Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: Fallen Legion, game review, JRPG, MintSphere, rpg, YummyYummyTummy

Splitting The Story In Two: We Review 'Fallen Legion'

It's an odd concept to have the same game put on two different systems with different stories, but Fallen Legion is taking a step toward being unique. The game itself is really cool, but the concept itself kinda falls by the waist as we delve into the PS4 version of the game.

Fallen Legion has two different stories happening at the same time depending on which version you purchase. If you get the Vita version you play as Legatus Laendur, who is a leader in an army opposing the kingdom. However, we received the PS4 version for review, which has you playing as Princess Cecille, who is currently leading a kingdom she's just taken over that is falling out of power. A lot of the game is based on the decisions you make, almost like choose-your-own-adventure, but with the caveat that your decisions are usually made on the fly in a moment's notice and there's no going back.

The decisions you make will have their own array of bonuses and punishments, and the outcomes of said choices carry on into the story as you attempt to figure out how best to play your hand. The cutscenes are pretty succinct and to the point, no long drawn out issues or weird character arches and typical JRPG development where everything is about how people interact and get all gushy over each other. This is a battle from two different perspectives going for total victory.

Fallen Legion's gameplay will have you and your band of allies running to the right as characters, battles and other sequences pop up. As you make decisions, a dialog will come up and give you a brief amount of info which you will then carry on to the next point or change the game. Battles will cause you to stop and kick into RPG mode where you'll use a combination of battle tactics to vanquish the foes ahead of you. You'll only be able to use three at a time, each corresponding with a specific button that will tell you how many hit you get with each character. Using this system you can mix up attacks depending on the enemies ahead and do battle in a smarter way rather than people just taking turns.

You'll get a wide range of characters to choose from as you progress, some with melee attacks, some with ranged, others with magic, and a few that don't necessarily fit the mold. It will be up to you to figure out the team and put something great together. Each person has their own special ability and depending on how you use them you can snag relics off defeated enemies to use with your character's abilities. Blocking is also a key role in making sure you can land hits, because if you manage to hit a block at the right moment, an enemy will become easier to hit on the next attack.

The music and the audio are amazing for this kind of game with a cast you'll recognize from several other RPGs and JRPG titles. The music feels like a throwback to adventure games of the late '90s on the first PlayStation, with all the notes of subtle intrigue and classic battle scores that will get you right into the game. The art is a lovely piece of 2D work that feels like a moving comic book. Characters stand out from the consistently rolling background with slight animations and a different pose for everything they do. It's a very different approach that made the game feel a little more alive.

Fallen Legion is a fantastic RPG, but not without its flaws. I didn't particularly like the idea that I have to get the other half of the story by buying the game twice and playing it on a different system. Who will really buy two copies of the same game? If you can get over that hurdle, the rest is pretty cool.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!