Inferno of the Demon Lance

Day 371

Gungnir is an odd little strategy RPG from Sting, the developer that brought us games like Riviera: The Promised Land and Knights in the Nightmare, both of which are awesome for different reasons. Sting has always been a developer that loves to innovate. One could argue that their penchant for including never before seen features in their games often backfires on them--and I could see that being the case in some situations. Ygddra Union was an enjoyable game but it didn't quite live up to expectations set by their other titles. 

It is also an entry into the so-called Dept. Heaven series, a title for which I can derive no particular meaning. The games in this series share a few common elements, but for the most part they are very different from each other. They are all RPGs but feature wildly varying mechanics. Riviera is a Game Boy Advance title (later released for PSP) that features an almost traditional turn-based combat system centered primarily around the use of found weapons with limited durability--as well as some dating sim elements. Knights in the Nightmare is a strategy RPG/bullet hell bybrid which is just as crazy as it sounds and one of the most fun games I've played on a handheld.

Like Knights in the Nightmare and Yggdra Union, Gungnir is a strategy RPG that features nods to Norse mythology. The protagonist Giulio wields the demon lance Gungnir, capable of summoning the powers of gods. He has access to this very powerful weapon from the very beginning of the game, although you may choose to equip him with additional weapons if you wish. This is frequently a good idea because Gungnir's primary attack hits the three panels in front of Guilio--friend or foe. 

 On the surface, Gungnir is a traditional strategy RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics. It even resurrects the charging mechanic that you don't often see in other RPGs of that vein. Most spells will require the caster to charge for a certain period of time before the spell executes, meaning that it is important to keep track of when allies and enemies will get the opportunity to move. This is easy to do because of the handy listing at the bottom of the screen. However, it's not always obvious how long a spell will take to charge and after 10 hours of gameplay, I'm still not sure if there's a static charge time for spells or not--and what affects whether or not that charge time is reduced. I've seen the charge time being discounted on a few occasions, particularly when my healer casts Criss-Cross--but I have no clue why it happens.

Unlike Final Fantasy Tactics, your allied units are not treated as separate entities when it comes to the turn order. In that game, there was a speed stat that determined how often that character would be allowed to take action. In Gungnir, the player is allowed to move a unit any time it is the party's turn, indicated by a yellow square with the letter P at the bottom of the screen. The actions that unit takes during that turn will determine how long it takes before it is the party's turn once again. If the player chooses to move a unit one panel, it will likely become the party's turn very quickly afterward.

The format present in Gungnir is kind of strange, honestly. Every enemy unit is treated a single entity and all have their own turn. It feels like the player's party is at a disadvantage because it is only possible to move a single unit every once in awhile, whereas the enemy is constantly moving all units. It's not difficult to become overwhelmed and feel as if you have no recourse for dealing with it. It's certainly possible I don't understand the system well enough to exploit it. Only time will tell if I get a better handle on it.