So Many Miles
Merriam-Webster defines "converge" as: to tend or move toward one point or one another, or to come together and unite in a common interest or focus. This definition is important in understanding Something Classic Games’s recent release, Quartet. It's a game focused on the convergence of worlds, but also one fixated on the human condition and on how power in the wrong hands can corrupt absolutely. It's a game that absolutely wears its influences on its sleeve, such as SaGa Frontier's focus on telling separate narratives for eight different characters, all of which eventually come together for the game's grand finale. If you've played classic turn-based RPGs, Quartet may not offer much that is new, but what it does have is an amazing story, solid gameplay, and one hell of a soundtrack.
The story begins with a party of heroes chasing down the nefarious General Corsin, who has gathered the power of the elements atop Mt. Nibaros. After his defeat, the party contemplates how to use the newfound power. Each individual has their own ideals of how this power can be used, but upon disagreement, they go their own separate ways. After this brief introduction, the player is given the ability to select between four of the game's main characters: Ben, a bumbling chef down on his luck who inherits magical powers; Alexandra, a young shopgirl who wishes to save her ailing mother from darker forces; Nikolai, a disgraced soldier fighting in a world chock-full of hate crimes; and finally Cordelia, a top ranking mage who ends up disgraced due to a political scandal, and is forced to relocate to the frontier to lay low. The game is structured into chapters, and while they can choose the order, the player will need to go through all of the characters' tales.
Each of the four selectable characters has one other character attached to their storyline who plays an equally important supporting role. These characters — such as Juna, the healing hippo, and Agata, the phaylix who follows Ben as a protector — each offer their own interesting narratives that interconnect, bringing so much life to the different worlds that each protagonist inhabits. While its larger story is about the convergence of these four individuals and their worlds, it would be wrong to deny these additional characters their chance in the spotlight. Each character has a fantastically woven story individually, but the game does a wonderful job of slowly branching each story out, and smaller connections within those individual narratives begin to grow and evolve into a larger and more complex story. It also helps that all eight of the game's characters offer interesting and different perspectives on their world, with the supporting cast helping to guide the protagonists along their journey. It's a story that looks at how individual action becomes collective action when the fate of multiple worlds is at stake.
[caption id="attachment_183992" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Ben is the best boy.[/caption]
It's apparent how much thought has gone into crafting both Quartet's world. If there is any gripe in this area, it is the fact that all of the characters' sidequests are backloaded to the end of the game, instead of being broken up throughout the game at large. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but in order to complete everyone's story and to finish all of the story threads, they are quite lengthy. While it is not required to do the sidequests, they are very valuable in terms of giving each character their own resolve. Players get the full story for each character, and they are absolutely worth doing so that players can see the trajectory of character growth for everyone involved. These sidequests are worth the exploration; it's just a shame they come right at the end and don't offer enough breathing room between story beats.
If there is anything more familiar to a JRPG fan, it'll be Quartet's turn-based combat. Players have the option to select abilities that consume Action Points (AP), as well as abilities that also allow them to recover these points as well. On a character's turn, they can attack, use a skill, defend, or even run away, but what is smart about this combat system is that, outside of running away, regardless of what is selected, each character replenishes a small amount of AP. Quartet is also a game where status effects play a huge and important role in combat, as many of the heroes have abilities that can buff or debuff, and when hit by a status ailment, battles can get rough if not dealt with immediately. This is on top of the fact that once the player has all eight characters, characters can be readily swapped in and out during combat, making it much easier to take advantage of enemy weaknesses. Combat is familiar, but has enough minor modern adjustments to keep it engaging, and it moves at a fairly brisk pace. While the combat is great, it's not super innovative, nor does it reinvent the JRPG wheel. This is not a bad thing, but at times, it feels almost too familiar to many classic JRPGs.
[caption id="attachment_100002" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Don't mess with Agata![/caption]
Quartet is also a very linear game until its final stages, with many unavoidable encounters visible on the screen, and there’s not a huge amount of deviation in the game's exploration. Players are rewarded with more equipment and items as they explore, but there's not much beyond the odd small detour in each location. The game also has some light puzzles that are not too difficult and do a great job of breaking up combat and story beats. Visually, the game has a wonderful use of colour, and many of the locations feel vibrant and lived in, with characters and NPCs also looking and feeling unique. The only issue in the visuals is that sometimes chests and items feel obscured, and it's difficult to know how one may retrieve them. Tyler Mire's soundtrack offers a variety of different genres, from western twang to more futuristic beats, with every track understanding the emotional moments throughout the story. This is on top of how heartpounding the finale music is, giving the player that last bit of rush to end. Quartet's soundtrack is one worth listening to on repeat for both its distinctness and sheer tonal quality.
Quartet is a phenomenal example of staying true to classic roots while also modernizing other aspects. There is a joy in spending time with all eight characters, and each is well fleshed out and memorable. It's as though everything from combat to story to the game's audiovisual clicks together perfectly, offering an experience that feels both familiar yet brand new. Despite the large number of games looking to emulate that classic RPG feel, Something Classic has successfully made old feel new again while understanding that one doesn't need to reinvent the JRPG entirely. Quartet is a fabulous game that feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch and is absolutely worth the price and time investment, as it does nearly everything right in such a tight package.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
The post Quartet Switch Review appeared first on RPGamer.
