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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strategy/Sim/RPG all in one, March 18, 2010
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
For gamers that played Koei titles such as Gemfire, Nobunaga's Ambition, or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you will already know the general idea behind Spectral Force: Genesis. Just realize that this is a simplified version of those types of games with a modern twist.
Spectral Force: Genesis is the first game I've ever played in the Spectral Force series, and so far I am very impressed. Like the games I mentioned earlier SF:G features a world divided by numerous factions owning their own territory, and each kingdom is fighting for complete dominance. You choose a territory to start with (you can only choose from some of the kingdoms, but the instructions say that your options expand after you beat the game) and a brief back story is provided for your specific Lord--everybody has their own story.
You have a few generals at your disposal with their own specific stats, special moves, and soldiers. These generals are used for pretty much every action in the game. Every turn represents one month, and in each month you can only choose certain orders (fortunately the game lets you see the command flow for an entire year). I don't really know how to feel about this because it really limits you in what actions you can take each turn. For example, if the particular month is a Foreign Affairs month you can only make alliances or try to presuade foreign generals to join your army. In a Battle month you can only start a battle with a neighboring country or try to rob money from your opponents. Other commands allow you do such things as trade for money, hire troops for your generals, and fortify your walls. I'm used to games that allow me to use all commands when it's my turn. Being limited to specific types of commands per month is awkward to say the least. However, it starts to make more sense when you begin conquering other territories. Each location you control does not take its own turn each month. Rather, you take one turn for all territories you own (this saves a lot of time). Therefore, unlike in similar titles, you can attack from any territory you own in a Battle turn and if you are attacked you can use any general no matter what specific territory is assaulted. This simplifies things greatly so you don't have to move generals and troops between territories all the time. And it makes it more logical that you can only perform certain tasks each month since your actions can/do affect every territory you own and makes it imperative that you strategize what actions to perform at what time (remember that you can see the flow of each month's actions for the current year).
Combat in SF:G is very unique, and relies solely on the Stylus control-wise. You bring up to 3 generals into battle (with up to 400 soldiers each). Each general has a certain kind of soldier (knights, skeletons, magicians, etc.) at his/her disposal. Different soldiers are good on different kinds of terrain (each battlefield consists of one type of terrain only), but I don't think that's a super big deal. What's more important is whether or not the specific unit is an Attack unit, Defense unit, or Magic unit. Attack units are placed on the front row and do extra damage to Magic units. Defense units are in the middle row and do extra damage to Attack units. Magic units are in the back row and are effective against Defense units. So, depending on what generals you have available you could have 3 Attack generals, 1 Attack/1 Defense/1 Magic General, or any other combination. Once battle starts you use the stylus to trace what path you want your generals to follow. Units can't go through each other so you must make sure that your paths don't block each other. What's really cool is that how fast you draw your line affects how fast your units move. Once one of your generals reaches an enemy troop they automatically begin fighting. You SP gauge fills as you take damage which allows you to use special skills. Just tap on a skill and it will tell you its effect and how to execute it. This means you have to keep your units heading in the right direction and make sure you manage their skill use effectively at the same time. Don't lolly gag because your opponent will be using their skills regularly to their advantage. Unfortunately, if a lot of units are clogged in one area it takes a good deal of precision to select the particular unit who's skills you want to use. The good news is it isn't so difficult that it changes the overall course of the battle. In general I really enjoy the combat system for its unique nature and the fact that it keeps you thinking the entire time.
After the battle is over you enter seige mode. If you are the attacker you can choose 1) to ask the defending lord to surrender, or 2) to attack the castle walls. You have 3 rounds in which you can choose these options. When you attack you damage the wall while some of your remaining troops are killed (presumably by any defending soldiers not brought into battle by your enemy) for a set period of time. If their wall is too powerful to defeat within the 3 rounds you must end the seige and fight another day. This gives the defender a chance to rebuild their armies and fortifications before your next assault. If you are the defender in the seige you have the option to fight or submit. If you submit, all of your territories become vassal states to the attacker, you can no longer perform foreign affairs (other than declare independence from the conquerers which automatically leads to a battle against them), and all battles involving your territories will be controlled by your new masters. Fortunately, declaring independence (and winning the ensuing battle) will allow you to continue your pursuit of complete domination.
Graphics are clean and colorful, there is no voice acting, and the music is pretty good but nothing to get excited over. For such a low profile release I was surprised at how polished the game actually is, though. The replay value is high since you can replay as different kingdoms for greater challenges and different stories (not sure how developed the individual stories are though).
Pros:
--Good graphics
--Good music
--Unique combat and fun gameplay
--Plenty of replay value
Cons:
--Stats are not fully explained, and stat values are not certain due to the fact that your advisor (a general of your choosing) only estimates the stats of your generals. There may be a way to be certain, but I don't know it yet
--Not being able to use all commands each month can be restrictive
--Sometimes combat can get a little crowded for precision with the stylus
Gameplay--8/10
Graphics--8/10
Music--7/10
Controls--8/10
Replay Value--9/10
Overall--8/10
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