Heh, maybe I should write a review for Genshin and Honkai Impact as well, seeing that this game is basically the combination of Genshin and Honkai Impact (I'll refer this as HI from here on, and HS for Star Rail). You know, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
Short Version: A solid Turn-Based RPG that does enough to remind you how fun the good ol'games back then.
Important Note: No, you don't need to play Honkai Impact nor Genshin Impact first. However, playing those two will enhance the experience. Case in point? Sushang's ultimate attack. Go find out~
Now, Heh heh, I know what you're thinking, how could a Gacha Game which obviously locks the fun (that is, the characters) in a Gacha System reminds us of Fun Old Games that gives us the characters through playing? Is the Free Characters good? Well yes, kind of. But that's not it. Rather, it's how generous this game is early on. Well, more generous than Genshin that is (low bar I know). Let's talk about this more later.
Now usually I write pros and cons. But for this game, I'll start with Preparation, This and That, Pros, Neutral and Cons. Grab yourself a cup of tea/coffee/milk, play some music and let's read.
PREPARATION [Skip This if you're confident you won't get burnout from playing this type of game]
A special section dedicated for Honkai Star Rail, and maybe Genshin if I decide to make a review. Basically, I'm going to discuss what needs to be prepared to reduce future burnout, since this is a Mihoyo exploration game. You either explore for fun.....or explore to farm gems. And the latter is the main reason we get burnout...
# You can blast through Tutorial if you want. There's not much going on. The real exploration starts after you get the Main Character
# Choose the Main Character that you really like. I know it's obvious but still, it will help a lot in convincing you to hold pulling on banner since you already have a favorite.... unfortunately this doesn't work for me. Lumine is so much better.....
# When you get an exp book, IMMEDIATELY use them on your characters, regardless if you're gonna use them in the future or not. That will get them to at least level 12. The enemies are no joke, underestimate them and they will near one shot your team (that's not even their ultimate move). Once you hit 15, that's good enough for the time being
# Fully explore the Space Station. Lots of goodies up for grab, lots of fun activities to do, lot's of funny stuff (THE TOILET!!). Not a lot of interesting lore though.
# Once you fully explore the space station, you should have enough Tickets to do the 50 pull with a guaranteed 5* character, and enough gems to buy 10 special tickets for Seele banner. How to get these? Get the Pre Reg rewards, open the event tab, Open chests, do quests, purchase items from someone near the Afro Guy, purchase tickets from mileage (ala Genshin Style). You'll either get the character you want....or not ..... thank goodness I got Asta from the free tutorial single pull, I like her a lot....I got Gerald from the guarantee.....I would've been ok if it's Welt if it's male character....Welt is the Zhongli of this game
# After all that, you will finally depart by using a train while saying "My Name's Not Shane Kid". Ehem, just kidding. Anyway, all that experience will set the mood for future endeavor. You'll either like the game or not, depends highly on this one single exploration. Honestly, I like the Space Station more than the next world.
And that's all there is to it for the preparation. Just like Genshin, wether you'll like it or not, burnout or not, depends on this preparation. If not, you'll just be stressed on farming gems instead of having fun.
THIS AND THAT [What this game takes from Genshin and HI]
Being a game from Mihoyo, obviously they take some features from 2 of their top games. What did they take? Some good, some.... questionable....
+ Takes Genshin Impact's Gacha System, which is good. Farming gems in this game takes extra effort, like in Genshin. Hence, not needing to save for multi is good for us, we can just do singles. Chances are still the same and we'll either hit the 10th pull guaranteed 4* or get lucky and get 5* character during the single pulls
+ Takes Genshin's progress rewards and milage shop. Good thing this game starts near end of month right? You can buy 5 tickets of each type from the milage shop, wait a couple of days, and purchase them again after reset. The milage shop is always a good thing to have. Not only that, this game also has many progress rewards, like Adventurer's, ehem I mean, Trailblazer's Handbook, Rank Up, ehem I mean, Level Up Rewards, Sakura Tree, ehem I mean, Space Shop, and more. This helps a lot in earning those gems, tickets as well as materials
+ Takes an improved version of HI's Treasure System. Finding this boxes in Honkai Impact was very annoying, especially in Elysian Realm. But here, at least the rewards are actually good. Like Another Eden where it'll reward you with cool weapons/armors for finding Treasure Chests in secret rooms, this game rewards you with 4* Memorias. That's something gacha games tend to not do.....looking at you Genshin.
+ Takes HI's exploration system. Simple but effective.
- Takes Pokemon Sword and Shield's rendering system. Whoops, how did that get in there. Yeah in default, there's going to be a lot of sudden pop ups, especially in the ice world....heh he, ice world....mario...
Pros, Neutral and Cons.
PROS:
+ ASTA!! Yeah I have to say this. Main reason I'm going to stick around despite not having a 5* character that I like is Asta! I just love her, especially her personality. When March 7th said that the Acting Head Researcher is cute pink haired girl, I was like, yeah sure, cute, huh.... Then I met her and wehehel I am so sorry for doubting you're assessment March 7th. I'm using english btw, and I just love her dialogues, reminds me of Mona. Ok enough about Asta, we might be here for long, so let's get to the real part
+ Ultra smooth performance. Wahaha I seriously did not expect this. Genshin? Honkai? Blue Archive? No contest! Fast loading time both at the start and during switching places (teleport). Can give even Outerplane a fierce competition in terms of loading times and intervals
+ Surprisingly dynamic combat. It's not like Pokemon, not like Epic Seven, not like Persona. It's way more than that. There's an ambush system of course, but there's also called "Techniques" that can be used in the overworld. Heal, powerful ambush, start with buff and more. The ultimate is a nice idea as well, once full you can use it at ANYTIME. So you can use it immediately once it's full (quickly tap it even after your turn just ends). Even during opponents turn.
+ Fun Exploration. Well, the space station at least. The city is good to explore, like we're in a GTA world, for sure, but there's not much to gain. Hold the thought on this though, as I haven't fully explored the second and third world. Ah, speaking of space station.
+ Fun and entertaining side activities like "The Magical Toilet" and "The Perfect Cabinet"
+ Rewards good deeds. Sometimes there are things to do that's not actually a quest, but small stuff like returning an item to it's rightful owner instead of keeping it. You'll be rewarded if you do this, like Guardian Tales.
