Covenant of Solitude Review

Covenant of Solitude doesn't attempt to conceal its intended meaning. It pays tribute to the first NES role-playing games that were released following Dragon Quest III. Similar to those early games, the plot is primarily driven by a small number of significant individuals. Since the two names are largely meaningless, the general names for the "Kingdom" and "Empire" fit. 

Covenant of Solitude is one of the more emotionally impactful games created by Kemco, a firm well-known for producing a large number of mobile role-playing games. Although it began as a mobile game, it offers something more complex than what is often found in that genre. 

Don't misunderstand. Covenant of Solitude has a surprisingly complex and emotionally charged plot, making it different from other mobile JRPGs. You take on the role of Fort, a young "genie" who is a social outcast in his town due to his ability to call forth creatures.  

The story that follows incorporates themes of betrayal, acceptance of yourself, and the terrible price of trust. This game has a level of maturity uncommon in other mobile RPGs, in contrast to the more generic titles frequently found in Kemco's portfolio. 

At times, it even has a Final Fantasy vibe to it. Even if the translation occasionally falters, the changing dynamics between Fort, Legna, and Elicia feel complex. Although the localization can occasionally be a little rigid and literal, it doesn't lessen the emotional impact of the game; just be ready to read a lot of long passages. Despite not taking home any awards, it makes good use of the small cast and follows Fort's development throughout the story. 

Covenant of Solitude follows the successful JRPG model. You control elemental weaknesses, fight in turn, and move through traditional dungeon designs. The main protagonist, Fort, is your "Hero" and has a restricted combination of skills from many classes.  

The four initial classes and four distinct races that each have their unique modifications to a class's level-ups are available to your other three party members. The "Silver Card," which you can use early on, lets Fort and any created characters switch back to the original four classes and go back to their own class. You keep the abilities you learned in your prior class when you switch classes. 

You can enter a dungeon in the latter portion of the game, which gives you four "Gold Cards," and you can switch to the more advanced classes, each of which has its own specializations. In comparison to the basic classes, those classes also require around half as much EXP at every level. 

The summoning mechanism is Covenant of Solitude's primary trick. In order to help him in combat, Fort can summon monster tribes, and each tribe offers special skills, such as damage dealers, healers, and tanks, that enable tactical party configurations. 

 Each of these tribes—Beasts, Dragons, Vampires, and Fairies—has advantages and disadvantages. Your summoned pals can transform into more powerful forms by changing jobs as they level up, adding a subtle monster-raising element to the game that gives it unexpected depth. 

The wisest course of action is to deal with their "help" before attempting to deal with the boss, who is typically the most difficult. Taking advantage of elemental vulnerabilities and making good use of buffs and debuffs are key components of the turn-based battle system. The game encourages strategic thinking during boss battles, particularly when using buffs, debuffs, and elemental advantages appropriately. Grinding is prominent but not unpleasant. 

Does this imply that navigating the dungeons will be easy, though? No. The boss will frequently quickly eliminate your entire party, mostly because of an elemental attack that eliminates all of your party's actions. Fortunately, there are save spots just prior to boss encounters, and you can equip yourself with items to take on the boss in the dungeon or the previous shop you visited.

In gameplay, grinding has an impact. The class system pushes you to try new things, but you won't have to spend hours farming foes unless you want to become an expert in every skill. If you're willing to put in the work, you can create effective hybrid units since you keep the talents you've mastered when you switch classes.  

Things become much more adaptable and fulfilling after you are able to obtain Gold Cards in the late game. These advanced classes reward your efforts with real advantages because they not only have specific skill sets but also level up more quickly than basic characters. Without ever being overpowering, its layered development system offers a respectable amount of replay value and depth. 

Covenant of Solitude's Steam port offers typical widescreen presentation, controller compatibility, and higher-resolution graphics, but these additions also highlight the game's mobile-first design. Although menus work, using a mouse to navigate them seems strange.  

With its "touchscreen heritage," the user interface is a far cry from a keyboard-and-mouse arrangement. Fortunately, the game works flawlessly on gadgets like the ROG Ally, which has complete built-in controller compatibility. Almost all controller problems while using the keyboard and mouse arrangement were resolved by this.  

However, there are no observable crashes or problems, and overall performance is steady and fluid, with almost instantaneous loading times. It is evident that this version is devoted yet unambitious. Longtime Kemco fans will know what to anticipate, but for a 2025 release, the game might not be as graphically or interactively appealing to new players. 

The soundtrack, which features looping, melodic songs reminiscent of vintage RPGs, perfectly captures the mood. Although the sound effects are a little out of date, they are suitable, and there are no voiceovers. This enhances the old feel of the game even more. Compared to contemporary RPGs, it might not be particularly noteworthy, but it successfully enhances the plot and pacing.  

Particularly during pivotal scenes between Fort and the other main characters, the music delicately strengthens the emotional tone, lending it exactly the right amount of weight without becoming loud or overpowering. 

This might be a treasure worth uncovering if you're searching for a retro-styled JRPG with a compelling plot and are prepared to put up with some awkward user interface and vintage graphics. Particularly for enthusiasts of classic role-playing games, the emotional narrative delivers a gratifying arc, the combat stimulates strategic preparation, and the class system enables real progression.  

Following your initial run, which took 12 hours and 5 minutes, New Game+ is instantly unlocked. You can decide to go back in and finish any side quests or achievements you missed, but be advised that this can get boring. 

In total, there are eight side quests (plus two if you include the dungeons that can be purchased with in-game money). However, you must locate a certain number of objects for a particular side quest—you might not discover two in your first playtime.  

You'll have to play for over ten more hours to find the achievement in New Game+ since the game forces you into the same gameplay loop as the original session. Sorry, but it won't happen because this isn't Baldur's Gate. 

Ultimately, Covenant of Solitude is far from ideal. Its mobile DNA, which provides a touching, portable RPG that seems a tad too small on the Switch screen, is both its strength and its flaw. With a narrative that endures long after the last boss is defeated, this is nevertheless one of Kemco's more emotionally stirring games.