Symphony of War is a good game, made by clearly dedicated/passionate people but does have issues. This game is much like Fire Emblem and Ogres or other Tactical RPGs you have played. So, if you have played those then you will know generally how the actual gameplay works in this game. I give this game a 8/10 (mainly for gameplay) and some positives and neutrals + negatives down below:

Positives:

- Gameplay: I really think they nailed the actual game itself. Creating squads of heroes and soldiers then being able to see them grow more powerful throughout the game is a lot of fun. You actually need to carefully think out what units are in what squads and then how to properly utilize them. Also, there is a fair bit of customization and upgrade trees for characters, so it does feel like your characters are getting stronger and you can see actual changes in their designs. Every chapter I had a lot of fun trying to best figure out how to win while being able to hit all/most of the extra objectives (turn counters, chests, etc.)

- Graphics: The actual pixel graphics are really well done in my opinion. They are not very detailed, but I really do not think they need to be. The only slight here is when characters are talking (non-voiced FYI), a portrait comes up and it is a completely different art style. Rather weird, but it did not affect my enjoyment at all.

Neutral:

- Story (sort of): I actually enjoyed rather 70% of the story. Now that might seem rather low, but honestly a lot of the game is rather boilerplate. When it does something different it peeks my interest, but it just is not the best written game. Things happen, and then you move on. I did not want this game to be a VN with gameplay, but if you are going to have some twists and turns, you need to flesh them out a bit. There is one point where I was like "Wooo, can't wait to play next chapter for the story", but it does not carry on much after. Ending is fine, does have a cute little epilogue too.

Negatives:
- Characters (mostly): While I put the story in Neutral, the characters here just do not work for me. They are just stereotypes, but its not even like you become attached, or care, or anything really for them. There just is not enough substance to get these characters to become interesting to me. Were there some characters that I would put as a bit above average? Yea, a few. But, most just blended in and were there for the cutscenes. There are little dialogues you can have in between chapters, but a lot of them are just so rushed and do not add really anything except saying "Oh I guess these two are in love for some reason, or ooo I guess these two are angry at each other for some reason." This game does not need hours upon hours of cutscenes and dialogue between characters, but I just never got attached to any character.

- UI: It is rather rough. I have had many times where I would accidentally close a box, or accidentally open one. Make the wrong move b/c the box did not respond correctly. I had one time where I was moving a squad, but my crosshair went to the far end of the map, and I could not move it so I had to send my squad there. Cleaning this up should be a priority.

Final Thoughts:

This review may seem a bit harsh, but this game was a lot of fun for me when I was actually creating my army and controlling them in battle. I would love for another game with this type of gameplay, but perhaps with a more refined story and just some characters that are interesting. The developers should be proud of this, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in tactical RPGs.

Symphony of War is a good game, made by clearly dedicated/passionate people but does have issues. This game is much like Fire Emblem and Ogres or other Tactical RPGs you have played. So, if you have played those then you will know generally how the actual gameplay works in this game. I give this game a 8/10 (mainly for gameplay) and some positives and neutrals + negatives down below: Positives: - Gameplay: I really think they nailed the actual game itself. Creating squads of heroes and soldiers then being able to see them grow more powerful throughout the game is a lot of fun. You actually need to carefully think out what units are in what squads and then how to properly utilize them. Also, there is a fair bit of customization and upgrade trees for characters, so it does feel like your characters are getting stronger and you can see actual changes in their designs. Every chapter I had a lot of fun trying to best figure out how to win while being able to hit all/most of the extra objectives (turn counters, chests, etc.) - Graphics: The actual pixel graphics are really well done in my opinion. They are not very detailed, but I really do not think they need to be. The only slight here is when characters are talking (non-voiced FYI), a portrait comes up and it is a completely different art style. Rather weird, but it did not affect my enjoyment at all. Neutral: - Story (sort of): I actually enjoyed rather 70% of the story. Now that might seem rather low, but honestly a lot of the game is rather boilerplate. When it does something different it peeks my interest, but it just is not the best written game. Things happen, and then you move on. I did not want this game to be a VN with gameplay, but if you are going to have some twists and turns, you need to flesh them out a bit. There is one point where I was like "Wooo, can't wait to play next chapter for the story", but it does not carry on much after. Ending is fine, does have a cute little epilogue too. Negatives: - Characters (mostly): While I put the story in Neutral, the characters here just do not work for me. They are just stereotypes, but its not even like you become attached, or care, or anything really for them. There just is not enough substance to get these characters to become interesting to me. Were there some characters that I would put as a bit above average? Yea, a few. But, most just blended in and were there for the cutscenes. There are little dialogues you can have in between chapters, but a lot of them are just so rushed and do not add really anything except saying "Oh I guess these two are in love for some reason, or ooo I guess these two are angry at each other for some reason." This game does not need hours upon hours of cutscenes and dialogue between characters, but I just never got attached to any character. - UI: It is rather rough. I have had many times where I would accidentally close a box, or accidentally open one. Make the wrong move b/c the box did not respond correctly. I had one time where I was moving a squad, but my crosshair went to the far end of the map, and I could not move it so I had to send my squad there. Cleaning this up should be a priority. Final Thoughts: This review may seem a bit harsh, but this game was a lot of fun for me when I was actually creating my army and controlling them in battle. I would love for another game with this type of gameplay, but perhaps with a more refined story and just some characters that are interesting. The developers should be proud of this, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in tactical RPGs.