RPG Maker MV Player: Kingdom of Neandria (Nintendo Switch) Preview

Having a father as a protagonist is somewhat unusual in the world of JRPGs and that is why Kingdom of Neandria is interesting. There has clearly been put a lot of effort into making this an enjoyable game. The level of design detail has had care taken over it and it looks beautiful. A lot of effort has been put into the character backgrounds and their personalities are highly varied, they are not all heroes, that is for certain. Movement on screen and menu options are self-explanatory and easy to follow, there are no random encounter battles which some will rejoice over, and others will miss. The range of items is tailored for the age of the hero with beer being an option not often seen as a main health boost.

Unfortunately, game play halted fairly early on because of the fights. There are the usual attack and item features, as well as an AP option which, when enough AP is acquired through both giving and receiving damage, allows for strong attacks to be dealt. The problem lies in the early battles being unbalanced. There were often multiple enemies which seemed to overwhelm the initial two-character party. While enemies could be overcome with a lot of restorative item use, the battles felt far too long and the amount of AP gain had a disadvantage, making each battle feel like a chore. In some JRPGs grinding is an expected part of the genre and accepted as part of game play. However, lengthy fights at the start of a game where usually the fights are shorter and easier with less overwhelming number of enemies do not encourage play to be continued.