Masters of Anima puts us in the role of Otto, a shaper apprentice. He is the oldest one that hasn’t passed the test to see if he is a capable caster of Anima. However, he is not discouraged about it because he is focused on his goal: to prove himself worthy of the title of “Shaper” and be able to marry his beloved Ana. She is already the top Shaper, and since he is a scrub, he is not allowed to marry her until he finally passes the exam (after multiple failed attempts). After passing the test and doing the final trial in a unconventional way, he finally is able to get the title of Shaper. However, the volcano suddenly erupts and traps you and your master on the trial grounds. So after you made your way back to your beloved’s house and fighting some golems, you find her held captive by the evil Zahr. She is split into three pieces that Otto must release: her heart, body, and mind. So now your quest is to save her!
As I played Masters of Anima I couldn’t help to think of Pikmin. You command an army of guardians in your quest to save Ana, and you just sit back and relax while they are dishing out the pain to the enemies that you encounter. However, they are not invincible. After some heavy attacks by the enemies, they fade away. It’s important to manage the flow of battle by calling them back to you in order to avoid loses or to turn them back to Anima by summoning them again to continue the battle. The Guardians you command are varied and make up for interesting and fun tactics.
At the beginning, you only can summon Protectors who are the primary force of attack. But later on in the game, you get access to more tactical units like Sentinals that attack from the distance with their bows or Keepers who will absorb Anima from your foes. You cannot onlye mindlessly to attack the enemy. You must watch its patterns and summon the needed guardians to get the job done. But don’t think that you can summon Guardians infinitely. You need Anima to summon them. Luckily, it can be collected from all over the place, usually more numerous than you actually need.
Summoning your Guardians is very easy. Holding the ZR button and pressing A will summon a few Guardians at a time. You can cycle between the different guardians with the shoulder buttons. Directing the Guardians is easy. Pessing A will send one at a time. Holding down the button will send all available Guardians into battle. You can call them back or direct them as you want so you have a lot of control, and it is a welcome addition.
Guardians have a variety abilities outside of their combat efforts. Outside of battle, Protectors will move statues around to solve the many simple environmental puzzles that you’ll come across in the overworld. Inside of battle, they have a different ability if you use Otto’s Battlecry technique. This will use up Anima points but can be used to stun enemies when they are charging up an attack using their shields to interrupt the enemy attack animation, or if a unit is in the vicinity, will grant them extra power. For example, the Keepers will produce healing orbs for you, or Sentinals (the archers) will charge up an explosive shot instead of their normal ones. You are not just sending units to battle, but you as Otto can have a active role in battle as well. Also, you can attack in a pincer like formation, having your guardians attack the enemies.. and you can go around and attack yourself from their backs. That way you are not left alone when you run out of Anima or Guardians.
Graphically, the game looks impressive. I like the emphasis the game gives that makes it have a low-poly look. It really highlights the different stone golems. Their natural rockiness shows really well with the solid polygons. Also, each of the different landscapes are so beautiful to look at. From icy mountains to deserts, they are quite varied. Even if you are not in them long enough, I think the developers have done a terrific job. Even in the frame rate area, I never experienced any hiccups or lag. Everything was smooth sailing for me even with many Guardians summoned on screen.
The music is another commendable addition. I like the mystical approach given in the themes. It is a joy to play with headphones on. You can just close your eyes and feel that you are there on a mountainside overlooking a plateau. Whistles of exotic instruments just flourish in your ears as the wind brushes by. The battle theme is good as well. I like that the music is not intrusive and allows you to focus instead of distracting you since in real time strategy games, a distraction means game over.
Bottom Line: Masters of Anima is a great game with fun and engaging gameplay, different types of guardians to choose, and a epic adventure to save the world and your beloved. This game is a gem that no fan of real time strategy games can miss, but it has enough appeal to draw out beginners on the genre. I give it a solid recommendation.