The Alliance Alive [Review]
By: Andros
Note – This review is based on gameplay from a Nintendo SwitchLite and Nintendo Switch Docked in tv mode.
Thestory of The Alliance Alive follows two characters, Galil and Azura, as theyrecruit friends and allies to form a large rebellion against a race of Daemonsthat have ruled over humans for thousands of years. The outcome of this demon’srule was the sun and sky being completely covered leaving the world with amurky grey sky.
Synopsis
Thestory starts with a young boy named Galil and a young girl named Azura. Galilis a boy in a resistance group called the “Night Ravens” and he is usually calmand collected but can be very emotional. Azure on the other hand is spontaneousand always speaks her mind all while having Galil under her thumb. Thebeginning cutscene talks about how one thousand years ago, the Daemons dividedthe earth with the Great Barrier. Doing so split the world into realms andcreated laws to keep each realm under control. Since that day the world has notseen a blue sky.
Thegirl says many times she wants to see a blue sky. According to the boy the skyisn’t blue because of daemons that invaded their world. The blue sky is nothingbut a myth and a dream for many.
Starting the Game
This is a classic turn based JRPG with a feeling closer to the Dragon Quest series.
Thegeneral objective of this game is to build up your alliance against the daemonsand restore the world to what it once was many years ago. The first thing Galiland Azura are tasked with doing is meeting a man named Renzo at the Recon GuildTower. The players must travel through the Rain Realm to get to theirdestination. Upon arriving, they talk about the secret letter that wasdelivered. They also talk about the ancient museum and how there is a big shotdaemon heading their way. Rumors are saying that the ancient museum is a gateto the Daemon world, or it could be a secret weapon stashed away. Some peoplesay that there is a ship that can travel the dark current, meaning it cantravel outside the world.
Afterfurther conversation, they head to the museum after hearing a rumor that thereis a painting of a blue sky there.
Look and Feel
AllianceAlive was originally released back in 2017 on the 3DS. Visually the game looksfantastic being ported from a screen that’s 400×240 in size up to the standard1920×1080. the visuals and colors still look sharp and vivid.
Thegame’s updated visuals and colors remind me of old Japanese a painting artstyle called Ukiyo-e, the character models however do not give me this vibe.The character models are similar to the Disgaea series but with made with 3Dvisuals
Anyplayer looking for a classic turn-based style like Dragon Quest and FinalFantasy 7 will feel right at home with this game.
The Good
Theway characters express themselves is enjoyable. They are shown with picturesabove their head sort of like emoticons. This game has no voice acting so it’sa good way to really know how someone’s feelings without text. Every singlecharacter in this game is very expressive and all have personalities thatreally stand out.
This game has puzzles in dungeons. The first puzzle you encounter in the game is a puzzle dealing with light coming from the ceiling of the Daemon-guarded Ancient Museum. The light is bending in an odd direction and you must touch the statues in order to get it lined up right. Sometimes, puzzles are introduced as a way of satisfying folks looking for puzzles, but with no real challenge. Have no fear - the puzzles in The Alliance Alive have quite a bit of variety: from really easy to downright mind-boggling.
Thebattle system is very interesting. In battle you get the option to change yourparty formation and change weapons on the fly. Each weapon has its own set ofskills and attacks and can be used during combat. With a simple press of abutton you can change up your tactics dramatically.
If2 enemies attack you at the same time, the battle is then called a battlechain. This allows the enemy to attack you at a faster speed, lowering theamount of turns the player has. If you win the battle, you get bonus talentpoints. Eventually you receive help from guilds you make during battles. Chainbattles play a small role in a war that happens later in the game.
Asyou run into important people, you’re able to recruit them into the resistanceas part of small factions called guilds. Guilds fight in the resistance in thewar.
Theplot of The Alliance Alive borrows real-world issues(represented in the unique universe they occupy, of course) such as racialtensions, socioeconomic disparity and political struggle. The everyday lives ofthe characters are also on regular display. All the side quests you can do andvarious pieces of lore in the game are fantastic. This game even has a librarywhere you can read up on various things from the past.
Thisgame has 26 characters that can be added to your resistance team, everyone withcrazy amounts of personality so you can assume some people will clash from timeto time, let’s just say the conversations with everyone are always colorful andentertaining.
Somethingto take note of is the fast forward option to speed up combat in the game. Thiscame in handy plenty of times especially in boss battles. Being able to speedup the process of battle in the game allowed long tedious fights be last onlyminutes.
Themusic in the games was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, who is well known for musicfrom the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy 13 issome of his best work and personally I think The Alliance Alive hasa very memorable and beautiful soundtrack. Fans of Super Smash Bros. mayalso recognize the music, since he provided a few arrangements for the classicbrawler series as well.
The Bad
Likemost classic style RPGs this gamedoesn’t give much direction onwhere you need to go or what objectives you need to clear. When a conversationis taking place, it is well advised to pay attention, so you do not get lost,or lack the information needed to continue your journey. Be warned – it won’thold your hand!
Thereis no voice acting whatsoever. This technically isn’t a deal breaker by any means,nor does this change my opinion on the game, but it would’ve been a niceaddition. This game has a lot of text and dialogue so it may have made it moreenjoyable to hear everything rather than having to read the small print.
Although there are many playable characters, there are many more that are super hard to get. The last character you can get (I'll leave this as a surprise) almost feels impossible and is very time consuming. Then again, you do feel accomplished, and the addition is worthwhile.
Final thoughts
JRPG’sare usually not my genre of game at all and personally enjoy only a handful ofthem. Dragon quest 11 being my top all-time favorite with Pokémon, Rivierathe promised land, and the Persona series closelyfollowing. That being said, something about this one really clicked, and Iloved every moment of this game.
The Alliance Alive is fantastic entry for classic JRPGs. If you are lookingfor a JRPG with a fantastic story to get into, I highly recommend this game.Being someone that’s typically really picky with this genre, I believe everyoneshould give this a try. The Alliance Alive is available onOctober 8 for Windows via Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. Noword on an Xbox One release, but we will keep you all posted if any news comesup about a future port.