Masters of Anima for Switch Reviews
Playing as Otto, you are taking your exam to become a shaper, one who can manipulate the Anima to summon guardians. Your betrothed and MasterPlaying as Otto, you are taking your exam to become a shaper, one who can manipulate the Anima to summon guardians. Your betrothed and Master shaper Ana, is captured by the evil Zahr. Who splits her into three pieces, heart, mind, and body. Rendering her helpless and leaving Zahr to wreak havoc on the land of Spark unless Otto can save his fiance and the world.
Beginning the game with only one type of guardians, protectors, which essentially act like infantry. You give them orders of where to attack, while you can attack also, you do very little damage and the bulk of your damage will come from the guardians that you’ve summoned. Very quickly you have to learn the dance of getting your soldiers in to do damage when the have the opportunity and out as before they take to much of a beating from whichever golem they are fighting. Alerting you with pre-attack ques, gives you just enough time to recall your guardians so they don’t get pulverized. If they do go down in battle you will have to summon more, which can be a problem as you can only summon more guardians if you have collected enough Anima.
Anima is a fuel that your guardian summoning magic runs upon and making sure that you have enough of it in battle is absolutely crucial. If you carelessly allow all of your guardians to get killed and have exhausted the surrounding area of Anima, kiss that turn goodbye; because hacking away with honorable Otto is just not going to cut it.
As you play through the campaign you unlock different types of guardians that change the whole game, some ranged, others anima healers, some huge hulking beasts, they all inhabitat different areas. Keeping everyone out of the line of fire, while keeping enough in to keep doing damage, becomes an addictive plate spinning adventure. Recall some sentinels, summon new protectors, collect more anima, to summon even more sentinels, then strategically place them surrounding your enemy, all without taking damage.
In you run in guardians blazing and without a plan, sad to say you will not prevail. Dying a number of times on earlier bosses trying to find a method in all of this madness, made me a better leader when going toe to toe with the enemy.
As enemies go, they feel very repetitive as they all are very similar. Few here and there making you strategize differently but overall they just add more enemies to increase the challenge. That being said the combat takes so much attention and focus that it’s still very satisfying despite feeling a bit grindy.
Spark is a mystical environment where a puzzle lies around every corner. Progressing to the next battle is a guardian involved environmental puzzle where combining all of their talents together leads you to success. Where some games do this quite poorly like Mario V Rabbids, scratching your head between fights is generally a lot of fun.
Playing from an isometric perspective visually the art style is very reminiscent of the diablo series, but could use a bit more visual variety but the game does play quite smooth in both docked and handheld mode.
After each level you earn skill points that you can use to level up Otto and each of his guardians and the perks really earn their keep. Varying from old favorites like doing more damage, to teleporting instantly when recalled, getting your guardians out of the danger zone immediately. Some playing into the masses of guardians summoned, you can have Otto’s attack damage grow by a percentage with every guardian summoned of a certain type, making Otto’s attacks actually do something worthwhile.
Masters of Anima is a great action adventure strategy game that any fan of the diablo series or diablo-esque games such as Nine Parchments are sure to enjoy. Despite the enemies and the artstyle feeling a bit repetitive, I truly enjoyed my time battling through this golem ridden world.
Be sure to watch my video review at YouTube channel TheFlannelFox… Expand
Masters of Anima Review – RPGamer
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by
Charalampos Papadimitriou
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Published
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Summon as Fast as You Can!
Masters of Anima is a hybrid of RPG and RTS games, mixing and matching elements of the two genres.
With a novel control scheme and progression system, and a number of fresh combat mechanics, its mission-based gameplay offers an experience that feels like a cross between Pikmin and Diablo. The simplistic story, underdeveloped combat encounters, and short length make for an overall experience that, while enjoyable, is also forgettable.
The story in Masters of Anima is straightforward and simple, with little in the way of surprises or deep character development, and has the feel of a short children’s fairy tale. It stars Otto, a would-be Shaper setting off to take the trials required to actually become one. Shapers are able to use the power of Anima to build and animate guardians, stone creatures powered by Anima that will do the Shaper’s bidding. They can carry out a multitude of actions including fighting in RTS battles and interacting with objects in the environment. Otto’s not particularly thrilled about becoming a Shaper, but as his fiancée Ana is the Supreme Shaper, the laws of the land forbid the marriage until Otto completes the trials.
During the trials, Zahr, for reasons yet unknown, attacks and breaks Ana into 3 pieces — heart, mind, and body — and takes down the Heartshield protecting the game’s world from Anima’s raw and untamed form. This sets in motion the game’s events as Otto sets off on a quest to find and recombine Ana. The interactions with the different parts of Ana’s personality are interesting and well-executed and in general the story is serviceable, but nothing to really write home about.
