Fallen Legion + is a different kind of game indeed, it sets itself aside from all of the other turn-based games by adding a subtle but interesting touch that will definitely appeal to certain gamers. It’s a game that tries to tell the same story but from different perspectives. A different way of looking at the same story can often shine light upon different key points within a story that will help you understand the “drive” of the main counter-protagonists. What side you pick or believe within this story, is all about your perspective…
Fallen Legion +, is a bundle which contains Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire and Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion. These separate games have been released on different platforms, but they do tell the same story; from another point of view. Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire was released on the PS4 and you take on the role of Princes Cecille, which is the emperor of the Fenumian Empire. She just inherited her position and she must already prove herself against the rebellion which is led by General Legatus Laendur. Of course, as you probably already guessed, General Legatus Laendur would also like to tell his side of the story. His story about overthrowing the empire of Fenumia was first released on the PlayStation Vita before it was added to this bundle. This bundle offers both stories, they share the same world and the same story but told from different sides. The twist is of course that both stories will intertwine with each other on certain points.
The sometimes “hectic” combat system is a fast-paced and turn-based but with a twist. Your party is formed by your main character and Exemplars. Each party member will hone his or her own combat abilities and can be activated by the touch of the button since each party member is assigned to a certain button that’s linked to your keyboard or controller. I played with a controller, so my buttons will be automatically linked to the buttons upon this controller. The combat mechanics are pretty straightforward and thus easy to pick up and play the game without any certain kind of skill. Your main character is the most important party member and will act as the strongest one within this party. Your character will have access to 3 different kind of spells: attack, heal and revive. These spells have a gauge that builds up during the battle. Your Exemplars are legendary heroes that already did their part in this life, in other words, these are manifested dead legendary heroes that offer a hand against your enemies. These Exemplars have their own set of weapons (bow, rifle, sword, and hammer) and set of skills.
During a combat encounter, the three Exemplars will stand before you, ready to attack the enemy. They have 3 attack points that recover over time unless you block which will pause the recovery time of your Exemplar’s skills. The Exemplar that’ll attack the last time during a turn (the final available circle) will use the Exemplar’s Deathblow. This special form of his attack counts as a special type of attack with different effects. Each point acts as an attack and on the bottom of the screen is a bar (consisting out of circles) which will show you how many attacks can be performed during a single turn. The number of circles can be expanded through abilities and unlocks. Each made attack will empty a circle from the bottom. It sounds easy and most of the time it is, but it’ll add that “little extra” to the fight that’ll keep you on your toes because keeping up successful attacks without the enemy interrupting your flow, will create chain combos that give a damage boost.
“Don’t expect “randomly button smashing” as a successful strategy”
During your combat encounter, you’ll also have to make important decisions that’ll influence your party. These choices arise because of the world around you, as a leader, you’ll have to make important decisions that can be beneficial or terrible for the world around you. These choices are “side story” events that need to be taken care of. The game also doesn’t give you a lot of time to react, because the events are timed. What the best decision is, is totally up to you as the game counts on your moral decision-making. These side events don’t influence the main story, it’s purely beneficial for your party’s combat encounters.
As long as you attack fluently and block the enemy’s attack at the right time, the enemy’s attack can be neutralized or even be reflected. Don’t underestimate the blocking, because it’s a special skill that you must learn to control during your fights. Once an enemy starts to attack, it will flash and at that point, you should get ready to block the enemy’s attack during its animation. This can be difficult since your screen will be filled with visual effects and it can be tricky to keep track of all the shown action. Keep your attention and don’t act too fast, or you’ll be punished doing so. It’s a fun way to play but sometimes it does feel like an expanded version of Quick Time Events, that go back to the God of War era. Good thing, I like QTE events, but I can understand the frustration of certain players, especially when you’re not used to your keyboard or controller’s buttons placement. Then again, those exhilarating and frustrating moments can quickly turn into one satisfied feeling, when all actions have been executed the way you planned it to be. Don’t expect “randomly button smashing” as a successful strategy, because the further you progress your story, the harder the battles.
Even though the game is an RPG, there isn’t a leveling system but during your playthrough, you will gather boosts and gemstones to make your party stronger. These gemstones have different bonuses for the character’s statistics but not every party member will benefit from each found gemstones because some of the gemstones are made specifically for certain characters.
The story of Fallen Legion is being told through progression. There’s a map with different points that’ll activate a battle or even a cutscene that’ll explain what’s happening. The story is okay but don’t expect some mind-blowing stuff. It was decent enough to keep me playing. The graphics and visual effects of the game are polished and it’s a style that’s keen on the eyes. The music is also definitely a plus, it was enjoyable for the duration of my playtime, even though a lot of the music repeated itself.
Conclusion
Fallen Legion + is an enjoyable game that’ll keep you busy for a couple of days. The game mechanics feel familiar but interesting enough to be exhilarating. The game has a good duration and if you can’t get enough of the gameplay, there’s a “One Life Mode” that sets the skill bar a bit higher. This mode offers a playthrough without retries and the story ends when the whole party is dead. The story is okay, but the two different perspectives make up for your time.
