Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs

For fans of tactical RPGs Regalia of Men and Monarchs is a must buy. The combat can be challenging and frustrating at times though there is a story mode available for people who would like a bit of a simpler game experience. Regalia had far more story and content in general than I was expecting going into the game and everything is executed really well.

Following the days of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, tactical role-playing games have been out of the spotlight, with only a few games, like the latest Fire Emblem games and The Banner Saga, managing to get some well-deserved recognition. Traditional Japanese role-playing games haven't had it easy as well, with only big games like Final Fantasy XV and the recently released Persona 5 getting recognition. With the genre as a whole struggling a bit, at least compared to 15/20 years ago, would the situation change if one was to take the best fe...

While Regalia: of Men and Monarchs never excels in any one area, the unique mix of gameplay elements really comes together to provide an experience that's worth having. If you're a fan of JRPGs, SRPGs, or a fan of the British tradition of absurdist fantasy comedy, there's something here for you to enjoy.

A beautiful homage to the Disgaea and Persona franchises that tries to tread some familiar ground.

Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs isn’t a stand-out game in any means. The combat is challenging but achievable and there won’t be any fights that you will tell your grandkids about. The plot is humorous and the characters are enjoyable, but neither the narrative nor the characters will set the world alight. What Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is though, is a JRPG that stands on its own two feet, and despite taking many influences and using certain generic conventions, it manages to carve its own identity. For that, and a very good STI joke, I recommend it to any fan of the genre.

All in all, Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs stands well on its own two feet. From a technical standpoint, the tactical combat sections could do with a little more originality, and perhaps a better balance between gameplay modes. Overall, though, the game succeeds at what it aims to achieve, and gamers after a chilled-out tactical RPG with bags of character are bound to enjoy it.

If history has shown anything, it's that the effectiveness of a monarchy varies greatly from one to another. Let's see how Kay Loren fares with his roll of the monarchy dice.

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