+ Very chill lobby music in the Space Station. Thank goodness we can change the lobby music of the Astral Express (our main hub, or bridge if you will)
+ Very generous new player rewards, like Honkai Impact. Well, almost at Honkai Impact level.
+ Top Notch Voice Acting (I'm using english)
NEUTRAL
= Sigh, you know it's gonna be here. Story. I didn't mention this in pros, for obvious reasons. It's meh. It's not even on Genshin's prologue chapter level, and that's a pretty low bar. You know what? Tower of Fantasy prologue chapter. Yeah, that's a good comparison. Non interesting characters as well so far. Aside from Asta....Hertha has potential. But yeah, average story and characters. Do not compare this to the likes of Blue Archive and Counterside. Those two immediately draws your attention early on
= Potentially a hassle of a growth system. Heh, you think this is Honkai Impact? Nay, the upgrade system's base is Genshin! Level Up, Memoria (that is, Light Cones), and Trace. You have three stuff you need to grind materials for....BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Of course we had to have Artifacts, or Relics in this case. Hah haaa, welcome back Traveller. Burn those Resins now, hah ha haaa
CONS:
- Still has room for polish. Somehow it's not as polished as Genshin. Example, our characters still does idle animation in the midst of talking. Screen needs to zoom in and zoom out of the main character just so that he/she can wave his/her hand (that's their way of giving response).
- Empty world. No, not the world is empty, the feel is empty. Like, there's no life. Again, the space station is fun. But the next world? It's .... just so empty .....Mondstadt is much more vibrant......eeh you know what? it's like HI's samsara open world, it's that empty. Maybe the next updates will have more vibrant city. But still, first impressions are important for a free game
- Ultimate attacks still have room for improvement. They lack the Boom-Shaka-Laka. Epic Seven has much better animations, and that's 2D. For 3D comparison ...how about this, it's comparable to Marvel Vs Capcom Hyper Combo. Short, but feels lacking. Not as good as, say, Guilty Gear, short but packs quite a punch.
Surprised with how little the amount of cons are? Me too. It really is a solid game to be honest. Unfortunately it's going to be hindered by slow updates like Genshin. But at least in Genshin, we have much more freedom in exploration. Think of this game like a full 3D Another Eden, but with lower story quality. Anyways, give it a try. Like I said, the Space Station is the moment whether you'll like the game or not. And believe me, even with all those CBT, the game still feels like it could've been much better. Does not hold a candle against Genshin 1.0 and Honkai Impact 1.0. Odd? I know ... I'm gonna get torched by Honkai Star Rail superfans aren't I? But this is what it is. My honest review.
Anyway, gonna keep playing because of Asta-chaan~
Also, Aeons? You sure they're not from Kivotos?
....this is not console worthy yet.....
Sigh, I am so sorry for how long it is. And thank you so much for reading.
So, here's the thing, I genuinely thought this game won't last 1 day on my phone, turns out? It's actually quite a good game for a number of reasons, I'm honestly surprised.
Short version: A game that would've hit more grounds if it came during 2013-2015 era
Don't underestimate this game. Despite the rather intense 3D Graphics, the performance optimization of this game is incredible. Your phone won't heat up easily. And despite the rather obvious plot in the intro/tutorial story, it actually gets better during chapter 1. Though the character selection leaves....more to be desired....Anyway, now, let's discuss the pros and cons of this game.
Pros:
+ Amazing game performance. Fast startup loading time, little to no interval between screens/contents, no stutters, and more. Comparable to Epic Seven's Yuna Engine.
+ Good story and characters (characters ok, not character graphics/design). Despite the rather cringe start, the story gets better and the characters get fleshed out more.
+ Good VA performance (I used English), especially the main character. He's unnecessarily sound bad@ss
+ Great lobby customization comparable to Counterside's lobby customization
+ Professor Maxwell! Yeah I know, he's not a waifu and I of course dig Waifu....but I have to admit, this guy is much better than the female cast in this game (except maybe Stella). The voice, the Story, the skill set, are all amazing
Neutral:
= Oddly enough, this game gates character behind story wall. You heard right, story wall. You can't pull certain characters if you haven't completed a certain chapter. And that character won't show up in the gallery either. Spoiler avoidance? Maybe. Still, this is the only game that's done this, which is weird......well, maybe Guardian Tales kinda did this.
= Unlimited "reroll". The number of 5* character available to pull from is different then the standard banner, meaning there might be characters that you actually want but you can't get it from the unlimited reroll, like Arknights
= Certain QOL are locked behind base upgrades, which is an odd choice, but it's not locked behind VIP stuff so. .....ok?? Treat this like it's an idle game
Cons:
- Character designs are too old looking. Feels like it came out before 2015. Close to Lord of Heroes, but Lord of Heroes has more expressive character
- Main Character design doesn't fit the bad@ss voice. Looks very similar to Cain from Sword Master Story....an odd choice if you ask me
- Weak gacha. That is, there's not a lot of characters that stands out, reroll would be pointless if there's no character that catches our attention
- Skip tickets. Nowadays it's better to have skips without the need of tickets
- "Forced" tutorial. You MUST do the tutorials in order to progress the New Player Missions. An odd choice considering this should be part of the campaign. And oddly enough, it IS part of the campaign, so you'll basically learn the same stuff not one, not two, but three times, whoohoo
- Low gacha currency gain
Ok so, hear me out. I might've written a lot of cons. But you know, the only major drawback for me is the character design. It's way outdated. They all have this big eyes, and it's not even kawaii like Clannad and Kanon. It's weird, it looks weird, to the point I go for Maxwell, a guy character, from the infinite reroll instead of a female character. Despite the roster is made out of 98% female character, ONLY ONE caught my attention Stella. It's the design, it's, it's, ugh. If this came out during 2013-2015 era, I'm fine. Though they'd lost against King's Raid. In this era?? Hello? Star Rail? And competing against Counterside, Blue Archive, Epic Seven? Right? The only massive advantage this game has against other gacha games (except Epic Seven) is how light it is despite the 3D Graphics and animations. Believe me, even Blue Archive can heat up your phone, not this game. Regardless, give it a shot and play until chapter 2 to get a feel of whether this one's for you or not.
Short Version: Solid game with amazing graphics, cool combat, multiple contents and smooth performance, let down by "basic" main story and unnecessary mechanics. Warning though, this game is meant to be a "main game". Not a side game like Blue Archive or Pokemon Masters. Eventually this game will turn into a side game, but there's a lot of content early on.
