Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk Reviews
Although Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk presents itself well enough, it ultimately falls short due to the incredible lack of pacing, a roller coaster of a difficulty curve, and generally not that engaging gameplay. Combat is mindlessly repetitive, exploration tedious, and progression is severely stunted. This is the culmination of too many moving parts that are for show, but don't achieve any real goal.
Labyrinth of Refrain will not disappoint those looking for a thorough first-person dungeon grind.
There are nice ideas and a plentiful amount of passion put into replicating the look and feel of classic first-person, dungeon-crawling in Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk. If one were to approach this with the intent of short, couple-hour bursts with little aim other than the acquiring of more loot or leveling up one's disposable units, the game services those eager on that aspect of dungeon-crawling.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is an altogether fun but often repetitive dungeon crawler let down by its weak cast and uninteresting storyline. Moments spent in the labyrinth dungeons, though initially confusing, are bright spots in an otherwise uninspiring game, giving the opportunity for exploration and presenting an intriguing battle system which allows for plenty of customisation and experimentation.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is a good addition to the first-person dungeon crawling genre but tries to do too much and without a more compelling story to pull it along makes it feel more of a chore to play. The addition of Covens and how that affects the battle system and player customisation of the party is what really shined through during my time with the game.
Similar to Visual Novels and the Disgaea games, there are several Bad Endings on the way to the real story end. Thankfully in this game the Bad Endings won’t require you to start all over again or reload a previous save. They will just show you what could have happened, and take you back in time slightly to change those events. There is a story reason for this, but it is a massive spoiler so I won’t touch on it. Also like the recent Disgaea entries, there is the normal story ending and the True Ending. The normal ending took me around 60 hours, but the True Ending took around another 60 hours both due to the size of the new maps and because you really need to do a lot of Soul Transferring if you are going to beat the True Last Boss on anything but Easy difficulty. There is also a New Game+ that you can start any time after the normal story end, in case you would just rather go back through the game instead of grinding out those extra levels you will need. But all the best weapons and armor in the game is in the Post Game dungeons. So really you are getting a lot of value out of the game, even for a dungeon crawler that is $59.99. These games are typically on portable systems and typically are slightly discounted from full AAA game pricing. However this game does justify its price, even if the story isn’t to my taste. What I really would like to see is as similar jump made in a sequel to this game that they made in the Disgaea series. There were a lot of good ideas they added into the genre with this game, and I would like to see it expounded upon even further.
For the most part I see Labyrinth of Refrain as a take it or leave it proposition mostly resting on your interest in genre or at least the methodical style of play. It’s not terribly dynamic or exciting given that it is turn-based, but there can be a sense of satisfaction when you get into new territory and discover new things. On the narrative side perhaps there’s a crowd who is into the sometimes bizarrely adult elements but at the same time the game could have obviously gone further all in on that thread and didn’t. The result is a narrative that can be long-winded but surprising and amusing sitting on top of rock-solid turn-based RPG elements that you can tailor to your tastes reasonably well. Not a bad deal if you’re looking for something a bit different on several levels.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk lands on the Nintendo Switch helped by a series of good gameplay mechanics and a combat system that is fast and welcome to handle by the players. While not everyone will be on board with Labyrinth of Refrain and its peculiar humour, the game will easily and deservedly win over the preferences of JRPG fans.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The design of the dungeons can be a little repetitive, but Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is still a great way for newcomers to try out this age-old genre.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is definitely not a fairy tale, but if you're okay with playing something with a darker, more mature tone then it's worth giving this a go. Exploring every inch of the labyrinth is addictive, and its unique battle system and an in-depth character creation system will keep you busy for quite a while.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk feels like the Marmite of dungeon crawlers, you’ll either love it or hate it. If you played The Lost Child recently and you really enjoyed that game, even with its steep learning curve, then you’ll most likely really enjoy Labyrinth of Refrain, especially if you are also a fan of the Witch and Hundred Kight and Disgaea series’. To the general consumer out there who likes Dungeon Crawlers which are nice and simple with no complicated mechanics or many processes to take in and remember, this one may not be for you.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk brings us a great DRPG after a long time, a descent DRPG that gives significant importance to its story and characters. Being difficult, a long enough gameplay and a anime type comedy is all you need to meet with this genre.
Review in Persian | Read full review
If you're looking for a quality turn-based JRPG that plays well on your TV and on the go, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is it. Just make sure you keep it away from the kids.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk isn't perfect but it manages to stand out in its own way. With Baba Yaga/Dronya and Luca being a charming couple, it helps the story from dragging, ultimately leading down an interesting path.
Even with its flaws, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is one of the most enjoyable dungeon crawlers that I've ever played.
While breaking all of the typical conventions of the genre, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk somehow manages to stay true to the spirit of a JRPG. Although it's held back by repetitive combat and some disturbing cutscenes, the game has a lot to offer for hard-core fans of turn-based, dungeon exploration games, especially those with a darker sense of humor.
In an RPG subgenre where the story often takes a backseat and true innovation is lacking, Labyrinth of Refrain is a standout with an emotional payoff for those willing to spend time with its reprehensible cast.
So Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is my second dungeon crawling title in as many weeks, and while both were good I have to give the nod to Nippon Ichi and NIS America here for crafting one that manages to feel like both a traditional part of the genre while still taking some chances that generally work more often than not. The combat and sound effects can be a little repetitive and there is a bit of menu overload to be had here, but the massive, custom parties plus wall-breaking mechanics combine to compliment an enjoyably presented game with a darker, more interesting story than we usually see out of dungeon crawlers.
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk is a great time and provides a few twists for players who want something new from their dungeon-crawling adventures.