Plenty of fans have been disappointed by the recently announced delay of Lab Zero’s upcoming hand-drawn action RPG, Indivisible, repeatedly playing the previously released demo after learning they would now have to wait until 2019 to get their hands on the full version. Luckily, a new exclusive called Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory has been brought to the Nintendo Switch by NIS America and YummyYummyTummy Games.
Two Stories in One Package
Rise to Glory compiles the two previously released Fallen Legion games, Flames of Rebellion for PlayStation 4 and Sins of an Empire for PlayStation Vita. Each version contains the same story from a different point of view. Flames of Rebellion stars former soldier Legatus Laendur as he leads a rebellion to overthrow the royal family after discovering the corruption deeply ingrained within the empire, while Sins of an Empire stars Princess Cecille, the newly crowned princess of Fenumia, who is trying her best to restore Fenumia to its former glory.
You’ve Seen This Somewhere Before
For anyone who is a fan of the Valkyrie Profile style of gameplay — which is similar to that of Indivisible — Fallen Legion will provide a recognizable battle system; however, anyone not familiar may experience some difficulty adjusting. After a brief story section, you get thrown into the action right away, and it can take time to understand the gameplay and finish the first level. Each level contains a series of battles, sometimes with a boss to face once you reach the end.
Your Exemplars Will Aid You
Similarly to Indivisible, your party consists of several characters, although the main character takes more of a supporting role. In battle, you control these several characters, called exemplars, who join you throughout the course of the campaign, each of whom corresponds to a different face button. Each time an exemplar attacks, it requires mana, and there’s a quick cooldown after it has been depleted. Additionally, the main character has a special attack as well as the ability to heal and revive allies. The abilities of the main characters require a more extensive cooldown time, so well-timed blocks are necessary if you want to make progress without having to rely on them. Perfect blocks can grant you AP and reflect enemy attacks as well.
Characters do not gain experience or level up after each battle, but they can be equipped with gemstones to improve their attributes and gain new abilities, of which three can be equipped at once.
Important Decisions
In-between battles, you have to make choices for your kingdom which will grant you bonuses and affect certain aspects of the outside world. These choices are timed, so you have to be quick about what you think will be the best option depending on how your characters are doing at the time. Your choices can also boost morale, which in turn grants you an additional bonus.
Only One Life Creates a More Intense Challenge
In addition to the main campaign mode, there is also a “one life mode,” which features no retries and ends the game as soon as the main character has been defeated in battle. This isn’t recommended for anyone who isn’t familiar or hasn’t already completed the game normally, but it provides an extra feature for players who want to challenge themselves. Like plenty of other RPGs, a New Game Plus mode is also available after finishing the campaign for the first time.
A Few Drawbacks
One glaring flaw Fallen Legion has is a severe lack of checkpoints. Despite a built-in autosave feature, saving doesn’t happen in-between battles, and levels are restarted if you’re defeated. It could be understandable if there were a checkpoint at least at the halfway point, but having to restart a level becomes exceedingly frustrating. Additionally, it seems that cut-scenes can’t be skipped, which may further infuriate some players. Unlike Indivisible, Fallen Legion also does not contain any kind of platforming, so fans of that feature may be disappointed as well.
Something to Consider
Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory is best for fans of the genre and those who enjoy the particular type of battle system. It may not be as close to Indivisible as some fans might want it to be, but it can at least tide some of them over for now. Now that players can experience the two different versions on one platform, they have around 30 hours of gameplay to keep them satisfied, and even more if they’re willing to face the challenge of one-life mode.
Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory is available on the Nintendo Switch. Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion is also available on PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4, while Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire is available on PlayStation 4. Both versions are also available on Steam.
Note: A code for Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory was provided by the publisher.
