RPG Maker MV Player: Kingdom of Neandria (Nintendo Switch) Preview

By Nayu 06.06.2022

Review for RPG Maker MV Player: Kingdom of Neandria on Nintendo Switch

Accessible through the program RPG Maker MV Player (a free download, the paid version is not needed), created by Nestor of @KNeandria on Twitter, Kingdom of Neandria tells the tale of a father, Philo, whose mute daughter suddenly starts speaking an unintelligible language, so it is up to him to try and find out the cause which is perceived to be magical. Through turn-based battle this prelude to a game not yet completed takes place at the start of Philo's journey in his hometown Rosedale.

Having a father as a protagonist is somewhat unusual in the world of JRPGs and that is why Kingdom of Neandria is interesting. There has clearly been put a lot of effort into making this an enjoyable game. The level of design detail has had care taken over it and it looks beautiful. A lot of effort has been put into the character backgrounds and their personalities are highly varied, they are not all heroes, that is for certain. Movement on screen and menu options are self-explanatory and easy to follow, there are no random encounter battles which some will rejoice over, and others will miss. The range of items is tailored for the age of the hero with beer being an option not often seen as a main health boost.

Screenshot for RPG Maker MV Player: Kingdom of Neandria on Nintendo Switch

Unfortunately, game play halted fairly early on because of the fights. There are the usual attack and item features, as well as an AP option which, when enough AP is acquired through both giving and receiving damage, allows for strong attacks to be dealt. The problem lies in the early battles being unbalanced. There were often multiple enemies which seemed to overwhelm the initial two-character party. While enemies could be overcome with a lot of restorative item use, the battles felt far too long and the amount of AP gain had a disadvantage, making each battle feel like a chore. In some JRPGs grinding is an expected part of the genre and accepted as part of game play. However, lengthy fights at the start of a game where usually the fights are shorter and easier with less overwhelming number of enemies do not encourage play to be continued.

Screenshot for RPG Maker MV Player: Kingdom of Neandria on Nintendo Switch

Final Thoughts

Kingdom of Neandria has all the qualities of a great JRPG: an interesting plot, amusing dialogue, good characterisation, yet is sadly let down by the unbalanced battle system. Perhaps one day, if this gets made into a full-length game, early fights will be less of a struggle and make it worthwhile to keep playing, or maybe it is just for those who love more of a challenge.

Developer

Nestor Takeshima

Publisher

Degica

Genre

Turn Based RPG

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  n/a

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

Comments

There are no replies to this preview yet. Why not be the first?

Comments

Comments are currently disabled

Subscribe to this topic Subscribe to this topic

If you are a registered member and logged in, you can also subscribe to topics by email.
Sign up today for blogs, games collections, reader reviews and much more
Site Feed
Who's Online?
Azuardo

There are 1 members online at the moment.