Akuma Rise

Akuma Rise has a few fun tricks up its sleeve with the turn-based battle elements and its demon-centric narrative, but otherwise follows the tried and true (and a bit tired) tropes for tactical, retro JRPGs. How you feel about that will depend upon your affinity for the genre, but fans should find enough to like.

Akuma Rise is one of my new favourite retro-inspired RPGs thanks to its meaty story and orb management system that'll keep you happily experimenting with breaking down and building up your arsenal as you forge ahead through its unconventional game world. 👹

For those looking for the tightest combat system that encourages the player to use every tool in their toolkit, Akuma Rise is a fantastic title. For those looking for more than turn-based combat, it is better to go elsewhere. While Akuma Rise encourages world exploration, it just feels cheap and hollow beyond the mechanical aspects. The story is unengaging, and the women in the party are quickly reduced to little more than love interests. Their interactions beyond the honeymoon dialogue are constantly marked by bickering and jealousy. It removes what initially makes them likeable and haves them fit a tight, boring mould seen far too often in the genre. Great traditional combat saves what is otherwise an eye-rolling experience - but it really does carry it well, as it sadly has to.