Crimson Tactics: The Rise of The White Banner
- September 5, 2023
- Black March Studios
- 28h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Crimson Tactics: The Rise of The White Banner," play a turn-based tactical RPG in a medieval fantasy world, where the kingdom of Wendalle is torn apart by civil war. Follow a group of rebels as they resist Duke Arsenio Duran's ruthless plot to seize the throne and reshape the kingdom to his will. Experience the political intrigue and intense battles as you navigate the power struggle for Wendalle's future.
Reviews
- The game features a beautiful art style and character designs that are reminiscent of classic tactical RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre.
- The gameplay offers a solid class system with multi-classing options, allowing for diverse character builds and strategies.
- Despite being shorter than expected, the game still provides around 20 hours of engaging gameplay.
- The game feels unfinished, with an abrupt ending that leaves many story threads unresolved, leading to frustration among players.
- There are numerous bugs and technical issues that disrupt gameplay, including problems with character actions and battle sequences.
- The game lacks quality of life features, such as a quicksave option during battles, which can lead to significant time loss if a player encounters a crash or bug.
- story105 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 86 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of the game is widely criticized for its abrupt ending and lack of resolution, leaving players feeling unsatisfied and frustrated. Many reviewers note that while the narrative has potential and intriguing elements, it feels incomplete and poorly paced, with significant plot points left unresolved. Overall, the game is seen as having a decent premise but ultimately fails to deliver a fulfilling story experience, leading to disappointment among players.
“The story is incredible and adds the nice missing touch that is required from some of the monotony of the fights and battles.”
“The world building and parts of the story are fantastic so far.”
“The story leans more towards political intrigue like the previously mentioned titles which jives better with me personally.”
“The story abruptly ends before anything is resolved.”
“There's still so much story to tell, and it feels like the game ends right as the story is starting to get good.”
“You finally start to get the hang of the game and get into the story and then it just ends... I was 28 hours into the game and that's doing everything it has to offer, and then it just ends with no understanding of how things played out and so much story with no ending.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its solid mechanics and enjoyable turn-based combat, while others criticize its lack of polish and strategic depth, particularly due to certain annoying mechanics and a steep learning curve. Despite its early access status and some design flaws, many find the gameplay satisfying and believe it has potential for improvement, especially given its reasonable price point. Overall, while it draws comparisons to classic tactical RPGs, it may not fully meet expectations for all players.
“The best part of this game is the gameplay; everything flowed beautifully.”
“Fun turn-based combat gameplay to scratch that itch.”
“Gameplay is satisfying, and it also features the level of customization you would find in the kings of the genre as well.”
“This game's gameplay is much like a copy of Final Fantasy Tactics, but you'll find it worse the more you play it.”
“This mechanic is so annoying and completely takes all your strategies and tactics and throws them out of the window.”
“The gameplay needs some work and the learning curve due to missing tooltips on things like buffs/debuffs and defending will cause you to pull your hair out.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beautiful artwork, character models, and vibrant color combinations, with many users appreciating the art style and aesthetic quality. However, some players have reported performance issues and bugs that detract from the overall experience, particularly on certain hardware configurations. Despite these concerns, the graphics are considered solid and well-designed, contributing positively to the game's appeal.
“The wide variety of maps, artwork, and character models is a nice combination of colors and designs.”
“Graphically, it hits just about every mark you could want.”
“Game systems are well designed, and the graphics are beautiful for this style of game.”
“The reason that I would not suggest it to anyone at this time is because of the bugs... I constantly run across issues with the performance and visuals of the game.”
“Also, graphics issue with NVIDIA GTX 1070 Ti; static background even with the latest drivers.”
“Aesthetic is decent.”
- music8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally regarded as good, effectively complementing various gameplay elements such as battles and menus, though it lacks standout tracks or innovation. While some players appreciate the overall sound design, including the absence of certain sound effects like death screams, others feel that the music does not significantly elevate the experience. Overall, it serves its purpose but leaves room for improvement and greater uniqueness.
“Music is good and blends in nicely with what you're doing in the game via shop, menu, battle, story, and so on.”
“It has many professions, exquisite graphics, and good music.”
“The OST is good.”
“The music is fine, nothing groundbreaking, but what I really missed was a death scream sound whenever a unit falls. I guess I got spoiled by FFT on this.”
“Some characters have the potential of being favorites or leaving a mark, but they ran out of time to develop some or create a unique backstory.”
“It did, to an extent, cover my tactical RPG urge with its battle system classes and decent music.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in crafting, skill learning, and combat, which can feel prolonged due to unskippable animations and cumbersome mechanics. While the game has potential and offers enjoyable elements, many reviewers express frustration with the repetitive nature of grinding, especially after extended playtime. Overall, the grinding experience may detract from the enjoyment for some players, despite the game's promising features.
“Some buttons don't work (like character switching in the character screen), some animations can't be skipped (like post-battle loot), and crafting, learning skills/spells, and changing/selling equipment are tedious processes.”
“I would love to recommend this game, will come back to it later since it has a lot of potential... but right now I cannot recommend it because it became very tedious for me after 12 hours at normal difficulty.”
“Even at the fastest speeds, combats can take a very long time, especially with some map designs that put so many obstacles in your way, making it take way too many turns just to finish off the last two opponents fleeing from us in tight quarters, while it is clear that I won five turns ago and it is only a matter of going through this tedious process of finishing up.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that suggest it is still in a beta state. Many players are frustrated by the lack of fixes and express concern over the potential for episodic DLCs exacerbating the issues. Overall, there is a strong sentiment that the game is currently nonfunctional and needs significant improvements.
“The ending makes this game feel like a beta; there are a lot of bugs, crashes, and glitches. Please fix the game and avoid the episode DLC approach, or it will be the end of the game.”
“Steam will not help you and instead continues to sell buggy, broken, and nonfunctional products illegally to the public.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be inconsistent, with some users experiencing significant bugs and performance issues, while others report a smooth experience with no noticeable problems. Overall, the game's optimization may vary widely among players.
“No bugs yet, so it's pretty optimized.”
“The reason that I would not suggest it to anyone at this time is because of the bugs... I constantly run across issues with the performance and visuals of the game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game appears to be significant, as one user expressed a strong negative reaction, stating they likely won't return to it after just a few hours of play. This suggests that the game may evoke intense feelings, whether positive or negative, leading to a lasting impression on players.
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers indicate that the game's replayability is limited, as most classes become unplayable for significant portions of the experience, reducing the incentive to replay with different character types.
“Barely any of the classes are playable for most of the game.”
“The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the character design but ultimately feeling a lack of emotional attachment or standout qualities in the characters.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game is tied to its extensive gameplay, with developers promoting it as part of a series that offers over 100 hours of content, suggesting a focus on long-term engagement rather than short-term purchases.
