Gungnir Review RPGFan

Graphics:
86%

Sound:
87%

Gameplay:
91%

Control:
90%

Story:
93%

Overall:
92%


Pros:
Excellent gameplay, pleasant aesthetics, well-written narrative, challenging.

Cons:
Difficulty curve can be overly unforgiving, some story elements left unresolved.

Bottom Line:
A well-crafted SRPG with an incredible story best tackled with the intent to challenge oneself.

Between battles, players can recruit or hire new units, buy and change equipment, and enhance weapons. Every modification to the player's active lineup, no matter how small, is very much a balance between risk and reward, and even the smallest tip of the scale could determine Giulio's fate in combat. Each item has a different weight value, and each character can only hold so much weight before they can't take on any more items ÔÇô is it better to equip the heavy armor (that might also reduce movement range) or lighter armor with the addition of a healing item? Characters also gain mastery of their weapons the more they use them, gaining new attacks and increased attack damage as their skill with their currently equipped armament ÔÇô so when new equipment is available, players must determine if the weapon they're currently using is worth ditching for the potential of a stronger weapon down the line. Weapons themselves can be upgraded with gems that are either found on the battlefield or refined from unneeded items, but upgrades aren't always successful, which makes this yet another facet of the game that requires careful planning.

Because of the linear nature of the game and the many factors that influence gameplay, character progression, and combat, it is very possible that players can end up in a no-win situation. It is possible to grind for levels in some battles, but it is very tedious and not often doable, so players must keep multiple saves just to make sure they don't play themselves into a corner later on and have to restart the game from scratch. A training mode that allows more casual players to level up and bulldoze past particularly difficult battles would have gone a long way in helping the game's playability. While Sting has succeeded in crafting an incredible SRPG, it unfortunately falls victim to its own complexity and difficulty, and can be too punishing for players who just want to sit back and let the story come to them without too much hassle.

Regardless, Gungnir is a well-made game in nearly every aspect. Its aesthetic qualities are pleasing, its gameplay is solid and well-built, and its story is interesting and very well written. While some may be turned off by the rather steep difficulty, SRPG enthusiasts will be enthralled by the story and challenged by the gameplay. If you're a more casual RPG player, you might want to give Gungnir a pass, but if you are a connoisseur of the SRPG genre, then Gungnir will delight you like few other games will.



Fuente: http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/Gungnir/index.html