Grim tactical RPG Redemption Reapers from Binary Haze Interactive and Adglobe is waiting for you on Nintendo Switch. Check out our Redemption Reapers review!
Grim Tactical RPG Redemption Reapers from Binary Haze Interactive and Adglobe is waiting for you on Nintendo Switch. Binary Haze Interactive and Adglobe previously gave us Metroidvania Soulslike ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, so this one is certainly different. The Mort armies have descended upon the land, destroying nation after nation in their path. The only ones who can put up a fight and try to save the regular folk are the members of the Ashen Hawk Brigade, a group once known as the Faithless Reapers.
And as soon as the first cutscene in the game is over, Redemption Reapers will immediately have you go through the tutorial so that you can learn all of the basics. Once you’ve selected a unit by moving the cursor on top of it and pressing the A button, you can use the left analog stick to move a selected unit within its action grid. Once you’re done moving, you can have that unit perform an action – attack, defend, use an item to restore some of its lost HP, use an ability, or end its turn. Each action they perform will require some Action Points (AP) since this is how the game balances things out.
Before attacking, you’ll be provided with detailed information about how much damage your attack can deal, its accuracy percentage, as well as the chance you have of landing a critical hit. You will also be able to review your current weapon’s durability so that you can plan accordingly. When a unit attacks, allied units within range of the target can perform a follow-up attack. Once the initial attack is over, each allied unit can perform said follow-up attack by pressing the B, A, Y, or X buttons. There’s a short window of opportunity for doing this, so you’ll need to be ready!
Remember how I mentioned that during its turn, a unit could use an item to recover some of its lost health? Said item is known as Spirit Draught. While the item itself won’t ever run out, there’s a limit on how many times it can be used on the same map, so you’ll have to plan accordingly. Your units don’t start with that many HP, so you’ll have to make progress at a slower-than-expected pace if you don’t want to end up completely destroyed by your opponents.
Adding another element to your strategy is how you can add additional AP on top of your starting one, up to a maximum of 13. How do you do this? By completing the special requirements for that battle. You won’t be able to keep this additional AP for future maps, but you’ll certainly be able to make the most of it during that fight. You’ll also have to pay attention as you move through each map so that you can spot any of the shiny relics that can be collected. Just walk on top of a relic and then select to collect it to add it to your inventory.
After clearing a map, you’ll move to the Loadout screen. From there, you’ll be able to prepare for the next battle. You can select Story to dive into the next map. Battle Prep will allow you to use shared experience points to level up units, use SP to unlock and upgrade skills, change equipped weapons, equip accessories, and use enhancement items. By visiting the Archive, you’ll be able to review text about character episodes, Morts you’ve defeated, as well as any weapons, items, and relics you’ve obtained. The last option will be for saving your progress or loading a save file.
Once you’ve completed a battle, you’ll be ranked based on your overall performance. You’ll need to complete each fight as fast as possible and with as many of your allies alive by the end of a fight to get a solid grade. This is important because, based on said ranking, you’ll be rewarded with additional experience points. While units obtain experience points as they defeat enemies and complete objectives, any bonus experience points obtained during combat will be added to a shared pool. It’s from said shared pool that you’ll have to spend additional experience points to increase a unit’s overall level. By spending experience points, you’ll be able to train a unit. Once a unit levels up, it will receive a boost to some of its stats – HP, strength, dexterity, speed, endurance, and faith, as well as gain some Skill Points (SP). You might also find special items that can be used to boost a unit’s stats.
SP is not shared, but it still needs to be spent on improving the skills under your command or on unlocking new ones. Some skills can’t be upgraded, or you won’t be able to upgrade them past a specific milestone. Skills are split into active skills that you can use and passive skills that are always active. These include – but are not limited to – active skills such as Twin Fangs, which deals considerable damage to an opponent in exchange for a bunch of SP, or passive skills like Hero’s Resolve, which increases the damage dealt by one point.
Remember I mentioned Spirit Draught and how it can save a unit’s life by replenishing some of its lost HP? Something else you need to keep an eye out for while out on the battlefield is Spirit Veins. When a unit touches one of them, its HP will be restored. On top of that, any consumed Spirit Draughts will be replenished, making it a great way of healing a unit while also making sure it’s stocked to be able to go into battle and lick its wounds if needed.
You’ll definitely enjoy the game’s gameplay mechanics since they offer a familiar experience with some extra bells and whistles here and there. The sound design is also great, and the voice acting adds to the overall experience. While the game’s cutscenes look great on Nintendo Switch, the graphics certainly take a hit when moving into the gameplay portion of the game – even more when you play this one in Portable or Tabletop Mode, or if playing the game on a Nintendo Switch. While it was not a deal-breaker for me, your mileage may vary.
Redemption Reapers is a grim tactical RPG on Nintendo Switch that is worth checking out. As the Ashen Hawk Brigade – once known as the Faithless Reapers – take on the deadly Mort, you’ll need to do whatever it takes to vanquish evil before it’s too late. You’ll have to make the most of your skills and make sure that your AP is put to good use, as well as place your units just right so that you can use follow-up attacks to make short work of opponents. There’s plenty of content on offer, so you will be spending a while playing this one before the credits roll. Redemption Reapers is out on Nintendo Switch with a $49.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This Redemption Reapers review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Binary Haze Interactive.
