Feel a hankering for a strategy role-playing game (SRPG)" Well, you?re in luck ? after being featured in the Square Enix Collective and running a Kickstarter which funded over five times its asking budget of $50,000 CAD, Children of Zodiarcs has finally arrived on the PlayStation 4. Mixing turn-based strategy with deck building and dice rolling, does the game manage to do something new in the SRPG genre" Time to find out.
Turn-Based, and So Much More
Children of Zodiarcs is a turn-based game at its base level. Naturally, things are more complex the deeper into the game you look. Each player takes a turn to move their units and perform actions. Turns only have one phase, which consist of several actions. Physical tasks are automatically countered by enemies, unless they are backstabbed (attacked from behind), attacked from a higher vantage point, or with a ranged attack. Every unit has their own deck of cards, and set of dice. Units can hold up to seven cards in their hand, which dictate what moves they have available. Once the unit is in place and the card is played, the player rolls up to six dice (more can be added with various buffs), and final damage and other card effects are calculated. Rolling the dice is done by holding the Cross button, moving the left analog stick, and the releasing as the dice still have some speed ? the DualShock 4’s motion sensing capabilities are not utilized here, which would have been a fun mechanic, gimmicky or not. Deck b...