The DioField Chronicle Game Cover
As someone that grew up playing Square RPGs of all varieties, The DioField Chronicle is a wonderful surprise.

"The DioField Chronicle" is an upcoming RPG that features strategic real-time combat and distinctive diorama-style visuals. Players will engage in tactical battles, using various skills and equipment to emerge victorious. The game promises to deliver a unique and immersive experience, blending elements of strategy and RPG mechanics in a beautifully crafted world.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox

Reviews

59%
Audience ScoreBased on 357 reviews
story93 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique blend of real-time tactical battle mechanics that provide a refreshing gameplay experience.
  • The graphics and art style are visually appealing, with a unique blend of realism and anime aesthetics.
  • The voice acting is well done, adding depth to the characters and enhancing the overall experience.
  • The story is weak and lacks depth, with many plot points feeling rushed or unresolved.
  • The gameplay becomes repetitive quickly, with limited enemy variety and mission objectives that do not evolve.
  • The game is too easy, even on hard difficulty, leading to a lack of challenge and engagement.
  • story510 mentions

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it unoriginal, predictable, and lacking depth. While some appreciated the political intrigue and character dynamics, others criticized the repetitive mission structure and the disjointed narrative that often felt rushed or incomplete. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a weak point, detracting from the otherwise enjoyable gameplay experience.

    • “What I found was a surprisingly gripping political story with an entertaining cast ranging from perfectly likable average Janes and Joes to morally gray weirdos to outright not good people, but I ended up loving all of them in one way or another.”
    • “The story is enjoyable and it was a pleasure to guess the motives of some characters.”
    • “The story is fine (if muddled in some spots) and most of the characters have interesting quirks and are not just anime stereotypes.”
    • “The overarching story is boring, full of annoying characters and ultimately goes nowhere.”
    • “The story is unoriginal.”
    • “The story is lackluster, and the characters are not endearing.”
  • gameplay160 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplicity and lack of depth, leading to a repetitive experience over time. While some appreciate the unique real-time strategy mechanics and find the combat engaging initially, others criticize the game for its shallow mechanics and lack of variety in enemies and challenges. Overall, it seems to be a fun but ultimately easy and repetitive experience that may appeal to casual gamers, especially if purchased on sale.

    • “The gameplay is fun and somewhat innovative.”
    • “I had a lot of fun with the mechanics, and found it both fast-paced and extremely satisfying to be efficient in, especially after maxing out the skill trees.”
    • “The gameplay is easy to pick up and master, and the story is a good one.”
    • “The gameplay itself became super repetitive quickly, with a very low amount of unique enemies and combat variations, so it ended up feeling bland.”
    • “It's a bare-bones experience with very simplistic gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay loop is repetitive in a bad way; the bonus objectives for every level are the exact same ones on every level, even on the hardest difficulty.”
  • graphics72 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful artwork and unique art style reminiscent of classic RPGs, while others criticize the 3D models and overall visual quality as mediocre or lacking polish. Many players appreciate the atmospheric effects and smooth operation, but note that the graphics do not fully match the high expectations set by the artwork. Overall, the visuals are seen as decent but not groundbreaking, with some users suggesting they feel more suited for lower-end hardware.

    • “The graphics and characters are beautiful, and the operation is very smooth.”
    • “The graphics look great, with beautiful diorama-like battlefields and great use of shaders.”
    • “The voice acting is top-notch and graphics look stunning in a mix of drawn scenery and game graphic characters reminiscent of games like Legend of Mana.”
    • “The graphics are so bad that they hurt to look at because of the rainbow blur around every single character.”
    • “The CGI needs work; all the 3D models just look like puppets/dolls, and it feels like a disservice to the artwork, honestly.”
    • “Normally in this genre, I wouldn't criticize the graphics, but it's Square, and they decided to charge $60 for this, so the graphics are mediocre at best to bad.”
  • music33 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players noting its lack of variety and repetitiveness, particularly in battle themes, which can lead to boredom over extended play. While some appreciate the technical competence and find the music enjoyable and fitting, others criticize it as generic and uninspired, suggesting that it fails to elevate the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is described as serviceable but ultimately lacking the depth and diversity expected from a title of its caliber.

    • “The music is lovely.”
    • “Music is great in the game, so far I'm quite enjoying it after finishing the tutorial part.”
    • “The music/vibe/gameplay/graphics/characters, everything on it feels fresh and satisfying.”
    • “I think music can really elevate a game to a new level and it fails hard here.”
    • “Every mission has the exact same battle music and you get bored quickly of hearing it, and you will hear it a lot.”
    • “But a 20-hour long title with pretty but repetitive music and nonexistent plot/gameplay variation does not deserve a AAA price.”
  • grinding16 mentions

    Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be tedious and often feels unnecessary, as players must invest significant time to earn gold and resources for upgrades, which can lead to a sense of stagnation. While some players found grinding optional and manageable, others noted that it detracted from the overall enjoyment, especially when faced with repetitive tasks and recycled content. Overall, the grinding aspect is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the challenge while others found it frustrating and overly time-consuming.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The game is rife with equipment and accessories, but the costs are so high compared to the gold you earn that you will either need to spend a great deal of time grinding (wholly unnecessary), or come to the realization that you're only going to use a very small amount of the available gear options.”
    • “Grinding is where the game can begin to feel stale real fast as you are doing so in stages which you've already completed.”
    • “There are a lot of things that the game has for the player to upgrade, things you basically have to grind out, collect materials to get better things, etc. I can see how that might feel tedious to some players, you have to amass gold, resources, and things get more expensive as you progress, so it feels like you won't be able to afford stronger upgrades/equipment later on.”
  • character development12 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally viewed as limited and lacking depth, with players noting that while character designs and voice acting are appealing, the narrative fails to provide substantial growth or complexity. Many reviewers expressed a desire for more intricate character arcs and a clearer storyline, as the development often relies on subtle dialogue rather than overt progression. Overall, while the game has an interesting premise, it does not deliver a satisfying character development experience.

