Image Credits: Reverse 1999
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
On the last day of the year in 1999 a storm appears. Anything that the rain touches is reversed and vanishes. Time no longer progresses past 1999. The basic premise of this game is fascinating and immediately inspires further investigation into the exact cause and consequences. Reverse 1999 is a story driven turn based game that features a card mechanic and RPG elements. There is a strong focus on story that features a cast of unique, quirky and interesting characters often spanning different cultures and time periods. The combat is interesting, strategic and challenging but it can also feel random and luck dependent as getting the right cards at the right time can be the difference between defeating an enemy or losing. Character art design is a mix of unique vibrant, painterly and stylish units. Care and attention is paid to the colours, clothing and accessories of each character that often represent a specific culture and time period. Music is excellent and aligns with the tone and themes of the stories, time period and characters. It can be anything from somber, melancholic, creepy and hip to an upbeat anthem for a summer road trip. Altogether these elements create a game that feels different than anything out there at the moment.
GAMEPLAY:
The gameplay revolves around getting cards that represent your units’ abilities. Duplicate cards can be combined for more powerful effects and also increase your moxie that in turn allow you to cast your ultimate. There are synergies between characters’ afflatus (Beast/Plant/Star/Mineral/Spirit/Intelligence) and damage type (Reality/Mental). Various ways to increase power include leveling up, portraits (character duplicates), resonance and psychubes. On top of this your time keeper moxie allows you to do things like draw a new set of cards, combine cards at no cost or upgrade them. Together this creates strategy and depth to combat.
Campaign missions are fairly straightforward while event and special challenges include stronger enemies that require more powerful team compositions.
The most interesting gameplay modes are featured in the event missions/new patches. Each patch update usually involves an event with new missions and gameplay modes. One of the unique aspects about this developer is that at the end of each event they ask for feedback and with this you do see changes to gameplay modes. This team is always experimenting, introducing new game modes and refining systems. You see this reflected in the popular card system that allows you to augment and customize your characters power. This game mode has seen slight changes to improve its overall experience. Another very interesting mode is the rogue like mode where you can acquire multiple items and enchant them. This adds a very satisfying level of customization and power to a wide range of teams. This type of feature should be incorporated into the base game in some form as it allows for much more creative strategies and ways to not only strengthen but augment your teams weaknesses. These elements add a much needed depth to the combat system.
STORY:
With a captivating premise, charming characters and excellent voice acting the story is one of the main features of this game. Characters’ backstories get more fleshed out as you progress through the campaign and learn more about their motivations. Events and side stories explore a range of time periods and cultures. It’s refreshing to experience a game that is interested in exploring such a wide range of diverse time periods, people and places. Pacing of some segments of the story can be slow at times as it lays out a foundation and establishes a range of characters and plot. Interest in side and event storylines depends a lot on the cast that is involved and the plot. The main cast especially when Vertin is involved carry some of the best stories while some of the other side stories can be hit or miss. Overall the main campaign story is excellent with heartfelt character moments and high quality voice acting. It is one of the main attractions for this title.
ART & CHARACTER DESIGN:
Art direction and character design is exceptional. Characters are vibrant, quirky, distinguished and creative. They span a range from an apple with a bow tie, a dog named pickles to a knight that lost their body. The visual design and style has an identity of its own. It’s evident that a lot of passion and care is taken into crafting each character ensuring they are unique and exhibit different personalities. Many characters have endearing idiosyncratic traits that often entangle them in comedic and dramatic interactions. Anchoring the entire cast and story is Vertin. The charismatic heart of the story. This is a talented team that takes risks and does it with a bright and dynamic style.
MUSIC:
Most of the musical tracks align very well with the overall tone and feel of the game, story and characters with somber melodies that evoke introspection and feelings of times now past. Event songs are very thematic from the hip, ghoulish and thriller-esque “A Nightmare at Green Lake” to the summer road trip anthem of “Go Together”. Music contributes to the overall vibe of the game and the stories they represent. This team cares about each element of the game and in everything they put out exhibit a high level of artistry.
CHALLENGES:
One of the main drawbacks of a card based system is the inherent randomness of each hand you are dealt. In addition, the overall gameplay mechanics are quite simple making it easy to learn but lacking more strategic depth. This is both a challenge but also an area for innovation and adjustment. The developer is experimenting with various gameplay modes. This is seen in both the fame card battle mode where you can equip characters with up to 2 cards that provide additional power and utility and the roguelike game mode that allows for acquisitions of items and the ability to enchant them. The opportunity to allow for creative strategy for the player is critical. Both of these systems allow you to augment the weaknesses and enhance the strengths of your team regardless of what characters you have access to. Creativity is also an inherent human quality. Games that embrace this and provide tools for players to be creative make for gameplay that is engaging and fun. This adds a very satisfying depth to strategy that is personalized. Hopefully these elements get incorporated into the main gameplay experience.
The other main challenge of note is that it requires patience to level up characters and build a selection of teams that can effectively take on a wide range of challenges. Like many gacha games long term power progression is slow and takes place over months.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
With an impressive visual identity, lovable characters, storylines that explore diverse cultures and times , musical scores that align with the overall tone and strategic gameplay, Reverse 1999 offers a unique game experience. When you assemble and power up your team and the main campaign is firing on all cylinders this is a very engaging and intriguing title. If you’re drawn to the premise, art, characters or gameplay it’s worth checking out. Enjoy your journey with Timekeeper, Vertin and may the peace be with us. Looking for a beginner’s guide and tier list? Check out this post.
Interested in other deck building RPGs?
Check out our review of Morimens, a story driven lovecraftian RPG.
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: Android/iOS/PC
RELEASE: 2023
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Bluepoch
GENRE/TAGS: Turn Based, Strategy, Story Driven, Card Mechanic, RPG, PVE
TARGET AUDIENCE: Those who enjoy a slow paced heavy story focused narrative that traverses eras and cultures with turn based combat.
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