Redemption Reapers Nintendo Switch Review 6/10 “A Decent SRPG, That Doesn’t Want To Take Too Many Chances” ⚔️ #IndieGames #GameDev

Redemption Reapers opens with a very engaging cinematic, it’s very effective and does a good job setting up the narrative whilst sowing intrigue. It introduces us to our band of mercenaries, ‘The Ashen Hawk Brigade’ who have taken up the fight against The Mort - a destructive band of orc-like creatures who have swept through the land, decimating village after village.

It’s an interesting setup and I was definitely invested quickly, the problem came about three-quarters of the way through my time with Redemption Reapers, when I realised the opening had been the most impactful thing so far - and though I was enjoying my time in this world, it never managed to recapture that initial interest.

The plot has its moments, The Ashen Hawk Brigade are an interesting bunch, clothed in black leather with a decent amount of angst, the five that make up your team all feel different enough and are genuinely likeable. Throughout the early chapters, they hint at a dark past where mistakes were made, as it goes on this mystery is unravelled but it does take several chapters before it becomes interesting.

The Mort as an enemy are rather one note, their goal seems to be complete destruction but with no clear motive, they never speak so you never get a sense of their mission, this is a shame as I think with a more interesting villain, it could have really added a stronger narrative and something for The Ashen Hawke Brigade to really engage with.

The game is a strategy role-playing game, you control your team made up of various roles; some are stronger with magic, others are better bowmen and keep their distance, and others are tanks who absorb a lot of punishment getting your team in the right positions - and using their strengths in the battlefield is key.

One of the noticeable differences to other SRPGS is the number of enemies you face, the maps later on are massive and The Mort are everywhere, they truly dominate by sheer numbers, you really do feel overwhelmed from mission five onwards.

During your turn, you can do the usual things move, attack, and use items but you can also change weapons meaning you aren’t limited to just one type of attack and if needs be, can equip the weapon that better suits your current needs. Moving people around and surrounding the enemies is key, for example - when one person attacks, if another of your characters is in an adjacent square, they can do a follow-up attack.

One of the buttons flashes up and if you press it in the time limit you will do an extra attack, this is absolutely key to victory. After attacks, you can move your character a certain number of squares, so it’s not just a question of where you need to be to attack but where you need to be after you’ve completed your attack, it creates an interesting dynamic, causing you to be thoughtful through every step of your turn.

The combat may create a ‘love it or hate it’ mentality, many may find the overwhelming number of Mort off-putting as it can take multiple attempts per mission and with so many in such a big area it can become time-consuming and frustrating.

Some of the rough edges become very prominent as time wears on, the music has some really nice moments, but the songs are repeated and the cinematics seem to range from drop-dead gorgeous to ‘could do with some work’. Having a fully voiced cast is great, but some of the line readings aren’t consistent.

Summary

I felt the story was decent but a bit bland and though I liked some of the new combat features, it did feel very familiar.

What was coming through, is that Redemption Reapers is very competent but nothing that rocks the boat, it never offends - but it never enthuses.