I’m a sucker for tactical strategy RPGs. Most people will know of X-COM, or Final Fantasy Tactics, or the Fire Emblem series. I’ve played them all. There’s something about having the time to think of some really devastating moves to turn the battles around…
Developers Makee Games claim to provide a “modern old-school game experience”. Rise Eterna is their first title, out now for the Nintendo Switch and Steam.
The story follows Lua, a young survivor of a bandit attack on her village. One of those bandits, Natheal, takes her under his wing and soon agrees to help her gather together her scattered sisters (as well as other friends met along the way) and finally get revenge for the long-ago invasion that changed all their lives.
It’s a small stakes game; the universe isn’t about to be destroyed, the dark lord is not about to blot out the sun. The eventual roster of fourteen characters (three of whom are hidden) are just content to find better ends to their individual stories.
Each of the fourteen characters has different actions available; none of them work quite like any other. Some characters have special abilities when working with another character. Those special combinations are explained in the skill tree. Since Natheal’s mission is to protect Lua at all costs, most of his powerful abilities trigger when he is protecting her. Twin sisters work best when they are together — and so on.
Each battle starts with your squad (up to six) facing off against the opposing force. Those enemies are less varied than the good guys, and they will soon become more of a chore than an adventure. Resources are scattered around, and those can be crafted into consumables such as health potions or throwing daggers and the like. Gems that can be socketed into each ally’s character window drop occasionally; they can help any character become more perfect. Tanks that never take damage, or rogue-types that crit all the time and evade all retaliation.
All these combine to eventually form a team that can easily take on any challenge.
When either side attacks the other, the attackers and defenders face off in a battle screen. If allies are nearby for either side, they will join in the fight — setting up combos like this is key to quick victories. In this screen, two enemies have ganged up on poor Sachael. The fight will proceed automatically until all characters have attacked.
The plot is delivered, visual-novel style, at certain points in the story. Unlike visual novels, though, there are no choices or alternate endings. The plot is entirely linear.
As such, it will only take a player between 10 and 15 hours to complete the entire game. I played it twice through — the second time to get the secret characters, and to try and discover a better (or at least, a different) ending. No such luck.
Rise Eterna is a fun little game for those who enjoy tactical RPGs. The stakes are refreshingly low; the characters are incredibly snarky; and the father/daughter bond that forms between Natheal and Lua is something quite special.
However, the game is short and linear. The overworld map that I thought was just the first chapter of the game, was the whole thing. The plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, sometimes. There is a particular battle where the win condition is that a certain character survives. Once the battle is complete, the plot reveals this character has suffered a fatal wound and then, instantly dies. There is another battle where the boss of the level explains that he has secretly been helping the team all along from within the enemy camp. There seems to be no way of sparing their life.
Full marks to the game for the characters and their relationships. But I have to take points away for the brevity of the game, the linearity of the plot, and the nonsensical nature of some of the battles. Rise Eterna very much feels like a good start to a better game. The similarly-priced Banner of the Maid, also a tactical battle RPG for the Switch, had a much longer campaign and several different ways the plot could go.
