Probably a lot of people from my generation were the first to experience computers from a young age, particularly in early years in school. Those of us who were lucky enough to have our own personal computer could enjoy a series of games which are now considered to be primitive, but which in fact are just a couple of decades old. One of the most popular games that was on each PC at the time was probably Space Pinball, so it is not surprising that a lot of variations of the game exist. Some just focus on the game without any new additions to gameplay or introducing new mechanics, while others change a thing or two to the script to make it a unique experience to the usual pinball.
One of such takes on differentiating pinball is Rollers of the Realm. Developed by Atlus, this is a game which has the mechanics of normal pinball at its core, with a ball and two flippers to keep it into play, but shifts the arena from a normal and still background to a playground rich of items and enemies. The game stars your character, Rogue, on a quest to fight a storyline based on saving the world, kind of. The game follows a linear path, with completing a level unlocking another or two at once, and completing each set of levels unlocks the next. The story is delivered through circular talking portraits, which is fitting for a pinball game. Even though this is still pinball we are talking about, the story is actually very interesting. It starts off strongly too, when Rogue’s dog is stolen from her and thus the first set of levels depicts the quest to save him. There are a variety of levels in the game, and while it starts fairly easy, it becomes increasingly difficult the more one progresses in the game, as it should be after all.
As far as gameplay is concerned, you obviously have the bumpers as the main mechanic of the game, and as everyone knows the aim of the game is to keep the ball from falling between the bumpers. If there are no enemies on the field, falling through the gap will only result in having to send the ball into play again, meaning that there is no death when no enemies are onscreen. This means that upon clearing a level of the baddies, one can explore and collect all the gold and chests lying around in the level.
Since reviewing the game on PC the controls are A and L for left and right bumpers respectively. There is also the command to shift the board a little to the left or to the right, pressing S and K, which comes in handy when the ball just will not go where you want, or also when it gets stuck somewhere. The W or I buttons, on the other hand, swap between your party members, an essential part of the game. Enemies take damage from being directly with the ball or also from a special ability of the ball. From their part, the enemy cannot damage the balls but can damage the bumpers. After a considerable amount of hits, the bumper has a piece of its tip broken, which while still permitting the game to go on, it will make things far more difficult since the gap is now larger. The breaking of the tip is the maximum amount of damage which can be received by the bumpers; in other words, the bumper itself cannot be totally destroyed.
The core mechanic of Rollers of the Realm is the special power of each member. Every party member has a unique ability, different from the rest, and thus one needs to have a little micromanagement skill to choose when best to swap to another member. The first member is obviously Rogue, being the central character in the story. In her quest to retrieve her dog, she meets a Knight and a Healer who join the party quickly. The special skills of each member are vital to the progression of the game, especially so for the Healer since her skill is that to revive fallen party members, even though she is fallen herself. The special skill of the Rogue is the ability to summon her dog in battle, so while the dog is not with her, she does not have a special. Special skills depend on a mana meter, which increases every time you hit mana items such as rocks or destroy bushes. There are also mana charms, which are a multiplier of the mana receivable, thus building the meter more quickly. Some characters may also have passive abilities, for example the Healer heals the bumpers a little every time she receives mana. There is also a market where one can buy items to equip the party members to enhance their effectiveness in battle. In this market one may also hire additional party members, who bring their own abilities as well. To hire a new member one must have 3 party levels, attainable through XP gathered when playing, for each member one wants to hire. So for example until party level 5, one may only hire one member but upon hitting level 6, another can be hired. It is a balanced mechanic, which means one does not grind earlier levels to hire all the party members available to then breeze through the game.
Graphically, the game is simple but looks very good. The different effects of the game, being either the mana meter shining when full, the animation of the special ability or even explosions or pyrotechnics are spot on. The game embraces a comic style of colouring, and the story dialogue shown in circular portraits is a perfect match. As far as audio is concerned, the game has a subtle soundtrack which can turn to being intense in moments of battle. It accompanies the flow of the game well, and matches the action on screen properly.
All in all, Rollers of the Realm is a very welcomed twist to the pinball formula. While keeping the core mechanics of a game which probably the whole world has played, it introduces a fitting RPG side as well as a neat story to hook players. It does not get more addicting than this, and it is very easy to lose track of time in this game. Having excellent gameplay, good graphics and a cute story to go along with it, Rollers of the Realm is a great addition to anyone’s library of games.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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