Sword of Convallaria, a grid-based tactics gacha JRPG, has a playable demo for Steam Next Fest! Read on to find out more about the game, our thoughts about the demo, and what comes next.
Sword of Convallaria Demo
Fusion Between Tactics and Gacha
Sword of Convallaria is the fusion of grid-based tactics JRPG similar to Tactics Ogre and the gacha genre. Having an impactful narrative by the choices you make which alter the course of the game's history, it has multiple routes for the player to take and explore to have different experiences for each playthrough. The game’s music is done by Hitoshi Sakimoto, who is known for his musical scores on Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics. To add to this, the game will also have voice-overs for its cutscenes, with a star-studded cast with names like Inoue Kazuhiko, Yuki Aoi, Eguchi Takuya, and more.
Sword of Convallaria Demo Review
When I first saw the gameplay, visuals, and inspirations from its trailers, I was sold on trying the demo out. However, as I played through the demo, it confused me that the game had gacha elements that involved recruiting for new characters and weapons similar to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: War of the Visions which was also a grid-based tactics gacha JRPG.
The game is VERY slow, it might take you a couple of hours to get through the tutorial as well as the prologue to be able to experience the advertised part of the game which was "Spiral of Destinies." This is where the multiple routes, extensive story, and as well as the journey of your band of mercenaries in the war-torn country of Iria.
The demo’s gacha missions stop at the 7th mission and the demo awards you with the currency to be able to access the game mode which has you replay alternate scenarios of the game’s story all with different characters included in the campaign. This alternate scenario or timeline lasts until you are defeated or that timeline’s end which is all determined by the choices you make along the way. The involvement of the gacha is being able to carry over characters that you’ve recruited and weapons you’ve acquired and include them in your next campaign. By this design, it could be considered a rogue-lite with how you get the extra characters you get in each campaign run, and it wouldn't be far off.
All in all, I very much like the game’s aesthetic, gameplay, and the music. However, the direction of the game is very confusing to me, as it could’ve been a great JRPG on its own without the necessary gacha fluff to get through. Playing through the game's campaign scenarios will be lengthy as certain routes can only be unlocked after finishing a specific route, which means that there's a ton of replayability in the game. Only time will tell as to how the gacha mechanics mesh with the game's narrative or campaign game mode, as currently, I don't see how they would combine well.
Sword of Convallaria Demo Release Details
Sword of Convallaria is slated to be released in Spring 2024. There is no official release date for the game as of writing, but we’ll be sure to post an article about it as soon as we get official news or more information about it. The game will be completely free-to-play but will have microtransactions similar to other gacha games to recruit additional characters as well as acquire stronger weapons.
Game8 Reviews
Sword of Convallaria Product Information
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| Title | SWORD OF CONVALLARIA |
|---|---|
| Release Date | July 31, 2024 |
| Developer | XD |
| Publisher | XD |
| Supported Platforms | Mobile, PC |
| Genre | RPG, Strategy |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | TBA |
| Official Website | Sword of Convallaria Website |
