➤ Redemption Reapers: the review of a strategy game that doesn't need a story 🕹

The Redemption Reapers review tells us that sometimes a video game has a combat system so fun that the story becomes secondary.

The debate about whether a video game really needs a narrative component has always continued. There are titles that base their entire essence on history and others that use it as a simple interlude between one fight and another. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Redemption Reapers falls into this second category. This tactical RPG has an interesting and synergistic combat system, but it tells a very banal and boring story.

Developed by adglobe and edited by Binary Haze Interactive, Redemption Reapers takes a lot of what Fire Emblem, XCOM, and Tactics Ogre have done well and remixes it, innovating slightly, into a dark fantasy sauce. The gothic aesthetic is a welcome relief from the genre's usual paladins in shining armor, but both visually and narratively, the stereotypes of the JRPG genre drown out the non-combat moments to the point of becoming unbearable.

However, where this game works very well is in its personal interpretation of the classic mechanics of turn-based tactical strategies, in which the most important element is the positioning of a given character. In this Redemption Reapers Review We tell you the pros and cons of this game, but only you can decide if a title almost completely devoid of an interesting narrative is worth it.

The curve is narrow

Redemption Reapers: the review of a strategy game that doesn't need a story — The mundane story is an easy hurdle to overcome in enjoying Redemption Reapers' combat system.

Redemption Reapers continues Events of the Ash Hawk Brigade., a group of five mercenaries called to help unspecified nations free themselves from the Morts, ugly, evil orcs who for some reason are setting fire to every town and city they come across. Rarely have we seen an enemy so devoid of identity and with such vague motivations that we (almost) lost the desire to intervene to help civilians. As the hours pass, some more plot elements emerge, but very slowly and with a lot of useless filler. We also didn't get any satisfaction from a character development standpoint. The five playable heroes and the other characters we interact with at the character level are flat as boards and simply perpetuate the stereotypes they embody. Ultimately, everything good about this title comes from its combat system.

Before analyzing the gameplay of Redemption Reapers it is important to make a clarification: It's not a simple game. If you like a challenge there is a lot to enjoy in this tactical RPG, but if you are looking for a quieter experience or one where you can simply decide the difficulty level, then it is best to stay away. Already in the first hours of the game we find ourselves repeating the same level five or six times because there are many enemies and they hit very hard. Each character and opponent has stats that determine whether or not they can dodge an incoming attack, but sometimes the AI turns on a particular member of your team. Placing a hero in the wrong place is equivalent to seeing him die and diminishing your hopes of victory. The frustration is felt, but once you get the hang of it, the satisfaction begins to arrive. Now that we've made it clear Redemption Reapers is a difficult game, we can begin to break down its combat system.

Tactics without barriers

Following a pattern already seen, the gameplay flow of Redemption Reapers consists of watching a cinematic sequence, preparing the characters for battle by assigning them weapons, equipment and skills (active and passive), Face Mort's hordes and repeat. At a structural level, each map is made up of a grid of squares, often has level differences and has an objective that ranges from killing all enemies present to eliminating a particular boss and may include escorting a non-player character or accompany the heroes to a particular place. As in most tactical titles, the distance that characters can travel each turn is limited and even a single square can mean the difference between being hit or missed by an enemy attack.

Each of the five Redemption Reapers heroes has AP (action points) available to attack, defend, or use special moves that protect themselves or their teammates. Every attack (friend or foe) almost always corresponds to a counterattack, unless the opponent defends or specific effects come into play through items or abilities. Each character then has a "Sip" available for healing, which can recharge at specific points on the map at a cost of limit your movements for one turn. The most fun element of this game's combat is the chain attacks. If an enemy is within range of multiple characters, an attack by one of them will trigger a quick-time event through which allies can land additional hits against an enemy. Placing your heroes correctly could lead you to attack many more times than your action points allow.

We were five mercenaries in the fortress.

The heart of every tactical role-playing game is its players. playable characters and Redemption Reapers only has five, but they embody the different styles of sword fighting well. There is Glenn the swordsman, very strong in attack but with a not very excellent defense. Sara is fast and agile with her daggers and has an attack at her disposal that is guaranteed to dodge enemy counterattacks. Lugh (read Laf) is a spearman with low resistance and health but who can attack diagonally and from several squares away. Positioning him better is the key to inflicting the most damage possible and protecting his allies. Urs is big, bulky and has a lot of health, it is better to make him the target of enemy attacks to which he will respond with his great axe. Finally, Karren is an archer who can hit even from 4 or 5 squares away while activating chain attacks.

Scattered around the map you will find weapons and accessories with which to enhance the ten statistics of each hero (attack, precision, dodge, defense, movement, strength, dexterity, speed, resistance and faith) and by fighting you will level up. unlock skill points which will be spent on the relevant trees. As you play, the combat system based on these five heroes evolves in unexpected ways thanks to new moves that are gradually unlocked. There is no cover on the maps so forgetting or not having enough AP to defend yourself means risking losing a character and finding yourself at a clear disadvantage. There are a lot of enemies and if you don't get rid of them you could lose the entire party in the space of two turns. However, when your chain attacks are multiplied thanks to strategic positioning, the satisfaction is very high and even the toughest bosses will fall on the edge of your swords.

Conclusions

Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Nintendo eShop Price 49,99 € Holygamerz.com 7.0 Readers (6) 7.6 your vote

Redemption Reapers is a game that didn't need a story but was forced to tell it to make logical sense of its excellent strategic combat system. The enemies and characters are really flat, but on the battlefield it doesn't matter: between positioning, chain attacks, arrows and great swords, facing Mort's hordes is an enjoyable and difficult pastime. The interactive videos aren't exactly pleasant to watch, with characters often out of focus and very rudimentary facial animations, and the combat phrases of the five heroes are not that varied and get boring quickly, but the videos are skippable and the audio of the game is adjustable. What matters is the precision and fluidity with which the developers of Redemption Reapers have designed its tactical gameplay. This game will give you a challenge that, if you like strategy games, will be difficult to resist.