Not Quite Your Typical KEMCO RPG
There is a new KEMCO game in town, and believe it or not, it is an RPG. But hold on, don’t run off yet: this one is a tiny bit different. Yes, really!
Tears Revolude breaks with the usual tide of KEMCO games by coming complete with a bit of a different look: so much so that when my wife and son were watching me play, for the first time it wasn’t called an “Asdivine game”, which is a novelty in my house…
As always, the story is, and should be, front and centre in an RPG, and here the news is pretty good. How the developers keep coming up with different stories I do not know, and while I wouldn’t dream of making the infinite monkeys with typewriters metaphor, I do wonder if there is a grain of truth in it.
Chasing The Mystery Of A Missing Artist
Anyway, the gist this time around is that we play as a couple of likely looking protagonists, Michelle and Sion (I’ve been reading the Spy x Family manga recently, and every time his name is mentioned I think of Sy-on Boy) and they are searching for the works of Orwiel, an artist who mysteriously vanished 100 years ago. As we are searching, we find a girl who has lost her memory (not an overused trope in RPGs at all) called Liara, and from there we have to keep her safe while also uncovering what happened to Orwiel. What could possibly go wrong?
A Different Perspective On Adventure
It is in the presentation in which Tears Revolude differs from the norm, in the general run of things. For a kick off, there is no world map. If we want to go to a location, we simply pick it from a list and we are taken there. Same goes for interacting with people in towns. This is all menu driven, and while this is refreshing to start with, it soon becomes annoying, but more of this later.
In the actual game itself, there are two screens to deal with: one is an isometric affair where our party wanders around the various dungeons, and the other is the battle screen. The walking about screen works pretty well, and is notable because of one thing. In addition to seeing where we are walking, there is also a window that shows us the view from our character’s eyes. And yes, it is as weird as it sounds, but it does serve a purpose. You see, we sometimes have to press buttons, or interact with things that cannot be seen on the regular screen, and are only visible through the characters view window. All clear? Good.
The battle screen is again viewed from a first person perspective, with the monsters that we are fighting visible right in front of us, but our characters not visible. The design of the creatures does get repetitive very quickly, with each creature having several colour variations, but looking basically the same. Some of the attacks we can pull off do look pretty spectacular though.
Sound is passable, with the usual complete lack of dialogue being present and correct. Battle sounds are as you’d expect, swishing swords and whooshing spells, and the music is passable but forgettable. However, taken as a whole, it does work, and is a nice change of pace from the usual KEMCO fare.
Exploring Dungeons And Building SP
The gameplay is a bit more mixed though. The general overview is that we load into a dungeon, wander about and happen across black orbs hovering in the corridors. These are monsters, and touching on, or having one touch you (as they will chase you) will trigger a battle. If you are planning to leave a screen and return, bear in mind that defeated creatures will respawn each time you load in, which isn’t great if you’ve just fought a boss, are out of healing items, and are a long way from the entrance. Luckily, you can pull off a bit of magic to warp to the entrance of a dungeon eventually. But until then, just be careful, yeah?
So, battles follow the usual pattern, being menu driven, as each of our characters selects an action that turn; be that attacking, defending, using a skill or making the most of an item. As we carry on fighting, we build up SP, which is like a kind of super meter: when it is full, we can unleash a special attack that everyone can join in, dealing serious damage to an enemy. I’d save this for the bosses if I was you!
Weapons That Evolve With Your Playstyle
Outside of exploring and battling, the rest of Tears Revolude is pretty pedestrian. The town is a menu, with various people to talk to, some of whom will give you side missions. These can range from killing a certain number of beasties through to finding a set number of things, and luckily it does tell you where you need to be to complete these missions.
One annoyance is that once the mission is complete, you have to find the person who gave it to you to turn it in, and when they are called things like “angry man” or “irritable woman”, it is hard to remember who to talk to. Usually you end up talking to everyone to be on the safe side.
The weapons are another strange thing. We only have one weapon each, but each one can not only be levelled up, but turned into different forms, depending on how you fight. All physical? Turn your sword into a damage dealing form. Prefer magic? That can be turned into a form that boosts your MP, for example. This is a pretty flexible way of doing things and works quite well, so tailor your weapons to your team members strengths.
Enough To Stand Apart From The Crowd
Tears Revolude does enough to stop itself being just another KEMCO game. The story is good, the setting works and the way the game plays, while not revolutionary, does feel at least a tad fresh. It isn’t an all time classic, but it is worth a look if you like an RPG.
Important Links
Tears Revolude – A Classic JRPG Journey Rooted In Art, Memory And Destiny – https://www.thexboxhub.com/tears-revolude-a-classic-jrpg-journey-rooted-in-art-memory-and-destiny/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/tears-revolude/9P8T95CH8B9V/0010
There’s a Special Edition too – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/tears-revolude-special-edition/9N0SR4KP0DRG/0010
