A Complicated Conquest- Spectral Force Genesis Review

Sadly, all those hours you’ve slavishly devoted to learned the intricacies of complex PC and console game will not reduce Spectral Force Genesis’ lofty learning curve. Despite my fluency with several other Idea Factory developed titles- from Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires to Aedis Eclipse: Generation of Chaos AND a thorough reading of the instruction manual, I still had a hell of time cracking Spectral’s formidable exterior. The game’s assurance of offering a “unique mix” of war sim, real-time strategy, and role-playing game had me too intrigued to even consider a pusillanimous retreat; I ventured stalwart into its byzantine recesses.

At the game’s commencement, players are shown a world map of forty interconnected countries. From that collection, there are tasked with picking a territory from a pool of seven nations. Selections aren’t cosmetic- each country varies in an array of attributes that range from troop strength to economic potency, meaning the choice will affect the difficulty of the game. Sadly, this information isn’t conveyed to the player, putting them on the path to potential quagmire.

Once players actually step in the shoes of the nation’s ruler, assistance isn’t exactly doled out. While the game offers congested tutorial screens for every step, Spectral Force Genesis never feels as intuitive as the Civilization series, which presented a similar ‘domination or persuasion’ objective. At least a portion of the game’s inaccessibility comes from the reliance of abbreviations for everything; novices can expect jargon like “FOR AFF” (for Foreign Affairs) to slow their progress even further.

Once the player has persevered, Spectral Force Genesis’ haze will slowly dissipate, revealing a surprising scripted path to national conquest.  Each month players can focus on one of predetermined five activities, from taxing your constituency, appointing generals, strengthening your defensive perimeter, managing foreign affairs to initiating battles. Each endeavor has two separate components, so when it comes time to form alliances, players may either recruit new generals or announce their independence from other factions. Unlike most simulations, it’s difficult to see the correlation between each component of your country; while investing in your nation is as easy as a stylus poke, knowing how that capitalization will augment your nation will only become apparent after some serious playtime.

Those seeking a reprieve from the unsung virtues of tax collecting and ally forging make take solace in the game’s battles. Players choose up to three generals to take to the frontlines, and use the stylus to draw a path for their armies. On the battlefield, tactics are a bit underwhelming, as attacking, defending, and magic using soldiers have a Rochambeau-like advantage over their opponents. Preparation of a formidable military and the intermittent use of special attacks proved to be the two most influential elements of victory; sadly, I wished the game’s was a consequential as its financial formulation.

Visually, Spectral Force Genesis is an uneven game. Sporadically, players will be treated to lavish hand-drawn images that span both DS screens. Unfortunately, these drawings are only used during cutscenes; most of the time, players will be looking at either diminutive portraits which flank statistical data, or chibi-inspired interpretations of the battlefield. While Spectral’s aural fanfares accompany the diplomatic doings amiably, players will inevitably grow fatigued from the looping strains.

Spectral Force Genesis can only be recommended to season veterans of tactical simulations. However, even when experienced players surmount the game’s steep learning curve, they will likely be dismayed at the title’s rigid linearity. Spectral’s one saving grace is the plethora of content presented to determined players- with 40 countries to conquer and a host of unlockable battle and nation events, the game can offer the right player a cornucopia of challenging conquests.