Story, Graphics and Sound quality are of superb quality.
however, certain gameplay Mechanics such as skills targeting, auto battle function, dodge cooldowns, require either a rework of the entire system or simply upgraded
Character progression is also a fundamentally flawed aspect of this game. the fact that there are a substantial number of different types of resources means that character progression will naturally be slowed down. Additionally, as everything requires gold to be upgraded, there is a constant shortage of gold to upgrade Sung jinwoo along with the other team Members and their respective weapons, skills, artifacts, etc.
There is a sweep function to farm materials, however, the sweep functions requires certain requirements to be met, such as a certain power level for dispatched characters, a certain number of sweep points etc. this makes the sweep function, essentially a gated function.
There are stages designed for farming materials. however, the rewards these stages provide are so little, it renders them effectively irrelevant ro characters progression
the only reliable method to earn money, the most important resource to character progression, is through a daily afk resources collector, much similar to those found in afk games.
Due to slow character progression, if also becomes harder to clear later stages as you continue to progress through the story. Furthermore, with certain side quests, you are recommended to bring certain characters to fulfill all objeciof that stage. However, these stages do not provide you with a trial version of that character, but rather you must bring your own version of that. this means that you will have to train the character, provide it weapons and artifacts, to ensure it reaches the recommended power level for that stage. this then takes away resources for other characters as well.
In-game events are simply, garbage at this point of time.
Overall, on the surface, this game looks great. However, dig a little deeper, and you'll slowly start to find things that will frustrate you. So, in a nutshell, this game is just good on the surface, and in reality requires of lot of fixes at this point of time.
Creative concepts implemented and executed poorly.
Visually appealing on a surface level, however there are certain aspects of the game which are limiting the potential of this game.
Disclosure, this is purely my opinion of the game, and i fully understand that the development team of TOF is vastly undersized in comparison to other games such as Genshin Impact. Thus, these are simply things that i find need further improvement upon. Once again, i mean no ill will to those who favor the game as well as the development team of TOF.
Character designs are in my opinion, often a hit or miss. Certain characters are well-designed to suit the aesthetic design of Tower of Fantasy. However, certain characters are designed overly simplistic or unnecessarily over the top.
The design of the world of TOF is similarly lacking in my opinion. The world of TOF is in my opinion is muc too simple and linear. In other words, the world lacks complexity and vibrancy. The design of the world of TOF, in my opinion, also fails to provide a feeling of a dystopian-esque world, as per the main theme of the game.
Combat in the game is similarly flawed in my opinion, due to the excessively long cooldowns for weapon skills. The combat mechanics of TOF are designed based on a weapon changing system to adapt to changes in combat. However, the excessive long cooldowns of weapon skills renders players to rely simply on a combination of press or hold attacks as the main form of combat. This, in my opinion, causes combat in TOF to feel slow and sluggish, resulting in a lack of intensity during combat.
Particle effects of the game in and out of combat, in my opinion, are similarly too simple. For certain weapons in TOF, the skills of said weapons are simply too similar to effects one would find in low prodcytion cost mobile games.
SFX in TOF are another discrepancy i have towards this game, due to the inconsistancy of quality. Certain SFX in TOF, namely combat SFXs are, in my opinion, extremly low in quality, especially in comparison to other anime-themed games which emphasis combat. Eg. PGR, GI, HI3, etc.
The UI of the game is similary flawed is certain aspects. For example, the lack of comprehensive guides for certain puzzles in the open world and the excessive amount of keybinds for relics, items, weapons and skills respectively, and the lack of a guide for world bosses
The gacha system of the game possesses a single flaw of which I am disappointed by, that being the lack of a guarantee system. Despite possesing a pity system, the gacha system of TOF does not guarantee a player the limited banner character if they have already failed to acquire said chatacter the first time hitting pity. Currently, the only method able to guarantee a player a limited banner character is by exchanging a certain amount of tokens rewarded for each pull on the limited banner, for the character. However, even this system is flawed, as the tokens obtained from the limited banners are converted to standard banner tokens at the end of the limited banner.
The story of TOF, is similarly, in my opinion very linear. The narrative of the game is easily predictable, whilst other times there are often gaps in the story that disrupts the overall momentum of the story.
Voice acting in the game is also disappointing in certain aspects. For example, in certain cutscnes throughout the story, there are voicelines of certain charcaters that fail to match the scenerio.
I apologize for the excessively long review, and once again, I must reiterate, that this review is not meant to insult anyone who enjoys the game nor the development team of TOF. TOF undeniably possesses a certain amount of potential, however to reach this potential first requires a certain degree of polish and refinement.
