Dark Deity Reviews
This is a bit of an unusual tactical RPG that excels in some areas but makes some strange decisions in others...
Dark Deity is a flawed game. Its story left me wanting more, and certain game balancing issues decreased my enjoyment at times. However, despite its faults, Dark Deity scratches an itch with its quality base gameplay and unique features that any SRPG enjoyer would be remiss to overlook. In addition, its quality visual-novel style portraits and pixel art are undoubtedly boons for the title. I rate Dark Deity a 7, with the caveat that for folks who aren’t into or haven’t tried SRPGs to do more research before buying. But, if you find yourself in love with the art style, are intrigued by a preview video, or are itching for a Fire Emblem-like experience outside of Nintendo, it’s absolutely worth a try, and a commendable first offering from Sword & Axe.
"Academy student's budget is limited."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Any strategy fan looking for a good challenge, interesting gameplay, and fun and customizable cast of characters should find Dark Deity up their alley. Just maybe wait for a patch on the Switch in hopes that the performance issues get addressed.
A modern homage to the tile-based TRPG’s of the late 1990’s, Dark Deity will land solidly as a nostalgia hit with older gamers who grew up playing these games. Unfortunately, two decades of progress in game design have left elements of this format feeling dated and behind the times. With excessive reliance on static tableaus behind endless text dialogue windows, limited visual information during player-controlled battle segments and a lack of any tutorial or introduction to the game’s mechanics, Dark Deity simply doesn’t stack up favorably against other modern offerings.
My final thought on Dark Deity is that the game can sometimes feel like a copy and paste of the Fire Emblem series. There is taking inspiration from a video game.
Dark Deity is a flawed—but enjoyable—take on the classic Fire Emblem formula. I wish some of its elements weren’t so obtuse and vague, but I still found it impossible to put down. There’s room for a sequel, so hopefully, it won’t be too long before we get a chance to revisit Terrazael.
Even without introducing major innovations and surprises, Dark Deity manifests itself as an excellent surprise for the first quarter of 2022 on Switch. Its main merit lies, in fact, in its ability to bring depth to both its narrative and its battles. Thus, it is difficult not to head into the lands of Etlan to live an addictive adventure alongside Irving, Maren, Garrick, Alden and company.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
For those hankering to play a Fire Emblem style game, Dark Deity will no doubt scratch your itch. Its tactical gameplay is satisfying and engaging, with a wide array of units at your disposal to lay waste to your enemies. The story and characters are lacking, however, which leads to a lot of the game feeling like a slog to get through. The contestant addition of new characters leads to a “shiny new toy” mentality with other characters being forgotten about and left to waste away in the meaningless bonds
This is absolutely a game worth playing for any tactical RPG fan.
Dark Deity removed some of the most important parts of what makes these styles of games so loved. While the game itself is fun, and if you’re looking to scratch the itch that Three Houses may not have quite hit, Dark Deity might just do the trick. If you’re looking for that original, hard-to-master-might-need-to-restart-the-game type of difficulty instilled in your mind by the original Fire Emblem games, Dark Deity misses the mark here.
For SRPG fans clamoring for games of a more “classic” style, this title comes highly recommended, especially with the replayability afforded to it through its custom campaign options. I know for sure I’ll be loading this up on the regular for a long time to come.
You can see in Dark Deity that the developers have a great love for classic SRPGs like Fire Emblem. Even if the story and presentation aren't overwhelming, the battle system does a lot right. Starting with the active abilities, which really add something and aren't just a decorative effect. Then there are the different classes, which gave me the opportunity to customize my squad the way I wanted. Finally, to the little things, like the battle animations, which add a lot of charm to the game. In my opinion, if more had been invested in the story presentation in addition, the title could have reached a wide range of players. Thus, Dark Deity remains an insider tip among SRPG fans that can be bought without hesitation.
Review in German | Read full review
On a whole, Dark Deity does offer up a solid turned based tactical experience with plenty of units types to choose from as you move from one theatre of battle to the next. Adding in elements like character bonds which adds in a depth to the story is nice but at times I do wish there had been a bit more side content and not simply going down the road from one giant battle to the next hoping that you both had enough time to finish it and that the system didn’t crash as there’s no way to save while in the thick of it. This all said, I enjoyed my time with Dark Deity and I do hope to see more from these developers down the line with a sequel or a spiritual successor to this decent homage to Intelligent Systems’ Fire Emblem series.
Dark Deity has proven to be a fun game, whether you're a big fan of the genre or not. It's a classic strategy RPG that traps you in its story and make you empathize with the characters. Despite one or another flaw, the game is capable of entertaining for hours with objectives much more dynamic than just clearing the map of enemies. It mixes nostalgic air with punctual innovations.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Dark Deity delivers virtually everything I could ask for from an entry into one of my favorite genres. Fun, intricate battles, meaningful character progression, and a cast of characters I quickly became invested in. If these features sound appealing to you, I cannot recommend this game enough.
Dark Deity is a small game that understands its limitations. It delivers thought-provoking battles, if not necessarily the most balanced ones. It gives players a lot of tactical choice, if not in the most informed way.
It’s hard to develop your own voice until you understand how other artists find theirs. While I ultimately find Dark Deity to be uninspired and certainly won’t be replaying it every year or so, as I do Fire Emblem, I also hope that this developer produces another tactics JRPG. I would buy that in a heartbeat, because I am quite certain that with a bit more experience as a team of artists, not only will this developer find its own voice, but it will start to build on everything that made those GBA Fire Emblem titles great. That – the promise of some kind of “Fire Emblem Plus” – is some exciting promise indeed.
I've come across a bug where I couldn't move a unit during a turn multiple times, and loading times between chapters lasted much longer than expected for a game of this scope. Music lacks oomph during battles and the level up sound is more of a whimper than a fanfare. This severe lack of polish does not eclipse the brilliance peaking through but it does dim it.
Dark Diety is a good budget Fire Emblem-like game. Though the graphics might not be as good, and the story may not be as well written, the game is still worth playing. It gives the same atmosphere as Fire Emblem and the Langrisser series did and features almost the same gameplay. I do wish there was a bit more to combat options and story detail but for the price, this game gives you so much more than its cost.