Strategy role-playing games have a nasty habit of being difficult to understand, frequently burdened with pages of stats and packing a cast of anime oddball stereotypes
Not so with Rainbow Moon, a deep, yet inviting experience that introduces its intricate elements through plain-English tutorials that anyone can understand.
The plot focuses on Baldren, a tough knight tricked into teleporting to a mysterious world. His only choice is to rally a team and find a way home, while solving a slew of quests along the way. Exploration will be familiar to anyone who has ever played a top-down or isometric RPG, with plenty of hidden loot to be collected and enemies to defeat. Battles occur by touching monsters in the field or by accepting random encounters, although luckily, you can decline random battles if you are low on health or supplies. While it’s a tricky game that requires hours of grinding to develop your squad, death isn’t punished severely. You simply respawn before your last battle.
It’s leniancy like this that makes Rainbow Moon inviting to the layman, and even if its turn-based combat system requires a little bit of practice, the game talks you through every step, ensuring you are never bombarded with too many mechanics or too much data at once. The only letdown is a lack of character dialogue, but it’s a small issue.
Gratifying, addictive and easy to dip in and out of, Rainbow Moon is a great achievement from an independent team.
Rainbow Moon
£7.99, PS3 (digital download only)