Written by Kris Galvez
Title: Earthlock
Developer: Snowcastle Games
Publisher: Snowcastle Games
Price: $29.90
Genre: Adventure, Role-Playing, Strategy
Also Available On: PS4, Steam, XB1
The SNES and the PS1 era are what can be considered as the golden age of JRPGs. There were bountiful adventures made, interesting stories told and even alternative takes on the classic turn based battle system explored back then. Making a love letter to these kinds of games is definitely hard (with a high chance for failure) but Norwegian developer Snowcastle Games tried to make it possible with Earthlock.
You play as a young scavenger named Amon as he explores the war torn land of Umbra as he stumbles upon a plot that endangers loved ones, friends and the world. A typical plot for the genre where you get to meet characters who conveniently fills the standard archetypes of a warrior, rogue, mage, blue mage and other types. Your characters explore a prerendered background remniscent of those times with each of them having a unique way to interact with the world. You can tell that there is a lot of care put into this as each is varied and pleasing to look at. The only thing that holds it back is that the world itself does not fill “lived” in given all the lore that you have to absorb. While each character and NPCs have their own linguistic uniqueness, the dialogue itself is weak at times. The orchestrated soundtrack however while not doing anything new is pleasant.
While it may be derivative of past JRPGs, that is also Earthlock's strength. As the developers themselves have given the care and love to make the game similar to games like Final Fantasy and Grandia, it plays like a modern take on those games. Towns themselves are big and have lots of NPCs to talk to. The dungeons have basic puzzles to solve in order to progress through the story. Monsters and other humanoids are encountered around the world as you explore the world map and the dungeons scattered abound. What I like about these encounters is that you pretty much have a lot of control on how you engage enemies. Pressing the B button at the right time will give you advantage in battle by having first turn. Fighting single enemies may be easy but gives less experience and vice versa. The game may be weak dialogue wise but the battles themselves are great.
Proper preparation is needed if you want to master Earthlock. Each character has unique traits which make them useful in battle. Your choice of characters for battle is not the only thing you need to take into consideration as each character has 2 stances they can use. Managing these stances are key in winning your battles easily. An example of this is one character who can either do damaging blade moves in one stance while only being able to counter physical attacks with the other. You also need to manage your 'Amri' or magic in battle to be able to use your actions or skills. While it may seem overwhelming at first, mastering all of these is enjoyable while you get to build your characters through a talent board similar to Final Fantasy 10.
There is still a lot to be said about Earthlock but exploring it would be the better suggestion for someone who wants to reminisce about the golden age of JRPGs. While it may not offer anything new for the genre, the game still earns its keep by having the feel and soul of a classic PS1 JRPG together with its interesting world, varied characters and great battles.
Pros
- Battle system is simply great with its 2 stance system and variety of characters. Building your characters are also fun.
- The game is a love letter to SNES and PS1 JRPGs. If you loved those games, you will enjoy this game.
- Graphics are pretty clean and music is soothing.
- There is a lot of care put into the lore and the characters.
Cons
- Game has pretty complex systems that will leave newcomers guessing.
- The price is pretty high for what it is and considering past releases.
- The save system is still the same with the games it evokes. In short, you have set savepoints.
- The rumble is too strong.
- Dialogue is pretty hit and miss.
- The game is quite buggy especially if you constantly put your Switch to sleep mode.
Score: 7/10
Note: Game was played and reviewed using a download code provided by the publisher.
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