Video Game Review: Mary Skelter Finale

Developer: Compile Heart

Publisher: Idea Factory

Genre: JRPG, Dungeon Crawling

Nintendo Switch

Compile Heart has a solid track record when it comes to JRPGs. None of their games are necessarily masterpieces, but they are all mostly fine. Out of there large library, some of my favorites are Death End re;Quest, Dragon Star Varnir, and the Mary Skelter series. That series is coming to an end with Mary Skelter Finale, the final chapter in the trilogy.

A big part of this trilogy is the narrative, as the cutscenes are told in visual novel and text segments. Because of this, I don’t want to give too much away about previous events and the plot of Mary Skelter Finale. To quickly summarize, there is a prison 666 meters underground called Jail. The main characters are reincarnations of fairy tales who are imprisoned in Jail. The first two games followed the characters in their efforts to escape Jail. Mary Skelter Finale ends the trilogy with what happens when they finally climb to the surface.

For those who haven’t gotten to play the first two entries, Mary Skelter Finale includes Before Story, a summary of the previous two games. All of the scenes so far are available here sans the voice overs. It’s a nice inclusion for those who need a refresher.

Anyone who is familiar with the first two entries will feel right at home with the gameplay in Mary Skelter Finale. There are a few new features added to the gameplay for quality of life. For example, the addition of the zapping system allows for players to toggle between protagonists in real time while exploring dungeons. The zapping system is essential for solving puzzles and just making things go smoothly for the player. What’s even nicer is that inventories can be managed and even shared between parties.

New features also include the Blood Transfusion and Job systems. Blood packs can be acquired throughout the game in dungeons and can be used for blood transfusions, which grant new skills. The new skills are dependent on the type of blood packs used. The job system also allows for customization, opening at least five jobs up for each character. Unsurprisingly, the changes in job classes also alters the appearance of the characters. These are welcome systems that allow for more customization and even optimization of characters.

The battle system itself is more of the same, with all of the same mechanics and systems that players have gotten used to. Mary Skelter Finale has insectmares, new small nightmares that act as hordes and surround the party. They can be dangerous, but they are also useful if the player can attack properly and increase their blood splatter meters or boost stats.

Despite the inclusion of Before Story, Mary Skelter isn’t too accessible to new players. Even with all of the available tutorials, there are many systems at play here that have been building for multiple games. This might seem overwhelming for those who are making this their first Mary Skelter game. This is especially so if they aren’t familiar with dungeon crawling, or Compile Heart’s tendency to include systems that punish players with game over screens if they abuse their character’s tainted powers.

Another downside for Mary Skelter Finale is the lack of good level design. The maps are obnoxiously large, filled with tons of empty space that doesn’t really serve any purpose. There also isn’t much diversity in the structure of maps, making some areas a slog to go through.

As far as dungeon crawlers go, Mary Skelter Finale has a great presentation. The graphics while exploring dungeons are fine, but the game shines due to all of the great 2D art and monster designs. Mary Skelter Finale is unsurprisingly full of fanservice and revealing outfits, so those who aren’t a fan of that kind of thing will want to avoid this one. The game also runs quite well, with fast loading screens and few visual hitches, which is quite different from most Switch Compile Heart games.

Mary Skelter Finale is a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel with game-changing mechanics, but it does somewhat build on what is already there. The story is as strong as ever, but the levels that go with it aren’t too great. If a player has gone through the other two games recently, Mary Skelter Finale will feel quite repetitive. Despite that, I’m happy with the time I spent in Jail, and most fans will feel the same way.