Super Short Version: Idle game with more hassle, *cough*, content, with superb graphics.
Long Version:
Unfortunately there is no long version. Somehow qooapp kept saying there's sensitive words in my text, but I have no idea what it is. Sigh anyway, I'll make it brief.
Story: Average. Low average maybe since it nearly made me yawn. The story is just a typical isekai. Actually, more accurately, it's like Fate Series (FGO, Fate Stay Night) but way less appealing.
Personal/Love Story: Think of this as Blue Archive's individual stories. Now these stories are much better than the main one. However, it's a hassle. In Blue Archice you can contact them in messenger then start the story. Here, you need to contact them first and then find them in the town. Like why? Unnecessary hassle. This ain't Genshin...
Sound: Great VA work, Great Sound Effects, Good music
Graphics: Amazing graphics. The 3D models, expressions, movements, they're all great. Definitely much better than Time Defenders. Slightly better than Genshin. But not better than Honkai and Tensura....and 7ds I guess
2D Graphics: Amazing. Tons of story CGs. Multiple Live2d. The Graphics are the main powerhouse of this game
Interactive Lobby: Yes they have a character waiting for you in the lobby like Honkai. Though not as superior, it's good enough. You can....tap....on certain places.... I've said too much...Also, highly costumizable lobby like Counterside and SAO Unleash Blading.
Combat Graphics: Super super stiff.... The skill cutscenes look amazing, but combat animation ... it's a static version of King's Raid ....so....like ...RAID SHADOW LEGENDS....
Combat Play: 1 active skill and 1 ultimate skill. Ultimate gauge is shared, so you can fire 1 ultimate skill after the gauge is full. Weird? I know. Like Exos maybe? I forgot who uses the "shared ultimate gauge/meter/orb" system. Basic attacks are automatic.
Gacha: 30 Pulls to hit pity, nice. Unlimited reroll with all characters available to pull from it, nice. Different tickets for different Gacha, be aware of this. No gear/artifact gacha.
Gems: Rate of earning is....decent to low. Better play now else you won't get a great start, due to multiple rewards from grand opening. Or don't, up to you.
Shop: Meh, up to you. Didn't really pay attention. I mainly support games by buying skins or battle pass. Oh yeah, this game has battle pass.
Overall: Good game to try out in this early days of 2023. Will not replace the likes of Genshin, Honkai, Arknights, Guardian Tales, Blue Archive and PGR. This game is meant to be a main game. It cannot be a side game like Pokemon Masters.
Yeesh I said brief but it's actually long as well. Thanks for reading everyone
Ahaha, I've been playing this game for a long time and yet I haven't left a review yet. Silly me. Well, here's my review.
Short Version: The primary strength of this game is Story. If you primarily want a game with amazing story and characters, like Magia Record, than this game is for you. Highly recommended. HOWEVER, if you want something else, PVP, Co-op, Guild Wars, etc, then I suggest to look for other games.
Now, on to the pros and cons.
Pros:
+ Amazing Story, and plenty of them. Even the small stories from each girl are worth the read. Almost on par as Magia Record and Countersside. Play this game at your own pace
+ Live2D Lobby, always a plus. But not interactive, it's simply a "CG Replay". You can pat/rub their head though
+ VAs and Music are on point
+ Modern Nexon. Some might disagree, but for me, they're a lot better now. Good communication, managed to secure Miku Collab (there was doubt due to licensing agreement), good rewards along with Road Map publication
+ Good amount of QOL
Cons:
- STRICTLY for story enjoyer only. Don't even think about PVP. PVP is heavy on meta. Without using meta units, defeat is inevitable
- Other PVE contents (ex. Raids) requires you to build lots of characters. This takes a lot of time and resources. 3* (highest rarity) is very much recommended
- Takes a long time to raise affinity
- Max level of characters are tied to account level. This is what makes PVP horrendous
- Very difficult to maximize a character, requires a lot of resources
- Resources to grow a character differs between the students, based on their academy. This is what makes the growing the characters part tiresome. If you want to follow my approach, "Follow your heart, not the meta", focus on characters that you like.
So, as you can see, this game is solely made to enjoy the story. If you want a more "balanced" game, Epic Seven and Countersside is more for you. This game is like Fate Grand Order, you play this to enjoy the story and characters. Well, have fun. Oh, and DON'T SKIP THE RAID (Total Assault) story! It's important. Even our main character said in an event, "Wait, that was canon??" when they're facing Raid Boss outside the Raid Boss Mode, haha.
Disclaimer: I'm being honest here, I tried my best here. I even have Silica and Leafa to support me...but I just can't. So if I missed some features, I'm sorry, I just can't get that far in the game. Leafa said there's PVP. But with the gameplay and low performance, I'd be surprised if the PVP is actually good...or even exist. So, here's my review.
Short version: If you're a fan of Sword Art Online...play Integral Factor instead...This game has stiff combat
like Integral Factor (or IF for short) but IF's combat is given a pass since it's an MMO. Graphics isn't too far
off either. This game screams unfinished and rushed for anniversary. If you have interest with this game, I suggest just keep logging in daily, get the launch rewards, after that wait for 1 year. By then, maaaybe the game will be finally smooth......I doubt it....Tales of Crestoria.....
Now, on to the Positives/Pros and Negatives/Cons.
Pros:
+ Graphics is actually pretty good. Could be better, but it's good. Each characters are expressive, that is, their expression is very visible, even more expressive than Genshin. Still, King's Raid has better 3D Model and is more expressive as well. Ok let me make this short, in terms of Overall Character Models ranking: Honkai Impact > Kings Raid > Genshin >= Punishing Gray Raven > Tower of Fantasy > Other 3D Mobile Games (including SAO VS)
I'm open to discussions on that one (the model ranking)
+ Amazing 2D Arts, they never had any trouble with that
+ Infinite Reroll, chance to get multiple SSR
+ Excelent launch day celebration login rewards. So even if you don't plan to play it NOW, just keep logging in daily and pray the game will get better later
Neutral:
+/- There's a home character, can "interact" with you, can be changed. Budget home character. Far outclassed by Honkai Impact. Outclassed by Blue Archive (even if Blue Archive doesn't have 3D, only live2D).
+/- Fixed Camera. Can't rotate around. I'm still ok with this, the camera angle ... works ... I still tend to instinctively try to move around my viewpoint ....