Over two years of development and hype behind the game, yet what was delivered was simply a donwgraded version of arknights with mediocre gameplay
Gameplay is repetitive, non-engaging, slow and simplistic.
Gameplay mechanics are unrefined and occasionally unresponsive
Game UI is overly complicated
A complete lack of quality of life functions such as sweep functions
Character progression requires an excessive amount of time and effort.
Rewards provided through campaigns and events are severely lacking
Storyline is generic and predictable
Event stages and side stories are similarly generic and predictable
Conclusion
A disappointment and a poor attempt to emulate the success of arknights. The lack of rewards and repetitive ganeplay results in an unremarkable game that deserves none of the hype it had prior to its release.
Drastically overrated.
Graphics are nothing worth mentioning, despite this game being the HD remastered version of the previous DAL
Combat is still a complete mess
User interface is slightly laggy, sometimes even unresponsive
Still no quality of life functions to help in farming.
Character progression is still overly complicated, which makes farming even more of a hassle.
Premium currency required to pull on banners is still too little, making it hard to get characters.
Banners contain both seraphims and characters, which makes it even harder to get a character the player wants.
Only thing good about this game are the characters.
A tower defense game with an added idle function.
Disclaimer:
- The game is currently still in closed beta and things are still subject to change. Thus, this review is based solely on what i have experienced so far playing this game.
Graphics:
- The graphics of the game are fairly good, with characters being well rendered and character animations being relatively smooth.
- Character designs are well done, with both the 2D and 3D art of the characters being fairly good.
- The map design for the levels in the game do leave something to be desired, however they are still acceptable.
- The UI of the game does require further streamlining and added accessibility features.
Audio:
- The bgm in and out of combat are well suited to the overall aesthetic and theme of the game.
- Character VAs are well done, with each character possessing a voice well suited to their overall design.
- in-combat sfx are similarly well done.
Gameplay:
- Gameplay is relatively similar to Arknights, a character focused tower defense game. However, there are differences in the game that allow it to differentiate itself from Arknights.
- Gameplay mechanics are relatively smooth, with character deployment and skill activation experiencing no problems.
Quality of Life:
- The game introduces an idle feature that allows players to collect resources offline.
- The game does have a sweep function for certain stages that requires the use of sweep tickets.
Value:
- The game does provide players with a certain amount of premium currency for the completion of campaign stages
- Premium currency can also be obtained from the completion of daily tasks, weekly tasks and achievements.
- Character draw rates for SSR units are extremely low, standing at only 0.38%. However, it is important to note that the draw rate in the closed beta may be this low due to the closed beta only introducing a small number of SSR units. Thus, this may be subject to change when the game is fully released.
Conclusion:
- As the game is currently in closed beta, it should be known that the in-game rewards and bonuses currently provided by the game to players may not be transferred to the full release of the game.
- The game definitely has potential, as the game is definitely well made, with effort and capital being invested.
- However, there are still areas in the game that require improvement, such as quality of life improvements to character progression.
Not much to say, lmao. Gift codes dont even work, what more to say about the game.
Grpahics are horrendous
SFX and character VA is non-existent
In-game UI is a literal mess
Character design is the only redeemable point of this game.
Quite obvious from the rating of this game that the developers are requesting the assistance of players to falsely rate the game highly, despite the abhorent quality of the game.
So, for those considering to invest any amount of time in this game due to the high ratings of this game given by players, please do not.
Gameplay:
- The core mechanics of the game are similar to most gacha rpgs. However, in-game translations could be better for a number of character skills.
Audio:
- Character voices can be selected from either japanese or korean, though both are average at best. Bgms are lacking in certain aspects of the game, especially in combat, as the bgm during combat sounds like a soundtrack one would find in a farming simulator. Sfx in combat is abhorrent, with most attacks sounding like a kitten scratch or a blunt spoon slapped against one's wrist.
Character design:
- The sole redemption point of the game, characters are well designed. However, the combat sprites of the characters lack differentiation.
Quality of Life:
- The user interface of the game is acceptable, as the game doesn't overly complicate anything. The game does possess a sweep function, which does provide an easier to farm.
Value:
- The main point in which renders this game unplayable. The game lacks a substantial amount of in-game rewards, whether through events or through progressing the campaign. In the game, a single 10-pull requires 300 diamonds, which is the premium currency of the game. However, the game only offers a exceptionally small amount of free diamonds to players. Additionally, rather than providing players with free diamonds by clearing stages in the campaign, the game offers instead a different type of in-game currency known as AP. AP is a currency in the game used to exchange for a number of different items, including diamonds and gacha tickets. However, similar to diamonds, the game only offers a measly amount of AP per stage cleared. For every stage cleared in the main campaign, players earn only 7AP, while 120 diamonds (less than half of a 10-pull) requires 2000AP to be exchanged for.(285 stages).
