The DioField Chronicle belongs to this category of game that I accept a little with my eyes closed, without having really informed myself about the product, and then hoping not to regret my decision too much. So I started to inquire while downloading the title (~22GB to recover) and I started to sweat profusely when I saw that it was a tactical game. Not that I don't like it, no, but because it often heralds a 40-50 hour epic, and the turn-based isn't what excites me the most. Luckily for me, I apparently picked up one of the only Japanese tactical RPGs of the year that tries a real-time approach, and it didn't leave me indifferent!
Developed and published by Square Enix, this game announced during a State of Play earlier in the year therefore stands out for its combat system which gives pride of place to "direct". We start the adventure with a mission that introduces a small troop of mercenaries, led by a certain Andrias Rhondarson, an assassin with a classy name but who did not sound very Japanese, a bit like the rest of the cast: Fredret, Waltaquin or again Iscarion which will be first names that we will come across throughout our adventure, if indeed we wish to integrate them into our troop. While attacking soldiers on the road to earn a few coins, we come across a young woman in her carriage being attacked by a band of thugs. Fortunately for her, we are part of this extremely rare species of mercenary with a bit of ethics, and we will save the latter through a tutorial introducing the basics of gameplay.
Although registering as a tactical RPG, the handling of this DioField Chronicle reminded me more of an XCOM one. We will have the possibility to select a unit by simply pressing, several by showing a circle which extends modulo our time of pressing the button, or to select the whole of the troop by pressing L2. The actions will then be done in several ways, so we can mark a path by putting different passages to the terminus, or perform our actions one by one by selecting a location / an objective or an enemy to go to the pointed place . If we choose to attack an enemy, we will see our troops attacking him from the chosen flank. Note that we can use some stratagems. Andrias, our assassin, will thus be more effective from behind or on lonely or distant targets, who have less life points. Each protagonist also has a range of skills and abilities to use wisely to overcome certain enemies or objectives effectively! Because yes, efficiency prevails in this tactical game. With each new mission accepted, we will have different conditions to fulfill to overcome it with some bonuses. Thus, if you manage to complete a mission within the time limit, you will often get a nice bonus. By completing the secondary objectives, your characters will progress faster and sometimes obtain interesting equipment to boost the characteristics of your characters.
Like any self-respecting game of the genre, we are entitled to the classic archetypes: the warrior who cashes well, the assassin who dies quickly but can do colossal damage on lonely targets, the archer who can swing volleys of arrows and do a lot of damage to enemies in groups, or even mages and other healers who will quickly become essential characters as you progress through the chapters. We can also call upon summons after having made enough outstanding actions to do phenomenal damage to enemies who are a little too tough.
Very clearly, the fights of The DioField Chronicle are its great strength! It will be necessary to overcome a somewhat long tutorial but which has the merit of being very complete, to then enter the heart of the matter: to end this war and regain control of the island of DioField. It's sewn with white thread all along, and even if the quest could have been catchy (and it is in a way because it's fun to chain the missions so much the gameplay works well), it quickly becomes a little redundant in its approach. The work indeed multiplies the small missions of 4 to 10 minutes, which makes us make an incalculable number of returns to the Headquarters. This is a small area with free access where we will find different characters that will allow us to blablater, buy via the local store, or even improve our skills via a skill tree held by a scientist practicing "modern magic ". It is also through this that we can accomplish a shovelful of side quests, some being more interesting than others. However, we advise you not to go too far, otherwise your level may quickly be behind the main plot which is always done in the same place: facing a strategic map of the island where the characters of high-ranking discuss among themselves a few minutes, with a somewhat soft staging, before sending us to the front.
4K Performance
4K Resolution
We will still appreciate the English and Japanese dubbing offered by the Japanese firm, which are both high-end, and the soundtrack is not to be outdone, the music will stay in the lead for a long time, and breathe a welcome breath of fresh air. to our Quest. Artistically, while I found every illustration MA-GNI-FI-QUE, I can't say the same for the 3D modeling which clearly doesn't showcase the capabilities of the PS5. The 3D avatars all look like sketchy models which ruin all the charisma conveyed by the 2D designs. We will still have three graphics modes, one activating Full HD (1080P), and two others offering 4K, in variable resolution with the promise of 60FPS on one side, fixed in 30fps from the other.
The DioField Chronicle is probably not the J-RPG of the year, the fault of a story that is a little too soft that fails to captivate over time, and probably also not helped by a particularly prolific and qualitative period for RPGs Tactical. However, its combat system will certainly be able to convince some recalcitrants by keeping you in suspense for a good twenty hours without too much trouble!
https://diofieldchronicle.square-enix-games.com/fr/
