Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 4, PC

Publisher

PQube

Developer

Acquire

Genre

Adventure, RPG

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

2.3 GB

Release Date (NA)

Dec 9, 2022

Release Date (JP)

Sep 8, 2022

Purchase From

Best Buy

eShop

PSN Store

Steam

Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent is a role-playing game (RPG) that looks to be a hidden gem but comes out more shallow than it looks. The game’s mechanics are simple and easy to understand, but the game’s uneven difficulty makes completion a tough experience.

You’re in Charge

You’ll control Alex, who’s left in charge of Obsidian High after the disappearance of his father, the principal. Alex was also left with the Ruler Orb, a tactical artifact passed down in his family for generations. To find his father, Alex sets off on an adventure with Citrin, his childhood friend, and Lazuli, his advisor. Both these characters see Alex as a love interest and give a comical dialogue throughout the game. In time, the trio will come across a bigger issue beyond the missing principal. Their world, Pedra, is facing a major crisis in that the land is being altered by a fearsome opponent named Onyx.

The storyline isn’t anything groundbreaking, especially if you’ve played other RPGs. Find your missing parent, run into a crisis, use a magical item you inherited to bring peace back to the world, etc. It’s a cookie-cutter storyline that lacks depth combined with dialogue that feels too bland to beef it up.

Auto-Drive Tactics

The staff with the Ruler Orb gives Alex the ability to command the battlefield. However, he’s not a fighter. Instead, he’s the commander giving orders. Players will use Alex’s skill to summon characters onto the battlefield. Users can pinch, pick up, and place the character around Alex. You can do this anytime during the battle. The game’s battlefields are set on a grid layout that resembles a chess board. Your summons cannot move in a certain area unless Alex moves. It feels limited, but at the same time, it’s different from other tactical games. Think of it as Alex being a ship and your summons as the weapons attached to the ship.

Your summons will attack automatically when an enemy is nearby. However, you can call out special moves, such as healing and special attacks, from your summon as long as there are enough magic points (MP). In this game, everyone shares the same points, including Alex. You can use your MP not only for summons’ skills and summoning but also in other ways. For example, you can increase the party’s rank (up to level five). Doing so increases their stats and abilities. When a summon dies and is resummoned for battle, their level starts back at zero.

When your summon’s health is depleted, they are temporarily removed from the battlefield for a time. Once available again, you can call them back to the battlefield as long as you have enough MP saved up. It’s a neat idea since the goal is to keep Alex alive. If he dies, it’s game over.

At times, your party’s intelligence isn’t as reliable as it could be. You’ll find yourself babysitting your team to make sure you avoid a wipeout. Don’t be surprised you’ll have to quickly pick up your summon and drag them outside enemy attack range to avoid a loss. At least the game pauses during mid-battle when moving party members. However, Alex has to move manually by the player’s command, so picking him up like the others isn’t available. Outside the automatic battles and babysitting, there’s not a lot to dive into, and it feels like the game could go further with its mechanics.

Build Your Team

Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent lets you create your own team from various races: human, elf, dwarf, etc. The game offers two different appearances for them, which obviously look like opposite genders, but only states A or B. Unfortunately, you can’t alter their outfits or cosmetic appearance such as hair color, and this feels like a big oversight. Since players can create multiple party members of the same race and appearance, it’s difficult to tell them apart on the battlefield.

With your team, you can assign them to classes (remember: this game is set in a school) to learn new skills and improve their stats. Weapon and accessory slots are straightforward: one for a weapon and two for accessories. Outside of that, it’s as basic as you could get for an RPG. Compared to today’s standard for RPGs, it’s too simplistic. From creating party members to the battle mechanics, there just isn’t enough depth.

The side characters you meet during your adventure, including Citrin and Lazuli, do not appear in your lineup to use in battle. However, if you purchase the game’s downloadable content, then they’re available to use. What’s more is that both Citrin and Lazuli during the game’s story have shops, and you’re expected to pay them for their services. What’s the point of them traveling again?

When first playing, the game’s difficulty slowly increases, pacing it so that players get accustomed to the game’s straightforward commands. However, after a handful of battles, things take a quick turn, and you’ll have to grind a few battles to increase your team’s levels and stats. Even then, it sometimes doesn’t feel like enough, like it’s all luck to get past some battles in order to progress the story. Some additional playtesting would help here.

Visually Positive

Although this RPG has some gameplay flaws, visually it’s quite good for being a tactical RPG. The illustrations that appear in dialogue scenes and menu screens are colorful and drawn quite well. The characters on the battlefield are detailed with a chibi-styled look. The animations are fun and simple like an interactive game board. The battlefields are colorful as well, and the user interface makes it easy to understand the options and status available during battle. In terms of audio, the game is in Japanese with subtitle options.

Scores used in the RPG are fitting. It features traditional Japanese instruments such as the koto, which offers a soothing tune that matches the game’s Japanese-style architecture and landscapes. During battles, it’s difficult to hear the music when an overwhelming brawl is occurring. Players will want to lower the volume on the game’s sound effects.

The Final Recruit

Adventure Academia: The Fractured Continent has a few interesting ideas, but its thin storyline, rollercoaster difficulty, and restricted gameplay mechanics are not enough to keep players entertained for long. RPG fans who want to visit this academy for a straightforward game experience can take a look at the game’s official website for purchasing information.

A review code provided for this review and gameplay footage.