Currently, despite the game having just launched, there are essentially no game launch bonuses, pre-registration bonuses, or appreciation gifts. There is also no tutorial bonuses aside from a free R character (rarity order: N < R < SR). New player bonuses simply provide players with a total of 330 diamonds, 15 standard pool gacha tickets, and 300 AP.
Admittedly, there is a possibility that there may be more events that have yet to start as the game has just launched. however, based on the rewards offered by the events that are currently running, there truly isnt much to expect from this game.
Conclusion:
Cheap, Greedy, Predatory, etc. There are many words that can be used to describe this game. However, overall this game is simply an attempt by a greedy publsiher/producer to earn as much money as possible from a low-quality game. so for thise considering to play this game, just don't.
An overrated idle game with a famous IP.
Graphics:
Above average graphics, however battle animations leave more to desire.
Audio:
Pretty good BGM, battle sfx are acceptable
Quality of Life;
An overcomplicated UI, there is an unnecessary amount of different in-game mechanics and the game does not provide much in terms of guidance
Value:
The lack of clear rewards makes it hard for f2p players to earn consistent draws in the game. In-game event rewards are severely lacking as well, making this gane feel more like a glorified cash-grab idle game
Conclusion:
3/10
Wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time playing this game, most likely this game is just simply a cash grab monopolizing on a famous IP
A disappointing game all around, not worth investing time and money into.
The graphics of the game give offvthe feeling of a game released in the early 2010s. The environment of each level feels outdated, clunky and just unpolished. There truly isnt much to say regarding the graphics, as the overall graphics of the game as an entirety is simply bad.
The sound is truly on of the sole goodpoints of the game. The limited amount of character voices i have heard have at least given the impression that the overall sound quality of the game is good. The BGMs are also well suited to the aesthetic setting of the game.
The combat is another point of the game that is flawed. The skill animations are poorly designed, resulting in a lack of overall combat intensity one would expect from a turn based rpg. The lack of a combat tutorial also adds to the confusion that is the combat system of the game. The combat system is also limited to the control of a single character, whilst the rest of the characters within your party is controlled by an AI. The open world gameplay of the game is also flawed, due to the repition of pointless tasks.
The story is the one point i am unable to critique, since i do not understand japanese
The gacha is the part of the game of which i find most disappointing. The pull rate for a single SSR is 0.1 percent, whilst the pull rates for the shards of the rate up character are slightly higher with the highest being 3.4 percent. though this may sound generous, the number of shards required to obtain the rate up character is 240 shards, whilst the highest amount of shards obtainable from a single pull is 8. Add on the fact that the gacha also includes characters mats in the gacha simply reduces the probability of obtaining something of actual value from the gacha. Though the game does offer players with a bonus of 8000 premium currency, a single 10 pull requires 3000 of the 8000 premium currency offered by the game. Add on the fact that the gacha is one of the least generous gachas, and the 10 pulls you spend your premium curency on is simply a waste.
Provided that the game is still new, a further update on the game us required after more content is unlocked in the game. Though, the overall first impression of the game is simply bad.
Genshin Impact has delivered as promised to be the next generation of gacha games.
Graphics: Obviously, as seen in trailers and previews of the game, the game has one of the best graphics offered on a mobile game. Character models, the world map, dungeons, each is well designed.
Combat: The combat in genshin impact is, in my personal opinion, simple yet exhilarating. Mechanics are simple where abilities each have their own designated button. The addition of elemental reactions adds to the complexity of the game, giving players more options to team building, having to focus not on just the characters, but the synergy between the elements.Elemental resonance as well, is a factor which players must consider as elemental resonance offers unique buffs to your team. As a team consists of 4 characters, players can expect a certain sense of depth to team building.
Soundtrack: The soundtrack of the game perfectly compliments the aesthetic of the game.Character VA is well done, with each characters possesing a voice which matches the outer appearance of each character respectively. Scenes are well voiced, able to carry the intensity and emotions of each scene.
Story: As the game is still in its infancy, the story is still incomplete. However, Mihoyo has stated that plans for the development of the game has already been confirmed. However, based solely on the storyline currently available to players, the story in my personal opinion well thought out and properply schemed. With each scene fully voiced, the story is able to captivate players.
