#The DioField Chronicle

[mapas-fantasticos]

Map of Diofield Island from the Diofield Chronicle.

[semi-imaginary-place]

JRPGs that tried something ambitious but failed in your opinion?

The Diofield Chronicle. I actually like this game but wow is it ROUGH. I like the concepts and it's story but the gameplay isn't great. The game is kinda barebones like you can tell the devs are stretching things as far as they can from gameplay to assets to story. There's so many characters who have interesting concepts but because there's so many of them no one really gets developed, by the end of the game I barely got a sense of who they were. A lot of them don't play all that differently either. The game would have been much better with half the cast. The devs really tried something different, The Diofield Chronicle is unusual and unique in a lot of ways, haven't seen much like it, but that uniqueness also means it doesn't appeal to popular tropes and concepts.

.

Octopath Traveler 1 isn't a failure in my opinion but it is janky at times. The devs were very ambitious in making a JRPG that was only sidequesting. At it's best I can see the vision they had of a living interconnected world told vignette style. But they didn't quite pull that off, the biggest problem is writing quality, the main character story chapters were such a mixed bag writing wise some were good, bad, or meh. The beauty and curse of short form fiction is that it must be concise, every word must do the work of 5 words, which is why the best short stories are masterworks of writing. Octopath Traveler isn't that, it wastes it's limited writing space and should have said a lot more with what it had. The next problem is that the side stories weren't memorable. It was extremely hard to keep track of them and easy to get lost since some of them are interconnected. As a whole it ended up being a little too fragmented with each fragment unable to stand on it's own or connect to other parts. Some of the menu UI was pretty rough too, could have been better designed.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor was an ambitious game that succeeded in every metric except financially. It is one of the most underappreciated games ever. Everything about this game is so good. The time mechanic was really cool making actions and battles limited resources while also narratively putting on pressure. Loved the battle system, it goes very deep and hybridizes grid based and party turn based combat. The characters are great and so is the story, game really makes every choice count.

oh special mention to Pathologic (not a JRPG) and Darkengard who play so terribly it actually enhances the story and the themes of the games by being unplayable and a generally miserable experience.

[fiery-is-in-pain]

I did not use blatant favoritism to make my favorite character as strong as the main protagonist just for my team to be split up. if what this mf said is true im rioting

[kaviiinsky]

still upset that they just shoved Izelair to the back to make room for Waltaquin and Iscarion to join the main party, im hanging out with her at every available moment, like bestie you’re still important to ME

[loopingpyre]

The DioField Chronicle is so funny like

the main cast is fairly unlikable

One of them you are cheering on to commit war crimes (stan waltaquinn)

The protag is an asshole

story actively refuses to let you get in the shoes of the main cast

gameplay becomes boring because you can solve it

storytelling is mostly map recaps

Final arc is just a car crash in slow motion.

Yet in spite of that.

IT'S PEAK FICTION

[mai-han]

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: For 03·13·23 - 03·18·23･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ Time are PDT

✧ Mon 830p · The Forest ✧ Tue 830p · Yakuza Kiwami 2 ✧ Wed · No Stream! ✧ Thu 830p · Yakuza Kiwami 2 ✧ Fri 630p · FFXIV - Primal Alt (Heavensward) No Stream! ✧ Sat 430p · The DioField Chronicle DLC / Paranormasight

[skulkingfox]

I'm struggling to pick my next game!

[fostersffff]

I am really enamored with The DioField Chronicle being baby’s first RTS, because that’s the level RTS complexity I can handle, and the 3D models look quite nice- they hit a nice middle ground between Bravely Default cutscenes and Tri-Ace games- but the story is very generic fantasy; you are a group of talented fighters with no other discerning personality traits who are recruited into a mercenary group serving Some Important Lord, and in the greater world the Bad Empire has engaged with the Questionable Alliance and only The Kingdom is left standing and etcetera and so forth.

