the stories Series made a noticeable return this September Stories from Arise, the 17th mainline title and one that brings some life to the long-running action RPG franchise. That is a real one stories Game, full of an anime opening and fast-paced gameplay and all the good stuff that fans of the show love. The new mobile phone release Stories of Luminaria tries to do the same thing, just compressed into an on-the-go experience for Android and iOS that you can play with one hand. It kind of works, or at least it would, if it wasn’t largely ruined by the decision to only make it playable in the vertical orientation.
It’s an odd choice, but one that makes a difference Stories of Luminaria from other mobile action RPGs on the market. Still, the decision limits the design of the game, especially the camera and combat.
Continue reading: Stories of creation Reminds me why I fell in love with JRPGs
There is no central protagonist here, but you start the game as Leo Fourcade, a hot anime sword boy with red hair and a tattoo of a tribal pattern on his right forearm. Leo is just one of 21 playable characters that you unlock after completing each episode. There’s an impressive variety of class archetypes here, from archers and battle mages to gunslingers and swordsmen. Some characters share weapon types, but still their movesets and play styles are completely unique. And each has their own episode that lasts around an hour, which means there’s a lot of content to squeeze out of Stories of Luminaria.
But what could have been a pleasure stories The game is largely hampered by his insistence on playing vertically. Yes, whether you’re using an iPad or iPhone, you can’t change the orientation even if you’ve unlocked it on your device’s interface. It’s different, of course, but forcing you to play in portrait orientation creates frustrations beyond your control in combat and general movement, which is not as accurate due to the touchscreen controls.
The mandatory vertical position also affects the camera, which is completely useless. It’s not so much behind your character, it just swings across the screen, jumping between looking over one shoulder and looking over the other without your input. And if it’s not enjoying its freedom, it’s likely because it’s got stuck in the wall or between the characters. You can’t even swipe to move the camera. You can only see through the narrow window of your phone screen, so good luck dodging enemy attacks when you can’t even see them.
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Combat, with its imprecise touch controls, doesn’t fare much better. There are four main buttons on the screen: Attack, up to two normal “Artes” (special movements that charge up when you attack enemies) and a mystical Arte. You dodge by swiping your finger across the screen and counter by tapping a displayed quick-time event prompt. It’s pretty easy to record and play. However, because you are doing this on a touchscreen, commands are not always registered when you want them. You could tap Attack to do a three hit combo and then stop so you can dodge before tapping an Arte, but your character may not get the message you want to send. Because of the way you tap your screen, it is much more likely that you will take damage or roll towards the enemy rather than moving away from them. There’s no dedicated block button either, so your only defense is countering or dodging.
Despite all the, Stories of Luminaria has bright spots that really glow. It just doesn’t look like one stories Game; it sounds like it, too, with a roaring orchestral soundtrack and very anime voices for each character. The interactions between the playable heroes also meet the familiar tone of the series. As your group of three travels through the world of the game, there are plenty of warm moments and friendly banter. And it tells a fascinating story about shape-shifting students and sects who overthrow the government. It’s shortened a bit, on the phone and stuff, but it’s very a stories Experience.
Continue reading: Stories of creation Even better if you remap the buttons
If all of this sounds like your thing, or you’re ready to deal with the shaky camera and imprecise controls thanks to the always vertical position, then you can download it Stories of Luminaria now on Android or iOS devices. It is an often frustrating experience that has left a lot of familiarity stories Series charm, and that’s fine. But if you’re looking for a deeper one stories Game, one with more precise controls and this adorable cat, then I can only recommend it lift Stories from Arise instead of this. It’s the real thing.
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