Gameplay is mission-based. There is no world map, only a set of ten maps to sequentially explore, though many are large and can take upwards of an hour to get through. Each map has many paths to take, secrets to find, and puzzles to solve. Exploration is rewarded with meaningful treasures that boost Otto’s stats and other collectibles, though it can begin to get stale as the game progresses due to a total lack of an item and equipment system. In addition to upgrade treasures, Otto can level up from battle experience, earning skill points to improve his guardians, himself, and to increase the number of guardians he can summon at a time.
Unfortunately, most improvements are both passive and minor. Most character growth comes through progressing in the story and unlocking each of the different guardian types that specialize in different tasks and which Otto can summon to help him in combat and to progress through the maps. Some guardians can push large blocks, others can shoot targets in the distance, and yet others can hold up protective barriers. Figuring out how to use guardians to make progress is a nice addition that enhances exploration.
You can take control these golems and ‘Hulk Smash’ the way open.
The combat in Masters of Anima combines hack-and-slash and RTS elements, with a stronger lean toward RTS. Otto can summon large groups from five types of different guardians, each specializing in different functions. To summon guardians, Otto must expend Anima, which can be found on the mission maps and on the bodies of defeated guardians and enemies, or generated by certain guardians.
For longer fights, summoning the correct balance of guardians to dish out damage while also generating enough Anima is critical to success. Players will spend the majority of fights repositioning their units to avoid enemy attacks and ordering them to attack enemies. On occasion, Otto can command guardians to trigger special attacks at the correct moment in order to stun enemies. Because unit management is quite hectic, players will not often be able to use Otto to attack enemies, though that is also an option when guardians don’t need to be actively managed.
The combat mechanics in Masters of Anima are unique. Between active management of units to avoid telegraphed attacks, and the highly differentiated functions of each unit opening up numerous strategies, there’s a lot to like there. Combat is fast-paced and hectic, in a fun way. Difficult fights require full attention and the ability to quickly respond to ever-changing situations — including both executing the right actions but also managing spatial positioning.
It offers a great balance of both strategic planning and timely execution. Unfortunately, much of the system’s potential remains unfulfilled, with combat that is hampered by repetitive enemy design and at times frustrating controls. Indeed, while the game is easy overall, much of the challenge in the harder fights comes from the difficulty of issuing the proper commands to units. A multitude of button combinations to remember in order to execute different commands, the difficulty selecting different unit types and groups, the inability to pause and queue up commands, and the fact that one wrong button press can result in losing enough units to make a battle unwinnable all can lead to frustration. The experience is made yet worse because combat is timed, and not killing enemies quickly enough results in losing the battle. Still, the easy balance in most fights means that the negative aspects only affect a minority of battles.
So many units to command!
Masters of Anima features a simple and colorful graphical look.
The graphics and environments are generally aesthetically pleasing, though the lack of variety in both environments and especially enemy visuals get stale toward the game’s end. The music has a few notable tracks, and is generally well-produced, but doesn’t make too much of an impression. The voice acting is enjoyable and fits the game’s simple, fairytale-like narrative, but can at times come off as one-dimensional on account to the dialogue’s simplicity. Overall, the game’s graphical, aural, and narrative presentation can be summarized as polished and competent, but limited in scope.
Masters of Anima provides a unique and effective blend of mechanics from different genres while inventing a few new ones of its own. The combat requires a combination of both strategy and real-time execution that will keep players at the edge of their seats in tougher encounters. Its simple approach to presentation is enjoyable and light-hearted, and will generally engage players throughout.
Unfortunately, with frustrating combat controls, multiple underdeveloped combat encounters, and limited scope of the narrative, characters, and other facets of presentation, the game’s full potential is never realized. This isn’t a game that will be talked about for years to come, but it’s a worthwhile experience. The developers are definitely on to something here, and one can hope that future iterations will take its great ideas and improve on them with a more fully fleshed out experience.
BATTLE SYSTEM
INTERACTION
ORIGINALITY
STORY
MUSIC & SOUND
VISUALS
Tags: Focus Entertainment / Focus Home InteractiveMasters of AnimaPasstech GamesPS4
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TV adaptation of the manga «Jack of All Trades Saito in Another World» ( Benriya Saitō-san, Isekai ni Iku ) got a trailer and expanded the cast of seiyuu.
The series starts in the winter season.
One day, the jack-of-all-trades Saito found himself in another world. There he met Raelsa, Morlock and Lafanpan. Raelza is a strong and beautiful tsundere warrior. Old Man Morlock is a high-level spell-forgetting wizard. Lafanpan is a sweet but money-hungry fairy. The jack-of-all-trades along with the warrior, the wizard and the fairy are waiting for different adventures. Using the experience he gained before entering the other world, Saito can pick locks, repair armor, or otherwise help his comrades.
