14 DAY TRIAL // 
The opening cutscene from Redemption Reapers can be misleading, especially for players expecting a triple A experience. In fact, most of the cutscenes in the game are top-notch, which isn’t something I often find in indie games.
Developed by Adgolbe, Redemption Reapers adopts a very different art style, one that I’m not too fond of. The prevalent gray tones are probably meant to better highlight the doom and gloom of the settings, but all it does is make everything look dull.
But that’s not why I spent nearly 20 hours playing Redemption Reapers, it’s the combat mechanics that kept me going. Although it embraces the traditional turn-based formula, Redemption Reapers offers a few fresh ideas that make it stand out.
The game’s combat system has been designed around follow-up attacks, which strongly encourages players to keep their units deployed in battle together. Whenever a unit attacks an enemy, any allies within range can execute a follow-up attack via a quick time event (QTE), which is basically how you pile up the damage.
The “follow-up” attack mechanic is crucial for your success in Redemption Reapers because every basic attack and many of the special abilities will be counterattacked. Since 99% of the battles you’ll face significantly more enemies than the number of your party members, it’s probably a good idea to avoid getting hit at all.
Not to mention that more often than not the enemies will be of a higher level, so they will do more damage to you, while you’ll do less to them. This is where Redemption Reapers fails to offer more options to those who like different playstyles. Everything in the game is designed around this idea that you must keep your allies stacked together to benefit from follow-up attacks.
Most of the abilities that each of your characters will unlock provide some sort of benefit whenever you’re close to another party member. The “lone wolf” strategy will not work in Redemption Reapers, so any stragglers will be killed swiftly. But that’s fine, I love experiencing new twists on the turn-based formula and Redemption Reapers is quite interesting in that regard.
Apart from unlocking new abilities, your characters can be equipped with different weapons and accessories. Each member of your party has a certain role that can’t be changed, although you can choose to upgrade specific abilities and ignore others, which will enhance that character’s offensive or defensive capabilities. It’s a neat trick that allows players to experiment with the synergies between the abilities of different characters.
Overall, the combat mechanics feels pretty solid and as you progress, the members of your Brigade will gain new abilities that open up even more tactical choices. Where Redemption Reapers fails is all the other systems meant to complement combat. First off, the difficulty ramps up artificially after the first several missions. Facing dozens of enemies on a map isn’t the issue, but the fact that they are sometime many levels higher than your party members.
Obviously, two or three above your party’s overall level doesn’t pose such a threat, but when you’re facing enemies that are 7-8 levels higher, the game becomes frustrating. To close that massive gap, developers have decided to include so-called Skirmishes, which are story missions that you played before. Running these missions again will reward you with some experience, but not nearly enough for what you’d need.
Another system that I don’t think is well balanced is the gear, which has durability. A weapon will probably last for 2-3 missions, depending on how many times you’re using it. The repair costs are incredibly high, and the only way to make money is to run more Skirmishes that sometime drop items used to upgrade your weapons. Not to mention that the better the weapon, the lower its durability is.
It’s an incredible obnoxious system that forces you to play maps that you’ve already played without even rewarding you. At first, it might be enticing to replay a mission where you skipped a chest, but Skirmishes become a needed chore quite fast if you want to be able to repair and upgrade your weapons quickly (or at all).
The maps are pretty simple when it comes to design. There aren’t any environmental objects to interact with, so you can solely focus on the positioning of your party. However, you can’t zoom nor rotate the map, which is quite disappointing.
Story-wise, Redemption Reapers is as generic as it gets. Set in a light fantasy world where the Mort, a race that looks very much like the Orcs, have conquered several nations, Redemption Reapers puts you in charge of the Ashen Hawk Brigade, a group of mercenaries turned soldiers.
Despite the fact that the plot is not that interesting, I did like the dynamic between the characters. They are well-written, and their personalities are what keep me interested in what’s happening. The whole resource management part of the game is totally disappointing and very basic.
I will say that the soundtrack is excellent, and the fully voiced cutscenes are pretty good for an indie game. Can’t say the same for the visuals, but at least the game looks fine, so it’s probably a matter of taste.
The Good
- Interesting take on the turn-based strategy formula
- Good cutscenes and voice-acting
- Soundtrack perfectly fits the moody atmosphere
The Bad
- Balance issues
- Skirmishes are unfun
- Awkward fixed camera
- Generic story
- Unimpressive art style
Conclusion
Despite its good cutscenes, the game’s presentation leaves to be desired. Also, apart from the solid combat system, everything feels so basic and cheap. I fail to understand many of the design decisions, but the overall experience could have been more enjoyable with a little bit more fine-tuning.
Ultimately, Redemption Reapers is a mixed bag that probably can’t redeem itself even after a few patches. For all its faults, diehard turn-based strategy fans will find something to enjoy playing this.
Review key was provided by the publisher.
