Since the beginning of time, there have been people that have shown a particular charisma that have often thrust them into leadership roles. Whether that be for a small village or tribe to vast empires that span almost the entire globe. People are drawn to them, leaning on them for strength, support and direction. In many cultures, the leaders of their societies are chosen not by the people but by God – marked in some special way because of their birth or by their accomplishments on the battlefield. Sometimes, however, there are those that thirst for that kind of role. Their ambitions leading them to do whatever it might be for a taste of that kind power.

In The DioField Chronicle, the game of thrones is alive and kicking. And in order to ascend to the top, the multiple factions that make up the world will strive to do all that they can to grasp what they think is theirs.

The opening cutscene of The DioField Chronicle is a blink and you’ll miss it introduction to our two main characters: Andrias Rhondarson and Fredret Lester. Friends to the fourth born prince, Levantia Shaytham, they were there on the fateful day when the boy was slain by assassins, barely escaping with their lives.

As the game opens up on the first mission, years have passed. Now young men, the two, along with their friend, Izelair Wigan, save a government official and soon join a mercenary group called the Blue Foxes and run by Duke Hende, a member of the Lords Council. From such humble beginnings, the game spirals out into a 20 hour long politicking romp that explores what it means to be a good ruler, the dichotomy between democracy and monarchies as well as war.

But while the game is focused solely on the story it tells about the rise of the Blue Foxes, with the revelation that it was all a plot for revenge against one imperial general, Zevatian Schugel, there is also a lot of world lore that gets dropped. Lore that would be very interesting to explore in possible future entries. After all, you can’t just drop a character that had the power of necromancy at her fingertips, not even show her body after being stabbed and expect someone such as myself not to pull that thread.

Then, of course, there’s there’s the whole political structure of the Trovelt-Schoevian Empire (we get information about how a bandit took hold of the technology of the nation of Trovelt and became the leader of a sprawling empire. How was this not further explored?), the old giants of the past that many believe to be the source of Jade, and the secrets of the magical system contained within that precious mineral. All that and, well, the somewhat cliffhanger ending that left the fate of the Kingdom of Alletain up in the air. 

But honestly, the more I think on it, the more the game mechanics hinted at Andrias’s true identity. I mean, why was he the only character that got to wield daggers and act like an assassin on the battlefield with special abilities like Shadowstep?

No other character had access to those abilities!

Still, even though the story was quite contained, I couldn’t help but wish to dig deeper into the psyches of numerous characters. Though they were touched upon, the side characters were mostly there to support our main cast. From Iscarion and his noble ideas of the people ruling themselves. Waltaquin and her desire to see the world burn. I mean, where did allt hat come from? Then, of course, there are the secrets of the Gravell Church that were lightly touched upon before the game shifts focus back to other threats – namely the Alliance and the Empire.

So many tantalising threads that could have been explored deeper but were only given a cursory glance!

My frustration, I hope, is palpable to you through the screen, dear readers.

From a graphics perspective, I liked what the studio did with what felt like handcrafted dioramas for the battlefields. Quite a bit of thought were given to the maps and so it was no burden to revisit them for side missions. The cahracter models themselves, while looking like carefully crafted clay or plasticine models were emotive enough for cutscenes although the hair looked somewhat fake. True, it limited customisation in the game but there wasn’t much need to change much of the base character models or their equipment sans different coloured weapons. And given that the game was for multiple consoles, including the Switch, it made a sort of sense not to use overly complex rendering mechanics for the game.

That aside, what I loved most was the fact that they looked like tabletop miniatures when the game zoomed out on the battlefield. Moonbreaker what? There’s a new tabletop-esque game to enjoy and its game is The DioField Chronicle.

As for the gameplay and combat mechanics, the most apt description I’ve seen floating around is that it’s basically Baldur’s Gate. Though it touts itself as a strategy role-playing game, the mechanics feel ripped from the likes of BioWare’s old games. Especially with the fact that the game pauses when you select skills or direct your characters movement from one side of the map to the other.

Fire Emblem, this is not.

And while I did initially struggle on higher levels with meeting the time limits to unlock bonus goodies for my mercenary group, I soon realised that a levelled up Ignition – granting rapidity and might – was far superior to any other strategy in stomping thorugh the battles with grunts and bosses alike. After all, in this game, it’s all about the damage output in any given second. The ‘DPS’ if you would.

Who needs a tank if everything dies in a second or two? And who needs a healer when you’ve basically killed everything before they can hurt you?

The DioField Chronicle is not a perfect game. But it’s a solid one. Especially for those that like political intrigue mixed with their high fantasy and want a mix of strategy on the side. The characters can be a mix bag but there were several that I found both relatable and likable. While Andrias initially confused me as the choice of a main protagonist – what with his playing the role of a spy and assassin and acting like a side character rather than the main (that role going decidedly to Fredret) – I slowly warmed to him. That he was the kind of the mastermind behind everything was a nice twist.

And that too is important to consider. Because while The DioField Chronicle does tell an intriguing tale of politics, it doesn’t reveal its hand too early. Instead, it provides small breadcrumbs that feeds one’s suspicions. Especially when Fredret revealed his ‘true identity’ two-thirds into the game.