All right, it’s time for one of the big games that was getting a lot of hype around the bend. Yes, the season is stacked so it started to get overshadowed to a degree by other big titles like Metaphor and Sparking Zero, but make no mistake this is still a top tier title. What it may lack in length it makes up for with an excellent story and really smooth gameplay. It’s one of those titles you do not want to miss out on.

The game is marketed as dual main characters but very quickly you will see that there is one true main character. Marin is the guy and he is determined to be the strongest sorcerer in the world. He believes that this will allow him to be free so that he will not succumb to any of the rules set by the world. He can make his own choices and does not have to align himself with anyone. He is a “Stray” meaning that he is on his own right now which is very dangerous. Typically magicians who are on their own are bumped off.

The other main character is Sari and she is a part of the MEA. They are a big group of sorcerers who basically bend everyone to their will. You either work for them or you are squashed in record time. They are really not all that flexible. She really wants to destroy the source of the evil drug that has turned the world into a nightmare but for now has not received any real support. As someone who is a part of the big government, she will naturally be coming into opposition with Marin who is all about freedom.

Part of the problem with the dual leads mechanic is that Sari is really framed as the villain the whole time. You’re never really left wondering who you should root for because it’s obviously Marin. She attacks him for basically no reason and follows corrupt commands. She gets better as the game goes on but after a little bit, all of the chapters focus on Marin instead of switching every time. So even the game gave up on the idea. I should note that the story is still really good, but this angle didn’t work and it’s worth mentioning because it seems to be something they had really been striving towards.

This is a game that has a huge amount of world building and yet you are left wanting for more at times. It feels like the game introduces more topics than it actually ends up solving which is a little surprising. There are like 6 different groups throughout the game and while the ending does find a way to deal with all of them, there is a lot of meat left on the table. I could absolutely see a sequel for this someday. As it is, the game has two different post game chapters but I’m not at a high enough level to challenge those. I did play the World Ends crossover which was a lot of fun though. Would have been even more fun with the voice acting but maybe it would have cost extra.

Like I said the gameplay is super smooth though and that’s the main reason we are here. It’s a 3D action title that focuses a lot on dodging. You are supposed to trust in your magic abilities so the idea is that if you don’t move or attack, you are given the chance to parry an opponent’s move and absorb magic. Once you have magic, you can transform and attack until you run out. Then you repeat the process. You cannot parry purple attacks so you have to be able to react right away and dodge instead of waiting for the parry option. It’s a good bit of tactics at play here.

Then of course you have different badges that you can set which activate different powers. You will want to plan things out and test different combos to see which work the best for you. I tend to enjoy the long range powers and stick to my standard combos for the close range hits. For me that worked well but again you will want to find out what works for you. There are a pretty good amount of options at play here. Once you are strong enough to wipe out enemies with a single string of combos, then you are set.

Leveling up is fairly quick here. I got up to level 73 by the time I beat the game which is not half bad I must admit. Still got destroyed in the post game but at least I felt like I could grind if I had to. In fact, that’s a large part of the fun here. I actually enjoyed wandering through the town and scanning graffiti (Which unlocks new powers) and completing side missions. I ended up beating over half of the side missions and would have fun clearing out the rest. It’s a game that makes you want to play it. That’s the best way I could describe it. In some games side missions are just too much of a hassle but they make it so easy here. You just go to where it shows on the map and get the job done.

The map is good and the quick travel is great. When you mix those things together then you are really in a good spot. The graphics are naturally really good as well. The attacks stand out and the city looks nice. You’ve also got a really good soundtrack here. It may be a little limited in terms of how many tunes there are but fortunately I did enjoy the ones that were present. That makes a pretty big difference.

As for length, I beat the game in around 15 hours but I did take about 2 hours off to have fun with side quests. It’s not a super long game and even beating all of the bonus content will probably only buy you another 2-3 hours or so. There is a case to be made for buying this game when it’s a bit cheaper as the price will probably dip. That being said, the quality is still worth it. I think the shortness stands out because you expect more out of an RPG type game, but just think of this more as a fighting game or something. It’s still considerably longer than the average game of that title or any platformer really. It may be losing out in replay value compared to those though so it’s not really a 1 to 1 comparison. It all just depends on how far you get absorbed into the game and the cinematic experience really did it for me.

Overall, Reynatis is definitely an elite game. I would recommend checking it out right away. You’re really going to want to go for 100% completion right out of the gate, or at least everything aside from the post game mission. Even being level 100 doesn’t stop that from being a super hard challenge but hey it’ll be satisfying when you complete it right? The game is not as long as the average RPG but for an action game it’s not bad. You can tell they put a whole lot of effort into this one. The technicals are all good and I would definitely be in line for a sequel.

Overall 9/10