Characters: Each character is well designed and voiced, adding diversity to the character pool of the game. The animations of each character, in or out of combat, is fluid and well rendered. A multidude of different character designs ensures players have a character that suits their personal preference.
Value: Arguably the most important factor to a gacha game, is the gacha. Genshin impact, in all honesty, is not a gacha generous game. With the standard draw rate for 5 star units or weapons being 0.6%. However, the game is still f2p friendly. The developers have desgined the game to ensure that players do not have to heavily rely on 5 star characters to reach the end game. Rather, there are numerous 4 star characters and weapons that are viable for use, and in some situations, considerably solid options.
Resources, inclusive of premium currency, are to some degree, farmable, albeit one must be prepared to grind for such resourecs. The game offers numerous dungeons for each respective item needed to ascend both characters and weapons, with the exception of certain items which can be found in the open world map
Final thoughts: The purpose of this review is not to hate of fanboy the game. Every person is free to have their opinion of the game.Whether one likes it or not, does not mean one must force their opinion on to other people. This reviews serves as an unbiased review of the game, to help players decide whether the game is worth trying forthemselves
Lets start with graphics, the game's graphics are one of its strong points, in and out of combat. Though not revolutionary, the game offers grahics similar to Senran Kangura. Character models have fluid animations and are well made. Graphics in combat are good as well, with the addition of skill animations and ultimate animations to make the combat experience more exhilarating.
Gameplay, is another part of the game worth mentioning. Players pick a team of three into a level, with a single character out at a time, againt a multitude of enemies, similar to games such as dynasty warriors. Mechanics are simple, with buttons for skills, ultimates and basic attacks. Each character has two offensive abilities, one buff and one Ultimate. Abilities are used at the expense of energy( i think ?) with the exception of the Ultimate. Energy is shown at the bottom of the screen and is regained by attacking enemy units. Though one thing i personally find difficult is the directional control of abilities and attacks.
Characters, mixed feelings regarding the characters in the game. The game runs on a system where all characters are able to upgraded from R to SSR, essentially making all characters viable for use. All characters also have three different forms for the three elements of fire, nature and water respectively.
All characters do not undergo any major changes to their model after upgrading to a higher rarity though, except for a small change in their outfits. With a such limited pool characters(28 total), one would expect either additional characters will be added to the game or the addtion of skins will be added to the game. As the game is still young, all we can do is wait and see.
Gacha, the gacha of the game offer characters in their R, SR or SSR form. In a multi-pull, the rates are 2.5% for an SSR and 97.5% for and SR. The rates are slightly lower than the average gacha game. On the topic of gachas, the amount of gold (premium currency) accessable by players is rather generous.
Overall, wouldn't recommend. The game has too many flaws to compete with other bishojo games. A lack of character diversity, low gacha rates , and etc. However, as the game is still young, depending on how the devs handle the development of the game, the game might be worth playing.
A very well made game. The game is graphically one of the best, in terms of UI, hardly any game has come close. Character design is the games greatest achievement, with each character being uniquely designed, as well as being voiced by some of the best VA in Japan. The combat is what one would expect from a TD genre, yet arknights requires a more strategic approach to the game, with 8 different classes in the game, players truly must formulate teams and strategize for each individual level. Additionally, each character in each of the 8 classes respectively have their own unique skillset, thus further requiring players to strategize and formulate a team. These all contribute to making the combat of the game that much more exhilarating as compared to other TD games. The game has also implemented a recruitment system, allowing players to obtain characters besides through the gacha system. Though the game has units ranging from 3-6 stars, the devs have designed the game to ensure that players do not necessarily require players to rely on 6/5 star units to progress in the game.
Arknights isnt without its faults, the game lacks a sweep system, requiring players to play each individual level to obtain the materials necessary. though the game does have an auto battle system, the time required to farm each level is still on the long side.
Overall, would highly recommend one to try this game, even if TD is not your preferred genre, this game is still worth a try.
Average at best. The game brings nothing new to the genre. Graphics are honestly, below average, considering the fact that games of this genre have steadily been seeing improvement in graphics, this game has sadly failed to hit the mark personally in terms of graphics. The combat is repetitive with skill animations that leave much to desire. Farming in this game is bearable, as the game implements several quality of life functions that help ease the workload.The characters are well designed, but character interaction is rather limited. Overall, wouldn't recommend, there are other games available on the market better than this game.
