Turn-based tactics RPG Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark may not be out of Early Access just yet, but it already offers a huge, satisfying chunk of gameplay.
Granted, those tactics RPGs, they all kind of look the same. They look a bit like Final Fantasy Tactics, that is. While not the first of its kind, the venerable granddaddy of to-hit-chances and job changes and political intrigue with cutesy sprites is still the gold standard – despite being somewhat unavailable on modern systems. Almost every other game in this subgenre tried to measure up to good old FFT. There really hasn’t been much innovation in years.
As such, Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark doesn’t really try to innovate. The basic gameplay tenets remain the same. Move out with your troupe of different characters and vanquish some foes in turn-based bouts. Fights are mostly deterministic (i.e. you see exactly how much damage your attacks will do) and your merry band of heroes can change their jobs like underwear. All of this feels nice and familiar, and sometimes that’s exactly what you want out of your tactical RPG.
Still, this is no carbon copy of previous games in the genre. While not too plentiful, there are a couple of meaningful and interesting changes to the old formula. For one, there is a wealth of difficulty settings. How hard are the fights, what happens when your characters fall in combat, how much should enemies scale to your level and how well-equipped are they? There are not many games that let you tinker with this stuff, and I’m grateful for that.
Item use is another element that’s handled slightly differently. Instead of stocking up on potions and whatnot in the nearest town, there’s a fixed number of item uses for each battle. Materials that you collect on your way allow you to improve these items or unlock new ones, making them stronger or just increasing the number of times you can use any given item in battle. This gets rid of boring shopping sprees and turns your items into valuable resources that can turn the tide of battle.
Lastly, the game’s story contains just the right amount of fantasy tropes, political intrigue, and some odd quirks you probably haven’t seen before. There’s the bad guy you love to hate right from the start, but of course there’s more going on than meets the eye. Despite some inconsistent writing, the story is engaging enough. But, let’s be honest here – watching those numbers go up and those classes unlock is pretty satisfying by itself, right?
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is set to fully release in April. Most of the content is already implemented and the whole experience feels polished and complete. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre and a good introduction to newcomers.
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is available now on Steam Early Access. There is also a demo available on Itch.io.
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