You thought it was turn-based, but it was me, DioField
The DioField Chronicle is a strange one of the cavalcade of tactics we’ve seen this year. It’s real-time, rather than turn-based; it involves tight, compact skirmishes rather than lengthy battles. DioField mixes wyvern and guns, swords and sorcery, and even some airships for good measure.
Over the 20-ish hours it took me to complete The DioField Chronicle, there are some pretty cool concepts and ideas on display, although they aren’t always best framed. There’s a solid story, but some strange choices in direction. DioField is an interesting strategy game to play, even if it’s not at its best.
The DioField Chronicle (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed]Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Square Enix, Lancarse
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: September 22, 2022
MSRP: $59.99
The DioField Chronicle follows the Blue Foxes, a group of mercenaries in the service of a duke on the island of DioField. The island is rich in Jade stones with magical properties, making it a prime target for trade, subterfuge and invasion from the nearby continent.
Two rising warriors, Andrias and Fredret, are at the heart of the story and are soon joined by the knight-errant Iscarion and the powerfully magical descendant of the nobility, Waltaquin. These four are the heart and soul of the Blue Foxes, and much of the story revolves around their rise to power amid the political intrigue and battle that constantly surrounds DioField.
Drama is at the heart of the story, and it’s very compelling to watch these four come together and deal with mounting tension as their goals begin to diverge. The interpersonal drama really clicks on solid moments, such as Waltaquin teasing Andrias or Iscarion doubting a plan. Each of the characters also has nicknames for each other, which is a nice touch.
Increasing voltage
However, the broader geopolitical intrigue falters. It was difficult to develop a sense of place, as the world is often shown only on the blue-lit briefing board before each mission. Major plot events take place in the narration, alongside still images, even major plot moments. A few main characters only appear as non-detailed portraits.
While Andrias’ story (the player largely plays as Andrias) comes to a pretty good end, it does feel a bit rushed. There’s a lot of world knowledge in the library of the Blue Foxes back at home, to fill in the gaps. But in the end, I just came to enjoy the infighting, while the wider political story engulfed me.
DioField‘s focus is much more towards the action on the pitch. It is a real-time strategy RPG, where the player deploys four units in a field (eight with their auxiliary partners) to take on the enemy. The system feels like a mix of real-time-with-pause RPGs and classic tactics, and on the surface it works.
The gears of The DioField Chronicle‘s fights are really solid. The fact that I had to adapt and maneuver in real time often kept me on my toes, and enemies could do a significant amount of damage if I didn’t dodge area attacks and control the crowd. Elements like backstabbing, surprise attacks, and holding chokepoints feel tactically rewarding. While I would have liked terrain to be worth a hair more, overall I like the main concept.
Off to war
Fighting is about execution though, and that’s true DioField falters a little. First, each unit has special abilities, allowing them to perform actions such as stun an opponent, rain fire on a group, heal an ally, stab an enemy in the back, etc. All of these abilities are linked to weapons, some of which are universally available depending on your class.
While DioField is smooth with pause time allowing the player to essentially freeze the action when they want to spend a new waypoint or use a skill, this leads to a very start-and-stop feel in some missions. I don’t mind the thrill of waiting for cooldowns, but a few fights felt like I rushed forward and stopped constantly to hit the skill button and use skills, like a car in rush hour.
These skills are also extremely powerful, at different stages of the game. My experience with The DioField ChronicleThe fight feels best described by a bell curve. Early on I found that it was pretty easy to take out most early enemies by annoying them, getting them in a pile. Then I would rain down fire, arrows, and powerful summons upon them. Easy enough.
However, in the middle of the game, new units started to appear. These units had powerful skills, large AOE attacks that could destroy my crew, and a mix of powerful ranged hitters and sizeable front troops. Special monsters add some really fun twists. Salamanders and coeurls have abilities that feel like MMO-style attacks. I would have to quickly reposition and adapt, balancing how I wanted to use my resources to best burn off their abundant health bars.
But near the endgame, I blew through fights. Andrias probably could have erased entire cards on his own. Certain characters have a great mix of skills and natural talents that make them absolute powerhouses in the mid-thirties, and I blew through cards several levels higher than my party. These feel rewarding considering the amount of investment that has gone into them. But the enemies don’t seem to be able to keep up with your team towards the end of the game.
The path of least resistance
The DioField Chronicle has a really cool diversity of options, in its characters and builds. One remote attacker is more of a fighter while the other is a sniper. One of my magic users excelled at hitting as many enemies as possible, while another was able to gain health while healing. Interesting choices can be made about who and where. These are put together as you try to account for various crowd control effects, auras, and bonuses available for each extra edge you can get.
However, much of that falls away as the game progresses. Cool synergies are fun, but it often became a matter of how you deal the most damage. I don’t feel stimulated enough to deploy different troops. The path of least resistance simply made the most sense. Just to be clear, I enjoyed working my way through a map and finishing a map with a time of par-six minutes in under 60 seconds. But it soon felt extremely repetitive. I could essentially stop giving most of the strategy, planning, and maneuvers in favor of my well-equipped squadron mowing enemy after enemy.
However, the battles are fast-paced, keeping them interesting and concise. The loop can also really hook you in. Fight a battle, reap some rewards. Go back to the home base, spend it developing new weapons or expanding the base. Talk to some of your recruited units, gain new insight into their character and open a new side mission. Leave, rinse, repeat. I caught myself falling into this loop quite easily, burning for hours in the process.
DioField looks damn good too. The character models will be either a personal like or a dislike, but the diorama arenas and big, beautiful summon animations are nice tributes to Square’s tactical heritage. Lancarse has done a good job of creating a world that also looks different. The mix of science and magic feels very original, which I like between a lot of long-running series and remasters, The DioField Chronicle feels like something new and intriguing.
Jade in the rough
The DioField Chronicle feels destined to be called a hidden gem in years to come. Despite some hiccups and doubts, I can’t help but enjoy the loop. Sending your units into battle, raining magical power on enemies as your cavalry invades and assassin rips up the backline just feels right in DioField.
It hasn’t reached the heights of other strategic RPG candidates, but The DioField Chronicle promises a lot. It’s different, it’s engaging and it has a fast pace that goes from fight to fight. I felt like I had a good, interesting RPG experience with this first game, and I really hope there’s more in store. DioField certainly has the space for it.
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