The Alliance Alive

The Alliance Alive invokes the finest elements of the JRPG genre, modernizes them, and innovates where necessary. Its gripping fantasy plot can be worshiped for its emotional center or parsed for statements on equality, order, and free will. Whether or not you enjoyed The Legend of Legacy, this one stands as an authentic classic that captures the majesty of a Super Nintendo/PlayStation era masterpiece while also gazing forward.

If there's one title that deserves a spot in the upper echelons, it's The Alliance Alive. Its battle system is reminiscent of the SaGa franchise, except taken to the next level through superb balancing and design. No matter the player's skill level, they are treated to an adventure that caters to them, without coming off as condescending or frustrating. Not only is the world filled with wonders to explore, anyone who takes the time to do so will find their efforts appropriately rewarded. Simply put, this game is a modern classic.

Cattle Call has done a fantastic job with The Alliance Alive, addressing the complaints of its predecessor while building on its strengths to make something that’s truly special. Whether it be the engaging story, expansive overworld, deep combat, or unique progression options, this is a game that oozes quality in just about every aspect. The Alliance Alive is a must-play for fans of JRPGs, and we would give it a strong recommendation to anyone looking for another great game to add to their 3DS collection.

Even if you hated Legend of Legacy (you monster!), The Alliance Alive is still worth a look. The story is interesting, the battle system is complex, fun and bizarre and the overall package is a polished adventure that will keep you playing until the very end. The 3DS may be on its way out, but hopefully this isn't one of those late-in-life games that gets overlooked for year until people realize how good it really was. Check it out.

For us, Spanish players, this game is only digital, only in English and a little bit pricey, so many of us might decide to ignore it, but if you give it an opportunity you'll find a great RPG.

The Alliance Alive is an easy recommendation to make to my RPG-loving friends. If you’re not intimidated by dense menus and the concept of micromanaging your team to perfection, all while not being able to count on level grinding to brute-force your way through difficult sections, you’ll enjoy The Alliance Alive. For everyone else, come back when you’ve got a bit more experience.

The Alliance Alive delivers a charming and satisfying JRPG adventure with a mix of traditional and fresh gameplay elements. It's simply a joy to experience the characters and their engaging story as they traverse their varied and vibrant world. It's a must-have 3DS JRPG.

There’s a lot to love about The Alliance Alive: a well-paced story in an interesting world, a meaty mashup of unique combat elements, and a fantastic soundtrack that keeps you pumped and eager to explore. If you can put up with a bit of a learning curve, you’ll find a great portable adventure well worth dusting off your 3DS for.

The Alliance Alive is a good game that's held back by some unfortunate missteps. Its fantastic premise and strong narrative provide a storyline that feels surprisingly fresh compared to other JRPGs, while its combat provides some welcome depth to its turn-based gameplay. The title often feels too easy, even by JRPG standards, and several features could have been better fleshed out, but the overall product is a stark improvement over studio Cattle Call's previous effort.

The Alliance Alive may not reinvent the JRPG, but it still offers a solid game experience thanks to good tactical battles and to a fun character progression.

Even though it's not the best JRPG out there in the vast 3DS library, The Alliance Alive comes in the twilight of the portable system, and it offers 40-plus solid hours of adventuring for the ones who were left wanting more from The Legend of Legacy.

The Alliance Alive's one-of-a-kind atmosphere and decadent soundtrack are high notes in an experience otherwise subject to the whims of random number generation.