Fallen Legion: Revenants Preview – Two Sides of a Coin

The demo of Fallen Legion: Revenants is legitimately one of the most engaging JRPG experiences I have had in a while. While I have zero experience with the prior entries, I was honestly quite transfixed by how this title executes its combat, narrative, and characterization.

https://youtu.be/W3BE16KhDYc

Fallen Legion: Revenants takes place in a world ridden with dangerous miasma and creatures distorted by a plague. There is a last bastion of defense for humanity, though, a floating piece of architecture in the sky known as Welkin Castle.

Within this castle are several notable individuals, most notably one of the game’s central protagonists, Lucien. He is a politician who learns of beings called Exemplars who, simply speaking, are weapons given sentience. He teams up with a revenant named Rowena, who seeks to come back to life to raise her son, Edwin. Together, they ultimately aim to overthrow Ivor, the tyrannical ruler of Welkin Castle.

Throughout this demo, players will mostly take control of Rowena and Exemplars in battle. Combat takes place on 2D squares where players must be cognizant of their positioning relative to the enemies on screen. Exemplars and Rowena both have skills that aid in battle, which, aside from simply dealing damage or healing, also alter the enemies’ positioning. There is also a blocking mechanic where doing so will deflect or counterattacks from enemies at the right time. Mastering this mechanic is the true key to success as it provides numerous openings for enemies.

The combat has a decent amount of depth, with there being equipment and skill customization and synergizing dependent on timed skill usage. While enemies sometimes felt needlessly tanky, I had quite a bit of fun with this battle system. It relies on both reflexes and simple strategical planning without it feeling overwhelming at all. In that sense, it came off as relatively beginner-friendly.

When players are not controlling Rowena and Exemplars in battle, they will instead be controlling Lucien. Lucien does not battle but instead converses with the castle’s denizens, more particularly the members of Welkin Castle’s council, to coerce them to his side in the long run. Quite a bit of negotiation and fanciful conversation takes place here, but it is far from boring.

While the act of playing as a politician doing his job probably comes off as stale and uninteresting, the writing and choice-making here are genuinely engaging. Lucien’s charisma becomes readily apparent during these conversations, and though he is a bit quirky, he became likable very quickly. These interactions with Welkin’s council will sometimes directly collude with Rowena’s efforts, creating an immersive dichotomy between the two protagonists.

In this demo, the English dub was absolutely superb and was among the best set of performances I have heard in a long time. Every character oozes stellar deliveries and enticing charm. I was honestly not expecting this level of quality, and it is evident that each member of this cast is putting their all into this project.

The art style and soundtrack are also some more high points. The former emits this beautiful yet simultaneously disgusting aura over the world, while the latter is magnificently atmospheric with its wandering segments and exciting with its combative scenarios.

This demo is rather lengthy, as it took me around 6 hours to complete, so there is a lot for prospective players to unpack here. If you find yourself remotely interested in what this title has to offer, I highly recommend checking out this demo. There is a sizable chunk of content to explore and experience, and you very well might be blown away by the gem of a title is seeming to be.

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