A Pixelated Page-Turner with Card-Battling Magic
Every so often, KEMCO like to try something a little bit different, instead of making yet another retro styled JRPG. Sometimes these games work, and sometimes they don’t, but yet another one has appeared on the Xbox marketplace.
Going by the name of Novel Rogue, this one is still a retro styled game, of course (one day they will make a game that looks like Final Fantasy XVI and I’ll fall off my chair), but it is being described by the developers as a “roguelite deck builder full of pixel artwork”. I guess I need to dive in and see what the story is, and see which side of the scale Novel Rogue comes down on.
Pixelated Personalities and Text-Based Tales
Novel Rogue is very much the usual kind of story for a KEMCO game, at least presentation wise. See, the characters that we both play as and interact with, are well designed and pleasingly represented on screen, and I’m amazed by how a little pile of pixels manages to have some personality. Further to that, the story is presented in a series of text screens, and the artwork displaying the person who is speaking (even if it is Eldur the cat), both of which are quite well done.
There are two sides to the game though, with the story more or less taking place in a library, and the other half of Novel Rogue taking place in a series of books. The books are represented by a series of side scrolling levels where you are able to choose a path, and the graphic side of the game works very well.
Sound is again limited to only battle sounds and music, as per usual, and while they work well, I think a voice acting soundtrack would bring a new level of immersion. However, we have to review a game as we find it, and the overall presentation has a tick next to it in my book, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Wright’s Quest for Immortality
There needs to be a story that goes along with this action, and there is one, so hold on tight!
We are an apprentice called Wright, who has been learning magic from a witch who goes by the name of Yuisil, the Witch of Portals. Yuisil has come to us, advising that she will be leaving Wright quite soon. Wright, distraught at this news, has decided that what he needs to do is become stronger so that he can keep Yuisil with him forever. The story is set in an ancient library, and Yuisil and her friends, the Witches of Various Things, have set up a series of books for Wright to go into and explore. But can Wright save his mistress, or is she going to disappear? Only you can make the difference.
The thing is, sticking my reviewer’s hat on, and the overall story is pretty weak – a surprise for a KEMCO game. But this is counteracted by the stories in the books we go into – swings and roundabouts if you will.
Library and Labyrinth
As mentioned above, this is very much a game of two halves. The world of the library, where we can wander around and interact with various NPCs, is a traditional kind of KEMCO fare, with a top down view and a pixel art look. It is here where we can catch up with various characters and learn about the world of Novel Rogue. The main focus of this section of the game is, however, the four books that we can choose to interact with, which takes us into the second half of the game.
The book worlds are strange. After an introduction, usually, where we interact with the hero of the book we are in, Wright is tasked with making his way from left to right in a side scrolling map – a map with multiple paths through. As we navigate said path, there are various nodes to interact with. There are the standard battle nodes, treasure nodes, which can give us new cards to use in the battle sections, and then there are also rest squares and event nodes. Event nodes can be anything from a fight through to choices to be made, which can have various consequences.
The last option is a card upgrade node, which allows you to pick one card in your hand, and to make it stronger: choose wisely! Once we reach the right hand side there is a boss fight, and then the chapter of the book is complete.
Deck-Building Depth
As the game description says, Novel Rogue is a card builder, and when we engage in fisticuffs, we have to use the cards in our hand to attack the enemies. Each of the characters that we control (including, weirdly, Wright’s cat) has a set number of action points to use in each turn, and the cards have a corresponding cost in points. We can use one three point card, for example, or three one point cards. The system works the same as many of the other deck builders we would have all played previously, and on the surface, the system is easy to pick up.
However, there is a decent amount of depth in the card system as well, with powerful cards having conditions attached; only by meeting those will you be able to use them. One that sticks in the mind does a huge amount of damage, but can only be utilised as the third card played. However, it has a hefty cost, so in order to use it, your other characters can only use two cards between them before this is unleashed by the third character. And it gets more complicated from there!
A Decent KEMCO Departure with Strategic Depth
It all means that Novel Rogue is a decent excursion from the usual KEMCO fare, and is well worth a look. The weak storytelling is offset by the deep card based fighting system, and the game as a whole works well.
If you fancy something a little bit out of the ordinary (for a KEMCO game at least) then you could do worse than to give this a whirl.
Your Links
KEMCO’s Latest RPG is a Real Page-Turner – Novel Rogue is Available Now! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/kemcos-latest-rpg-is-a-real-page-turner-novel-rogue-is-available-now/
Buy Novel Rogue on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/novel-rogue/9n8wjhsjcgcm