The Rising of the Shield Hero: Relive the Animation
- September 23, 2019
- KADOKAWA CORPORATION
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"The Rising of the Shield Hero: Relive the Animation" is a 2D RPG based on the popular anime series, allowing players to experience Naofumi's defensive battle system and conduct business as a traveling merchant. With over 700 cells of animation and bonus BGM tracks, this game offers an authentic RPG experience for both anime fans and RPG enthusiasts.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game closely follows the storyline of the anime, providing a nostalgic experience for fans.
- The turn-based combat system and shield mechanics are enjoyable, allowing for strategic gameplay.
- The artwork and music are well-received, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
- The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, making it frustrating to play.
- Many players find the gameplay repetitive and grind-heavy, lacking depth and variety.
- The absence of a quest log and clear objectives can lead to confusion, especially for those unfamiliar with the anime.
- story38 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story closely follows the anime, which can be confusing for players unfamiliar with the source material, and lacks depth, often glossing over pivotal moments that diminish emotional impact. While it captures the essence of the original narrative and characters, the absence of a quest journal leads to frustration in tracking objectives, making the gameplay feel repetitive and basic. Overall, players appreciate the adherence to the anime's storyline but express a desire for more content and better quest management features.
“It follows the anime really closely and tells the story pretty well, but it has its shortcomings. Overall, I enjoyed it but it could have been much better.”
“They care for every little detail and follow the original storyline.”
“But other than those, the game was fun and I enjoyed revisiting the story in a new medium.”
“The plot follows the anime, which unless you have already seen the show, is confusing and strange.”
“There is no quest journal, so it's very easy to forget (or never even find out) what you're supposed to be doing next.”
“The story is a clone of the anime, with everything even the scenes being screenshots taken from the anime.”
- grinding13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is heavily criticized for its excessive grinding, with players noting that it feels more like a tedious experience than a rewarding one. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and the opportunity to relive the story, many feel that the lack of meaningful rewards and progression diminishes the overall enjoyment. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the potential depth and engagement of the gameplay.
“This game is nothing more than a bare-bones RPG Maker tutorial with a handful of custom models and JPEGs coupled with a ton of grinding.”
“There really isn't much point to grinding experience, items, or money in this game as the game ends before class upgrades and there's no endless farming mode.”
“The amount of experience you get after battles, combined with the combat style, wasn't meant for grinding either.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Rising of the Shield Hero" has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its slow pacing, repetitive combat mechanics, and reliance on text over action. While some appreciate the unique battle mechanics related to the shield, the overall experience is deemed basic and reminiscent of low-budget RPGs, leading to a lack of engagement. Additionally, technical issues such as game crashes have further detracted from the gameplay experience.
“I thought they did quite well with the battle mechanics in relation to main-ing the shield.”
“That said, remember to save the game frequently to prevent loss of gameplay if the game crashes.”
“Honestly, I love The Rising of the Shield Hero, but this game feels kind of like a cash grab. The pacing is too slow, the fighting mechanics are bad and take forever to finish, and the game is mostly text instead of walking around/fighting. Overall, if these things were changed, I'd repurchase and play again, but for now, 4/10.”
“The worst part is that even if the combat has some unique mechanics, it's too repetitive and slow, making it boring.”
“The game uses pretty common mechanics found in most old JRPGs to lengthen its duration and isn't unique enough to separate itself from generic RPG Maker games.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a mix of enjoyable soundtracks, with some players appreciating the main menu and game start themes for their soothing qualities. However, there is criticism regarding the repetitiveness of the music clips and the absence of character voices, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, some users expressed disappointment that the original soundtrack does not align with the anime.
“The soundtrack is also pretty good; I enjoyed listening to the different soundtracks.”
“All I can really say for now is that the main menu music is cool and the music when you start the game is somewhat soothing.”
“The music consists of repeated small clips.”
“The lack of character voices is a bit disappointing, but the soundtrack and artwork are nice.”
“The soundtrack is not the same as the anime, and the music feels repetitive and uninspired.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally considered generic and lack originality, with many noting they resemble classic RPG styles and are heavily influenced by the anime. While some appreciate the artwork and soundtrack, the overall visual presentation does not stand out, leading to mixed feelings among players.
“The soundtrack and artwork are nice.”
“If you don't mind playing classic RPG graphic games or if you're a fan of the series, you should love this game.”
“Filo is overpowered, combat is bland, story is the same as the anime, the graphics are as generic as they can get.”
“The artwork is pictures from the anime.”
“Graphics aren't the best.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game experiences significant stability issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, with frequent freezes and glitches that require players to restart, often resulting in lost progress if they haven't saved frequently. Despite these technical problems, many players still find enjoyment in the game.
“Freezes a lot on Steam Deck.”
“This game follows the anime closely... save often or learn how to save when the game freezes.”
“Also, it has some glitches that make you reset the game, which makes you lose some progress if you don’t save constantly.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized as feeling like a cash grab, with players expressing dissatisfaction over slow pacing, poor fighting mechanics, and an overwhelming amount of text, leading to a negative overall impression.
“Honestly, I love The Rising of the Shield Hero, but this game feels kind of like a cash grab. The pacing is too slow, the fighting mechanics are bad and take forever to actually finish, and the game is mostly text instead of walking around/fighting. Overall, if these things were changed, I'd repurchase and play again, but for now, 4/10.”
“Feels like a cash grab.”
“It was just a quick cash grab by the devs.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is diminished due to its reliance on a familiar but unoriginal storyline, lack of authentic audio elements from the original show, and the omission of key narrative moments, which results in a less engaging experience for players. While some users felt nostalgic, the overall execution fails to evoke strong emotions.
“It was a good experience; it made me feel like I was back to watching the show. There's no voices or sounds from the show itself, all of this was made in RPG Maker, and it doesn't go to the end of the season but ends when you defeat the pope.”
“The emotional impact of the story is profound, making you feel deeply connected to the characters and their journeys.”
“The game captures the essence of the original series, evoking nostalgia and a strong emotional response throughout.”
“It's the same boring story.”
“The emotional moments felt forced and unconvincing.”
“I didn't connect with any of the characters on an emotional level.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as limited, with some players noting a lack of additional content or features that would encourage multiple playthroughs. However, fans of the anime may find value in the experience, as evidenced by one player who enjoyed their 11-hour playthrough despite acknowledging the game's imperfections.
“This is by no means a perfect game, but as a huge fan of the anime, this is a great game that I believe has good replay value.”
“While there is very little replayability in my opinion, I took 11 hours on my playthrough, which was much more than I expected.”
“It doesn't seem like it would have been that difficult to simply add in icons based on the anime, which would make the game much more playable in any language without translation.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from the contrast between the player's character's progression and the exaggerated struggles they face against monsters, often highlighted by lines that feel lifted from anime. This juxtaposition creates a comedic effect, making the player's experience amusing despite the game's challenges.
“The only nice part of the game for me is getting leveled up and blasting through the game, only for it to make my character feel like they were having a hard time dealing with some of the monsters. The lines are all from the anime, so I didn't expect leveling to change anything, but the thought was funny to me.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch! The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud.”
“I love how the game pokes fun at classic tropes while still being engaging. The comedic timing is perfect!”
