Natural Doctrine

As I stated above the game is very unforgiving at times and that will be a huge turn off to some players. Still if you like tactical RPGs and a good challenge you will enjoy this game. If you are more of a run and gun player this one should be avoided.

Learning a new skill is rarely easy; the complexities of a manual transmission nearly overwhelmed me the first time I learned to drive a car. Natural Doctrine calls to mind many of those frustrated nights on the road, because while the title looks like your average fantasy-themed strategy game, its approach to combat is so unique and complex that it will take you a while to get a handle on its intricacies. Once you get the basics down, Natural Doctrine will take you to some exciting places, but it’s still a bit of a bumpy ride.

Natural Doctrine was never going to bring hardcore strategy to the masses. The developer knew exactly who they were targeting with their debut title and, for those players, the game will prove a worthwhile experience. For those who aren’t too hot on their strategy role playing games, however, Natural Doctrine is a risk, yet one still worth taking if you’re looking for something testing and out-of-the-norm.

A difficult game that is hard to enjoy

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I know that in the current climate of the gaming industry, everyone is glamouring for hardcore games that don’t hold their hand, but I don’t think Natural Doctrine is what you’re looking for. The game isn't challenging so much as it is just inconsistent because the enemy rules are seemingly made up as it goes along. It just isn't enjoyable to play, and that's a really big failure in a game like this.

Natural Doctrine tries to be an unforgiving and brutal tactical RPG that punishes you for the tiniest mistake, and it most certainly does that. But it also punishes you for things outside your control, leading to frustrating, messy battles. Success comes down to luck rather than decisive strategy, robbing me of the sense of well-earned victory I yearn for. And with annoying characters, a dumb story, and outdated graphics, there’s not much that makes playing Natural Doctrine worth the stress.

The biggest issue with the game’s turn-based system is that the developer Kadokawa Games seemingly tried to craft something good, but instead fell just short of the mark, leaving a system that takes a long time to get used to. Three days in and I was still making errors due to the amount of options I had to go through to complete a turn. It doesn’t help that turns can be extremely slow, and cutscenes are nearly unskippable, leading to lengthy rounds that leave you wondering why you got into it in the first place.