RevErsi Quest Review

RevErsi Quest Xbox One Review Screenshot 1

RevErsi Quest is unlike any other puzzle/board game on Xbox One, or the 360 to my knowledge. It does have its own little niché within the Xbox Marketplace without a doubt. If you’re unsure as to what RevErsi Quest is all about, then the best way for me to describe it, is a cross between Othello and Battle Chess, with JRPG elements thrown in the mix. The latter being the menu layout, and the text-based interactions between yourself and the characters you meet on your travels. The story of Othelia, is one were the King could not decide who would rule after him and was unable to choose between his sons. So Othelia was split into 2 Kingdoms of Reta and Subla. Resources became scarce, and soon they descended into war. This is where you come in, as an outsider.

Imogen, a mysterious hooded guide, who introduces you to Othelia and the mechanics behind the game play of RevErsi Quest. Chapter 0 works as a tutorial, and you will most certainly be grateful that a whole chapter has been dedicated to teaching you not only how to play, but additional advice and information as you progress. There is a lot to learn, no question about it. But also a lot to take in, and giving you an overwhelming sensation, and one that may leave you with an inclination to quit before you start. Never fear, as once you advance and start your journey and fight Battles, it will become clear, and you will wonder why you felt like it was all above your station.

The chapters ahead, all have a pathway of square panels in a line, snaking their way towards the Boss fight. A simple roll of a dice determines how far you can advance, and each new square will uncover a surprise for you. From a shop, to a battle, and all manner of other benefits. Which include gold, health gains, and sign posts which offer advice. Before a battle begins, you can compare all your stats with your opponent, an decide on whether you are in for an easy ride, or avoid battle with them. Avoid is an option that only appears once per run through a chapter. To start with, you will struggle with your low-level at first, and being able to replay chapters will allow you to not only level yourself up, but your troops too. Unlocking troops, armour and weapons comes with winning battles, and winning the same battle will level up what you unlocked on a previous run. Essential as you advance further into Othelia, and a harsh and unforgiving journey to unite the Kingdoms.

RevErsi Quest Xbox One Review Screenshot 2

RevErsi Quest does leave you with that notion of being thrown in at the deep end, and after playing through the opening tutorial, it certainly feels that way. But once you learn how it all works, you will begin to enjoy what is on offer. Battles are quick affairs, allowing you to earn that precious XP to level up and improve your skills. The XP gains are small, and thankfully at the same time, the amount required to level up are also small to start with. The game board is viewed with an isometric camera, and for me, each board is 32 panels. You will have 3 predetermined placements of troops for each side, and a dice roll will determine who has Initiative. The AI will appear to have the advantage a lot at this stage. But it’s not a serious problem, as it doesn’t determine who the victor will be. The aim here, is to turn all troops on the board to white from black, and prevent your opponent from turning them black. Sounds simple, but the strategy and tactics involved will challenge you and your every move. The battles can change momentum very quickly, as in one move, you can lose a huge chunk of the troops should you not choose wisely. Planning several moves ahead is advisable.

There are several troops that will determine what move you will play. From an all out attack with a panel highlighted in red, to a health gain in green, to a mana gain in yellow. Some troops combine these effects, meaning your tactician ability needs to be honed to the highest level. The pool of troops you have at your disposal, allows you to choose from 3 randomly selected next to the game board, which does mean luck plays a huge part of each battle. Each troop has a number dictating their level, and how much damage they inflict, or health they can gain. Magic does not directly affect troops, but allows you to place runes of red or green on the board. Green will confer a health boost, whilst a red runes will cause damage to whoever places a troop there. Tactical move you should use when the board is full. There will also be a white rune which can double the value of your troops and one you should aim to utilise once they become available. Choosing your troops for battle is a necessity, as you need the right amount of each troop type to turn a battle in your favour. RevErsi Quest will most definitely punish you should you attempt to rush through. Each win will propel you closer to the chapter boss fight, which comes to no surprise, will be a far tougher challenge than your simple troop battle. Once you have defeated a boss, the next chapter becomes available, should you have unlocked enough panels content. Rewards are given for reaching milestones, such as battles won, time played and more.

Graphically, RevErsi Quest is what you would expect from a game of the puzzle board genre, and will not blow your mind, and neither will the musical score. You will need to be focused on what the game has to offer with regards to the strategy and tactical play style. This is where the game excels, and does an impressive job. Quick paced battles that are in no way convoluted, give the feeling of progression, which appeal to people such as myself. Given that a title such as Command & Conquer is an experience I don’t enjoy due to the time each battle consumes. The language translation however, is abysmal at times. Grammar, spelling and punctuation need a lot of work. A prime example, is randomsise appears as randamize. In defense of the developer, English is not their first language, and I for one, will never claim mine is perfect.

RevErsi Quest Xbox One Review Screenshot 3

But a lot of people will certainly pick up on this, and feel that this will need improvement. The game is an enjoyable experience, and any fan of strategy titles would enjoy RevErsi Quest. But as mentioned earlier, it is a niché game, and may be overlooked by many gamers looking to spend their hard-earned cash. Which is a shame, as there is most definitely a good game behind the language issue, and lack of impressive visuals and auditory pleasure.

Achievements are few, with only 10 on offer. Nine of which relate to completion of a chapter, leaving the final one for defeating a level 99 Boss. A hefty time investment is ahead of you. Certainly offering a value for money title should you make the purchase. If I am totally honest, I may have overlooked this game myself had I not reviewed it. Now I have had a good 10 hours play time invested, I am glad I have had the chance to try a unique title, and I would recommend that you give it a go too. But perhaps one for the strategy purists out there. An FPS fan would likely wonder what on earth they had let themselves in to, that’s for sure.

To conclude, I did like RevErsi Quest, despite the downfalls. Maybe a more proficient language translator would solve the issue. But given that language from the Far East, is vastly different from language that we know, it really isn’t that bad a translation when you take that in to consideration. A fair score for a good attempt at something quite different from the other Indie titles available.

Rating 7

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Get the latest game reviews, news, features, and more straight to your inbox