+/- Story not as engaging as Integral Factor, or even the original SAO. What's the best SAO story? Why, SAO abridged by KARF (Kirito is Always Right Foundation of course ~ Followed by Integral Factor. I'm serious.
Negative:
--- EXTREME LOW FPS. In combat, the game runs fine. But outside combat, the fps is just so low. It lags a lot.
Summoning takes 5-10 sec PER SUMMON SCREEN. So if you pull 10, that's around 30-60 sec PER SUMMON. Like why?? This is the first time I've encountered a terrible summoning session. Even the "skip" button takes 2-5 seconds to process...why?? And no, it's not that it's downloading resources for new characters/abilities. I got duplicates and it still take that long.
-- Loading, loading, loading. Too many loads. Somehow worse than Tales of Crestoria and Digimon Re Arise, famous as Loading Simulator.
- No Download All function. You know there's a prompt to download files upon starting the game for the first
time right? That's not all the files downloaded. The game downloads additional files when needed. And that happens frequently. Like Integral Factor. Be advised, play on Wi-Fi.
- Heats up the phone quickly. Genshin? Honkai? Tower of Fantasy? Epic Seven? Those games can heat up your phone, and makes sense, there's a lot going on there. This game? You VS 3 Goblins and no massive effects gives your phone high stress, burning it. Clearly not optimized yet
- Mediocore...actually, BAD launch summon. Not only was the summon/scout function not ready during launch, but once it's ready...it's just the standard scout with Kirito and Asuna having a higher drop rate? Like, really? No unique ones that's outside the standard scout (which will then be added to standard later)? No Alicization characters? Progressive? Integral Factor? ....why??
- Gets boring fast
So, to summarize, the game has an interesting concept. As with most Bandai Namco mobile game, the concept is there. It's the execution that's always the problem. If you like what you see and like what you played, and it runs smooth (who knows what kind of extreme high tech phone that can run this game smoothly) then good for you, have fun. BUT, if you like what you see and like what you played BUT runs poorly, then I strongly suggest just logging in
to get the launch rewards, then wait for 1 year. Again, it looks really clear this game wasn't meant to be released this year. It's name is SAO Variant Showdown, SAO VS. VS, Versus. It's clear they want it to be mainly for PVP. And it does look interesting. Think about it, a quick 3-5 minute action rpg combat, 1vs1 or 2vs2. It's a great concept. And I believe they can do it. Sadly, they look like they were rushed. The higher ups or advisors probably saw there's little to no major releases on November-December, so they pushed it. Will the decision work? I doubt it, but who am I to know?
Additional Note:
I still strongly suggest Integral Factor over this at the moment. If you're wondering if whether SAO has any good game at all, yes they do. Memory Defrag was extremely amazing. Fun and engaging combat, super smooth experience, doesn't heat up the phone, co-op play, and more. Unleash Blading was fun back then, but it's closing. Integral Factor's main strength is the story, it's simply amazing and the presentation is amazing as well.
Ok, that's all from me, thanks for reading.
So far the game is rather fun, but well, I don't think it lives up to the "Genshin Killer" hype. Here's what my thoughts are.
Short version: It's a game with an anime version of Black Desert Online's customization, allowing you to create your favorite anime characters, and has graphics just a bit below Genshin.....so basically mobile version of Phantasy Star Online 2.
Now here are the pros and cons. This review will be a long one since I'll include a comparison with Genshin at the end.
Massive Pro:
++ The customization is their main selling point, and it shows. Looks like they put a lot of research and effort into the customization. To the point that you can create just about everyone, thanks to it's customization system and it's extensive library of presets. Take your time in this section, because this will probably be the main point that'll make you come back to this game, for the character you create..... although there is this feeling of "well you look like him/her, but you're not him/her" once you create your favorite anime character.
Pros:
+ Open world with destructible objects, easy to collect materials
+ Very "agile" character movement, with double jump, unlimited sprint, jet pack and air dash, making it fun to explore the world
+ Fluid, versatile combat. Ground combos, air combos, turrets, elemental attacks, air combos, you name it. Thanks to it's unique weapon system
+ Good VAs
+ Good amount of setting options
Neutral:
# It's an MMO, so you're sharing the world. Which means, first come first serve applies. That is, you'll find certain chests "require repairs", which means someone else already got it.
# Certain chests require keys to get the maximum rewards. These keys are scarce. Without it, you'll need luck
Cons:
- Teleport's loading time is rather long
- Controls feel sluggish, not as good as Honkai Impact or Guardian Tales, a gamepad is recommended
- Opening chests and searching through stuff takes time due to them applying Battle Royale style "item pickup", which is to say, you don't immediately open the chests like Genshin
- Characters are just not as memorable as Genshin. And that's a rather low bar honestly. The high bars, in mobile game, are set by the likes of Honkai Impact, Counterside, Epic Seven, the late Magia Record, and Kings Raid. So far in Tower of Fantasy, it's Franz that's rather memorable
- Storytelling and cutscenes needs work. The expressions they made are too stiff, like my character is under attack and she just kept smiling. Oddly enough, some cutscenes are more expressive than others, making me think the game isn't fully polished yet and rushed to release. If they delayed a bit for more polish, it would've benefit them more since by then Genshin players should've completed Sumeru and can migrate to Tower of Fantasy to pass the time until the next chapter update
Why?:
This game has the same problem as Genshin, in which, it's like this game is a "confused child". In it's heart, it's a mobile game, but it tries to be a console/pc game. Hence there are things that just doesn't click with how a MMORPG should be. While it does try it's best to be a MMORPG, such as having world boss, it lacks certain key features of a MMORPG. Namely:
?? Lack of skill tree and character's combat abilities are tied to gacha. Unlike the traditional "level up your character, upgrade your combat style".
?? "Hidden Content". Typically contents are shown to players, locked behind level requirements. Showing the players what to expect in the future ensures you got their attention for at least until they open all contents. Hiding what contents are available and only showing them after you reach the level requirements discourage players, letting them think there's no more features left to unlock isn't good. By doing this, the story of the game will have to do the heavy lift of keeping the players interested in the game.
