Approaching Goblin Slayer -Another Adventurer- Nightmare Feast, I didn’t come as someone who cherishes the light novel or its spin-offs; rather, I arrived as a lover of tactical RPGs. And when it comes to that, the game holds its ground well enough. Nevertheless, I sometimes ponder if being a fan of the original series would have deepened my appreciation for it.
But don’t worry, diving into Goblin Slayer requires no prior knowledge of its universe. I stepped in without a hitch, though I found myself not forming the connections with characters that the developers clearly intended. They did try, but something just didn’t click.
Right off the bat, the game leans heavily on text. You’re quickly introduced to a young woman stepping up to fill her late father’s shoes as the head of the local adventurer’s guild. If you’ve been down this road in gaming before, you’ll know what’s next: recruiting members, embarking on missions, and eventually getting swept up in a grander storyline that propels your journey forward.
Developers have a knack for energizing well-worn paths, particularly in tactical RPGs, by capitalizing on character and gameplay elements. Here, both aspects manage, albeit just satisfactorily. With Kumo Kagyu, the series creator, penning the script, new characters are unveiled at just the right moments, allowing you to explore their distinct abilities. Recruiting varied guild members delivers a chunk of the fun, mixing new faces with a few old favorites to please fans of the series.
There’s a bit of a catch here though. The expansive cast becomes a double-edged sword because many characters are given lengthy spotlight time. The intermissions between levels sometimes feel drawn out, making it seem like you’re reading almost as much as playing. The Japanese voice-overs are great, yet I often found myself wanting to rush through dialogues and toss the characters into action—especially during the early phases before the story gains momentum.
This anticipation for action finds its reward in the game’s battle sequences. These do succeed more substantially, taking place on familiar isometric grids. Genre enthusiasts will find jumping into the fray intuitive.
A unique touch to note: the game lets you tweak the controller’s D-pad settings, making it adaptable to the character’s diagonal moves. This is a feature I hadn’t seen before and appreciated having, even though I left it unchanged.
Combat revolves around positioning your characters correctly on the grid and initiating actions with a strategic mindset. Watch for terrain effects, and don’t extend your characters too far lest they become sitting ducks for enemy attacks. You can view the range of enemies on the grid, though notably only for their basic attacks, which lacks thoroughness as it doesn’t account for skills. This means you’ll need to constantly check or remember enemy abilities when planning, which can interrupt the pace.
Defeating foes is about getting the right balance of attacks, utilizing magic, items, buffs, and debuff clearances. You can even lead enemies into traps you’ve strategically set—tricky yet satisfying when executed well. If you’re persistent enough to replay levels just to perfect those traps, consider us comrades on Bluesky.
Moving through the game unlocks more missions, yielding items and rewards beneficial for guild growth and personal skill development. Although the assortment of unit types is great, I tended to favor characters I socially enjoyed rather than sticking strictly to advantageous skills. Maybe not the best tactical move, but hey, I game like I live: loyal to my quirky tastes, even eschewing anthropomorphic allies. Thankfully, it’s well-balanced to accommodate some poor choices—as long as you’re diligent with optional missions.
That said, a few odd choices in gameplay can slow you down. The combat maps are vast, sometimes requiring several turns just to close in on enemies.
Navigating with up to 10 characters across such massive fields can be cumbersome. It’s odd too, how enemies seem to have a power edge over your team. The strategy then becomes about being well-prepared and isolating opponents—fine enough, but it means a single slip could lead to losing a party member, especially crucial in the game’s initial stages where resources and abilities are scarce.
Yet, Goblin Slayer -Another Adventurer- Nightmare Feast does manage to deliver enjoyment to SRPG devotees. The visuals are engaging, with character art beautifully crafted by the original series artist, Noboru Kannatsuki.
The accompanying music hits the right notes for the game’s atmosphere. And though the story does crawl at points, it stays engaging without veering into silly or annoyingly immature territory like some other games of its kind. There’s a bit of edginess here and there, expected given its roots. The game hasn’t won over my allegiance to its source material, but it entertained me well enough as I await the next classic tactical RPG to pop onto my screen.
