I am a big fan of games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, and Disgaea. Grid-Based Tactics RPG’s are a bit rare these days outside of the aforementioned franchises, but Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is looking to change that. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark, by developer 6 Eyes Studio, is a tactics-RPG that has just come out of Early Access after a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Fell Seal tells the story of Arbiter Kyrie, an agent of the Immortal Council, who seeks to maintain order and stability across the land. The Immortal Council is a governmental body run by Immortals that saved the world from destruction, and gained immortality in the process. The Arbiters are the hand of the Immortal Council, though as peace has reigned, the Arbiters have become corrupt, heralding a new threat to the world.

The game itself plays out exactly as you would expect. You go through story cutscenes, fight in turn-based encounters, and uncover the larger narrative. There is much more to this of course, but the DNA of the game itself is fairly easy to understand. I also have to applaud the developers of Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark, because there are so many customization options in terms of difficulty that I think anyone could play it.

The developers recommend a gamepad, but I have been playing with Keyboard and Mouse while reviewing this, just as a change of pace. It plays fine, and sure the controls are slightly clunky with a Mouse and Keyboard, but for a turn-based game that doesn’t really hurt anything. There are general difficulty options, but there are ALSO options that dictate whether enemies can use items, among other mechanics that change the difficulty in more subtle ways.

Combat plays out very similarly to other games in the genre. On each character’s turn, you can have them move, use items, attack, use class skills, or simply wait for the next turn. Items (unlike in other games) do not have to be constantly bought. Each item has a certain number of uses per combat. After combat, those uses restock, so you don’t have to buy dozens of items for use in battle.

Like in other RPG’s, you also have to worry about the other team, who will take action as their combatants get turns. Similarly to other games in the genre, elevation, distance, range of attacks, and elemental weaknesses all matter in terms of strategy. As you kill enemies and take actions, you gain AP for your currently equipped class.

This is where things get really in-depth and interesting. There are 30 classes in the game, each with different strengths and abilities. You can mix and match, building a character that fits what you need at that moment. Whether you build a healer (Mender) who can cast elemental spells or a knight that can heal themselves, there are so many interesting options at your disposal.

Customization goes so much deeper than that though. You can equip weapons, armor, and accessories to each of your characters in order to augment their stats. You can also change their appearance in a variety of ways. Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark shines in its customization, and I am very pleased with the attention to detail in it.

You can even mix and match passives you have unlocked from various classes, including ones that allow spells and area-of-effect skills to cause no friendly fire. These passives also extend to weapon and armor proficiencies, making it so if you build your characters the right way, they can be whatever you like.

Unlike in the Fire Emblem series, death in Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is not permanent by default. When a character falls in battle, they are taken from the battlefield (unless you use a revival spell or item) and incur an injury. Injuries lower the stats of a character, and (on most difficulties) the injuries can be healed by resting and letting that character stay out of the fight for a battle.

This is why recruiting and creating a variety of characters is important, because if a story character leaves for some reason, or one of your characters needs to rest, you do not want to be short-handed in a tough fight.

Aside from enemies and allies, there are interactive objects and hazards on the battlefield. From shelters that hide enemy reinforcements, to treasure chests, and gathering points, there are tons of things to keep in mind as you play. For a turn-based adventure like this, it is a great thing, because it gives the battlefield a purpose, and lets you do more than just strategizing who your party will attack.

There are also events that play out in battles, which add a layer of unpredictability to things. Personally, I like that they have made combat encounters more dynamic. It keeps things fresh and stops things from getting stale as you play.

Outside of battle, you travel across the world map to various locations, fighting along the way, and viewing personal events between your characters. Some of these events are optional but provide unique story sections that give you insight into your party members and their personalities. You also are able to travel to blue town nodes on the world map, to purchase equipment for your party.

If you want to recruit or create new allies, you go to the guild, where you are able to customize everything from their appearance, to their class. By leveling up classes, you unlock new ones, which give you even more options to customize your team.

Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark isn’t perfect. The story isn’t groundbreaking, though I did enjoy it. The music is forgettable, and the lack of voice acting (while understandable) makes playing with sound somewhat pointless. However, if you are looking for a new Strategy RPG to play, this will scratch your itch quite nicely.

If you are a fan of games like Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, or anything similar, Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark should be up your alley. The beauty of this game though, is that even if you aren’t familiar with these games, the versatility of the options and difficulty makes it easy to pick up and play.

As far as a modern “Final Fantasy Tactics” style game goes, Fell Seal is a great example. I hope that people don’t merely disregard it based on looks, because it is a fun, interesting game, and I think lots of people will enjoy it.

A Steam Key for Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark was provided by 1C Entertainment for this Review.

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Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark

$29.99 USD

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Deep Customization
• Immense Options for Difficulty/Challenge
• Interesting Story and World
• Addictively Fun Gameplay
• Accessible for Newcomers

Cons

• Keyboard and Mouse is a Little Clunky
• Music is Forgettable