One of the standout indie announcements of E3 2021 for me was Dark Deity. Revealed during the Freedom Games showcase and released shortly after, Dark Deity is a game that makes its inspiration very clear. While it may seem like a clone of classic Fire Emblem titles, I actually believe that works to its benefit, and sets it apart from other strategy games in several ways.

In Dark Deity, you play as a group of warriors who began as the latest recruits in King Varic’s army. These warriors were studying at the Brookstead Military Academy and were forcefully conscripted in the King’s army. The King conscripted all students regardless of age or rank, hoping to bolster the war effort. As you can expect, this plot involves young people coming of age in a time of war and strife, building up to an adventure they never expected.

There are 30 playable characters who can wind up being a part of a pool of 54 classes. Each class gives you four options of weaponry, depending on Balance, Focus, Power, or Finesse. These options further allow you to customize the playstyle of each class and character.

The gameplay is similar to several of the earlier Fire Emblem titles. There is really no exploration involved, you simply go from one grid-based tactical battle to the next. However, after a few battles, you get to use the camp. The camp is where you upgrade weapons, buy items, look at bond scenes between your characters, and arrange character inventories.

There is more over time, but if you’ve played a Fire Emblem game or something similar, then you know what to expect. Certain classes have certain affinities and weaknesses, so putting your characters against enemies they can fight adequately is important. Just like Fire Emblem, you can check enemy damage projections before you attack, and even see the enemy’s range as well.

I think where Dark Deity sets itself apart is not focusing on a Prince, King, or Tactician as the main character. On top of that, the progression systems are quite different, and there are plenty of unique combat combinations as well. In some respects, Dark Deity gives you more freedom to tailor your own experience and playstyle, even down to its multiple difficulty settings and campaign customization.

You can choose to randomize when you get certain characters, or even randomize and change other aspects of gameplay. Now I will say that there are some bugs in gameplay, but the updates are frequent, so the dev team is patching things quickly. On top of that, they have a Google form in which you can submit bug reports. If you check through the Steam discussion board you’ll have no trouble finding it.

One thing that I found a little surprising was the number of loading screens, but I think with the nature of scene transitions it makes some sort of sense. On top of that, the game was developed by a small team, so I can’t really expect smooth, cinematic transitions. The controls are solid, the music is pleasant, and despite the bugs, I find myself really enjoying Dark Deity.

The character designs are solid, and the characters themselves are distinct and unique too. Seriously, the quality in Dark Deity is solid. If you like Fire Emblem, or you’ve always heard good things but never owned a Nintendo console/handheld, then Dark Deity is perfect for you.

A PC review copy of Dark Deity was provided by Freedom Games for this review.

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Dark Deity

$24.99 USD

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Great GBA-Style Visuals
• Solid Tactical Strategy Gameplay
• Fun Story and Characters
• Interesting Progression Systems
• Lots of Difficulty and Gameplay Customization

Cons

• Minor Bugs in Certain Missions
• Loading Screens are Frequent