I did not get a chance to play The Alliance Alive on the Nintendo 3DS when it originally released. In fact, it was one of those games that I always intended to buy, but never really had the chance. However, now that The Alliance Alive HD Remastered has made its way to Nintendo Switch, there is no time like the present to dig into this unique RPG.

The Alliance Alive HD Remastered takes place in a world where humans have been enslaved by Daemons. Beastfolk live under the Daemon empire as well, but Humans are treated horribly, kept from doing anything that might displease their Daemon masters. You play as a group of characters who come together by chance but begin a revolution that will change their world forever.

The Alliance Alive plays out like a typical RPG. You have a set of characters in your party, and each has abilities and weapons they can use to fight in battle. There are a variety of weapons to choose from, and you are given the freedom to build your characters up however you like in terms of weaponry. They start out with one or two proficiencies, but with talent points (part of the robust talent system) you can always respec them if you want.

In fact, there are no traditional levels or experience points in The Alliance Alive. Instead, you get Talent Points at the end of each battle that you can spend on Talents. Your stat increases come from your equipment, and as you fight your characters can “Awaken,” getting new abilities for whatever weapon they are using.

Magic in this game is a little tricky though. Humans can use Signimancy through the use of items called Etheracts. The only Signimancy spells a character can use are the ones attached to their equipped Etheract. If they do not have an Etheract equipped, then they cannot use Signimancy. Beastfolk and Daemons, on the other hand, have access to Sorcery, a spellcasting ability that does not require an Etheract. Humans cannot use Sorcery at all, however, so it makes the magic system somewhat complicated.

At certain points in battle, characters can use Final Strike abilities. Final Strike abilities are powerful finishing moves that cause your weapon to break. Weapons can be repaired, but it is always a good idea to have more than one on hand at any given time, in case it breaks mid-dungeon or something. Also, the characters can be assisted in battle by one of five guilds, if you are close enough to one of their towers to gain their benefits.

Each guild’s effect is different. The smithing guild will do large amounts of damage to an enemy occasionally, while other guilds will boost your stats or provide other services. By collecting members for the guilds, you can increase their effectiveness, giving them more manpower with which to assist you.

Items are split into four categories, medicines, toys, snacks, and accessories. Each character has two slots to put either items or accessories, which limits your options somewhat. You can equip a snack pack, medicine pack, or toybox, to allow characters to access all of that type of item in your inventory, but that still limits the usefulness of accessories.

The Alliance Alive HD Remastered also allows multiple options for exploration, from vehicles to gliders and more. I really enjoy the wide array of mechanics and ideas presented in this game, as it mixes things up from the typical RPG format, to keep things fresh, even after you’ve played for a few dozen hours. The puzzles provided are also very interesting and keep you thinking about how to proceed in order to finish each puzzle. There is a lot of detail in the game as well. It reminds me a fair bit of Bravely Default on 3DS, which makes sense, as they are similar in certain aspects.

All in all, I think NIS America did a pretty great job with this remastered edition of The Alliance Alive. I have a few issues with how limited the item mechanics are and how fast dialogue progresses in cutscenes, but other than that I can’t really complain too much. This is a solid RPG that offers something different for those that are interested in spicing things up.

This game may fly under your radar if you aren’t careful, but I’d encourage any RPG fan to give this one a second look. It isn’t just another boring rehash of the same ideas. They’ve done something special and interesting with this one.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of The Alliance Alive HD Remastered was provided by NIS America for this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Alliance Alive HD Remastered

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Great Puzzles
• Unique Progression System
• Lots of Versatility with Characters
• Interesting Story
• Lots of Exploration Tools.

Cons

• Item Slots are Very Limited
• Cutscene Dialogue Moves too Fast