Armello Review :: (PS4) NoobReview

Recently I have been love struck with games from Australia. Don Bradman’s Cricket, Hand Of Fate and now Armello. Ever since I have got my copy of Armello; I have been playing the game non-stop for the past week. In that one week I have learned this, Armello is not what you think, or exactly what you think. Depending on what you think. Confused read the review.

(+) Game of Thrones

Armello is exactly that, except for a lot less sex and incest…ok no sex or incest at all. Its a skirmish between 4 players in a bid to be the new ruler of Armello. At the start of each match, Armello is ruled by “The Lion King” who loses 1 health at the dawn of each day, and gains 1 rot (basically gets corrupted) at dusk of the same day. During that time, the champions need to earn prestige or rot by completing quests, defeat the increasing number of rot creatures (conveniently called banes) and contend with the king diving deeper into madness; all the while positioning themselves as the next heir apparent to Armello.

(-) Prestige over others

The game itself can be won in 3 ways, there is the straight forward Kingslayer victory, in which you win the game by slayig the king and surviving. Another way is to slay the king survive and have more rot than the king himself, which is no mean feat. The third and possibly the easiest way to win the game is to have the most prestige when the king dies, becoming the ruler of Armello by default. This method of victory is so over powered that it tends to eat away at the balance of the game. Case in point in my 10 match win streak, each one of them has been a Prestige Victory.

(+) Like LOL Like Armello

Each match either between 3 players/AI and you tend to last around 45 minutes. In this way Armello is a lot like League Of Legends or DOTA. With each champion you use having his/her own perks and equippable items. However Armello is turn based, with each champion getting a set of Action Points which he can use to his advantage. Every champion also has a certain set of cards to his name, which he can burn in battle or use to further his goal anytime during the game.

Armello is also easier to master than LOL or DOTA or even Smite. With a roster of 8 characters, it won’t take long for you to study the pros and cons of each champion, and find the one which suits your style. The smaller roster also encourages you to experiment, with none of the perks being too powerful. Apart from mastering the champion though, Armello itself follows a particular flow; which once you get a hang of is a huge advantage. With a few initial losses under my belt, I went onto a winning streak which has continued until the time I sat down to review the game, with different characters and getting better at my victory every time, just because I knew how the battle will play out.

It is supposed to be more random in multiplayer but unfortunately its not so. Most players tend to gather as much prestige as possible while waiting for the king to die, or get his health down enough to go in for a kill. This results in a predictable game of sniping and positioning, which is fun but not highly repetitive.

(-) Luck favors the brave

Armello is also deeply rooted in luck. Which is irritating as hell. Unlike Hand Of Fate where a bad lay of cards could be countered with almost impossible feats of skill, all battles in Armello are literally a throw of the dice. With some tactical placement and card awareness, you could improve your chances but the roll of the dice still has the final say. While this is right up the alley of an experienced Dungeon and Dragons player, most gamers would find the dependency on luck to be a damper.

(+) The cards that burn

The one thing that does stand out in Armello; is the game’s aesthetic. Everything from the background music, to the art style, to the character design exudes a calm and serene feel which is in complete contrast to most LOL, DOTA and rocket league matches where the emphasis on stress and adrenaline. I especially loved the different design for the cards that the champions can use in the game. Each card design also has a little credit to the artist who helped make it, which is a nice touch and is appreciated.

(-) Glasses Needed

That aesthetic however is hindered by the extremely small fonts. It was a problem I faced in Witcher 3 too, where the text was too small to read properly when you are sitting a fair distance. I hope they sort out this fault quickly because its perhaps the biggest block in immersion, especially when most tips, hints and updates in the game are expressed through text.

(+) Small and Sweet

At a comfortable size of just 995 MB and another update of roughly the same size, I had no problems installing Armellon my PS4. The game also ran smoothly with no hiccups at all even during extended sitting, with me leaving the game in between turns to eat and drink and do what not. Granted the game is not big, but the level of stability is something which should be a standard and not the exception among today’s games.

VERDICT

Armello is a great game to scratch that old school Role Playing itch. But the effect can wear off after a few games, especially if you are playing the single player campaign. The fun can be extended though if you can find 3 other friends who share the love of turn based card games, in which case Armello is perfect for some couch co-op.