Well that's my thoughts on Tower of Fantasy. If you're a Genshin Veteran and have "completed" the game, I would recommend this, so you can play while you wait for the next Genshin chapter update. Unfortunately for Tower of Fantasy, Sumero is just around the corner, so I doubt a lot of Genshin players will migrate. If you're not a Genshin Veteran, I recommend you stick to Genshin or start playing genshin instead, if you're interested in Open World. If not? Go for Honkai Impact, that's the best out there. The experience difference between Mihoyo (aka Hoyoverse) and Tencent (the maker of Tower of Fantasy is under Tencent) is just too wide and very visible. That's the sole reason why people are attracted to Genshin's characters, they've done their research. It's a good attempt to try and overthrow Genshin, but it's not quite there yet. Honestly, it's like DCEU vs MCEU (Mihoyo). Mihoyo already has around a decade of experience in Anime style game (yes, before Honkai Impact 3rd came). I can't name any mobile game developer that can or have the potential to rival them in terms of anime style game, in 3d..... actually, Kuro Game (Punishing Gray Raven) is close though. Which is obvious, they're former Mihoyo after all. Let's see how Wuthering Wave will be. Also be on the lookout on Aether Gazer as well.
So in short? Just give it a try, play until you unlock mounts/vehicles. By then you should know whether it's a game for you or not. For me? I'll try to get Nemesis, the skill set should be good. If I don't get it/her, well, maybe I'll quit. I always look for mobile games with good stories and characters, this one isn't it.
Comparison with Genshin can be found in the comment. Thank you so much for reading. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts as well.
[Smash Legends 2022 aka Reborn Review]
So, I guess I should write a review for this game, it has big potential like Kick Flight, but ...well, let's see here.
Short version, it's a fun arcade game to pass the time, have high potential, but so far is held back by "locking" certain game modes behind timegate.
Pros:
- Unique characters, each with their own style of gameplay. Almost as fun as Lost Saga. Certain characters performs best at certain game modes
- Amazing VA work
- Good soundtracks
- Moba style shop, that is, you can purchase characters with gold or gems. This is the main differential between the old and new Smash Legends
- Packs and skins are reasonably priced
Cons:
- Very difficult to earn enough gold to purchase characters
- Can be boring rather quick due to not having a lot of characters to play, due to not earning enough gold
- No missions or achievement
- Can be laggy at times
Very Con:
- Game modes available changes. Yeah like Kick Flight. I don't know why they do this. Deathmatch and Dominion is a favorite....but they're not always available. The worst part, they change seasonally. So some gameplay may not be available until the next patch. Weird I know.
Overall it's a fun game to try. Whether or not it'll stay up for a long time ..... that's the question ......I miss Kick Flight.
So, this review has some nostalgia mixed in. I'll point them out.
Short version: I recommend this game even for those who haven't played it before. Just play it for around
5-10 minutes and you'll know if it's good for you or not. The reason I recommend it, particularly for
those who've played "modern gacha games" is to give them an idea of what it's like back then, during the early years of gacha games. Otherwise, an Idle game is a better choice...
Before we get to the review, I just want to rant a bit...WHY IS SETH A FEMALE KNIGHT!? The Seth I know
was a bada** looking dark knight. Also, WHY DID I PULL 3 5* SETHS!? I WANT THE OTHERS! WHERE THEY AT!?
Ok, that's my rant. Also, if you notice some of the character's name are changed. Like Swordsman Dawn
is now called Akayuki (or Akatsuki?). That's because the name, I think, is taken from Shinnazuki.
A SRPG spinoff using Bloodline's characters. This could also be the reason why Seth is female, the Seth
in that game is female. Shinnazuki is actually a solid game. Too bad it shut down, not enough players
I guess....I blame not enough marketing. Well, let's move on to the review.
[Review prologue, you can skip this one]
Aaah Bloodline. This reminds me of the good ol' day. Back then we had Brave Frontier and Summoners Wars on the frontline. Then comes Soccer Spirit, storming the market with it's amazing anime style characters and engaging gameplay, and of course Bloodline, introducing the "quick pickup and play gacha game" to the table.
Then King's Raid came, bringing amazing story and graphics to the market. Closed by Sword Art Online Memory Defrag with it's intuitive one touch control pushing your skill to the limit, and Seven Knights, bringing a fresh new concept to the table. This ends the era, and opens up the modern gacha games era. Honkai Impact opens it with it's astounding 3D anime style graphics, smooth gameplay, and amazing story.
Then Epic Seven came, with it's one of a kind game engine bringing little to no loading time, and amazing
anime cutscenes and characters as well as engaging story. Which paved the way for many amazing games like Magia Record, Counterside, Azur Lane (with it's collab power) and of course Guardian Tales. This is my take on the gacha game timeline.
[Review]
Well enough about that, let's talk about the game itself.
Pros (Nostalgia Mixed In):
+ Open the game and listen to the lobby music....aaah, that music, so heroic~
+ Graphics are updated, crystal clear now
+ Good story, they tweaked it. But oh bad bad opening story (tutorial story).
+ Most of the game's system are the same, easy to navigate through
+ Arena skip battle
Pros (No Nostalgia):
+ A good pick up and play game. Quick loading, blitz function, skip arena battle, the works~
+ Attractive 2D character designs
+ Amazing lobby music
Neutral:
/ Lobby UI is updated. Although there's live2d now...they're lifeless. I usually put live2d as positive, but this one is just...bad. No voiceline whatsoever. I'm guessing Crunchyroll doesn't want to go all in yet. I can understand, it is risky bringing this game back. The 5 characters displayed back then looks much better though. The buttons are also much better back then
Cons (Nostalgia Mixed In):
- No Claim all button, good luck tapping on each of the missions/achievements one by one~
- Three starring the stages doesn't give gems
- Gems are very hard to earn, as far as I see now. Back then it wasn't that hard. The reward for completing an act is quite good.
- Although the story is good, well maybe decent, the game is severely lacking stories. Like, there's really not much. They cut out a lot. Believe me, there's a lot of story back then, and they're actually a decent read, a good gacha story at the time
Cons (No Nostalgia):
- Gameplay is outdated. Takes a really really long time to get to the "good part" aka endgame skills aka fate system and job system.
- Takes a lot of time to grow characters
- Pretty much hands off. It's an auto game. No reason for manual gameplay.
- Although there are several added "affinity" features, like giving gifts, placing favorite character as
lobby (main screen) character, they're meaningless. No voices, meh dialogues, meh affinity rewards
Overall. It's a very good game for those who wants a trip down the lane. For new players, give it a try
and feel the type of game we veterans had back then.
