Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden Reviews
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a great follow up to the The Isle Dragon Roars. Many assets are reused and the core elements remain the same but the follow up makes some overall improvements.
Arriving mere months after its predecessor, we're happy to report that Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden proves itself to be a satisfying and endearing sequel. It's mechanically almost an exact copy of the first Voice of Cards, but things like the new setting and Mark Atherlay's narration help to make it feel like a distinctive entry that stands well on its own. We'd give Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden a high recommendation for anyone looking for another 'cozy' game to add to their collection or for players who want to try an engaging, but not overly demanding JRPG. For all its brevity and minimalism, Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is an unforgettable experience.
An evolution too timid of the previous game: practically a missed opportunity for Yoko Taro.
Review in Italian | Read full review
There are other small differences; some equipment is more readily available, you earn gold faster, and there are some fun presentational changes that occur alongside the story. The narrator is different, too, which is perhaps the most notable difference. All the subtle changes add up to an enjoyable, but ultimately very familiar RPG. If you enjoyed the first, this is more of that with some simple twists — a harmless, easy breezy RPG to chill out with.
Anyone who liked Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars will similarly find much to enjoy in Forsaken Maiden. Those who felt that Isle Dragon Roars was a little too monotonous in its early-going should still attempt Forsaken Maiden, since its biggest strength is a streamlined approach to the game's major selling points. Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a lovely second proof-of-concept for what is an excellent gameplay design approach, and hopefully it inspires some similar risk-taking in other JRPG designs in the future.
Although Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden looks like more of the same, Yoko Taro's new card has a couple of interesting details for fans of the genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
That of Voice of Cards is an operation of an uncertain nature: too little time between one chapter and another, too few changes, too much repetition of the same stumbles.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Forsaken Maiden is too similar to its predecessor to declare it as being significantly improved, with the greater difference lying largely in its narrative. It is a complementary experience that fans of the first are likely to enjoy just as much.
The Forsaken Maiden is a gentle game that challenges JRPG narratives, but despite its unconventional appearance, it comfortably sticks to what works with its gameplay.
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden now proves this is a viable franchise that Square Enix should hold onto. While it doesn’t exactly reinvent itself and sometimes has some technical hitches, it’s simply a great and fun follow-up to lose yourself in for a few hours without demanding all that much. The talented and beloved team are pretty much on their A-game, bringing an excellent experience of gameplay, visuals, audio, and storytelling. With this, I can wholeheartedly recommend a journey into the deep blue sea. You won’t regret it.
With a fresh formula, despite the release being so close with the previous game, The Forsaken Maiden manages to entertain and it's a fun and well told JRPG.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I praised The Isle Dragon Roars for its ingenuity and design, and while Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is still a delight, a mere three months after playing the first game some of the charm has worn off. I’m glad Square Enix is continuing to invest in smaller, offbeat titles, but something to set it apart from The Isle Dragon Roars would have been nice. As it is, it’s entirely more of the same. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’ve only just played the first, it may feel a little tiresome.
The bittersweet themes of Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden, with brilliantly worked plot twists, a flawless battle system, and a captivating story all make it a near-perfect game. Perhaps the only downside is that it is not an overly long one, but the hope is there will be more instalments to what is proving to be a thrilling RPG series.
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden is a great turn-based RPG, with a good story to tell and fun and challenging combat systems. There are some limitations that prevent it from reaching another level, but the game does everything it sets out to do with excellence.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden combines a classic JRPG with a board game. This format works naturally, however, turns tedious by random battles and the way you traverse the board. Expect a Yoko Taro-style story that takes advantage of random elements to give it a special touch.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Forsaken Maiden is not really a sequel or successor to the first Voice of Cards. There's no effort to build on the previous game. Instead, The Forsaken Maiden exists in parallel to the first Voice of Cards, as another module to sit on the virtual bookshelf of adventures. I only hope that Square Enix is being rewarded for these and the plan is to fill many shelves with many more parallel modules like this. I will forever find the time to more Voice of Cards if it's going to keep being like this.
Dividing the focus into multiple smaller stories may have hurt the overarching narrative, but this is still an RPG worth playing, with secrets and replay value for intrepid card sharks. I'll be interested to see how, and how quickly, Square Enix follows up with another Voice of Cards title. It seems like this series won't soon be silenced, and that's a good thing.
I found Voice of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden's story to be stronger than the first's yet when it comes to gameplay; it doesn't do much to make it feel fresh. It has me wondering how many of these titles there will be and how well future installments will hold up.
The Forsaken Maiden is a fun, basic JRPG that tells an great story but ultimately falters by overstaying its welcome.
When coupled with its improved difficulty and fun visual surprises The Forsaken Maiden is a good tweak of a successful formula. Predictably, if you enjoyed the first Voice of Cards instalment, you’ll also enjoy this one. I certainly did!