Video Game Review: Empire of Angels IV

Developer: SOFTSTAR Entertainment

Publisher: EastAsiaSoft

Genre: Strategy Role Playing Game

Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch has become a fantastic hub for strategy role-playing games. In fact, there are so many games in the Switch that players can afford to be picky. With gems like Fire Emblem, Mario + Rabbids, Wargroove, and the Disgaea series out and Advance Wars coming back, it has never been a better time to be a fan. Still, there are plenty of strong strategy games on the console that don’t have the big-name recognition that deserves some attention. Empire of Angels IV is a little rough around the edges but is a solid strategy game.

Empire of Angels IV advertises itself as a jumping-on point for the series, and that is a fair description. No prior knowledge of the series is necessary, which is great since the franchise is historically hard to check out in the West. The story and setting aren’t anything too unique anyway. If you are familiar with fantasy games you are familiar with this one already. The game takes place in Asgard, where a virus is causing everyone to go mad. The player controls a party of all-female knights as they adventure to eradicate the virus.

The story is fine and all, but most of the appeal of Empire of Angel‘s presentation lies in the character art. Those who are turned off by fanservice might want to avoid this game. The 2D drawn characters that fill the text-filled story segments have plenty of curves and cleavage. Players who like this kind of thing will likely enjoy the character models. They will also probably enjoy the presentation more too, which involves clothes coming off of characters that lose in battle (Instead of dying). It’s all strange because it’s clearly a mechanic designed to titillate but players will only see 3D chibis losing their clothes, not the actual 2D art itself. The story also takes itself rather series, so it’s pretty jarring to see embarrassed anime girls run out of battle in only their underwear.

The game’s story also suffers from some shoddy translations. Players will catch tons of broken sentences and inappropriate punctuation. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it is absolutely enough to break Empire of Angels IV’s immersion.

While the presentation is wildly inconsistent, the combat is solid. Combat takes place on a grid full of titles with turn-based combat. Actions and attacks use MP, which will regenerate each turn. The presence of MP and limited actions per turn adds a nice bit of strategy to the gameplay. There are a variety of objectives that aren’t just “Kill everyone,” keeping the combat fresh and entertaining. The level designs are solid, with stages full of great obstacles. The maps are just the right size, ensuring that nothing feels sparse of crowded.

Outside of combat, there are class trees that allow for a fine amount of customization. This adds a great amount of depth and even replayability to Empire of Angels IV. Despite the class customization, there isn’t really much to do in this game. It’s usually just battles and cutscenes, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a light game that acts as a solid strategy experience without any frills.

It’s not anything special, but Empire of Angels IV has a decent foundation. Those who are wanting a new strategy game to play with might want to check this one out. Just know that it is a deeply flawed game outside of the enjoyable combat.