Crimson Tactics: The Rise of the White Banner

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In "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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 262 reviews

story24 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

The game offers a solid tactical RPG experience reminiscent of classics like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre, appealing to fans of the genre.
The character customization and multi-classing system provide a lot of flexibility and interesting combinations for players.
The art style and character designs are visually appealing, with beautiful face art and engaging dialogue that fits the game's setting.

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.

story
210 mentions
11 % positive mentions
87 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story in the game is criticized for being incomplete and abruptly ending just as it begins to develop, leaving many plot threads unresolved and players feeling unsatisfied. While some reviewers appreciate the potential and intriguing elements of the narrative, they express frustration over its pacing and the lack of character development. Overall, the consensus is that the story feels generic and rushed, with many players feeling that it requires further expansion to fulfill its promise.
- “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.”
- “I am liking the story so far, it has some twists to it that I didn't expect and it feels like an homage to the greats like Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre.”
- “The story abruptly ends before anything is resolved.”
- “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. The game itself is pretty enjoyable, but the ending like it did killed it for me.”
- “They set up so much in the story that it has you anticipating things that just never come to pass.”
gameplay
46 mentions
30 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of tactical RPG elements, drawing comparisons to titles like Final Fantasy Tactics, but it suffers from some mechanical issues and a steep learning curve due to missing tooltips. While the combat is generally enjoyable and offers a satisfying level of customization, players note that the game is still in early access and requires further optimization and refinement. Overall, it provides about 20 hours of gameplay and has potential, especially given its current price point.
- “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.”
graphics
39 mentions
51 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and variety, featuring exquisite character models and vibrant artwork that enhance the overall aesthetic. However, some users report performance issues and bugs that detract from the experience, particularly on certain hardware configurations. Despite these concerns, the art style and graphical design are considered strong points, contributing to the game's potential.
- “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.”
- “It's got great graphics, a solid gameplay mechanic, interesting characters, average music, decent sound effects, and it's got a lot of potential in other gameplay mechanics that I've yet to unlock.”
- “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 latest drivers.”
- “Aesthetic is decent.”
music
16 mentions
63 % positive mentions
19 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as good but not groundbreaking, effectively complementing various gameplay elements such as battles and menus. While some players appreciated the overall sound design, they noted a lack of memorable or unique tracks, and some expressed disappointment over missing sound effects, like death screams. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the experience, but it leaves room for improvement and greater depth.
- “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.”
grinding
10 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 equipment management, which can feel repetitive and slow. Combat encounters can also drag on due to map designs that create unnecessary obstacles, leading to prolonged battles even after a clear victory. While the game shows potential, many reviewers express frustration with the grinding elements, making it difficult to fully recommend at this time.
- “Some buttons don't work (like character switching in the character screen), some animations can't be skipped (like post-battle loot), and processes like crafting, learning skills/spells, and changing/selling equipment are tedious.”
- “I would love to recommend this game and 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 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 just a tedious process of finishing up.”
stability
4 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 more akin to a beta version than a finished product. There are calls for urgent fixes and concerns about the potential for episode DLCs to exacerbate the issues, leading to a negative perception of the game's overall functionality.
- “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.”
optimization
4 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game appears to be inconsistent, with some users reporting significant bugs and performance issues, while others have experienced a smooth experience with no noticeable problems. Overall, the mixed feedback suggests that optimization may vary widely among players.
- “- no bugs yet, so 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.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game appears to be negative for some players, as indicated by their strong feelings of disappointment and a decision to abandon it after only a few hours of play.
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is significantly hindered by the limited number of playable classes, which restricts players' options and variety throughout most of the gameplay experience.
- “Barely any of the classes are playable for most of the game.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development received mixed feedback, with users appreciating the character design but expressing a lack of emotional attachment or standout qualities in the characters. Overall, while visually appealing, the characters did not resonate deeply with players.
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy for the game appears to be tied to its extensive gameplay, with developers promoting it as part of a series that offers over 100 hours of content. This approach suggests a focus on value for players, potentially justifying any associated costs.