    • “I really liked the voice acting with a lot of unique voices and character design.”
    • “But most of the story and the character development isn't shown in an obvious way; you need to pay attention to each little piece of dialogue to understand the characters' layers.”
    • “Interesting premise with the storyline and character development.”
    • “The character design is as tacky as they come and the voice acting in Japanese and English follows suit.”
    • “Character development in-game is very limited to level.”
    • “I kept playing through the whole thing with this sick wonder: 'where are they going with this?' I kept playing to see if the wholly unlikeable main characters would go through any kind of character development that would turn their eyes toward issues that we generally see as more moral--such as democracy, or, I don't know, having literally any empathy whatsoever.”
  • optimization7 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with players reporting smooth performance on high-end hardware, such as the RTX 3080 and 2080 Ti, achieving high frame rates at 1440p. However, some users have noted stuttering issues, particularly with the latest Windows 11 build, while the control scheme is praised for being well-optimized for both controllers and keyboard/mouse setups.

    • “Despite what people are saying about the performance, I'm running this on a 3950X with a 2080 Ti at 1440p and I was getting 144 FPS no problem.”
    • “[*] [b]Optimizations[/b]: the game feels pretty slick.”
    • “The control scheme is optimized for a controller with support for keyboard and mouse.”
    • “There was a stuttering issue with the latest Windows 11 build.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky voice acting and amusing battle sounds, particularly the repetitive death sounds of enemy units and the over-the-top main battle theme. Players find the characters' eccentric personalities and dialogue entertaining, while the game's difficulty adds a layer of humor, allowing players to succeed through brute force rather than strategy.

    • “During the battle scenes, the voice acting is actually decent, except for the fact that enemy units only have one death sound per faction, which is actually kind of hilarious.”
    • “The main battle theme is a bit funny; the horn guy went to town with the 'blaaaarrrrhhh' sounds.”
    • “It seems most of the characters have some low-key personality disorders, which just makes it hilarious to follow their dialogue.”
    • “You could even say he went to war... hahaha (yeah, not funny, I know).”
    • “The jokes fell flat and felt forced, making the humor cringe-worthy.”
    • “I expected clever wit, but instead, it was just a series of tired clichés.”
  • stability5 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, particularly on the Steam Deck, where players report minimal issues during gameplay, though some visual glitches and frame drops occur in cutscenes. While it performs well even on lower graphics settings, users with high-end GPUs like the 3090 note that it doesn't fully utilize their hardware, but still appreciate its performance compared to other recent titles.

    • “The game runs great on the Steam Deck, providing a smooth experience.”
    • “It definitely runs great and looks fantastic, even with the graphics settings turned down.”
    • “I can't say it maxes out easily, but it performs well on my 3090, which is impressive for this genre.”
    • “I mostly played on my Steam Deck and I had a few visual glitches and frame drops in cutscenes, but never during gameplay.”
    • “There were some technical glitches.”
    • “Especially in this day and age of buggy and unfinished games.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    Players express mixed feelings about the emotional aspect of the game, with some forming a strong connection to the character of Queen Waltaquin, while others find the story lacking depth and coherence, leading to a less engaging experience overall. The emotional impact seems to wane as key characters are removed and side plots are abandoned, leaving some players feeling disconnected from the narrative.

    • “I only felt emotionally linked to one of the characters, the Queen Waltaquin, which kept me going and made me finish the game.”
    • “The most interesting character in the game is gone about midway through, and it truly is an emotional ride.”
    • “The mix of abilities and equipment is already enjoyable, and I can feel the emotional depth growing as I progress through the chapters.”
    • “The story is boring and lacks emotional depth.”
    • “Some side plots are introduced but then just get straight-up dropped, leaving the narrative feeling incomplete.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game offers decent replayability, rated around 7/10, primarily through its "new game+" feature. However, many players feel that the replay value is limited unless they are particularly interested in experimenting with different combat styles or character builds.

    • “The game offers good replayability.”
    • “Replayability – 7/10.”
    • “There is a 'New Game+' mode, but I don't see much replayability unless you enjoy the combat or want to try out new builds and play different characters.”
    • “The replay value in New Game Plus is lacking.”
    • “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
    • “The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying the game feel pointless.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere in Lancarse games is highly praised for its strong tone and mood, effectively enhancing the storytelling, particularly in its political themes and the macro consequences of player actions. However, some users feel that other aspects of the games do not meet the same standard.

    • “The atmosphere in their games is always on point, creating an immersive experience that draws you in.”
    • “The tone, mood, and atmosphere are expertly crafted, with storytelling that highlights the political consequences of actions on a macro scale.”
    • “I'm a Lancarse fan because the atmosphere in their games is always on point, but admittedly everything else leaves a lot to be desired.”
    • “The tone, mood, and atmosphere are lacking; storytelling feels political but fails to engage on a personal level.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization model is praised for being straightforward, avoiding heavy grinding or microtransactions, and not incorporating unnecessary traps or puzzles to extend gameplay artificially.

    • “Short and sweet; it does not require heavy grinding or microtransactions. Furthermore, there are no traps or puzzles purely implemented to add hours to game time.”
    • “The monetization model is fair and transparent, allowing players to enjoy the game without feeling pressured to spend money.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of content without needing to purchase additional items, making it accessible for everyone.”
    • “The monetization model feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
    • “I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending extra.”
    • “The constant prompts to purchase in-game currency detract from the overall experience and make it feel more like a cash grab.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy The DioField Chronicle

Play time

20hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
24hMain story
31hCompletionist
16-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News