Alphadia Genesis

Editor's Notes

Steam version reviewed.

Introduction

Kemco has been a video game developer for many years, but recently they are most well-known for their mobile RPG output. Having released over forty RPGs for iOS and Android phones in under five years, the company's output is impressive, though the rapid fire nature of these releases can sometimes lead to many of the experiences feeling the same.

Regardless, some of Kemco's RPG are beginning to move beyond the mobile realm and onto various consoles, typically with some enhancements. The latest of these RPGs to make the jump is 'Alphadia Genesis', which recently released on Steam and the Wii U.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

'Alphadia Genesis' stars a young man named Frey, who is an established member of his local guild. One day, he is called upon by the king to investigate an unusual murder in a nearby town. A wealthy individual was attacked and killed by his clones—beings that look quite a bit like humans, but are subservient and programmed to obey their master's every order. With that, Frey begins a journey that eventually has him and his companions caught up in a plot that involves the fate of the entire world.

While it starts off interestingly enough, the plot of 'Alphadia Genesis' doesn't really go anywhere, and ends up disappointing. I found while there is a decent amount of time used to explain the clones themselves, little is revealed about the Energi Wars, a pivotal event in the game's world that ended only fifteen years before the beginning of the game. It seems that, for such a major historical event, it should be mentioned in more than just mere passing.

As for gameplay, 'Alphadia Genesis' sticks with the classic JRPG formula. Players will be exploring ever more complex dungeons, filled with secret passages and treasure to encourage searching every nook and cranny. Battles are initiated after the color on the sides of the screen turns red, and battles themselves are turn-based affairs that also the use of attacks, skills, and magic (Energi) to take down foes.

The random encounter rate in 'Alphadia Genesis' is actually rather high, so battles are fought often. While this isn't too much of an issue at first, the maze-like structure and length of the later dungeons eventually makes the encounter rate downright frustrating. Additionally, around the midway point, random enemies become a lot harder to take down, oftentimes not worth the effort and strategy required. For me, I would usually run away from any battle that looked too annoying or costly to fight, only fighting certain enemies or set-ups that would not deplete my resources.

The only mechanic really noteworthy is how Energi is handled. Each character has a natural affinity to one of the three Energi elements: Fire, Water, or Light. Characters will gain SP from each battle, and SP will level up their Energi, allowing them to learn new spells in their innate element. However, characters can also equip an Energi Ring, which can be imbued with any element. So, for example, if Frey (who naturally learns Fire skills) equips a Light Energi Ring, he will begin learning Fire and Light spells from the SP he gains from battle. This also opens up hybrid spells that can only be learned when two elements reach a certain level.

The Energi system could potentially be interesting and add a bit to 'Alphadia Genesis', but unfortunately it's never explained too well within the game itself. Most of what I explained about the Energi system itself came from my own experimentation, and it took a fair amount of trial and error to realize what exactly the Energi Rings do, and how to benefit most from them. With rings that allow special elemental access but don't actually level the elements up, the lack of benefit from equipping a ring of the same element as the character's innate type, and no insight whatsoever on what spells each element learns, the system really falls apart unless the player gets lucky with the right set-up early on.