Lord of Heroes, despite all the hype towards the game, has been by far disappointing. The one feature of the game worth complementing are the graphics. The devs of the game have stated their direction for the game, a "new" generation of rpg. Sadly, though the direction of the team is good, the actual design of the game is flawed. Starting with the heroes, though the game implements a system where olayers are able tk recruit characters through progressing the storyline, a large number of charaters must still be recruited through premium currency or "renown"(another form of currency used to recruit characters). A large number of characters are also simply dupes with color alterrations. For a game that was so widely anticipated, we could at least expect a wider range of characters, instead of simply changing the colors of the base characters and expecting players to be satisfied. Next, lets talk about Farming. The devs have said, quote "As for the gameplay, we worked to design the game in a way that players could progress without having to spend a great amount of time playing." Sadly, this is far from the truth. Character progression is the most taxing part of the game. With no skip function implemented in the game, players are required to play through each level in full in order to acquire to the materials needed. To make matters worse, the daily dungeons for exp and gold reset daily, making players start from level 1 of each respective dungeon. Next, lets talk about the gacha system. The gacha system is exclusively for equipment. Though the rates of obtaining high ranked gear is relatively fair, the problem lies specifically in the fact that the gear is solely limited to gear. Taking other games which have implemented such system as an example, we can see that the end result is not the most favourable for the reputation of the game. Moving on to the gameplay, though the game offers amazing graphics, the actual combat of the game gets repetitive and dull the more one plays. The ultimates of each character, though graphically well made, the inability to skip the animation, makes the animations more of a hindrance to the gameplay rather than a asset. Finally, the story of the game. Though the idea of playing as a monarch may seem intriguing, the fact that one is a monarch in the game is eventually forgotten as one progresses in the game. Besides the occasional political issues one must solve and the decision to either occupy or ally with another nation, the game is simply another rpg. Add on the fact that the political issues resolved by the player offers nothing more than small rewards, the purpose of setting the players as a monarch is essentially pointless.
As much as i want to find some sort of silver lining to compliment the game on, the game has simply to many flaws to do so. Worth mentioning, that i do not want the devs to derive from the initial direction of the game they have set on, but rather, to add minor changes to the game in terms of the problems i have mentioned. In the current state of the game, i cannot recommend the game to players.
ASTRA: Knights of Veda
2.8Focusing on the certain parts of this game, excluding the Story and Sound aspects particularly as both are quite well done in my opinion
Gameplay - 2/5
A simple combat system resulsts in a substantially simpler learning curve. However, this simplicity also results in repetitive gameplay with a lack of combat flexibility.
A lack of in-game skill cutscenes reduces overall combat immersion
A lack of a sweep function or reward multiplier results in a repetitive and tedious process for farming materials. This is made worse by the repetitive snd tedious gameplay cycle.
The auto battle function, the sole QoL function, does not allow character switching or dodging.
The dodge input button is prone to directional input error or inaccuracy, resulting in frequent dodges in wrong directions.
The stamina bar is often obscured when surrounded by multiple enemies.
An element system does provide a degree of team customizability, however contributes little to the overall poor combat experience.
Graphics - 3/5
The overall world design is representative of a dark fantasy world
Character designs are well-done, possessing designs that are well-suited for the theme of the game
In-game level designs are appealing at first, however soon grow repetitive as a lack of level design diversity renders the player feeling a sense of repetitiveness.
Skill graphics are lackluster, as previously mentioned, a lack of in-game skill cutscenes renders the gameplay less immersive
Value - 1/5
Adopts a similar gacha system to that of Genshin Impact. However, the quality of characters and gameplay does not justify the use of this system.
Characters are simply of incomparable value in comparison to Genshin Characters, however the required premium in-game currency for said characters is similar.
The acquisition of premium in-game currency is tedious due to the gameplay system of the game. For context, the collection of premium in-game currency in Genshin Impact was not considered tedious due to the open-world nature of the game and the numerous enemies and puzzles found throughout the game. However, this game provides premium in-game currency primarily through clearing levels, a inherently less immersive and interactive experience in comparison to Genshin Impact.
Conclusion
Based on what I have experienced in the game so far, albeit a limited amount of experience, this game requires substantial amounts of reworks and optimizations for it to solidify it's presence in this highly competitive gacha game market.
This game believes it is of similar quality of Genshin Impact, hence the adoption of a similar Gacha system, however fails to recognize its inherent differences and consequently, weaknesses.
Overall, this game is yet another game deluding itself as game comparable to Genshin, or at least capable of simulating a percentage of Genshin's success.
The game has potential, however until it can differentiate itself from the shadow of Genshin Inpact, it will not be anything more than a novel concept of a dark fantasy genshin wannabe.