The fourth tactical RPG by developer Rad Codex, and rather than being a mostly linear dungeon crawl or an open world experience, this one goes more for a Baldur's Gate feel, having the player explore large maps with numerous hidden secrets and peppered with occasional battles. There is also a slight metroidvania bent, in that you can venture into an area and reach a new area in an adjacent map by unlocking a door or clearing a path beneath it, and you can collect items or abilities to do things like freeze water or smash down thin walls. The core combat experience is largely unchanged, albeit with a new set of classes and races to choose from to take advantage of the new, subterranean setting. Classes include dual-wielding Dragoons, trap-laying Fangers and the Swarm's Eye, a ranged attacker that summons insects to damage and distract enemies. Another new mechanic is that you get a Mount - one of your character can hop aboard your wyvern to shield themselves from harm and take advantage of the wyvern's extra move range, although due to the fact that they cannot utilize any gear, they tend to be the first to fall in battle as enemies will almost invariably target them by preference. One also has the ability to craft weapons, gear and augmentations from raw ore and even melt down redundant ones into raw materials for later use, which is quite nice. The story is fairly threadbare but you do get bits of lore from "fireside chats" - as you rest and recoup strength at your hideout you will sometimes get drawn into a conversation where your characters talk about their pasts. Unfortunately the game also feels much smaller than Horizon's Gate, with only a few screens to explore and a limited amount of experience to be had, so careful party planning and making every point count is a definite must here. Yes you can venture out of the main area and fight randomly-generated battles on the overworld, but this just amounts to empty grinding and you're still restricted from revisiting fields repeatedly to level up, so it only helps to a point. The core tactical action is still strong and the character building has that satisfying Final Fantasy Tactics mix-and-match bent, but it's just not as engrossing an experience as Horizon's Gate was.
