Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden

Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a great turn-based RPG, with a good story to tell and fun and challenging combat systems. There are some limitations that prevent it from reaching another level, but the game does everything it sets out to do with excellence.

The quick turnaround of Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden just a few months after the first game and the uniform presentation between the two seems to suggest there will be more to come in the series. While this is not on the level of quality of something like NieR: Automata, The Forsaken Maiden is a strong entry in its own right. Assuming there’s more Voice of Cards to come, I’m looking forward to whatever Yoko Taro has in store next. The sea beckons, won’t you answer its call?

As the second game in what is now a series, The Forsaken Maiden maintains the core mechanics and overall feel of its predecessor while making some minor improvements and introducing a brand new story that can be enjoyed on its own. When the first Voice of Cards was announced, I was uncertain what to make of it, but after playing the second game, there’s hope that this won’t be the last one.

Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a boardgame videogame with JRPG elements and a fascinating, touching story, featuring a multifaceted and enjoyable cast of characters. Keiichi Okabe's artistic direction and compositions are as always noteworthy, something that encourages to explore the game world by indulging in his symphonies. Net of this, however, there are few changes on the playful side, despite the fact that the game difficulty has been slightly raised compared to the predecessor without proposing something too demanding. Longevity is certainly a point in its favor, even if the side activities aren't as engaging as the rest of the main story is.

Drawing lessons from its elder, Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a more controlled experience than The Isle Dragon Roars. Touching story, gameplay adjustments, ability to speed up the game... The main criticisms of the original game have been heard. But if we find the charm of this original concept thanks to its minimalist side and its neat artistic part, the title remains logically very similar to its elder by its short development time. The result is certain flaws that are still as present as the random fights that are still as numerous. It now remains to be seen whether Alim and Yoko Taro's teams will continue on this sustained pace of publication after this more successful second attempt.

The atmosphere and presentation in this sequel are again very good, just like the story and world design. However, the random encounters can become a bit annoying, just as the menus are annoying because of the way they work. These are some criticisms that get in the way of a smooth experience. That said, in terms of gameplay, it is otherwise more than good and if you liked the previous installment, you'll be fine again.

I found Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden's story to be stronger than the first's yet when it comes to gameplay; it doesn't do much to make it feel fresh. It has me wondering how many of these titles there will be and how well future installments will hold up.

Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden combines a classic JRPG with a board game. This format works naturally, however, turns tedious by random battles and the way you traverse the board. Expect a Yoko Taro-style story that takes advantage of random elements to give it a special touch.

Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a solid follow-up to The Isle Dragon Roars and is actually a more welcoming point for newcomers to jump in. Its pacing and presentation makes for a relaxing and generally chilled experience that still comes with plenty of emotion in its bittersweet narrative. There’s definitely reason for Square Enix and Alim to return to the Voice of Cards world, and it may once again be sooner than expected.

Though seemingly set in the same universe, this game tells its own tale. A small group of islands is protected by maidens, in charge of one island each. You play as a man set on sailing the seas, but his mute companion Laty is destined to be the maiden of his home island. Unable to take up her duties, the pair set off to explore the archipelago, seeking help from other maidens so she can fulfil her role.

Voice of Cards is an operation of an uncertain nature: too little time between one chapter and another, too few changes, too much repetition of the same stumbles. Of course, there are some additions and it shows, in particular as regards the writing, which makes the typical style of Yoko Taro shine better, but exactly as in the previous chapter the game does not allow itself the time necessary to express itself at its best. The cards, at least, are still wonderful.