However, it gets some credit for going SUB-QUEST 1: DISRUPT A SEX TRAFFICKING OPERATION

[kyndaris]

God Given Right

Since the beginning of time, there have been people that have shown a particular charisma that have often thrust them into leadership roles. Whether that be for a small village or tribe to vast empires that span almost the entire globe. People are drawn to them, leaning on them for strength, support and direction. In many cultures, the leaders of their societies are chosen not by the people but by God - marked in some special way because of their birth or by their accomplishments on the battlefield. Sometimes, however, there are those that thirst for that kind of role. Their ambitions leading them to do whatever it might be for a taste of that kind power.

In The DioField Chronicle, the game of thrones is alive and kicking. And in order to ascend to the top, the multiple factions that make up the world will strive to do all that they can to grasp what they think is theirs.

The opening cutscene of The DioField Chronicle is a blink and you’ll miss it introduction to our two main characters: Andrias Rhondarson and Fredret Lester. Friends to the fourth born prince, Levantia Shaytham, they were there on the fateful day when the boy was slain by assassins, barely escaping with their lives.

As the game opens up on the first mission, years have passed. Now young men, the two, along with their friend, Izelair Wigan, save a government official and soon join a mercenary group called the Blue Foxes and run by Duke Hende, a member of the Lords Council. From such humble beginnings, the game spirals out into a 20 hour long politicking romp that explores what it means to be a good ruler, the dichotomy between democracy and monarchies as well as war.

But while the game is focused solely on the story it tells about the rise of the Blue Foxes, with the revelation that it was all a plot for revenge against one imperial general, Zevatian Schugel, there is also a lot of world lore that gets dropped. Lore that would be very interesting to explore in possible future entries. After all, you can’t just drop a character that had the power of necromancy at her fingertips, not even show her body after being stabbed and expect someone such as myself not to pull that thread.

Then, of course, there’s there’s the whole political structure of the Trovelt-Schoevian Empire (we get information about how a bandit took hold of the technology of the nation of Trovelt and became the leader of a sprawling empire. How was this not further explored?), the old giants of the past that many believe to be the source of Jade, and the secrets of the magical system contained within that precious mineral. All that and, well, the somewhat cliffhanger ending that left the fate of the Kingdom of Alletain up in the air. 

But honestly, the more I think on it, the more the game mechanics hinted at Andrias’s true identity. I mean, why was he the only character that got to wield daggers and act like an assassin on the battlefield with special abilities like Shadowstep?

No other character had access to those abilities!

Still, even though the story was quite contained, I couldn’t help but wish to dig deeper into the psyches of numerous characters. Though they were touched upon, the side characters were mostly there to support our main cast. From Iscarion and his noble ideas of the people ruling themselves. Waltaquin and her desire to see the world burn. I mean, where did allt hat come from? Then, of course, there are the secrets of the Gravell Church that were lightly touched upon before the game shifts focus back to other threats - namely the Alliance and the Empire.

So many tantalising threads that could have been explored deeper but were only given a cursory glance!

My frustration, I hope, is palpable to you through the screen, dear readers.

From a graphics perspective, I liked what the studio did with what felt like handcrafted dioramas for the battlefields. Quite a bit of thought were given to the maps and so it was no burden to revisit them for side missions. The cahracter models themselves, while looking like carefully crafted clay or plasticine models were emotive enough for cutscenes although the hair looked somewhat fake. True, it limited customisation in the game but there wasn’t much need to change much of the base character models or their equipment sans different coloured weapons. And given that the game was for multiple consoles, including the Switch, it made a sort of sense not to use overly complex rendering mechanics for the game.

That aside, what I loved most was the fact that they looked like tabletop miniatures when the game zoomed out on the battlefield. Moonbreaker what? There’s a new tabletop-esque game to enjoy and its game is The DioField Chronicle.

As for the gameplay and combat mechanics, the most apt description I’ve seen floating around is that it’s basically Baldur’s Gate. Though it touts itself as a strategy role-playing game, the mechanics feel ripped from the likes of BioWare’s old games. Especially with the fact that the game pauses when you select skills or direct your characters movement from one side of the map to the other.

Fire Emblem, this is not.

And while I did initially struggle on higher levels with meeting the time limits to unlock bonus goodies for my mercenary group, I soon realised that a levelled up Ignition - granting rapidity and might - was far superior to any other strategy in stomping thorugh the battles with grunts and bosses alike. After all, in this game, it’s all about the damage output in any given second. The ‘DPS’ if you would.

