EARTHLOCK Reviews
Gameplay: This is where the game shines for me, it harkens back to the old turn based combat I used to love so much, while it doesn't always work in modern day gaming, I enjoyed Earthlock. Instead of having meters fill up to let you know when your character was getting ready to make their move there is a string of icons to the right of the screen showing who is coming up next whether it's you or the enemy which allows the players to strategize as to what needs to be done next. (should I heal now or can I make it until the next round, etc) The leveling up system allows players to customize the characters to how they want to play, focus on close or long range combat, is defense more important than attack, etc. The game does require some old-school grinding at points though in order to be a high enough level to tackle some of the bosses otherwise you will die, a lot. The only thing i didn't care for in the gameplay was the ability to help your enemies, for instance there was a few times while using my healer when trying to select the right person to heal I would accidentally heal my enemy, I know it's dumb it's my fault but just something that annoyed me. However if you heal a ghost enemy it does a large amount of damage, and if you hit a stunned ally it'll snap them out of it so it is utilized as part of the gameplay.
Earthlock is a colorful and fun homage to the JRPG of ages past, refining the formula by adding many of the gameplay mechanics of this decade. The team at Snowcastle Games have improved on their original release, giving us a meaty adventure that is fun from start to finish and which you should definitely check out on Nintendo Switch.
The care and attention to detail by Snowcastle Games shows in Earthlock. It's a lovingly crafted world and one that I can't wait to see from.
Earthlock is by far a much better game now that it has been upgraded and revamped, giving us an excellent homage to the classic JRPG of the previous century we can play at home or on the go with ease. [OpenCritic note: Tracey separately reviewed the PS4 (9.5) and Switch (9) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
After reading some of the reviews for the original release, I was a bit wary stepping into Earthlock. That said, it appears that the majority of issues that many critics complained about were fixed with this release, turning it into a fun little adventure.
Earthlock does, for the most part, succeed in going beyond its nostalgically-inspired roots.