Note: This is the translated PC release of Vantage Master V2, aka the only one in English.

Vantage Master takes the small approach of SRPGs with a few units and manageable maps. The difficulty and CPU levels can be frustrating unless tweaked and the game's character creation is a bit of a crapshoot, but there's a few neat strategies to be found in this game.

Storywise the game wasn't fully translated on my scenario - there are 30 stages of a story mode of sorts and eight super tough Expert Stages. There's network play but it's tricky to find who can actually join you. What I could tell from the scenario of my character is that my village was attacked and I needed to get revenge - it's fairly threadbare, and I could have used a little more flavor to keep the stages from getting repetitive.

The game's layout is a hexagonal map - there are various movement hampering tiles like desert tiles, water tiles, and grass, along with different elevations and magic stones. MP and magic stones are the main resource - MP recharges every so often, but needs magic stones owned by either the main master or the master's summons. Summoning costs MP, as well as magic attacks from either summons or the master. There are quite a variety of summons, ranging from small fairies and darumas meant to touch magic stones to own them quickly, or long range units to chip at the enemy fast enough, or reaction hitters to tackle whatever weaknesses your opponent's setup may have. Weaknesses are very important to this game with a four-way cycle of what's weak against what. Elemental unit types have a few levels of units that you can win from scenarios beaten, so your strongest type that takes advantage of enemy weaknesses can turn the tide of battle.

As for the master themselves, character creation is based on a psych test of sorts that asks various questions (helping a fox, helping a fellow man, yadda yadda) that determines your character. This can be immensely tricky due to some masters being much flimsier than others (getting stuck with a Spirit vs something like a Savage), and the game doesn't really tell you how to get them. It's a novelty at first but the game's already tough difficulty can turn needlessly brutal if you don't have an optimal character.

There's no music, but the sounds are cute and don't grate too much on the player. The pixel art is charming, with a credits sequence that shows a lot of love for each unit. The units all feel whimsical, powerful, or just really unique in their own look, making it cool to unlock each one.

Vantage Master can be fun when the tide's on your side, but the tough difficulty and repetitive stages can wear if you try the default normal difficulty. The units still interact in fun ways and it's worth checking out.