It’s that point of the month when the builders at KEMCO launch one more retro styled JRPG onto an unsuspecting world.
Going by the title of Isekai Rondo, it guarantees to carry the same old staples of certainly one of KEMCO’s video games – retro fashion graphics, a narrative, and a few combating. To this point, so apparent. However can Isekai Rondo do one thing uncommon and ship a sport that’s out of the extraordinary?
Having been out on cell beforehand, it’s lastly our flip to become involved, and whereas doing my analysis for this overview, I found that Isekai is definitely a subgenre of Japanese literature, anime and manga that offers with an individual being reborn into one other world. In different phrases, it’s one thing that’s extremely attention-grabbing. With that minor spoiler out of the best way, I pulled on my finest Boots of Exploring and set off into the courageous new world of Isekai Rondo.
Story might effectively have been given away already, however I’ll clarify slightly extra. We begin the sport as Sho, a Japanese salaryman who’s depressing at work and has simply been fired. Strolling house, we narrowly miss being creamed by a automobile, after which get killed when a plant pot falls on our head. Fortunately, we meet the deity of the world of Facultas, who decides that he can reincarnate us into the physique of somebody who lately died. In an odd world, with no data of what to do and how you can survive, can our hero make a brand new life?
Now generally known as Shaw, he craves a easy peaceable life, however as is often the case in any such sport, he finds himself getting caught up in an journey! Clearly, issues snowball, and with a workforce at his aspect, Shaw finds himself about as far-off from the quiet life he needs as it’s attainable to get, with out spoilers in fact!
When it comes to the presentation and Isekai Rondo is just about the identical as each different KEMCO sport I’ve ever reviewed (and let’s face it, this can be a giant and rising quantity). Apparently copying a pasting from earlier evaluations is “frowned upon”, however there absolutely needs to be solely a set variety of ways in which I can write about retro fashion graphics, proper? Nicely, fortunately, this time round there’s a slight caveat in that the monsters and characters within the battle screens are extra pixelated than traditional. The design of all of them continues to be excellent, and the heroes that we collect all have a deal of persona that comes by way of the display screen. However nonetheless, in case you’ve performed a KEMCO sport, that is all stuff you’ll be very a lot used to.
On a private degree, there was nothing within the presentation of Isekai Rondo that has blown me away, however neither have I been disillusioned – it’s all very a lot center of the street stuff.
The audio follows an identical sample, from the stirring battle music to the sound results once we are combating – you’ll have heard all of it earlier than.
So how does Isekai Rondo performs out? Nicely, nearly all of the sport is – for concern of repeating myself – just about the identical as now we have seen earlier than, however there are amendments right here. You see, in Isekai Rondo the one place that we discover the random monster battles that this fashion of sport are well-known for is within the Dungeon; an space that we are able to discover on the hunt for supplies, or to fulfil quests for the Guild in every city. Getting on effectively with the guild will carry rewards, and as we full quests and kill space bosses within the Dungeon space, we accrue Guild factors. As soon as tough of these are banked, the chance to use to do an examination to get our Guild rank raised comes about. As we start the sport, we’re a lowly Rank F, and this restricts how far we are able to delve into the Dungeon. For extra harmful quests, with the corresponding rewards, we have to elevate that rank, so that you’ll need to maintain plugging away with a purpose to rise up to Guild Rank S as rapidly as attainable.
The exploration and fight is, once more, extraordinarily acquainted. We will do all the same old issues like with the ability to assault with our outfitted weapon, use expertise and objects if we have to. However actually, it feels very very similar to a giant dose of deja vu. Killing monsters offers us EXP to degree up, however extra importantly each combat just about offers us Magistones.
These Magistones are the important thing to turning into massively overpowered in a brief time frame. Let me clarify. In frequent with many different KEMCO titles, there’s a store you’ll be able to go to from the menu that means that you can spend Magistones in return for crafting weapons or armour; stuff that’s then absolutely equipable. I did this earlier than the primary boss, and it went down with nary a whimper because the weapons my guys had have been so overpowered it was a joke. It doesn’t assist that the sport is kind of simple to start with, even on the onerous setting – it received’t be too lengthy earlier than you might be just about one shotting every thing you meet.
In reality, it’s right here the place the KEMCO staple auto-battle choice is a godsend, as I can inform my workforce to simply get one with it whereas I make a brew or pop to the little boy’s room…
I appear to have spent lots of time telling you what’s the similar as different KEMCO video games. However what of latest concepts in Isekai Rondo? Are there any new options? Nicely, sure there are, and these are literally fairly attention-grabbing. The primary are the Passive talents that may be realized, both as scripted story occasions or because of doing sure issues in a sure method. I’m not going to inform you what these methods are, thoughts, however suffice to say that if an individual makes use of a sure assault a sure variety of instances, their affinity for that sort of assault will go up. A few of these passives are actually sport changers – Shaw early on learns a Passive known as “Accident Insurance coverage”, and if the workforce finally ends up at a Sport Over display screen, this Passive means will allow them to rewind time to a degree earlier than a fateful alternative was made, permitting them to vary their resolution.
There are various extra passives to attempt to discover and procure, and these add an attention-grabbing twist to proceedings.
All of it implies that while Isekai Rondo may be very a lot a KEMCO JRPG, there are sufficient little additions to maintain you engaged; like Passives and a likeable solid of characters. It isn’t too onerous (actually it’s a bit simple) however this enables the story to maneuver alongside at a great tempo, making certain that you simply get to understand the time spent.
In all, Isekai Rondo is likely one of the higher retro styled KEMCO JRPG’s of latest instances.
