REVIEW: Bonds Of The Skies (Nintendo Switch)

Game: Bonds Of The Skies
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer/ Publisher: Kemco (Website)
Price: €12.99| $12.99 | £11.69
Age Rating: EU: 12+ | USA: T
Release Date: March 14th, 2019
Also Available On: 3DS, Playstation, Xbox, Steam, iOS & Android

Review code kindly provided by Kemco.

Join Eil and his team of gods and humans as they journey across the world to save it from a mysterious threat that, left unattended, would destroy everything. This retro style RPG brilliantly captures the genres’ charm, covers it in a fresh looking coat of paint and tells yet another cheesy fantasy tale. It’s nothing new, but it’s expert execution goes to show how far nailing the formula can go.

God & Man, Together We Stand

The games gods are referred to as ‘Grimoas’, they each represent certain elements that form the make up of the world. Their history is tied heavily with the rise of humans though modern times have seen their tales almost eradicated. When a young man comes of age however his path crosses that of Noagard, god of wind, and their fates become intertwined. You soon leave your hometown and journey to find other humans and their Grimoan counterparts to join forces against evil.

The game sends you across an atypical retro map full of towns and points of exploration. There are plenty of enemies and secrets to discover on your quest. If you’ve played an RPG before you’ll be well versed, and even someone like myself who has only brushed briefly with this style had no problem getting to grips with the mechanics. Each character as well as their standard attacks soon gain access to abilities and synchronised abilities thanks to their godly partners. The battles are quick to grasp and increase gently in intensity until the very end guiding you the whole way until you find yourself in thrilling battles against powerful foes. Again, it’s nothing new but solidly executed.

World Travellers

While you quest, you arrive at a town. The story progresses, you solve some internal affairs usually involving a visit to the nearby dungeon area and move on. As you do you soon travel the whole map and the story concludes. To bulk things out, each town will dole out side-quests at their respective Grimoa statues. They’re a great way of earning money and bonus items plus promote returning to the additional locations for additional rewards and battles. There are also bonus locations that produce other rare and useful rewards so it’s worth combing the whole game.

The whole experience was very gratifying. The story moved forward at pace and the optional content was appealing and worth the extra effort before facing the challenging endgame.

That Retro Charm

The characters were a little cheesy at first, but I found that they really grew on me. Everyone is a little one-dimensional, but nothing’s new here so it all ties into the charm. There’s a lot of variety in your posse at least. The whole story is just as predictable, but I got easily caught up and keen to see it through regardless.

The soundtrack is equally as upbeat and plays tunefully as you explore. I couldn’t say it was particularly memorable but appreciated nonetheless for its accompaniment. The same can be said for the graphics. It’s all bright and colourful, borrowing again from a well established genre. But nothing particularly outstanding, though still solidly constructed. I’m a fan of the cheesy reskins and detailing on the avatars during conversations.

To Conclude

I’ve made it very plain that the game is nothing spectacular. It’s a very typical RPG in a fantasy setting with characters and a story that don’t attempt to reinvent the wheel. But it definitely goes to show how offering a solid package with good pacing and well thought out design that encourages you to explore and absorb the full experience works wonders. These are very important things to me!