Have you ever looked at a Pokemon game and thought, “I like the idea, but the execution is just too cute and fluffy for me”? Well, we may have just the game for you.
From Rablo Games comes a new creature-collection RPG called Necro Story, which promises to scratch that gothic itch you maybe didn’t even know you had! So, with a plot involving the last human, necromancy, and ghosts, you’re dying to know more, right? (See what I did there?) Anyway, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the story and put some meat on the bones. I’ll stop with the necromancy puns now, honest.
In this game, we play as an evil necromancer who, for reasons that become apparent, is also the last living human. As the game opens, we are laid out on a slab, our soul hovering outside our body. You’ll find out why later in the story (no spoilers here!), but we are rescued by the ghost of a mage named Vivi, who has a proposition for us. She wants us to help revive the human race by bringing them back from the underworld (which, in this game, is also called the Upperworld, confusingly), and so the course is set. Of course, just our necromancer and Vivi aren’t going to get far on their own. We’re going to need an army…
Necro Story has a lovely, hand-drawn look, with the characters of our necromancer and Vivi being well-designed and animated. The creatures we meet are equally well-done, although as the game progresses, we do start to see a lot of re-coloured character models from early in the game – a red lizard enemy instead of a blue one, for instance. This isn’t too intrusive, and it’s only with my picky reviewer’s hat on that I even mention it.
The world features various dungeons and an overworld to explore, and again, the way everything is depicted is very nice. You can see enemy encounters from afar, as they are represented by black blobs that move about the world, but trying to avoid them is largely an exercise in frustration. You see, the black blobs will chase you if they detect you, and they can move faster than you can walk, so avoiding combat (if you have a weakened team you want to nurse to the next checkpoint, for instance) is tricky.
The sound is very much as you’d expect, with impactful battle effects, including the surprisingly heartbreaking squeak as certain allies meet their demise. The story is presented via cutscenes with text windows, and it offers choices that affect the path you take. I stayed on the straight and narrow for my first playthrough, but you can be as evil as you like. All in all, the presentation is excellent, with the graphical charm doing a lot of the heavy lifting to keep you engaged.
Now, for the gameplay. If you’ve played a Pokemon game before, forget everything you know, as this is quite different.
As we wander around and get into fights, our necromancer has the ability to capture enemy souls, and as we all know, captured enemies can be “persuaded” to fight on your team. Defeating foes causes their souls to be ejected from their bodies and float around on the screen. This is our cue to aim at the souls with the left stick and press RT to capture them. As we capture souls, a mirror icon forms on the screen (the game explains what it is, but rather unhelpfully, it does so in French, which happened a few times), and once the mirror is fully formed, aiming at a soul and pressing LT will capture it and add it to your roster.
There are many creatures to capture, and once they are on your team, you can equip them with various items to make them more powerful. Fighting creatures levels them up and grants them new abilities, so there’s something to be said for keeping the same team throughout, but experimentation is also fun.
The combat itself is a mixture of an auto-battler and a traditional RPG. We control the necromancer, who can have up to six spells at their disposal as they grow stronger. Each spell has a mana cost and a cooldown, so timing is crucial. As we control our character, the other creatures on our team, including Vivi, fight independently, choosing their attacks from their unlocked repertoire.
Our necromancer has one last trick up their sleeve: the ability to transform into demons. By exploring the world and conquering towers, we can find demons to form dark pacts with. These demonic forms are powerful and useful for boss fights, but they replace regular spells, limiting your offensive options.
You’ll more than enjoy your time with Necro Story. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, the characters are personable, and you do begin to care about their fates. With simplistic gameplay, Necro Story has a charm and warmth that belies its subject matter, and it’s a lot of fun to play. What more could you want?
Buy Necro Story from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/necro-story/9p0mb12xvhn3