Like I said before, it only takes 5-10 minutes for this game to either convince you to stick around, or
uninstall. It's just that, with it's hands of gameplay, your probably better off finding an idle game. Also I expect it'll get another collab, probably a Priconne collab to give it a boost.
Well, that's my review. Thanks for reading~
The short version is:
If you haven't played Epic Seven, I recommend playing that instead. If you have played Epic Seven, I recommend giving this game a try (because I have a feeling that players who got bored/burnout of Epic Seven kept an eye on this game).
Now on to the game. I always focus on the story first, and I have to say the story is actually quite good. Considering the publisher is the same as Girl Cafe Gun, which also has good story, it is to be expected. However I do find it annoying on the way it spells our nickname. They don't add space, like if your nickname is Meh, then the game will show it as MehCommander. I'd like it if it's Commander Meh. Well anyway, here are my pros and cons:
Pros:
+ Good, engaging story. Storytelling is a bit like Blue Archive. That is, the game clearly shows which stages has story and which do not. Some of the characters are memorable.
+ Has Live2D interactive lobby....but not dynamic. Not even a movement, like Counterside has. But having live2d is always a plus for me, regardless... unless it's really bad
+ Unlimited tutorial reroll. Check drop rate for list of 5* characters. The one on the banner only shows 3 characters. Follow meta? No No No. Follow your heart? Yes Yes Yes
+ Sound effects are amazing, put your headphones on, or just play it with speaker, like the good ol' days
+ Able to skip skill animations, unlike Epic Seven
+ Smooth transition between screens, just a bit lower than Epic Seven's, which is actually quite good
Neutral:
/ Chibi models. This isn't everyone's cup of tea. I'd prefer if they go full chibi instead, like Blue Archive or SD Gundam. This doll like form isn't that good for me..... reminds me of Sinoalice....
/ Texts are hard to read, takes a lot of time to get used to. Far from how Epic Seven presents it's UI. You can be the judge on this one. For me, Epic Seven's gear attributes and skill descriptions are much easier to read. Even Seven Knights are better at this particular point.
/ The story, although good, takes too long. Coupled with the font choice, it can be tiring. I myself love reading through Flame Chasers story in Honkai, and I don't feel tired. But this, the font choice, I think could be better. Girl Cafe Gun has better text, more enjoyable to read.
/ There is an option to do farming while the game is closed....but honestly at this point, why? Should've been just skip mode like Counterside and Guardian Tales. Maybe they'll add it later, after the game achieved "high number of daily active player"
Cons:
- There really isn't much cons. Honestly the neutral parts are borderline cons, but they're just right that I don't put them in cons. If I had to put one in here, it's the texts/font choice
Future:
This is new. So one thing to keep an eye out is the collab, which hopefully global also gets it. Collab with Atelier Ryza. That was unexpected really, but it's there.
Overall, it's a solid side game for those who've played a lot of gacha games and have now free slot/time for a new side game. I say that like I recommend this for "veteran" gacha players, because I am. There's a lot of gacha games out there that I recommend playing first. Counterside, Priconne, Pokemon Masters, Honkai, Epic Seven, Guardian Tales, Blue Archive, and many more. But, if you like the aesthetic of this game, then give it a go. Like I said, it's a solid side game. Most of the hype I feel is from how this game "fixes" Epic Seven's "cons", like the gear system. Like, transferring substats is great, but it's not new, ex. SAO Integral Factor have this feature. Well that's my review. Thanks for reading. Hope it helps.
[GLOBAL/ASIA VERSION - 5TH MAY 2022]
So basically this is a story of a buffed man, a child and a robot whose mission is to....what? Wrong series? Isn't this Time Sq-oh, Time Defenders. And they uuh defend time? How? ...They have Paw Patrols? Oh Time Patrols...Huh... we'll uh get back to the story later.
Anyways and as always let's just jump to the pros and cons I've gathered so far from playing it.
Pros:
- Amazing graphics and character designs. Essentially an upgraded version of Arknights
- Fully voiced story, with dialogue skip, looking at you Genshin, even Honkai thinks (jokes) you should add skip function
- Combat environment is amazing
- Story telling is mure fluid than King's Raid
- Combat is essentially like Arknights, strikers/assault has a unique command that let's them charge ahead at opponents (like Kingdom Rush's melee units)
- Combat also has a unique system, that is, the "defense gate" has life bar. So it won't immediately lose points when enemy passes, rather enemy must attack first,. chipping away the HP.
Cons:
- The story... oh dear the story..... it's my personal opinion but, I'm just so so tired of this trope. MC is a genius, can fight but can't do a thing when enemy boss attacks, he didn't even try to...you know what, I'll let you see it for yourself. The Paw Patrols, I mean, Time Patrols are cool though (yes the cops, not the ones with powers). It's just, King's Raid story is much much better then this. This one, like Arknights, isn't really all that good. I know I'll be "attacked" by saying this, but I still think Arknights story isn't actually that good. If it's story you want, try the likes of Counterside, Honkai, Epic Seven, King's Raid, Blue Archive and Priconne. No I don't recommend Genshin for story...
- The story telling, while more fluid than King's Raid, is still stiff. It's not as smooth as Genshin nor Lord of Heroes or Exos Heroes.
- Response time is still a bit slow. Like Pokemon Masters EX, each button press takes around 0.5-1 second to process. Not in combat though. This particular points leads us to...
Extreme Cons:
- This would've been a fine game to have if not for this FATAL MISTAKE. The growth system design. Like Honkai, it locks your character levels behind your account level. Meaning you have to upgrade your characters everytime you level up. Not just characters, but also skill levels (also locked behind account level). Why is this Extreme Cons? Games like Priconne and Honkai still works with this system because you only need 3 (for Honkai) or 5 (priconned) characters to focus on. So it's not a big hassle. This game though, good luck upgrading 10 characters, or even more. Combined with the slow response time (not as snappy as E7), it's a major hassle.
Overall, it's a good side game, or main game if you want to invest more. Now, I know some people will say don't spend money due to Vespa's current situation, but honestly it's up to you. If you want to support them, go ahead and spend some money, the starter pack is a good investment.
That said, for myself....I don't think I'll play this for long. Even though I got Beatrice, the first chaos character in the game, the story is just not appealing enough. And I mainly play mobile games for the story. Also, just like Arknights, this is not for fans of TD games. Kingdom Rush and even Field Runners will entertain you more than this.
