Developer: Greenolor Studio
Publisher: Greenolor Studio
Platforms: PC
Tested on: PC
Beasts Battle 2 – Review
If you hear the name Beasts Battle there might be a little voice in your head that whispers, ‘Is this a game similar to Bloody Roar?’ This is completely normal if you have played those titles back in the day, but in reality Beasts Battle 2 is a tactical role playing game that has some fun elements to it. We dig deeper into the hidden story of a calm town and the horror that happened there.
Story
Beasts Battle 2 starts rather peacefully, as you’re enjoying life in a quiet town. Nothing special happens although that will soon change and we turn our attention to the harbour. The deep blue sea moves slowly but this idyllic sight is disrupted when something washes ashore. A mysterious large ruby that is covered in mud and algae is found by a sharp fisherman and is taken into the town to the local jeweler. For a nice bag of gold the stone is passed on and as the master starts to work on the ruby he unwittingly unleashes the evil that was contained inside the gem. The spirit takes control over the poor soul and with its new powers it starts engulfing the town in panic and despair. People start dying left and right, only to be resurrected as walking dead men moments later. You are the princess of the lands and it is up to you to fight the evil that tends to destroy your kingdom.
The story knows how to build itself up and the plot will keep you excited for a long time. Progression is slow at first but keeps going firm throughout chapters and steadily you will learn everything your lands have to offer you.
Graphics
It has been a while since we’ve seen a fully hand-drawn game. At first it might feel cheap, like some mobile port, but after spending some time playing the game it starts to grow on you and the true charm behind it comes to mind. Suddenly the cheapness will disappear and the graphics seem really decent. Every character has their animations and while these are simple it does not hurt the game. While it is possible to equip new clothing and items for the princess it does not show up. It would have been cool to make our sweet little princes a true warrior maiden or to customize the looks of our characters. Beasts have their own presence to them and it is possible to meet stronger and fiercer types of these along the way and they are easy to spot thanks to their even more evil expression.
Playing on the battlefield is very clear with a good differentiation between foreground and background. One thing remains unclear, there are many obstacles and some of them represent high blockades but it is still possible to perform ranged attacks.
Sound
To make us feel welcome in the beautiful town there is this real calm music playing in the background. It is noticeable that the developers put real effort in the different tracks with combat scenarios sounding unique depending on the difficulty. Furthermore, combat is aided by the many well-made sound effects, this makes playing on audio cues much easier but not that it is such a big deal.
Gameplay
Beasts Battle 2 is a tactical RPG game that uses a honeycomb structure of field placement in order to move around. As the story starts with the town being overrun by mysterious walking skeletons it is up to the princess to defeat evil. Surely she can’t do this on her own and after proving what she’s worth in the first battle a bunch of fighters agree to join her team. These troops stand on the battlefield while you stand from the sidelines and support them by doing one of three things, the princess is a support type that can either attack enemies directly at long range, use abilities to inflict pain and status effects or boost the defense on the field.
Building your army is a costly business, first you must defeat said troops and if they are in good spirit you may purchase warriors for your cause. Don’t worry about losing too much on the battlefield because the higher your leadership is, the better everyone is healed after the fight. Leadership is gained throughout leveling and by using certain items. Like in any other RPG you can equip your character with armor and clothes to increase status scores. When you level you can invest points into skill trees and every few times you get a new ability to use in combat.
Gameplay goes as following: during your turn you may move your troops to a position within its reach and attack afterwards. Some warriors only have short attacks, others can do both ranged and melee. The princess always goes first, then soldiers by choice (you may select your order, but enemies may be mixed in-between). Like many games, back-attacks will inflict more damage on your target than when you slash him face-to-face. This will influence your gameplay quite a bit as you will need to plan your moves beforehand. Following Newton’s third law ‘for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’ means that enemies in close range will react to an attack and will retaliate in the progress. Take in mind that a weak enemy can meet his demise by becoming up close and personal with your powerful brawler unit. Combat is very fair and even the hardest battles can be overcome by good planning. It is of the utmost importance to keep your army well equipped because strength is in numbers. Next to the main quest there are a few arena battles to test your strength and to earn a nice allowance, but there sadly are no side-quests or special mini games.
Conclusion
Beasts Battle 2 is a fun tactical RPG that you will need to get used to for a short while but once it sits it fits. The mechanics are very simple, there are great dialogues with some good references to modern movies and games, and thanks to its slow but decent progression it will keep you hooked for a while. The large amount of fighters will keep you puzzling with party setups since you may only carry a few troops to the battlefield. The game could have benefited from a more expanded play on skills and equipment, but is not hurt by the absence of it.
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