Valiant Force Review

  I am constantly inundated with ads for mobile games.  It's most likely because I will try out just about anything.  I go through so much garbage it's really nice to come across something that really isn't that bad.  Valiant Force by DIANDIAN INTERACTIVE HOLDING was a nice surprise.  No it's not the greatest game to come to mobile and it rehashes a lot of the same crap we see in all games but the gameplay isn't too bad.

The Game:

  Valiant Force is an RPG.  They call the game a strategy game in the app store because you place your team of 5 on a 3x3 grid and your opponent does the same.  You will attack your enemy by tapping the hero you want and then dragging your finger onto an opponent.  That or you can just hit auto and let the computer do it.  You have ranged and melee heroes so where they are can affect whether they have the ability to attack.  Your heroes do have abilities that trigger after so many turns and do a lot more damage or heal.  You travel in different areas going from node to node using energy that recharges over time.  These battles do have a star rating but you actually gain them from performing or not performing some actions in combat as opposed to how many characters are still up.

  There are several classes that you can have in your team from tanks to magicians all with what is now the all too common star rating.  Most characters can also be equipped with gear which adds to their attributes. This game is an upgrade everything fest.  Your heroes can be upgraded, their gear can be upgraded, the town that acts as your base can be upgraded.  The only thing it doesn't upgrade is your Tinder profile.  You use gold to upgrade things and you can buy gems with RL money.

  Heroes can be summoned for gold or gems, with gems granting higher level characters.  You can also gain more gear in the same way.  You gain quite a bit of both from quests in the game, which they might have overdone a bit.  I was in a loop of quests completing quests that I swear went on for like 10 minutes.

  You have a town that provides buildings where you can create gear, farm gold, and interact with your guild.  The town hall also acts as a hub where you can send out units on AFK missions that complete over time.  The guild house allows you to contribute to your guild or go on missions with them.  There are also different daily challenges that will allow you to earn gold or other items.

  The graphics are your Chibi N64 style graphics so pretty cut of the mill with your anime drawing sprinkled in.  What actually surprised me is there is some actual care given to the background of some of these levels.  Some of them are pretty visually appealing.  They don't seem to have any English voice acting but it really doesn't need it.  The text from the story is in English and yes there is a story.

My Thoughts:

  These mobile RPGs just seem to be an iteration off of each other.  Every week I download a new one there is usually a newish feature that seems to have extended off of a feature of the last mobile RPG.  This game may have been made with passion but it feels a bit formulaic.  It's still not boring to play and I have not disliked playing it, it's just generic.

  The formula isn't terrible.  It's a quick and easy positive reinforcement loop that is enhanced if you decided to spend money on the game.  The currency trade isn't too bad.  You really don't have to spend money unless you really can't be patient.

  There is an actual story in this game.  There are two royal children that were being wed when the wedding was attacked and they both went into hiding.  I think this is something that a lot of these generic games leave out and it really makes a difference.  Besides the reward, you are given another reason to keep going.

  The combat is okay but I am still under the belief that the auto function has killed these games.  I do understand that it's nice to have when you are just playing it passively but there needs to be some penalty in using it.  This auto triggers your ultimate and so you basically just queue up the level, add an ally with an auto button, and then set your phone down.  It turns from an adventure RPG to more of a maintenance game.

  I also have another gripe although small. Every time you complete a quest, which you complete a shit ton of, you are given a gem.  These gems are sent directly to your mailbox.  This means every time you complete quests on your UI you get a giant exclamation mark, which is just annoying.  These games are designed to get us to react to these things and it's really miss used here.

  This game is average.  It is what it is and like I said it just feels like another iteration of the RPGs on your phone.  It's not bad and there is a lot to do and improve.  Honestly what keeps me intrigued is the story could add up to something but then I am afraid that progress could cause it to be too slow and interest will be lost.  Then again I have gone pretty far and not much has happened.  If you are looking for yet another RPG game where you can spend a lot of time mindlessly clicking upgrades, this game has it.  If you turn the auto combat off the game becomes more interesting but once you start using it, it kinda takes over.

TL;DR:

  Valiant Force is yet another mobile RPG.  It's not bad but it is also not a standout.  This can be something that you can put on your phone if you are looking for something like it but I am not sure there is enough here to be amazed. Personally, I have been entertained but I can't say this will be a dominant or long lasting game on my phone.