Main game
2.90 average rating based on 40 ratings
Gameplay
There's actually a lot to like with the gameplay. There's a lot of options with the class system, almost to the point of it being overwhelming, but I'm always a fan of customization. Then there's the mission objectives. This game tries really hard to make the objectives diverse so the gameplay doesn't get stale. The characters also have access to different skills and passives, making them feel distinct. Even if you have units that are a part of the same tree, taking them down different branches makes them feel completely different.
Writing
I actually enjoyed the story and characters. It wasn't perfect, but I think it was about as good as any of the FE games I've played. I love that they gave everyone dialogue throughout the game, even the characters that aren't important in the story. It was a bit jarring seeing characters talk in the story after they haven't said anything for the last 10 chapters, but I appreciate that the attempt. The quality of the bonds can be a bit hit or miss. Some are pretty enjoyable and flesh out the characters and their relationships, but some don't really feel satisfying. Some of them go no …
Gameplay
There's actually a lot to like with the gameplay. There's a lot of options with the class system, almost to the point of it being overwhelming, but I'm always a fan of customization. Then there's the mission objectives. This game tries really hard to make the objectives diverse so the gameplay doesn't get stale. The characters also have access to different skills and passives, making them feel distinct. Even if you have units that are a part of the same tree, taking them down different branches makes them feel completely different.
Writing
I actually enjoyed the story and characters. It wasn't perfect, but I think it was about as good as any of the FE games I've played. I love that they gave everyone dialogue throughout the game, even the characters that aren't important in the story. It was a bit jarring seeing characters talk in the story after they haven't said anything for the last 10 chapters, but I appreciate that the attempt. The quality of the bonds can be a bit hit or miss. Some are pretty enjoyable and flesh out the characters and their relationships, but some don't really feel satisfying. Some of them go no where and some come to a resolution that didn't feel earned.
Final thoughts
This honestly felt like a Fire Emblem fan game, while not being as enjoyable as any of the ones I've played. It wasn't bad, but I always thought "I would rather play Fire Emblem instead" while I was playing. The biggest issue I have with the game is how unpolished it is. The difficulty curve is pretty wonky and the game is riddled with bugs like the game not showing the enemy range properly, the game thinking that characters are on a different tile than they actually are, and the game lying to you about what a skill does (I'm assuming this is a result of a patch that updated what a skill did, but the devs not updating the description everywhere). The ideas are really great, but the execution could have been better. I did see the trailer for Dark Deity 2 and that looks really fun. I'll probably skip that game just because I need to get through my backlog.
Edit: Forgot to mention before, but I also had a problem with the game's world building. Details weren't really mentioned until they were relevant and it was made to be a reveal of sorts.
I tried giving this game a shot, but couldn't bring myself to play any more of this game. Dark Deity is a Fire Emblem clone.
The similarities are too striking. The sprite work and combat animations almost replicate the ones found in the GBA Fire Emblem games (The Blazing Blade and Sacred Stones).
The game lacks a tutorial and by the fourth map it dumps you into a complicated assault on a bandit stronghold with around 30 enemies. It's as if the developers assume the only people who will play this game are Fire Emblem veterans.
I know the phrase "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", but it's hard to play this game when I literally have Fire Emblem: Three Houses sitting on my shelf that I could play again instead. This is different from how Wargroove riffed off of Advance Wars, at least Wargroove had a vision and its own charms. Dark Deity on the other hand feels like a soulless cash grab.
For what it's worth, this game is not bad, but it feels wrong to reward Dark Deity for adhering so closely to the game that inspired it.
This is free in the Epic store this week:
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/dark-deity-0b08d1
Next week we get STAR® WARS™:® Squadrons™.