JRPG is a word that means a role playing game made in Japan. While it may be true that JRPG is an abbreviation typically related with games made in that region, for me is a genre. Ever since Final Fantasy came out, a boom with this genre occurred; different games came and went, and even to this day, the genre continues to be relevant and successful. Take the Nintendo 3DS, for example. That console is a treasure trove of JRPGs. Now the Nintendo Switch slowly but surely is getting them, and we have among us a hidden gem that every JRPG fan should not miss: Earthlock.
Earthlock was released first on the Nintendo WiiU, but the Switch version is a improved upgrade, with developers not being satisfied with the end product for WiiU. Earthlock for Switch is the experience as it should be in the first place, and it shows that a great game doesn’t need a big studio name to leave its mark on the genre. Earthlock takes place in Umbra, a world bearing the scars of past catastrophe and an imbalance of ‘amri’, a magical energy. After a brief playable introduction, you’ll begin your journey in earnest as Amon, a young scavenger living with his uncle in the town of Zaber. A routine mission gone awry and turns Amon’s world on its head, sending it into conflict with empires in the beginning of his journey to save his family, and ultimately, Umbra.
But Amon is not alone in this adventure, since throughout the game you can add more characters to your party (the strength lies in numbers). With funny and witty dialogue and situations, this is a memorable tale from start to finish. Now about combat: Earthlock continues with the know formula of turn based battles, but unlike other games in the genre, it takes things to a whole different level. Instead of having a menu for Attack, Defend, etc., Earthlock uses a battle system that makes everything fresh and more dynamic. Here, each character has “Stances.” You use a turn each time you change stances. Also, each stance changes from character to character. For example, Amon can go from quick melee attacks as the thief stance, and then change to a long range style using guns with elemental properties and such. Also, instead of using MP (mana points) like other games, Earthlock uses “Amry,” which are yellow squares located bellow the health gauge. These are used for different actions like changing stances, using items (which must be equipped before battle), attacks specials, etc. This is a welcome addition, since you don’t have to backtrack on dungeons looking for MP to restore items in order to progress farther.
Another thing Earthlock excels is in its approach to harvest items. Each character can harvest different types of items and resources. Amon can scavenge on piles of scrap and find useful items, while Gnart can harvest seeds and fruits. Each time Gnart picks a fruit, you get a bonus that changes from the type of fruit some can give you more HP, and the start of battle or more speed. This is a good way of grind your levels near fruit, since the effects last for a couple of seconds is a good strategy for racking up levels. Speaking of which, Eartlock also offers several side quest that can be done over and over again, and each time you finish one, you get experience. For those of you that don’t like grinding in battles, there is the choice to level up without much effort. Also, I really like the fact that enemies can be seen on the over world, so you can choose to engage on battles or not, and battle don’t start immediately when you touch an enemy. However, a gauge starts to run around the monster, and you can choose to press B immediately, so you can get the advantage on the battle (like a preemptive strike), or you can just run away from the area of sight of the monster and be on your way.
Graphically, Earthlock looks amazing the characters are well done and extremely colorful and each city, dungeon, or road you travel through is colorful and full of life. The music is really good as well, and during my playtime, I always got hyped in every battle,.
Bottom Line: Earthlock is a great example of how Indies are taking the world by storm. It is a terrific JRPG-style game, that once you start playing, it feels like it was made by the likes of Square Enix or any other bigwig on the JRPG scene. I definitely recommend it. With a lovable cast of characters, a great story, an exciting battle system, and deep customization of characters, this is a game that has to be on your Switch.
Disclaimer: A review code was provided