from the king appears and tells us that not only are we the son of one of the Lords of the realm, but that the King has decided that now would be a good time for us to stop mucking about and get out there and cleanse the kingdom of monsters. Oh, and there are no reinforcements, so try to cobble an army together as you go, will you? Tally ho!
I paraphrase somewhat, but that is the gist of the story found in Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn. Of course, it would be a short game if Ark decided to stay home…
Strategic Simplicity
So, what about gameplay then, the last thing on my reviewing ticklist?
Again, here it is easy to damn with faint praise, as when we begin, it all seems pretty impenetrable. The tutorial really doesn’t help here, as while it takes us through what to do in the battle screen, it stops short of giving any advice about how the levelling up mechanic works, for instance.
Building Your Army: Levelling and Formations
Now, as I’m sure you can imagine, trying to beat Akatsuki with a bunch of level 1 characters soon becomes impossible, and so while Ark can be levelled by spending money on new facilities (weird, I know), the soldiers we rally to our banner can also be individually levelled in the Party screen; something I found by poking around in the menus. Not only can you make the soldiers stronger, you can equip them with better weapons and all sorts, so doing this is a good idea, as you’ll soon be left behind if you don’t.
The actual battle screen is a bit of an odd one as well, as it reminds me, oddly enough, of Vampire Survivors. We control Ark on his horse, and the soldiers we have brought with us move and attack independently: the only thing we can do is choose a formation we want the team to be in, and then unleash that formation’s special ability when it is charged.
You’ll find that you get to start with only a “line” formation available, and this stays useful, as the ability is an area heal which peps your team right up. Each member of the team also has an ability that can be charged up, and using these at the right time can also help. And that’s your lot really, charge at the enemy and see who falls over first. If it’s you, do some leveling and try again.
A Simple Strategy RPG with Limited Depth
There are other things to do, such as daily quests and quests from NPCs, but the basic shape of Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn stays the same throughout. This is why I hesitate to endorse the whole “real time strategy RPG” thing, as there isn’t a great deal of strategy, and it isn’t much of an RPG either. I suppose it is real time, but again, it just feels like this is a game that was sketched out on the back of a fag packet in the pub on night, and then quickly churned out.
Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn isn’t a bad game, however it is lacking the magical X factor that will ensure you miss it when you’re not playing.
Your Links
Slay all who oppose you in Akatsuki: Lord of the Dawn on Xbox and PlayStation – https://www.thexboxhub.com/slay-all-who-oppose-you-in-akatsuki-lord-of-the-dawn-on-xbox-and-playstation/
Buy Akatsuki on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/akatsuki-lord-of-the-dawn/9NV5SWN2ZL5Z/0010
Or grab a Bundle – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/akatsuki-lord-of-the-dawn-xbox-pc/9n6msqtp2n34
