The New Classics #48: Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World: The Prophecy of the Throne

 

The Backstory: Light novel series don’t always make for stellar games, as the Switch version of DanMachi proves; but I was more than ready to give Re:Zero a chance, based on the gorgeous cover art alone. Had I known that the gameplay was similar to Valkyria Chronicles, I may have balked at the thought of playing it; however, I needn’t have worried, because I didn’t even reach my first battle!

 

 

The Game: So what happened? First, Re:Zero suffers from a dire, atrocious case of badly handled exposition. Imagine an in medias res introduction, featuring a character who proceeds to hastily explain everything that happened during the last weeks as well as the game’s base concepts, and you’ll have a good idea of what RZ’ exposition feels like. I realise that this introduction is probably meant as a quick recap for people who know the novels, who may in turn be the game’s primary target; but the experience feels deeply unpleasant for a player who’s new to the series. 

 

 

Still, that poorly told introduction alone wouldn’t have been enough to deter me from playing. As it turned out, my main problem with RZ is this: I don’t care one bit about the characters, nor about whatever may happen to them. To make matters worse, the game keeps holding your hand way longer than necessary, telling you exactly what to do and how to do it. I could have tolerated that hand-holding if I had fallen in love with the crew, or given said crew a chance to win my affections if I had been given more freedom to operate — but tolerating both is more than I can bear. 

 

Indeed.

 

The Verdict: Yes, Re:Zero reaped an enviable Metacritic score of 75; and yet, it left me completely cold. This proves once more that the gaming instinct rules supreme, and that I don’t need any other compass to guide me through these uncharted lands of still unplayed games!