Spooky Season Mini Review: Entropy
The days are getting shorter and the weather is turning cold. Here in the north we feel the shift of season dramatically. The leaves turn yellow, the fall to the ground to be reclaimed by the earth. Everything decays as we enter a season of entropy...
Today's spooky season game is Entropy from developer Lovely Hellplace. Entropy is a classic style JRPG with PSX graphics and a built in CRT filter. These kinds of games are trending and I cannot deny that I am the target audience here.
Entropy, despite being in early access, shows a lot of potential to be something special. The turn based combat uses up to six total party members with a unique (as far as I'm aware, at least) positioning system. You have multiple options in either the front or back rows and your options in combat are dependant on where your characters are positioned. This setup is mirrored by the enemies, who also have formations that need to be broken.
At it's simplest, this means you have melee attackers/tanks in the front and ranged damage dealers in the back. I see major potential with this system, specifically, due tot he ability to move units mid combat. While I didn't find much opportunity to use this function in the games current form, I'm looking forward to updates later down the line that expand this system.
Beyond the systems, the games setting and narrative are compellingly dour. The Player begins by well.. performing a play. You are part of a travelling troupe of performers who get caught up int he middle of a demon invasion. From there your troupe is killed, and you need to travel back to your hometown and regroup before figuring out what to do next.
I don't want to get too deep into it from there but the setting clearly takes a lot of inspiration from dark fantasy settings like Dark Souls. However, most compelling is the implied science fiction of the setting, similar to Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun.
Overall, my main takeaway is that I wish this was the full release and not an early access title, as I want to keep playing.
As we enter autumn we reflect upon seasons past. New growth, new lessons, new decay. As we head further into the season of winter, the season of entropy, we reflect on the dark and the forlorn. What new experiences await in the shadows ahead?
I look forward to doing a full deep dive of Entropy's narrative once the full game releases. For now I wait patiently, as the quiet of winter waits on the horizon.