Test – Fallen Legion Rise to Glory / Revenants: a compilation that hits the mark

A little over a year following giving us the last episode of its series on Switch, NiS America gives us a compilation of the two parts on PS5 and Xbox Series. The opportunity for RPG enthusiasts to discover a relatively unknown franchise in our latitudes.

Remember, in early 2021, NiS America released the second episode of its “Fallen Legion” saga on Switch, a relatively unknown JRPG series in our latitudes, which is now entitled to a compilation on PS5 and Xbox Series, compilation which brings together the two installments of the franchise, “Revenants and “Rise to Glory”.

Rise to Glory hasn’t aged too badly, despite the years.

The series had its first steps in 2017 on PC and Switch. The second part was entitled to a release on Switch and PS4. Given the orientation of the game, the title of course mainly targeted an oriental audience. But the compilation released today has the advantage of reaching a wider audience – especially Xbox owners who have never been able to approach the franchise before.

Despite appearances, the games are developed by an American studio, not a Japanese one. They respect the codes of the genre while daring a few small originalities.

Aesthetically, both games have their charms.

On the scenario side first of all, the two titles stand out for their narrative richness, their complexity and the impact of the player’s choices on the narrative framework, which bring a real plus here. The game often lets us choose from several environments to explore, which will change the next phase of the game. While Lucien will sometimes have to participate in votes to make decisions concerning the rest of humanity. Choices that will really influence the rest of the game, and sometimes even the fate of certain characters.

On the gameplay side, the game alternates between dialogues, explorations and fights. We also have the ability to brew potions and manage our team of Exemplars before going on a mission. Once the castle has left, our character goes to visit the world then filled with dangerous creatures. This is accompanied by three previously chosen Exemplars. The sequel unfolds like a succession of fights that are undoubtedly inspired by Valkyrie Profile. The combat system is played in real time, each Exemplars is assigned to a button on the controller and pressing one of them triggers an attack from it. Characters have more powerful skills and Rowena can also use magic spells to support the team. The game also places some importance in the position where our team is as well as the enemies, since certain squares on the ground can have different effects.

The narration is neat.

It will be necessary to parry opponents’ blows at the right time and to be aggressive in order to reduce their shield gauge and thus inflict a lot of damage. Because enemies tend to have a lot of lives, so fights can go on forever. Despite this, the combat system is complete and intelligent. The different characters that you unlock over the course of the game add a bit of strategy and customization to the whole.

The gameplay phases are sometimes interrupted by short sequences showing the point of view of Lucien who stayed at the castle. This one has the ability to communicate with Rowena remotely, allowing her to help her in her own way. It will sometimes be necessary to find specific information by talking to the characters, or even to infiltrate a guarded room of the castle. Rather nice game phases that bring a little variety to the whole. But unfortunately, this does not prevent the gameplay phases from feeling very repetitive. These do not manage to renew themselves sufficiently.

If there is one area in which this Fallen Legion excels, it is in its graphic universe. The dark and macabre universe of the title is very well represented by 2D visuals of the most beautiful effect. The sets are charming, the characters are numerous and very well animated. The characters are also dubbed, since a good quality English dub is available. The soundtrack is also very effective. However, it has the nasty flaw of being repetitive, too.

It should also be noted that the title suffers from a few bugs, in particular problems with character displays and animations that simply do not trigger in certain cutscenes. Other small curiosities should be noted, such as having to press a button twice to trigger a dialogue with a character, which shows a small lack of finish.

On the lifespan side, if you hang on, expect to immerse yourself in this adventure for a while. It will take several dozen hours of play to overcome the two titles. Be careful though, the gameplay of the two games tends to be very repetitive… It is therefore better to go in small doses.

Conclusion

NiS America finally gives PS5 and Xbox players the opportunity to discover its JRPG series “Fallen Legion”, relatively unknown in our latitudes, but which has managed to forge a solid reputation among fans of the genre. The two titles offered to us in this compilation have the merit of daring to be a little original while adopting a unique graphic style. Visually appealing, they offer a very story-driven single-player experience. On the other hand, it will be necessary to be preferably perfectly bilingual to embark on this adventure, and above all not to be afraid of the repetitiveness of the gameplay, without a doubt the Achilles’ heel of this series… Anyway, Xbox players and PS5 have enough to play catch-up sessions with this charming compilation.

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Fallen Legion Rise to Glory / Revenants

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