Revenant Saga

 Switch
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 2 out of 10

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  1. Seacliff
    May 11, 2018
    5
    You can auto-battle your way through nearly every random encounter in normal and hard mode, and even some bosses in normal mode if you make use of the game's equipment.

    I don't want to be too hard on this game, because it has some form passion behind it. But the gameplay is very unbalanced, specifically towards the player's advantage. It's like the developers couldn't be bothered to    You can auto-battle your way through nearly every random encounter in normal and hard mode, and even some bosses in normal mode if you make use of the game's equipment.

    I don't want to be too hard on this game, because it has some form passion behind it. But the gameplay is very unbalanced, specifically towards the player's advantage. It's like the developers couldn't be bothered to playtest the game and safely lowball the enemy stats to avoid frustration.

    There's little satisfaction in trying to master the combat because there isn't much there to master. Characters have very few skills, and most of them are just basic offensive attack. (IE Spend a little MP to deal some damage, spend more MP to deal more damage). It's redundant because you can just spam the strongest attacks during most boss battles and win.

    This is a game that tries to emulate SNES era RPG, like any other game published by Kemco. However, like the rest, they come off as calculations of what mobile gamers think a retro RPG is, rather than a project created by fans of the genre in that era.

    The game mashes a bunch of mechanics from other RPGs together without consideration of cohesion between the mechanics (Weapon Upgrades, ATB Combat, etc.), or the game's characters or the world (Transformations).

    Dungeons are also very basic. There are some optional paths that can lead to treasure chests, but it's otherwise pretty linear and uninvolved.

    The presentation is a grab bag of a bunch of different art styles. The 2D artwork that appears during conversations is actually pretty good. However, the 2D sprites are awkwardly animated with every character walking in place with 2 frames of animation. The vibrant tileset does not fit the darker world this game tries to tell the player it's a part of. The mapping looks like someone's first attempt at RPG Maker with a lot of massive open spaces of nothing, it's especially noticeable when you use the zoom-out camera and see that the forest you are in is actually just a perimeter of trees in an empty field (to be fair, the zoom out function was probably not in the original mobile release).

    Battles are in 3D, which is jarring. It's not good 3D either. Enemy models have very few polygons and the character models look like they were stretched. It looks like a 4:3 PS1 game being played widescreen on a 16:9 TV.

    The story is above-average, I was actually somewhat impressed considering I thought I was familiarized with the normal basket of tropes Kemco RPGs takes their ideas from. That said, it's still nothing to write home about. Potentially interesting themes such as demonic possession, religious authority, and loss of humanity are glossed over in favor of what is still just a typical JRPG plotline, which is disappointing.

    Revenant Saga is simple just an unpolished JRPG with decent potential, there is nothing aggressively terrible about it. Conversely, I find little to love about it. I can't recommend it to someone who wants a good rpg, and I can't even recommend it to someone who wants to laugh at a bad game. It's forgettable, which is sad because I'm sure that Exe Create has the talent to do something good, the issue is their vision to create JRPGs "Like the classics" is vague and lacks focus.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. GamingTrend
    Mar 13, 2018
    60
    Revenant Saga is a by-the-numbers JRPG that will scratch your itch for a portable 90s-esque game with its charming characters and entertaining turn-based combat. However, those that want a meatier role-playing experience should look elsewhere for their fix.
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  2. Nintendo Life
    Nov 11, 2017
    50
    Revenant Saga sets out to offer a simple, throwback JRPG on Switch, and while it certainly ticks those boxes it doesn’t actually end up being very fun to play. An unremarkable story, uneven presentation and interface issues hold this already unambitious effort back, and while it brings some excellent ideas to the table — like battle Transformations and single-handed control — they’re not enough to recommend the experience. If you’re starved for an old-school RPG on the Switch, I Am Setsuna is still your best bet at the moment — otherwise, the 3DS’ treasure trove of turn-based adventures awaits.
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  3. Digitally Downloaded
    Nov 1, 2017
    30
    Beyond those useless side quests, there’s almost nothing to actually do in Revenant Saga.
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