This is a game released in 2020 and shortly got into some hot water following. The publisher Kemco and the game’s developer, City Connection, issued an official apology due to similarities to a game called Harusuberiya Jojishi 2, another strategy RPG. The similarities lie in certain settings and scenarios in the story. The creator of Haruserbiya Jojishi 2, Yashioji, didn’t go as far as to demand a halt of the game being sold and distributed so take that as you will. In any case, this game and Harusuberiya Jojishi 2 are both solely in Japanese and have not had an official English release. I have not played Harusuberiya Jojishi 2, so I can not comment on any similarities or differences and will be treating this game as its own and will ignore the controversy as I can not make an argument for or against it.
STORY: (Paraphrased from Japanese text on Kemco’s official website)
“Amid the continuation of a hundred years war, the world was in utmost turmoil. For a long time, the empire ruled the continent. In the mix-up of the knight’s brigade rising up in order to maintain one’s beliefs, the commonwealth seeking independence from the empire, and several factions with their purpose, strategy, and arms, a man with no recollection appears.
As the several conspiracies get complexly intertwined, he has imparted a divine sword from a goddess. The outcomes of battles will become greatly changed. Who am I? Does something lie past the battles? This is the story of warriors with their own beliefs of righteousness as they carve a new way forward.”
The man with no memory who the player finds out is named Victor, as he receives the divine treasure from the Goddess Manualicia.
GAMEPLAY:
Revenge of Justice is a standard SRPG of moving in isometric space and then attacking using magic and such. Unlike Fire Emblem and more akin to Final Fantasy Tactics, characters in this game have their own speed but rather it is more like allotted time. The lower the hourglass number a character uses is as in the picture below, the faster one’s turn will come up.
Listed in the screenshot are the skills a normal attack can use. The highlighted one has a range of one, attack power of 170, and an added allotted time of 45. The total time is written in English in the top-right. There are limitations on what can be done each turn, however. Each member can move and then physically attack but magic and calling for reinforcements MUST be done before moving. Keep this in mind for mages. I am personally not too particularly fond of this mechanic. Note: there is a counterattack for each character and enemy alike if they are in the range of a weapon that is able to do so. This is the winning conditions screen. It says to defeat the enemy party and the goal time is within 2500 game ticks. The goal time is more a guideline and you will not lose if you go past it unless stated otherwise. However, losing conditions state here that should Victor die, it’s game over. There is no permadeath in this game per say, but when a character runs out of hit points, they immediately leave the battlefield. [Keep talkin!] Notice the sprite of Emilia, the character speaking. It is bloodied. Not too many SRPGs do this in my opinion and it is a nice little touch. Tip: In chapters 3,4, and 7, have Amelia (blonde knight) attack (counterattacks don’t count) Emilia (blonde in red hat) at least once per said chapters. The same goes for Victor and Gamir (the bandaged man beside Emilia) respectively. I won’t spoil but it will help get you get the option of getting one of the better endings in which this game has five.A very standard practice in SRPGs. When a character levels up, a screen showing the status increases appears and a skill if you learned a new one. This game does not feature job changes, however, you can learn a skill that calls for reinforcements by using a scroll that is purchasable and can be found via hidden treasure. Many different types of units are able to be called to battle. Their level will usually be 80% or 100% of the user who calls them.[Is this it……] Notice the sparkle on the isometric square behind the hero’s party. It is a hidden treasure that should you land on, will pick up. Don’t fret should you not pick something up in the regular story battles as I did here. There is an option in ‘Free Battle’ that allows the player to do the battle again and pick up whatever treasure you didn’t get as well as getting experience and money. As mentioned above, sometimes when you level up, you get a new skill. These skills are not automatically equipped but rather have to placed and sorted in a Tetris-like way by the player. Each skill takes up a certain amount of blocks in which a character has a 4 x 4 grid. The better the skill, the more blocks it usually takes. One thing you will notice is that Revenge of Justice does not have items in the natural sense. There are weapons, shields, and accessories. Some weapons can have shields equipped while others not. It will indicate whether you can with a 〇 or Ｘ. Notice that each weapon has an innate ability in which normal attacks are carried out. If you equipped the weapon highlighted, the move will be listed as an option. You can sometimes equip more than one weapon in order to get more moves.Here is the options menu. The left column reads, ‘Unit, Shop, Data, Free Battle, Configuration, and Sortie.’ The recommended level for the chapter is listed in the bottom-right. Here it is level 2. You may or may not want get that a few levels higher depending on your SRPG expertise. You can raise levels via ‘Free Battle.’ Allocated sortie characters is listed as 3. This does not include Victor and Amelia who usually have to be in every battles and are considered the co-protagonists.
