The DioField Chronicle Review

ign.com:

It’s easy to draw lines between The DioField Chronicle’s sweeping story of war, magic, and shady politics and those of Game of Thrones or Fire Emblem. I'd have to write off the whole fantasy genre if borrowing were a deal-breaker, but they still have to figure out how to assemble those parts into something that stands alone. In this case, it ends up feeling like, at best, a generic version of its inspirations. And while its real-time combat system is an exciting twist, it's often difficult to work with the controls as you fight through its quick, engaging battles. Even the characters who end up having unexpected or interesting roles to play in the unfolding tale end up coming across a bit dull, though that's no fault of the veteran voice cast.

The world of DioField feels like anyone's first try making up a whole new setting for a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, complete with an evil empire trying to conquer everything and characters earnestly named things like "Fredret Lester." You have corrupt nobles scheming, a fanatical church, beast men – it's all well within the Big Book of Fantasy Tropes, but it's not entirely without charm. There is something homey about it all, even if it feels fairly predictable.

I was impressed with the entire voice cast who bring this world to life, including some excellent, gravelly narration from Geralt of Rivia himself, Doug Cockle. But the voice direction leaves a lot to be desired, with many important conversations let down by stiff and unenergetic deliveries. While each member of the main cast has a complex and interesting backstory and motivations, the way the English dialogue is written doesn't always come across as very authentic.

The same is true of combat, as well. The fundamentals are