Clarent Saga: Tactics is a fun game in the spirit of Fire Emblem. Its mechanics are fairly simple, and it has a story full of interesting plot twists that I found unique. Some of the characters are rather memorable, and the story definitely follows the 'nations at war' theme like most of the Fire Emblem games.
Pros-
The story is enjoyable and enough to keep you invested. It reminded me a lot of Phantasy Star III with its generations, which was a welcome change, and this was a fairly unique aspect compared to many other games. All of the main characters were likeable and felt different. There's the 'experienced veteran', 'silent type,' 'carefree girl,' and so on, and they work. The optional conversations between characters were fun to read, and I really got a sense of everyone's personalities.
The music has a lot of SRPG Studio stock, but there are a few really incredible new tracks, like the one used in the trailer, which is my favourite. It's heard in the game a few times, which I loved. The music is appropriately used, and does its best to enhance the moments of the game.
There are wide variety of units, from the lords and knights, to mages, priests, and bishops. It is possible to promote your units, too, and you are often given a choice to pick between two different classes for most of your units.
One aspect of this game I like most of all is that your weapons are never in danger of breaking. That always bothered me about the FE games, but I think it's a nice change here, where you can use a favourite team, choose to solo, or come up with another strategy. Each character got his or her own legendary weapon, which I liked, although I wish the story painted a more convincing argument for this that felt believable.
Cons -
I would've liked to see a wider variety to the maps, since many are reused throughout the game. You visit the cave where you find the legendary weapons a grand total of three times, and I was left wondering why someone would refill the chests with a fresh supply of weapons each time.
Enemy variety could've been a bit better. Many maps have batches of five magi knights, five wyvern riders, etc., bunched all together as a group, which was a bit odd, but I didn't mind this too much since it was still challenging at times. Flying units are the toughest in the game since they love to target your priests and mages.
Abel and Ami's relationship felt really rushed. I think it would've been better if they had known each other for a while before the story starts, since you get no real progression to their relationship. They were two of my favourite characters, and I would've really liked to see them bond more over the course of the game. Needless to say, I was still affected by the story's events.
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Definitely check this game out if you like Fire Emblem and want something comparable, yet a bit simpler. It's a great way to spend a few days off, and you'll be thinking about it a while after you finish it, which is always a good thing in my book.
