What parents need to know
Developed by Adglobe, which has studios in Tokyo and Montreal, Redemption Reapers is a turn-based strategy game set in a dark fantasy world on the brink of disaster. We follow Sarah, a young woman with a mysterious past who joins the Ashen Hawk Brigade to fight against the Mort, creatures strongly resembling orcs from The Lord of the Rings franchise.
Redemption Reapers is a turn-based strategy game that has the player control a small band of warriors on a terrain divided into checkerboards. You have to take advantage of the characteristics and techniques of each character in order to survive the enemy assault. Those who have played games such as Fire Emblem or XCOM will immediately feel like they are on familiar ground.
Between battles, players must prepare their units for the next battle by repairing and upgrading their equipment, developing their techniques, and purchasing weapons and materials.
Due to the nature of the title, a certain emphasis is placed on the narrative aspect. Before and after each mission, cutscenes and dialogue teach us more about the world in which the game takes place and the characters that make up the Ashen Hawk Brigade.
Details
Release date: 22 February 2023
Developed by: Adglobe
Published by : Binary Haze Interactive
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
Game Type: Turn-based strategy game
Themes: Fantasy, war
Average duration of a game: 1 hour
Total length of the game: 20-30 hours
Business model: You only pay once to buy the game.
Available languages: English for audio. Interface and subtitles in several other languages, including French
Number of players:
single player (local)
Available:
- in digital format (download to console or computer)
The game was provided by the publisher for review. This does not influence our opinion.
| Players | 3+ | 7+ | 12+ | 16+ | 18+ |
| Neophytes |  | | | |  |
| Intermediate | | | | | |
| Experienced |  | | | | |
Difficulty
The difficulty level is very high, especially in the first chapters when it is impossible to train between fights. Ways to heal are scarce, enemies are powerful, and our weapons break rather quickly.
Redemption Reapers puts the player’s strategy to the test.
Violence, fear, nudity?
When fighting with monstrous enemies, gory displays of hemoglobin are definitely part of the show. That being said, given the slow nature of the game, and because the point of view is relatively far from the action (except during some special attacks), the game is not particularly scary or disgusting.
Language level used
Some characters can sometimes use a little coarse language, but Redemption Reapers is not particularly shocking in its dialogues.
Positive message
The characters are mostly obsessed with the idea of stopping the invasion of the monstrous hordes that threaten the human race. Their motivations, besides that, are only explored much later in the game.
Minimum reading level required
Reading is essential to appreciate Redemption Reapers since the descriptions of the attacks and their effects need to be used and understood during confrontations. In addition, if you do not master English, you will also have to read the dialogues to understand the story, since the acting was only dubbed in the language of Shakespeare.
Additional costs ?
No additional cost.
Minimum level of execution on the controller required
Since Redemption Reapers is a turn-based strategy game, players all have the time they need to choose their actions. The only small difficulty comes from the fact that the game will ask us to press a button quickly to allow the support units to join the attack of the unit we have chosen, but, again, it is not very difficult.
Local game mode
Single-player story mode.
Online game mode
None.
Our opinion
There are a few interesting elements in Redemption Reapers, including the varied techniques of each unit that add a certain degree of variety to the strategies to be employed, but, as a whole, the title misses the mark.
If visually the game looks good during gameplay, the cinematics betray the small budget of the title. The mouths are not animated, and the characters meant to be realistic lack just enough detail to make them seem like puppets agitating rather than real human beings. A more stylized art direction would have served the title better.
The story of Redemption Reapers, usually a major incentive to persevere in this kind of game, also failed to hook us in. For more than half of the game, the narrative boils down to: “There are monsters, let’s kill the monsters”. The characters that make up our team are often one-dimensional, so we don’t get attached to them.
It’s a shame since once the important difficulty peak of the beginning of the game has passed, the fights can be rather pleasant. In addition, the soundtrack is excellent.
But for the asking price ($ 64.99 CAD/€ 49.99), Redemption Reapers can only be recommended to a few select hardcore fans of the genre. Others will do better to favor games such as Fire Emblem, Triangle Strategy or Mario + Rabbids.
More information about the game: Official game page
