6 people found this review helpful
2
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 55.2 hrs on record (54.9 hrs at review time)
Posted: 21 Oct, 2022 @ 5:57pm
Updated: 28 Oct, 2022 @ 1:41am

Just Another Mercenary from a Peasant Village
Basic premise/Story

In the world of Strategy RPGs(SRPG) we need more games akin to Fire Emblem(FE) and Final Fantasy Tactics(FFT). This year we had Square Enix’s Triangle Strategy and in the summer another indie RPG called Symphony of War. Just last year we had another Dark Deity. And now thanks to Kickstarter backers we have another indie RPG. Much as the games before created a new spin on the FE/FFT formula. Lost Eidolon's also has something share. And boy oh boy does it pack a mean sword to the throat. However, just because we have a new SRPG the question remains. Is it good? And most importantly worthy of your time? Well, let’s see.

Low Fantasy? Exceptional Rapports?! Sounds Familiar...
Unique Gameplay

First, let me be clear I love FE games and FFT. But I'm certainly no expert in either of these games. Lost Eidolons(LE) shares many traits as the games mentioned above and has new tricks up its sleeves as well. One of these examples is how integrated the camp is. You won’t see it early on. After several chapters, it’ll show up. I spent a lot of time talking with my companions and visitors that would pop up in camp. Initially, I was a bit skeptical of the camp system. But after continuously talking to everyone in camp after a main chapter battle, it became an enjoyable routine to do. I’ve even taken the liberty of buying gifts and gifting them to my companions in the hopes of building more rapport with them.

One main feature I adore in the game is Rapports. Basically supports from FE games. Build enough rapport with a character and you can recruit new units from visitors. Unlock new conversation topic. Net you items such as rare items/legendary weapons/useful potions or other features like new training slots and even a horse. As someone who likes to peruse through a lot of support conversations, I took my sweet time seeing as many rapport conversations as I can. There are also different tiers to keep in mind. Going from Peers, Acquaintances, Close Ally, and Trusted Friends. Everyone starts at Peer. But rapport can also build from key story/sidequest conversations. So it's not solely on gifts to build rapport.

Conversations feel realistic and immersive, especially after the main chapter battles. Providing an excellent breather so to speak to converse with my allies at camp on what went wrong and what went right. Countless times I wish we had a post-battle summary and my units reflected that each time here constantly which I love. As well as providing additional context and new elements. This isn’t the only way to recruit allies. Sometimes they’ll ask to join or after completing a sidequest.

Speaking of side quests there are a bunch of them and worth doing to build rapport with each character. Along with cool useful rewards. I want to say I did more than 95% of them since some side quests are locked behind the 2nd/3rd tier of a character. And I couldn’t get 100% rapport with everyone. It’s not possible. So I only did as much as I possibly could.

Love how every class is unisex. So I could outfit one of my units as either class. In Fire Emblem Three Houses there were certain classes you could not change into because they are locked into gender-specific roles. Here we don’t have that problem. Useful since you have a large assortment of characters to choose from and mix-match.

Aside from the praise, let's go straight into the critique.

Optional battles could use an overhaul. They reuse the same map and enemies again and again. There is no differentiation, no randomized generation of troops, and no selection of different maps. It’s always the same. Some side quests do use optional battles. But these are very very few and about an allied units rapport tier in the 2nd/3rd tier. So those are worth doing. But if you’re doing optional battles for the sake of doing it. Don’t waste your time. Thankfully the devs are going to work on it. So look out for an upcoming patch. Perhaps add in grindable procedural generation maps to allow grinding for players if they want? I didn’t need to grind, but the option would be welcome.

Papers on the ground/on top of barrels or desks need better visibility. The small light-emitting on top papers are hard to see in the daytime. Perhaps a small radius on the minimap to detect where they are to see new lore and unlock new dialogue with your character’s units it relates to. I had a bunch of missing pages in the codex since It’s a chore to run everywhere in camp looking at every nook and cranny each time. Despite the fact, I could fast travel to anyone. Just a small suggestion.

The game could’ve used elevation more to make use of hills. Or adding side objectives(this might be a bit of work, to be honest). Granted there are moments when you can go atop wooden/castle ramparts to snipe at enemies. However, these moments are few. I feel the inclusion of hills and more elevated areas would spice up the gameplay on maps. Didn’t have a problem with the maps in general since a lot of them were fun to do.

A War-Torn Blade on the Blood-Soaked Ground
Final thoughts/Ruminations

I’ll be frank, my first couple of hours with the game didn’t impress me a whole bunch. I wanted to see the camp immediately. I wasn’t interested in the main character(Eden) and the company he keeps, especially since they were one-note characters. But after I got to the camp and had a little bit more battles under my belt and started to see more rapport conversations I turned an immediate 180 on everything. The soundtrack started becoming more epic with instruments conveying emotion and a cool tempo during intense clashes with the enemy. Along with tranquil tracks that soothe the soul during breaks. Voice actors are also pretty good with some notable voice actors from Fire Emblem: Three Houses here. Playing major roles too. Loved the cutscenes in the game since there are so many. And shows how much care the developers put in. I didn’t expect it at all considering it was an indie game. But I was pleasantly surprised since the animations reminded me of the first Witcher game. A plus in my book. In the end, what ultimately sold me is how the game’s story in battles and sequences started to affect my characters a great deal. Resulting in each of them getting strong character development throughout the game. From the beginning, middle, and until the end credits rolled. I was impressed by how far Eden develops in the story and his companions alongside him. Even the allies you recruit receive similar treatment of development and strong rapport conversations.

There are multiple badass female characters with strong development too and I'm glad it’s not just Eden who gets the spotlight all the time. His companions all receive varying degrees to shine and the game reflects that not just in cutscenes. But through dialogue and in battles as well. It’s a worthwhile journey to see what Eden and his mercenary company have gone through in the low fantasy, civil war-torn nation of Benerio. There are plenty of shocking turns and twists I didn’t expect. But for most of the game, my suspension of disbelief was held at bay. A remarkable achievement where other games can send you off to unknown parts of unrealism and disaster. Lost Eidolon’s goes bold with its ambitions and sticks the landing to convey a realistic and mature story I haven’t seen since Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem, particularly the Tellius games. A realistic story matched by a strong likable cast. Lost Eidolon is a must-play for those looking for a quality SRPG. And only priced at $35. An absolute steal. For what you get. Honestly, I think the game could’ve sold for $60. And I would be 100% fine with it.

Score: 8.5/10
Total Times Beaten: 1(Normal/Casual)
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