Battle Chasers: Nightwar

One for RPG fans. You might not have heard of Battle Chasers: Nightwar, but this is a real sleeper hit that went unnoticed by the press but proved extremely popular with players. The game has everything you could hope for from a turn-based J-RPG from the golden days of Squaresoft, and it's based on a comic book. A great game and not to be missed!

Inspired by the Battle Chasers comic books by Joe Madureira, the game remains true to its characters while serving up a visually impressive experience worthy of the comics. And don't fret: there's no need to have read them to play the game.

Our favourite part? The game's breathtaking artistic direction. The colours, lighting, and animations are beautifully designed and combine to create an enchanting game world. What's more, the soundtrack by Jesper Kyd perfectly matches the game's atmosphere.

The adventure begins with a group of likeable characters, each with their own unique, well-written backstory. There's Gully, the young heroine with the magic gauntlets passed down by her father, Calibretto, a nature-loving war golem; Garrison, the protector; Red Monika, the hot-headed thief; Knolan, the magician, and a newcomer named Alumon.

Their story begins as a quest to find Gully's father, but things soon start to go awry, taking them on an epic adventure in a world where magic and science exist side by side.

We loved the game world, that's reminiscent of classic titles like World of Warcraft and Warhammer.

The game alternates between three distinct gameplay sequences: travelling the world map, exploring dungeons, and turn-based combat. The 2D map lets you choose your own route so that you can avoid battles if you need to.

The isometric 3D dungeons give you a taste of dungeon crawling with roaming monsters and puzzles to solve. And take note: failing the puzzles means you will lose the loot they protect forever.

We liked how the dungeons were procedurally generated, meaning you won't get bored on future playthroughs.

As for the battles, whether you're fighting on the world map or down in the dungeons, they adopt a turn-based system which, while pretty standard fare, contains a surprising level of depth with the ability to combine skills to score extra damage, create shields, or heal your party.

The game also contains traditional role-playing mechanics, like inventory management, levelling up, and skills trees. You can customise your characters and it's up to you how to use them according to your own preferred playstyle.

But be warned: the learning curve in Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a steep one. The game starts to get really hard at around level 12.

Our advice to help you on your way? Make sure you rotate your party to keep everyone at a similar level, because only current party-members gain experience.

The side quests, arena, and the ability to repeat dungeons in Epic and Legendary modes provide plenty of opportunities to earn experience and collect loot.

We'd recommend this game to anyone, whether you're a seasoned adventurer or new to the genre. Here at Blacknut, we're proud to be giving you a chance to play it for yourself.