Preview: Rondo of Swords
"150 years after Holy King Altrius vanquished the darkness, war loomed again on the continent of Bravord," so you know to prepare yourselves for some castle intrigue in Rondo of Swords, a new turn-based strategy game for the Nintendo DS. You're instantly thrown into the action of escaping an invasion right as the crowned prince, Sedric, is dealing with the death of his father. In fact, it actually turns out (about a level later) that Sedric is killed and tells his amnesiac look-alike to take on the task of saving the day. Drama!
New Sedric and a band of Old Sedric's allies set out for some tactical battles, but playing through the tutorial is important in this game, since the system is quite a bit different than most fantastical turn-based strategy games. Rather than creeping up to an enemy and knocking him in the skull, Rondo of Swords has you map out a path to run through them. You can also run through your allies to take advantage of any buffs they happen to know, like healing or a critical hit bonus. The action plays out on the top screen, although you can skip the 2-D animation to speed things along. So, while in most games you are allowed to move and then attack, in Rondo of Swords they are one in the same action (with an exception for bow and arrow users). It turns out to make a huge difference in strategy, not only because you have to learn how to best run circles through as many characters as possible, but also because you can't retreat to use a potion or magic.
Between battles the story plays out in that familiar anime portrait-style way, and then you prep your units for the next round by distributing gear, and spending skill points. Some skills are passive, like an agility bonus. Others, however, need to be activated, like a Momentum Counter boost, which works like aggro. Once you gain enough allies, the ones you don't need for quests can be sent on errands like shopping, training, or sidequests. It requires some micromanagement, but pays off in the end to multitask between game progression and the mundane.
Rondo of Swords doesn't feature any multiplayer modes, but the story has four different endings. Between the branching narrative and the fresh battle system, turn-based strategists should find enough to keep them busy come April 15th.
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