This game is for fans of anime art style game, and fans of live2ds. Because the character designs are amazing. When was the last time you see a football player in gacha? What, Madden? Noo, that's not gacha, that's a "surprise mechanic". So never right?? ...Oh right, Gate Six.....anyway, give it a try, you may or may not like it. Thanks a lot for reading~
......
I literally have no sense of attachment/interest to any of the characters....Non of them appeal to me like Iroha Tamaki, THE Administrator, Ras Eclare, Aldo, Flame Chasers, Shiroko and Urias....
This game is well worth the wait. The story is what surprised me, I thought it was going to be like arknights (sorry, I don't really like the story of arknights) but this one is far more better. At first, it's like Madoka Magica mix with Closers because of the vibe, then it's like arknights, then it gets better at act 2. The lack of male characters is visible, but the ones in the story are awesome (Codename: Smart Guy is one awesome dude). Last time I was so into a game for the story is Magia Record...yes, for me Magia Record has better story than the likes of Genshin, E7, and Kings Raid. Ok, that's the story, now let's talk about the positive and negative.
Positive:
+ Story, obviously...
+ Gameplay is like Battle Cats and Cartoon Wars (Gamevil), but with more room for strategizing...so more complex
+ Amazing 2D arts, equipped with live2d lobby which is always a plus
+ Lot's of content and lores to explore
+ Not too P2W since in order to limit break characters you don't necessarily need a duplicate. You can use farmable universal frags
+ Amazing soundtrack
+ Stamina is not a problem at the moment
+ Able to resume battle if your game crashed/disconnected
+ Packs are reasonable and worth it if you plan on spending it. Like King's Raid and Epic Seven
Neutral:
#Decent gacha rate, system is like Epic Seven so single draws are like 10 draws (no bonus like most gacha)
#Gold can be a problem...you played Epic Seven? It's more or less the same here...
#Gear can be a deciding factor in pvp, farming it is difficult...like Epic Seven...did they research Epic Seven?
Negative:
- John Mason aka Smart Guy is not playable...yet... probably
- ...Huh, I can't think of anything that will deter myself from playing...oh, the initial loading time is somewhat long, but that's it, once you're in the game it's very smooth
- ... hmmm hold on...gold...gems...well gems is somewhat hard...no actually not...well I can't think of anything else. There has to be other negative, please check what others think about this game
Overall, it's a very good Sub-Main Game (well Main Game if you're not playing heavy games like Genshin, Guardian Tales and Langrisser M) that's well worth your time and probably investment. Zlonggames are rather safe since Langrisser M is still up and running. So have fun~
You know, I hope they collab with Closers... I'd be really happy if Seulbi Lee is playable here~
The story is enough to keep me from uninstalling the game. It's really really good. Not to mention they have skits as well as character interactions (like during the result screen and during combat), just like other Tales of games.
Graphics are good enough. Gameplay is simple, then again Tales of combat system is simple anyway (to me at least). Though that combo system kinda needs you to pull for characters that can actually perform multiple hits (Yuri is amazing at this).
Content wise, there's the awesome story mode, usual resource dungeon, raids and PVP (with multi-battle quality of life feature).
For in-game currencies, I suggest you save them for future banners (unless the characters you want ware already in the game, in my case not yet). The beginner missions are generous and gives you 2 SSR tickets among the rewards.
If you're a Tales of fan then this game is definitely for you. If not, then the bad parts will push you away from this game.
First, like others say this game has serious performance issue. Long multiple loading times (Digimon ReArise incarnate...), broken chat system (kinda weird because they say it's because the server is busy and the solution is to go to guild first, theb open chat from there and then go to chat settings to switch room. what I don't get is shouldn't the room switch automatically if it's busy?).
Second, no auto repeat, which makes farming harder. This is important because leveling up is hard here.
Third, tedious "equipment" system. You can equip up to 9 "memoria" to a team and each memoria can be levelled up and has R-SSR rarity. You can see that you'll need to pull on the gacha to get good memorias, other wise it'll be a waste to invest on R memorias. To top it all of that awful loading time also appears here during equipping memorias...
Honestly if they actually optimize this game, it's going to be a solid hit. But for now, it's basically Loading Screen simulator again... I'm still going to play it, the story is amazing (though Magia Record is still number one for me). Can't wait for Alisha and Marta to be added~
I...uuh, don't know about this. I like TD, starting with Fieldrunners, then PVZ and of course Kingdom Rush series. This one can't really be compared with the above. Anyway, here are my thoughts:
Pros:
- Good anime art
- Nice and Intuitive UI design
- Simple upgrade system
Neutral:
- Maybe it's the chibi arts, or the fact that all the unit classes do are basically the same so it really give little on what TD gameplay can offer, though the skills help a bit with keeping the gameplay fresh. It pales in comparison to Kingdom Rush, and compared to Fantasy Defense (just the gameplay), Fantasy is still more fun. My point, as a TD game it can't be compared to other "high class" TD game. Treat this game as a standard hero collector game
- Arts could've been better with Live2d
- Story...not that engaging, it's decent but not amazing enough to captivate me in exploring the characters lore more
Cons:
- If you're not a player who likes Azure Lane, Girls Frontline, Girls X Battle and such I don't think you'd play this game for long since this game will be carried by it's art designs.
- Base could be better...but then again, I'm comparing it to HI3 so...
- Double currency. Basically if you buy a paid currency, you'll need to convert that currency to gacha currency.
As you can see, there's not much pros or cons so it's a decent game to me. Give it a try for a couple of days, you might get hooked, especially if you haven't played TD for a long time. For me, unfortunately there's not much the game has to attract me. Anyway have fun.
Just reached Platinum so here's my thoughts:
Pros:
- They nailed the marvel characters, good set of skills, everyone has their own "specialty", decent to great VAs (depend on characters)
- Great graphics, intuitive and detailed UI
- Great soundtrack and SFX
- Has no "rune system", everyone has access to a set of "Modules" they can adjust on each hero
- Everyone has access to all "add on skills" like blink and teleport
Neutral:
- Module system is not as comprehensive as Onmyoji Arena
- Gears don't offer a lot yet, minimizing play styles
Cons:
- Slow matchmaking, considering still relatively low player base
- Not easy enough to generate gold to buy new heroes, new players will struggle to even enter ranked mode. Unlike other Mobas that gives you 5 or more heroes to start. This one only gives Hulk and Hawkeye
- Not enough "event" or "mission" and rewards to keep players engaged to the game
All in all, it's an amazing Moba if you like the Marvel IP, but only decent if you're not. Might struggle against ML, AOV and EO. Eventually will be challenged by LOL. So, might want to try this game now while it's still "hot".
