The art style and presentation are very similar to Knights in the Nightmare, Yggdra Union, and Riviera, which I don't mind at all. The Dept. Heaven series doesn't share common characters or locations (except perhaps for a shared Asgard, as I read once upon a time) but there is a sense of connectedness in the way the games are presented. The font in dialogue, the character artwork, and the quirky way that actions are announced ("Break Out!") are all features shared with other games in the Dept. Heaven series. Durability is a common theme in the series as well (items are good for only a limited number of uses) but I haven't seen that particular use case pop up yet.
Like many other strategy RPGs, movement and actions are turn-based and take place on a grid. Moving behind foes will confer advantages to accuracy and the ability to nullify blocking. A meter ticks down to when it's your party's turn. Once that happens you are able to move one member of your party, at which point they will be given a wait time according to what actions they took during that turn, such as moving or attacking. Using a potion while not moving will result in a shorter wait time than moving a long distance and attacking, for instance. If that character's wait time is still ticking once your party's turn comes up again, you might consider moving another character. If you choose to move that character before the wait time is up, the character will lose maximum HP for the duration of that battle.
It's an interesting system, but I'm not sure how much I like it just yet. Most strategy RPGs either let you move your whole team at once or wait until it's each specific character's turn. Either way is fine with me--but this is a little strange. I haven't uncovered all the mechanics of the game yet, though. Judging by Sting's track record, there'll be some more strange ones to mess around with.
You can also perform combo attacks with your other party members at the expense of Tactics Points. Tactics Points are acquired by moving and attacking, and also by capturing bases on the map. The bases are represented by squares on the grid with a flag. The enemy team can capture them as well and accrue their own Tactics Points. This gives you a way to use other members of your party on the same turn, but there is a downside to spending your points on combos. Tactics Points impart a bonus to all of your party member's attacks--the more you have, the higher the bonus. When you use a combo attack, you lose some of those points in exchange for an immediate burst of damage. You have to weigh the benefit of losing consistent damage in the long run.
You also seem to level up and acquire new skills based on the kind of weapon you have equipped. There are such classes as Fencer, Assassin, Archer, and Thrower, but I don't know a whole lot about their characteristics yet. The Assasin I have has two different weapons equipped that she can switch between at will, and each weapon has different skills associated with it. As you level up, you acquire more Capacity, which is evidently linked with what kinds of weapons you can equip, but I'm sort of in the dark on how it works. I'll continue playing and figure this out as I go--and probably write about it some more.
It's an interesting system, but I'm not sure how much I like it just yet. Most strategy RPGs either let you move your whole team at once or wait until it's each specific character's turn. Either way is fine with me--but this is a little strange. I haven't uncovered all the mechanics of the game yet, though. Judging by Sting's track record, there'll be some more strange ones to mess around with.
You can also perform combo attacks with your other party members at the expense of Tactics Points. Tactics Points are acquired by moving and attacking, and also by capturing bases on the map. The bases are represented by squares on the grid with a flag. The enemy team can capture them as well and accrue their own Tactics Points. This gives you a way to use other members of your party on the same turn, but there is a downside to spending your points on combos. Tactics Points impart a bonus to all of your party member's attacks--the more you have, the higher the bonus. When you use a combo attack, you lose some of those points in exchange for an immediate burst of damage. You have to weigh the benefit of losing consistent damage in the long run.
You also seem to level up and acquire new skills based on the kind of weapon you have equipped. There are such classes as Fencer, Assassin, Archer, and Thrower, but I don't know a whole lot about their characteristics yet. The Assasin I have has two different weapons equipped that she can switch between at will, and each weapon has different skills associated with it. As you level up, you acquire more Capacity, which is evidently linked with what kinds of weapons you can equip, but I'm sort of in the dark on how it works. I'll continue playing and figure this out as I go--and probably write about it some more.
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