In the five years since its release the Nintendo DS
has become the home to a wide assortment of strategy-RPGs; the system’s
portability and unique features (namely the dual screens and touch screen
capabilities) make it a perfect fit for the tactical genre. Laevatein Tactics is
the latest turn-based offering from Aksys Games, and while it delivers solid
tactical action for fans of the genre, it doesn’t do much to separate itself
from the pack.
Laevatein Tactics tells the story of the Kingdom of
Valencia, a small independent nation that barely avoided being conquered by the
neighboring Imperium Galia in the Valorous War, fifteen years ago. The land is
peaceful until the day Prince Ernesto of Valencia travels to the country’s
border only to find it under attack by the undead. He’s able to stop the attack
thanks to a young woman, who gives Ernesto a strange powerful sword. The weapon
turns out to be one of the legendary Vaettir Arms, the magical weapons whose
power allowed Galia to win the Valorous War. Galia attacks Valencia to retrieve
the magical blade, so Ernesto and his companions must stop the Empire to protect
their nation. The story isn’t the most original ever seen in an epic RPG, but
it’s a good enough excuse to send troops into turn-based combat.
The game borrows heavily from the greats of tactical RPGs: Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, and Advance Wars come immediately to
mind. Friendly units and enemies take turns moving around a grid-based
battlefield; factors like elevation, terrain, and elemental alignment must be
taken into account; various character classes offer differing attacks,
strengths, and weaknesses. Like Advance Wars, each unit on the grid represents a
small squad of units, though here each squad protects a “hero” unit – kill the
hero and the unit is destroyed. The troops will take damage for the hero until
they’re gone, and deal additional damage when that hero attacks, so it’s almost
always in your best interests to kill off the little guys first.
The generic troops up front protect the hero in the back;
kill him to wipe the unit from the map.
In some ways, Laevatein Tactics simplifies the
turn-based strategy formula – changing a character’s class is as simple as
giving him a different weapon, every weapon has just one combat ability, and
items don’t even exist. This is counter-balanced by the deeper combat options
that you have every time you execute an attack. Instead of one standard type of
attacking, here you’re given four choices: Attack (deal standard damage, with no
special benefits or drawbacks), Charge (attack with increased damage, but a
greater chance to miss), Phalanx (deal less damage, but increase evasion and
decrease enemy morale), or Defend (deal no damage, but take less yourself).
Combine this with the fact that each combat instance between two units is
actually three rounds of attack/counterattack, and the fact that your attacks
can be directed to either the hero unit or his troops, and there are plenty of
chances for tactical decision making.
As is standard for tactical games, ranged attacks like
magic and archery allow your characters to attack without fear of
counterattacks.
As I mentioned before, your characters’ equipped
weapons are extremely important – it determines not only character class but
also what special ability your units will possess in combat. The Vaettir Arms
are central in the game’s storyline, but also in gameplay. There are over 180 of
these magical weapons to find throughout the course of the game, each with their
own combat ability or special skill, but only the truly dedicated will find them
all. On top of their combat ability, each Vaettir Arm has a unique supermove,
called a Valhalla Break, which can be unleashed after you’ve filled a meter.
These devastating attacks can and will turn the tide of each battle. Be careful,
though, because the enemies can use them against you just as easily.
Laevatein Tactics’ presentation is serviceable without
really standing out. The game uses large 2D sprite characters over hand-drawn
backgrounds; while this is fine for letting the player discern the various troop
and terrain types, nothing in the game is all that visually impressive – even
spell effects are pretty lackluster. The game’s anime art style certainly
doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from the myriad
anime-style DS games on the market right now. The music stands out more than the
visuals; while the soundtrack isn’t an all-time classic, each track is a
throwback to the fantasy videogame music of the 8- and 16-bit eras, catchy and
charming.
The anime-style visuals get the job done, but won’t knock
your socks off.
The game’s developers have stated that it was their
intention to create a game that was a throwback to the tactical genre’s earliest
entries, such as Tactics Ogre, and they’ve succeeded. The trouble is, the
genre’s come a long way since then, and with so many other, more unique,
strategy-RPGs on the DS, it’s hard to recommend the relatively straightforward
Laevatein Tactics. Genre masters looking for a nostalgic experience might get a
kick out of the game’s old-school flavor, but newer tactical fans probably won’t
see much to recommend here.
Gameplay: 7.3
The game has some of the most straightforward turn-based
strategy you’re likely to find on the DS, or any other system. Straightforward
doesn’t mean simplified, or easy, but genre veterans will definitely notice a
distinct lack of frills in the game’s various systems.
Graphics: 6.8
These visuals are serviceable but not much more. Unit
sprites are large and detailed, but the game’s animation isn’t particularly
intricate or attractive. Combat scenes don’t have much impact or energy.
Sound: 7.6
The game’s music isn’t anything too special, but the songs
are catchy and engaging in a retro way. Sound effects are passable but minimal.
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Some battles won’t give you much trouble, but more often
than not you’ll have to press every advantage and play very carefully to avoid
being wiped out – especially since failure is usually as simple as allowing your
main character to be killed.
Concept: 7.0
The straightforward fantasy storyline won’t surprise anyone
who’s ever played an RPG, but it’s a good match to the straightforward,
unsurprising tactical gameplay. None of it’s bad, but neither is it all that
unique.
Multiplayer: 7.2
A few decent multiplayer options exist, if you know someone
else who owns the game: you can trade items, lend characters, or go head-to-head
in a simple versus battle.
Overall: 7.2
Laevatein Tactics has everything tactical fans expect from
the genre, and not much else. I won’t be so harsh as to call the game
“forgettable”, but there are far more unique and interesting genre offerings
already available for the DS. Other than an unwieldy name, Laevatein Tactics
hasn’t got much to distinguish itself from the pack.