Ok so, this game, think of it as an amped up SAO Memory Defrag...with energy system. Size wise, around 2gb. I recommend playing on emu if you have small space on phone, cause thankfully the game is smooth, gamplay wise and transition wise.
Pros:
+ Action packed turn based combat
+ Graphically pleasing for fans of anime style arts
+ Has PVP, unlike MD and IF
+ 3* Chars are actually great
+ Home screen characters is always a plus, different reactions depend on current time and where you touch, but no intimacy like HI3
+ Not too grindy... yet, maybe grindy during endgame. So far, getting mats isn't hard
+ Surprisingly smooth
Cons:
- Although comes with some QOL, still lacking important ones like auto repeat
- [tentative] Has an energy system, and so little energy. Need to log in at certain time to maximize energy income. MR on the other hand gives plenty of "energy bottle", wished SAO did the same...wait did they? I could be missing something
- Weapon gacha, better be careful with your currency if your f2p
Missed:
In my opinion, they should've made the exploration stage as a separate content like HI3's open world. I like to read and breeze through story mode in mobile games.
Worth to note that this game has a high chance of growing, along with additional QOLs as with previous SAO games. So that's my opinion, go ahead and give it a try~ Oh and, grab a healer when you can, they're very important
Played KOF before, and I gotta say they did a great job bringing this game to the "3D world".
Pros:
- Extremely well made, KOF fans will be happy to see the soundtracks (including that char selection music), sound effects, and of course character movesets and voices stays true to the KOF series
- Up to date Quality of life features, enabling this game to be your main or semi-main game
- Endless tower with "endless" ticket (ticket will only be consumed if you lost), never seen this before
- Interesting story, kinda reminds me of what Megaman X Dive is trying to achieve. Though the female protag is a bit annoying early on
- PVP made for fans of KOF, which is to say, GOOD
- Lots of contents, free stuff early on to get you up and running
Cons:
- (To me) No Kula...yet...
- Targeting is a bit hard on manual in PVE (3D environment)
- P2W?? Well, not sure yet. It does look like it, but haven't felt like it. Yes skip tickets are limited, but you can get them easily early on (so save them)
This is actually a solid game, amazing graphics and cinematic cutscenes, unique gameplay, and not P2W.
Pros:
- Amazing graphics, soundtracks and VAs
- Unique growth system as you can decide what kind of role a character you get (ex. You can build the MC as a paladin or maybe mage, you can build the character you get from gacha as ranged or Tank) thanks to the Ark System
- Unique combat system, kinda like SAO MD but with better presentation and UI
Cons:
- The unique growth system is somewhat of a con as well, since that means it'll be hard to grow a new character that you like that you just got from the gacha
- Need gold, blue orbs and red orbs.. lots of it, so might be a bit grindy (though thankfully there's auto mode)
- Story is...well decent I guess, it's not groundbreaking like AE, KR, E7 or MR. This ia just me though since I'm getting tired of this kinds of story (you'll get the idea after seeing the first parts of the story)
Overall, it's an enjoyable game.
It's like a breath of fresh air, this game is just what we needed. Amazing story, Amazing OST, likeable characters, and not P2W. Only problem is, once your at the endgame there's not much to do since there's no pvp or the likes (will have to wait for the next season, you can find spoilers in jp version). Btw, try not to skip the side quest stories as well, most of them are amusing to read
HeavenBurnsRed | English
4.4Been a long time since I've written a review since I'm busy with Asta-chan in HSR (≧▽≦)
Anyway, here's my review.
Basically the rating could go in two ways.
If you play games mainly for the stories (like me), then this is an easy 4.5/5 game.
BUT, if you play games mainly for the gameplay (combat), then this is an easy 2/5 game.
Short version: Game with less combat, more chitchat. Weak amount of gameplay, but extremely amazing story and characters (as expected of Key)
Priority Pros:
++ They have a PC client. If you like this game, I strongly recommend you play it in PC instead. Go here: heavenburnsred.yo-star.com
CAREFUL though, around 30 gigs of space are needed.
Pros:
+ Extremely amazing story. The early part should already be enough to draw you in to the game.
+ Colorful cast of characters. They're all brimming with personality. Make sure to use earphones~
+ Visual novel style choices, leading to many shenanigans. Go and have fun with the odd choices~
+ Playable in mid range phones with little to no lags. I'm using Vivo Z1 Pro
+ Lots of freebies. If you want to give it a try, now's the time.
Neutral:
= The gameplay's ok. It's entertaining enough. Each character have different roles AND you can switch in your backup characters mid game (kinda like Sword Art Online Unleash Blading)
= Something to look forward to is future collab with Key's IP like Angel Beats, Charlotte, Clannad, Rewrite and Little Busters
Personal cons:
- Nanamin is unplayable.....yet. She's adorable, I hope she's playable. Reminds me of Nio Hashiri from Akuma no Riddle....Yuuup, i hope Nanamin have a "different/secret" side to her
Cons:
- Very low combat gameplay. This is basically a visual novel. Not like another eden.
- Slow loading time between "periods"
- Can't change home screen character...Unless I'm not far enough....which is an odd thing to "lock" if it is...The main character isn't bad, but I wish we can change it. There are other characters I prefer to have (like that "special agent")
- "Old" Auto Repeat mode. You know, leave the phone on and it'll do auto repeat for around 8 hours in power save mode.....like what? This is 2024, not 2015.....
- Can't fully explore the world in the early part...sad, the academy looks amazing but we're forced to follow the story...why bother with the world exploration then...
Overall, this game is SUPER HEAVY on story. Play this game ONLY when you have ample enough of free time. There's very little combat, so this isn't for those who wants action. Just like Blue Archive, it focuses on Story, BUT Blue Archive has the right amount of combats in between stories.
You can pause between "period", like do the morning period and stop at day period, then continue the story at day period. But, that'll definitely ruin the story pacing. See, game like this, it's better to finish it in one go. Like, from morning period to night period.
Anyway, just give it a shot. You'll know if this game is for you or not in the first 10-15 minutes.