The DioField Chronicle

From the outset, we cannot welcome the bet launched by The Diofield Chronicle. Carried by divine music and gameplay as ingenious as it is interesting, the Square-Enix game is undeniably generous. Regulars of the genre and lovers of tactical role-playing games risk succumbing to its "retro" charm and its various incantations. Rhythmic, pleasant and more surprising than it seems, The Diofield Chronicle struggles to keep up the pace over time. The objectives are repeated, the free phases do not bring much and the staging lacks the energy to widen its audience. Nevertheless, for those who want to discover something other than the usual blockbusters and who is not hermetic to the genre, here is a work that could become cult in a few years or, at least, find its letters of nobility among enthusiasts.

A tactical RPG where the tactics are not deep enough. The story and characters are believable and unexpectedly logical, but in a genre where strategy is an integral part of the experience you would expect to be actually strategic to win. This is not the exact case, sadly, but it's still an enjoyable experience, though.

The Diofield Chronicle is a game that tries to be a lot of things but it ends up being just average. There is undeniably quality in the design and even in the strange battle system and controls, but when we sum everything up it is just another strategy JRPG with a tiresome political story without any special identity.

Despite its various shortcomings, I came away from The DioField Chronicle satisfied with its uniquely refreshing take on strategy RPGs. DioField's storytelling style was specifically a highlight for me, and its take on tactical combat offers something different from its contemporaries. While its mission design, sidequest variety, and some skill systems hold it back, DioField is worth a try for anyone looking for something just a bit different in their tactical RPGs.

The attempt of adopting the element of a real-time tactical battle into a strategic RPG was good. While attractive characters and main stories are its strength, the narrative and approach to lead the story seem to fail to reveal its charm. More to that, individuality of the game's battle is faded due to systematic limits and there are few strategic elements. Despite these problems, you will be able to enjoy it if it suits your taste.

The Diofield Chronicle is an interesting take on the tactics formula, filled with political intrigues and beautiful music.

The DioField Chronicle is an enjoyable experience for players who are interested in games with political drama and intrigue. It thrives on being vague and secretive, which fits the themes encountered in the game. Combat can also be fun to play around with, and it forces you to think differently when enemies can move around. Unfortunately, the game can take complexity too far, and it isn’t a game for casual players. The battle system can feel repetitive with a lack of variety, and the only thing propelling you forward is your desire to know how it all ends. But if you are willing to put some time into the game and understand it, you will walk away with a decent experience that is enjoyable in its own right.

As an able, fast-paced tactical JRPG that spins a respectable, if generic swords and sorcery yarn, The DioField Chronicle is mainly let down by frustrating controls and stiffly-animated characters performing what is often a stiffly-written script. Shorter, action-packed missions make it an ideal Switch or Steam Deck game: something to chip away at little by little in your free moments. But even with its deep, multilayered progression system, there isn't enough heft here to make me want to sit back in my chair and sink into its uninspiring fantasy world for many hours at a time.

The DioField Chronicle is a partially successful Square enix experiment. Excellent hybrid game mechanics, but everything else is a constant repetition of the same missions, without adding anything new.

Skilled tactical role-playing game with good real-time battles, monotonous missions and often just average scenery.

It has some good elements, but they are often covered by the average, meaning little gets the chance to stand out. Were it a little tighter, a little faster and not requiring you to do so much busy work, I could see this being a more enjoyable experience.

We had pretty low expectations and we got what we thought we would. This is a game of clashing ideas - and many of them aren’t even executed well enough. It’s got tempo, at least, and can be fun in small doses.

The DioField Chronicle is a game of missed opportunities. A series of cliché gameplay, only improved by an enjoyable semi-real time combat system, that is both choreographic and engaging. The flat character depiction, and the forgettable story sadly come as added baggage to a promising title that could have been much more.

The DioField Chronicle doesn’t nail the landing but I think that there is still some fun to be had here. I’m just not convinced it’s worth the full price of entry.

The DioField Chronicle is a Fantasy tactical rpg where the gamer controls a group of mercenaries called Blue Fox. The combination between the real-time battle system with the traditonal tactical settings gave the game a new and distinctive experience from both other SE rpgs and tactical rpgs.

The Diofield Chronicle probably wants to explore ideas around how power is accumulated and how legitimacy is granted with its tales of warring lords and divine rights. But it never truly engages with them. Characters hedge around such issues, expressing tentative misgivings regarding the nobility of their mission before carrying on regardless. Similarly, in brief conversations, it gestures at the possibility of other ways to structure society, but never actually entertains them. With Andrias and his mercenary company the hammer that sees every problem as a nail, it makes for an unsatisfying narrative arc. Yet as you deploy the same tactics across what may as well be the same battlefield against pretty much the same enemies for the umpteenth time, it's an effective metaphor for the conservative and unimaginative game design.

The experiment in the form of the DioField Chronicle didn't go particularly well. It's interesting to explore and see how far the player can go, but the barriers set by the authors are too limiting. As are the terrible controls on PC. [Issue#322]