There are a lot of turn-based RPGs. Like, way too many for someone like me, a casual fan of the genre, to keep up with. There are a lot of varying styles of RPG as well. Something like Disgaea is far different from a Fire Emblem, or even Skyrim. Sometimes, it seems like we have seen it all. RPGs are notorious for getting reviewed in relation to a game similar to it in style or game mechanics. I can truly say Indivisible is not something people can really compare to other RPGs. Innovative controls and turn-based fights, as well as a story that draws you in from start to finish, makes Indivisible a highlight of an already wonderful 2019.

Lab Zero Games wanted to make a follow up to their game, Skullgirls, nearly immediately after its release. Like many developers do nowadays, they took their efforts to the web, starting a crowdfunding effort that resulted in over $2 million USD raised. After quite a few years and a multiple delays and setbacks, the game is finally here. The game runs $40, and arrives to heaps and heaps of anticipation. I didn’t follow its development too closely; anything other than headlines of its progress were out of my mind. Well, after playing it, I’m glad I didn’t spend years waiting anxiously. It felt amazing to enjoy the game as it is, rather than following 4+ years of let downs and broken promises.

In Indivisible, you begin as Ajna, an adventurer seeking out the vast landscape of Loka. On the journey, Ajna meets a number of characters who are also on their own journey. As she comes across what the game calls incarnations, she can utilize them in battle. As more and more allies come, so do villains, out to cause destruction to all that stand in their way. The good versus evil trope of many RPGs is not too on the nose in this game. The story of Indivisible goes so far to show that people have motives that sometimes aren’t good or evil; they just are. As you grow your party, which ends up somewhere around 20 members, Ajna grows too. She finds a place in between her instincts, desires, and fragility and luckily for her, it makes her a fantastic warrior.

The game’s style is heavily anime-influenced. The cutscenes play out like anime epics, while the actual gameplay is presented in hand-drawn sprites that take you back a few decades, but in a good way. The voice acting and music in the game are both wonderful, and there’s a lot about the presentation that I enjoyed. The gameplay is obviously important too, so let’s dive into positives and negatives.

The number of fighters you can customize makes Indivisible a ton of fun to play around with. There are wonderful combinations I found while I worked on maximizing my team’s efficiency. Not unlike Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I took the story presented in the game to another level and crafted my own imaginary storylines. Certain characters needed to fight together because I had determined they were essential to each other’s successes on the battlefield. When a game can get me invested in characters I know so little about, I know that I’ve got my hands on something special.

I also enjoy the battle system. You control each of your 4 party members with a single button: A, B, X, or Y. They attack one at a time and depending on their special attributes, can be used to strategically weaken opponents. It’s not like anything I’ve ever played, although I know similar systems have been implemented in the past. Overall, it’s a fresh take for me from the menu dropdowns of many RPGs.

I’m not one to complain too heavily on frame rate drops, but they happen quite a bit while I played through Indivisible. My main concern in the game was how quickly things settled into a groove. I found the team I liked around the 7 hour mark, and from there, using the same party for an extended period of time led me to an unstoppable team. Like, actually unstoppable. There were few moments where I was nearing death for any of the members in my party. It’s one thing to get a good feel for strategy. It’s another thing to be overpowered in relation to all enemies only 10 hours into the game. Granted, that’s the half way point, but still; it would be nice to see some balancing in post-launch updates.

Indivisible is a game I truly enjoyed playing, although it has its faults. The $40 price tag I think is spot on, and worth the money if you enjoy RPGs. The retro gaming fan will find a lot to love too, with some elements of the game harkening back to the original Playstation days. Overall, the wait seems to be worth it, and although I don’t know when I’ll replay the game, I could certainly see it happening.

An Xbox One review copy of Indivisible was provided by 505 Games for this review.

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Indivisible

$39.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Innovative battle system
• Interesting characters
• Party organizing is a fun way to customize your experience
• Great visuals and audio

Cons

• Frame rate drops frequent
• Game's second half is quite easy once you get rolling with a good team