Level-5 contracted Matsuno to design and direct a small 3DS game for their Guild series, but likely got more than they bargained for. Crimson Shroud is a labor of love without doubt. Yet, this pocket RPG is not without some significant faults.įirst the good stuff.
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Truly, if you're a fan of traditional paper & dice RPGs, there's a lot to love in Crimson Shroud. For it's price, I would say it's a very solid game and would recommend it.Ĭrimson Shroud is what you'd get if you mixed Dungeons & Dragons with HeroQuest, while letting Yasumi Matsuno be your Dungeon Master. The game also can be overly vague with what the next step is this can become a problem when you don't know exactly where you have to reexplore in order to move on (looking at you, Chapter 1).Ĭrimson Shroud is a very fun game that I love the battle mechanics for, but is a bit under-polished in certain areas.
![projared vagrant story projared vagrant story](https://animefigureszone.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Vagrant-Story-Ashley-Riot-Sydney-Losstarot-Action-Figures-002.jpg)
Chapter 2 has a somewhat infamous section where you need a rare random drop to proceed with the story (I got it within four battles, but there are tales of those who've played for hours to come up empty handed). New Game+ adds additional information that didn't help the overall narrative. The first playthough has a narrative inconsistency that is bothersome, although it can be missed. Meanwhile, the top screen isn't showing anything more but your characters.
#PROJARED VAGRANT STORY FULL#
Item stats are on the right hand column and you're going to have to scroll to find the item's spells and then click on the spell and wait for that line to scroll for the full effects. Item descriptions and spell descriptions are on a single line at the top of the menu and a lot of the time you're going to wait several seconds to see if you have the right healing item or not. The menus, especially for items and equipment, is tightly packed on the bottom screen in an attempt to try and show you all the info at once. The first playthrough is the bad ending, while New Game+ has the good ending but you have to make sure you do the additional steps (which can be easy to miss). You will get more information if you explore and sometimes reexplore rooms, which is a nice touch. The story is fun, but nothing revolutionary. I liked the battle system well enough that I spent a lot of time just farming for equipment. Characters already have their defined roles (knight-like, archer, mage), but the equipment and the spells attached to the equipment, along with skills, allows for flexibility. Buffs, debuffs, and status afflictions play a critical roll. If you're not paying attention, you will be destroyed by enemies you may have already defeated a dozen times over.
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It is complex enough that you can never get away with just spamming attack. The only experience characters get will determine when new skills are available all other stats are determined by your equipment, which can be improved by swapping to whatever you win from battles, and melding repeat items together or melding new spells to the equipment. Dice are required for some moves, while other moves can be enhanced with dice you've stored. Battles are turn based with each character being allowed a major move (attack, magic, item) and a minor move (skill) per turn. You play as a party of three, traversing through some ruins and learning that their original quest is not all that it seems. Crimson Shroud is a modified Dungeons & Dragons experience for the 3DS, including the dice rolling and the visuals (all the characters and monsters are figurines).