Review: Spirit Valor (Nintendo Switch)
When I start a new retro RPG from the KEMCO / Exe Create combo, I do so with the knowledge I’ve likely been here before. Their games tend to be cut from the same cloth, but the better ones bring enough twists and charm to help them stand out. Spirit Valor, unfortunately, did not.
The game does have a promising start. We’re once again at the end of the traditional 100 years of peace after vanquishing an as-of-yet undefined evil, but we’re also at the end of that adventure. Spirit Valor begins with what appears to be the final boss battle, only it doesn’t end as planned. Our hero passes out, two other heroes disappear, and no one seems sure of whether the evil overlord was actually defeated.
We end up joining two pairings as they piece things back together. The more compelling of these is Richard and Alice, mainly because Richard is also fused with a spirit who’s able to control his body while he’s sleeping (good thing Richard’s not Roger). The other duo consists of Vivian and Finn. They’re all fairly typical, but too broadly drawn. More on that in a bit.
Because of his spirit connection, Richard is able to use magic by default. The other cast members, however, have to form contracts with spirits or capture the essences of enemies during battle. This allows players to customize and level up the characters’ magic abilities as they see fit, and you have the option to remove these abilities to make room for more (four active from a list of ten). It’s a decent system that helps to allay the redundancy of the random, turn-based battles, which largely play out as you’d expect; a timeline dictates when your party members can take a turn, at which point they can defend, attack, use an item, or use/summon a spirit.
Beyond that mechanic, however, there isn’t a whole lot to do with your party. You level up as you gain experience, and you can acquire/purchase better armor and weapons as you go. Most KEMCO titles have been a bit more inventive with party management and skills as of late, causing Spirit Valor to feel like a step backwards. It doesn’t help that the game is also quite easy. Like most KEMCO games, you can purchase fairly priced DLC that helps you level up faster, but it’s not needed here. The normal difficulty spike with bosses is not as pronounced, so you can easily push through with a little grinding or a well-optimized party setup.
Exploration also feels lackluster. You’ve got your usual towns to visit and dungeons to explore, both of which have minor drawbacks. The dungeons are quite linear, so working through them doesn’t feel as adventurous as normal.
I do like, however, that you can open warp points in them for later access. The towns are oddly linear, too. If, graphically, the top of a tree meets a stump, you should be able to walk behind/under the treetop, right? No, it’s blocked as if the tree has actually fallen down. It feels like a lazy way to control access, and the general overworld just isn’t very well done.
The battles, however, look much better. The characters have decent detail, and the animations/settings are quite lively. It’s weird that the heroes have a chibi-like design that the enemies do not, but it’s not off-putting.
All of these little issues would be easier to overcome if the story was better, but I wasn’t able to get into this one. This is largely because the dialogue felt forced and juvenile, often just trying too hard to be funny. The characters are likeable enough, but their personalities and interactions always felt fabricated.
I have recommended numerous KEMCO RPGs as fun time-fillers between larger adventures, but I can’t do so with Spirit Valor. The battle system looks good and plays well, but the game is not compelling outside of combat. If KEMCO’s next release returns some urgency, I’m ready to go. Otherwise, I’m happy to sit in the inn of the introductory village and await the next adventurers seeking assistance.