Who needs a tank if everything dies in a second or two? And who needs a healer when you’ve basically killed everything before they can hurt you?

The DioField Chronicle is not a perfect game. But it’s a solid one. Especially for those that like political intrigue mixed with their high fantasy and want a mix of strategy on the side. The characters can be a mix bag but there were several that I found both relatable and likable. While Andrias initially confused me as the choice of a main protagonist - what with his playing the role of a spy and assassin and acting like a side character rather than the main (that role going decidedly to Fredret) - I slowly warmed to him. That he was the kind of the mastermind behind everything was a nice twist.

And that too is important to consider. Because while The DioField Chronicle does tell an intriguing tale of politics, it doesn’t reveal its hand too early. Instead, it provides small breadcrumbs that feeds one’s suspicions. Especially when Fredret revealed his ‘true identity’ two-thirds into the game.

[hardcoregamer]

Review: The DioField Chronicle

Titles like The DioField Chronicle usually falter based on whether or not they have good stories, but it’s quite the opposite in this case. The boring story is disappointing, but the combat is so enjoyable it’s easy to forget about. Each map feels creative and diverse so there’s not too much repeat. It’s truly a shame the story couldn’t power through to ultimately make an impact, but there’s hope here for some other title to use a similar combat style with a better focus on understanding a more engaging story. 

Keep reading!

[satoshi-mochida]

The Diofield Chronicle releases today for the PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, Switch and Steam.

[semi-imaginary-place]

Love me a main cast that says:

"Orphans dont deserve to be fed they need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps instead of relying on handouts",

"Fie democracy! Those ungrateful peasants dont appreciate being ruled by an absolute monarchy enough",

and "But I WANT to massacre more unarmed civilians"

[fiery-is-in-pain]

warm-ups among other things

[umjogoquejogueioutrodia]

Dio Field Chronicle (demo) - Primeiras impressões

Em uma ilha chamada Dio Field é onde a nossa jornada dará início. Por muitos anos a paz era algo estabelecido, até que os ventos da mudança começaram a modificar o rumo das coisas.

8 anos depois de uma tragédia, o jogador assume o controle de um grupo de mercenários que acaba de salvar uma oficial do governo que estava sendo perseguida por criminosos.

O combate do jogo não é por turnos, a qualquer momento você pode mudar as ações dos seus personagens, você pode mover eles para qualquer lugar do mapa. Para usar as habilidades especiais é necessário ter EP, e depois que a habilidade é utilizada é necessário esperar um tempo para poder usar ela novamente.

Eu achei o combate do jogo bem dinâmico.

Conforme você vai derrotando os inimigo, a sua barra de TP gauge vai enchendo, quando ela estiver cheio você pode usar o Magilumic Orb disponível, que na demo era o Bahamut e o Goldhorne, ao usar ele, ele causa um dano enorme nos inimigos.

Existem algumas boss fights na demo, elas são um pouco desafiantes.

Durante o combate, existem algumas estruturas no mapa que você pode interagir, como por exemplo capturar uma torre para poder abaixar uma ponte.

A princípio a sua party é formada por apenas 3 integrantes, mas mais tarde outras pessoas vão entrar nela. Você pode ter até 4 personagens na party.

Entre as missões, você tem um hub por onde é possível comprar novos equipamentos e itens e também atualizar a sua skill tree. Também é possível fazer algumas missões secundárias.

Graficamente ele é um jogo bonito mas as expressões faciais poderiam serem melhores.

A demo dura cerca de 2 horas, mas esse tempo pode ser estendido se você for atrás de fazer as missões secundárias.

Pela demo é possível ter uma pequena noção de como vai ser o jogo completo, eu fiquei bem interessada em saber como a história e os personagens irão se desenvolver dali para frente e se o gameplay ira se manter interessante ate o final do jogo.

Dio Fiel Chronicle lança dia 22 de Setembro de 2022.

[loopingpyre]

The DioField Chronicle is one of the best RPGs in recent memory, not for being a good game, but for giving you a main cast of just really shitty conflicting people, you can watch bicker and squabble and watch the jenga tower of a plot shake and shiver before crashing down with a bang.

it's immensely satisfying.