Alder's Blood

Alder’s Blood feels like a love letter to a genre which ironically doesn’t get all that much love anymore. Sure, there’s no shortage of turn-based strategy games on any system, but games this well-designed are few and far between in the indie space, and it’ll be quite a while before something as well done as Alder’s Blood hits the eShop for a price point as low as twenty dollars.

SRPG enthusiasts who like the idea of mixed in stealth and survival elements will have a blast mastering Alder's Blood.

The game shakes up the foundation of a long-standing genre, stretching the familiar into a realm of nightmarish wonder.

After many hours, I felt like I had seen what there was to see. The story remains compelling, but the gameplay loop starts to grow predictable. There are only so many mission types, and another kind of lumbering beast doesn’t drastically change what you are doing. But Alder’s Blood stuck with me in a strange way that few games do — I credit that to the imaginative story and the eerie tone. God has been murdered in this world, and I still feel compelled to understand just what that means. I’ll probably return to this world when the leaves are changing and I’m in the mood for an ethereal scare. I just hope I can remember to tread lightly and not have to reload so much.

Albeit too punishing at times, due to some unjust RNG mechanics, Alder's Blood offers a unique take on the classic turn based strategy formula, mixing up elements taken from other games such as Darkest Dungeon, XCOM and Bloodborne.

All in all, Alder’s Blood has all the right parts. Gameplay is solid, with an interesting story, and a variety of mechanics that keep things interesting. However, the difficulty being tied so closely to RNG-based wind means sometimes it really blows to try and finish up a quest. Matching that with inconsistent AI and you have an overall package that falls a tad short of the high expectations. A few minor changes could make this a really special variation on the Bloodborne formula.

Alder’s Blood takes inspirations from different games to create a unique adventure RPG which blends Western and Victorian-style characters. Due to a focus on stealth, its strategy turn-based combat can lead to some frustrating segments, but a distinct art-style and deep world-building transforms the stressful segments into an overall worthwhile experience.

A dark stealth tactics game is a useful addition for the Nintendo Switch library, and although Alder’s Blood is a really interesting game, it’s biggest flaw is this exact element, that it doesn’t work that well on consoles.

Alder's Blood is a valid game based on a solid genre, nonetheless it manages to give that something extra thanks to some good original ideas and an intriguing setting. The Switch version, however, is slightly inaccurate in the management of the movements of the units and breaks too much the pace of exploration and adventure with loading screens of unjustified length,given the minimal design of maps and characters.

I find Alder’s Blood in a very strange position. The aesthetic, combat, and ideas drew me into the shadows of its world. However, the bugs, design issues and general lack of polish have killed my drive to continue playing. I might come back to it in the future once it’s been patched, but not until it’s had a lot more time to polish off its rough edges.