The DioField Chronicle – Test, Tactics & Strategy

A new Japan RPG

The DioField Chronicles is a Japanese role-playing game in the vein of the venerable Fire Emblem series. In a fictional conflict heavily inspired by medieval Europe, I take control of the mercenary force Blue Foxes, who offer their warlike services to the highest bidder in the kingdom of Alletein on the island of DioField. I use a map table to choose main and side missions that take place on their own battlefields, while I manage my troops via the freely accessible headquarters hub.

While my warriors first fight monsters and bandits, protect villagers and escort church emissaries, a storm is brewing on the horizon. The warring factions of the powerful empire and the obligatory resistance alliance, which have been locked in each other for years on the mainland, are grabbing for the raw materials of DioField – and my mercenary squad suddenly finds itself at the center of the conflict in the course of the story.

“Are we the bad guys?”

While the plot of Diofield is much more linear than, say, the story of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, it is actually no less twisted. What begins as a clear good-versus-evil story has surprised me often enough later on with its statements about democracy, justice and violence. At the very latest when one’s own royalist fighters face insurgents from a democracy movement with drawn swords, a few shades of gray reveal themselves. The Sldner boss Duke Hende is also far from being as fatherly and good-natured as expected – and even one’s own group members shouldn’t be completely trusted.

Unfortunately, I basically have no influence on the plot during the course of the game. The missions of the seven chapters are arranged in a strictly linear manner and I can collect a few members for my mercenary roster in side missions, but I can’t make any decisions here either. In addition, I don’t experience many important moments of the story myself in cutscenes or on the battlefield, but am fobbed off with map overlays, portraits and paintings. While this is still visually appealing, it takes away from me the influence on the big picture, the development of which I can often only observe from the auditorium.

Real-time tactics, JRPG style

In terms of play, The Diofield Chronicle sets itself apart above all on the Fire Emblem battlefield. While Intelligent Systems also relies on a purely turn-based combat system for Three Houses, the combat here takes place in real-time that can be paused. I move my maximum of four units across the map from the top view, giving orders to attack, choosing special attacks or using consumable items. Every time I activate a fighter, the fight pauses, so I can conveniently place movement routes or issue attack orders.

The system works well and allows flanking maneuvers, the formation of choke points or devastating special attack combos with ease. The latter are limited by an XP bar, which can be refilled with colored balls popping out of dead enemies. In terms of character placement, the fragile ranged and casters need to be protected from enemy blows, and the meanies have to be attacked from behind for extra damage. Then, for complete annihilation, there are summonable giant beasts like the flying laser Godzilla Bahamut, which levels an entire area with a powerful beam of energy. Alternatively, there are also buff summons available that heal my squad with a ghost stag or give them stronger weapons with a lava salamander.

Taken together, The DioField Chronicle’s combat feels like a solid, typical JRPG with few surprises – just from a bird’s eye view. The fights are also well balanced – if you level your characters and equip them well, you rarely encounter insurmountable obstacles. On the PC, I am also bothered by the forced zoom when using the skills menu and a few unfamiliar key assignments. All in all, the Japanese from Lancarse have managed to implement a convincing PC implementation of the operation, which is clearly designed for controllers – not necessarily a matter of course in this genre.