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| Saito | Ryohei Kimura | Yugo Hachiken in the anime «Silver Spoon», Houser in the anime «The Seven Deadly Sins» |
| Raelza | Ai Fairoz | Jolene Kujo in the anime JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean |
| Morlock | Che | One Piece Brook |
| Lafanpan | Nao Toyama | Ruka Sarashina in the anime Girl for Rent, Rin Shima in the anime Cozy Hike |
| Mevena | Ayaka Ohashi | Kaede Okino in Madoka Magica |
| Gibungle | Koichi Soma | Benkei-Muso in Ittoki Ninja |
| Rirza | Yumiri Hanamori | Zero in The Book of Magic for Beginners from Scratch |
| Gibl | Hinata Tadokoro | Tanabe-sensei in Naughty Takagi |
| Franlil | Ruriko Aoki | Nene Onemine in the TV series Komi Has Communication Problems |
| Ninia | Azusa Tadokoro | Koito Nagase in Miracle Egg Priority |
Authors |
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| Director | Toshiyuki Kubooka | Wandering Witch |
| Screenwriter | Kenta Ihara | Vinland Saga, Uncle Reborn |
| Studio | C2C | Wandering Witch, Living Not Alone |
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A young doctor saves people from mystical creatures.
Review of the anime «Master Mushi» / Movies and series / iXBT Live
Imagine that in our world there are creatures that live in the shadows. They do not seek to somehow harm or help people, they just exist. But sometimes it happens that they enter into symbiosis with a person and (for a reasonable fee) endow him with mystical powers. In such a world, the actions of the anime «Master Mushi» take place.
Who are mushis?
These are beings located between the spiritual and material worlds. They are afraid of sunlight, imitate the habits of animals and birds, influence the fate of people and simply exist. It would be wrong to call them good or evil spirits, the mushi have no motives. It is better to compare them with bacteria, which can also be beneficial and harmful to humans. Not all people are able to see them, so many refuse to believe in them.
All anime is based on small adventures related to mushi. There is no common global plot, and each series tells one story about a man and a mushi.
The main character — Ginko works as a mushi master, his task is to cure a person’s negative symptoms of mushi exposure. Unlike his colleagues, the main character tries to do this without destroying mystical creatures. He tries to study them and, if given the opportunity, it is more profitable to sell them.
The plot of this anime is its main advantage!
Each case of «illness» is unique and requires an individual approach. Some people don’t mind living with minor complications in order to have extraordinary abilities. Because of which, moral questions often arise before Ginko. The authors have focused on the personal stories of different people, so that each individual series has its own, complete thought.
It is important to note an unusual detail — there is no obvious villain in the anime. Most of the minor characters are sympathetic, and the only interest comes from the mystical treatment of the sick. Thanks to the mushi and their unusual effect on people, this anime can be safely attributed to the genres of «mystery», «detective» and «drama».
Who is your mushi master?
In order not to spoil, I will have to remain silent about the past of the protagonist and his real name. And in principle, it is not so important, I propose to discuss its character better. Unlike other similar works, in «Master Mushi» the protagonist does not pretend to be a hero, he does not try to teach everyone how to live correctly or drastically influence others. No, he is the same ordinary person with his positive and negative qualities.
Ginko loves to chat, can swear, do a good deed, but at the same time our hero does not forget about his own benefit. He has friends who are also interested in mushi. So the best friend of the protagonist — Adashino is not able to see mushy, but his interest in mystical creatures is so great that he buys various items associated with them. And of course, he asks Ginko to tell about his unusual adventures.
Another interesting character is the librarian Tanyu. The young girl continues the work of her family and writes down everything that comes to light about the mushi.
She is good-natured and, despite her illness, tries to take care of the family library, dreams of getting well and going on a trip to see all the Mushis.
Each character in this anime has a unique personality, even though they don’t look much different at first glance. Each character, be it a friend of the main character or another patient, has his own dreams, goals and beliefs. This makes them feel like real people.
Not very beautiful, but atmospheric
This anime will not be able to surprise you with incredibly bright and unusual drawing of scenes and characters, because there is absolutely no action in it. But you can feel the atmosphere of ancient Japan. Where misfortune in the form of mushi fell on the difficult fate of the villagers, which makes life even more difficult. To show people’s desperate moods, the anime uses muted colors, which is why some viewers call it depressive.
Despite its dullness, there is something to admire here. Some scenes in the anime are very detailed (such as a high-quality reflection in the water or dew drops on the grass), which, together with realistic sounds of nature, allows you to feel the atmosphere of ancient Japan.
