Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP Free Download The Mercenaries Saga games have carved out a successful niche on the Nintendo 3DS over the past few years. A set of tactical RPGs with some loose narrative connections, these games were noted for solid combat systems as well as class customization for the characters. While a collection of these three games released earlier this year on Switch, Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix is the first game developed with consoles as the target market. While Mercenaries Wings shows more of its forebears’ DNA than might be expected with a platform jump, it nonetheless serves as a successful incremental improvement over the Mercenaries Saga games. ROMSLAB.COM Best Switch Games

Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Despite being on the Switch, it’s readily apparent that Mercenaries Wings harkens back to the 16-bit era with the sprites it employs on small grid-based maps. However, these sprites are able to convey quite a bit of the characters’ personalities and it is a nice touch to see them change depending on how the characters are equipped. Unlike earlier Mercenaries games, each character has multiple portraits to convey emotion and match the dialog which makes the story a bit more engaging as there are no cutscenes in this game; the story is told strictly via text boxes. There has also been an effort to add more artistic detail to the maps, but with mixed results.

Rising from the Ashes

Strategy RPGs have a strong legacy over the years with games such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, and Fire Emblem. One such series that has decided to take a swing at being popular with genre fans is Mercenaries Saga. The initial three games in the series are all available on Switch and now the developers are making a crack at a separate story in that universe in the form of Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix. While it is a solid entry in the genre, this strategy RPG has various rough edges that might damper the experience for some. Windstorm – Ari’s Arrival Switch NSP

Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

The story opens up with a kingdom at war with rebels. You take control of a band of mercenaries consisting of a fighter named Jeremy, a gunner named Cecil, and an acolyte named Francis who are working for the kingdom and are tasked with taking down rebels found threatening the kingdom. More allies join your party as you progress, adding more to the story with individual tales that tie into the fate of the nation.

The Kingdom of Dryden

The style of the story also harkens back to earlier generations in its simplicity. The game is set in the Kingdom of Dryden, a land that is said to have been founded with the help of a phoenix that cut through a thousand foes. The current king, Harold, has taken this bloody past to heart and has spent the entire ten years of his reign warring with Dryden’s neighbors. This constant warfare has led to strife at home and now Harold faces an insurrection to complement the conflict abroad. To put down the rebels, the king has begun employing — as the game’s title implies — mercenaries, including the Crimson Birds led by Jeremy and Cecil. Wolfenstein II The New Colossus Switch NSP

Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

Players will command the Crimson Birds as they fight rebels and learn the true story behind the founding of the nation.The story is straightforward and predictable: characters who appear to be evil are so and most of the twists will be familiar to RPG veterans. However, Mercenaries Wings is aided by good pacing; it doesn’t force the player to marinate in lengthy story sections but instead gets to the point and moves on. The characters are also a pretty likable bunch with Cecil’s development being particularly interesting to follow.

Skills are born out

The individual characters’ skills are born out of the class system, which will be familiar to Mercenaries series veterans. At the end of each battle, the participating characters receive skill points that can be spent between missions to acquire and level up new abilities. Each character starts with a base class and then has six other potential classes to work through. New classes unlock based on character level as well as requiring the spending of those precious skill points, with some late-game classes also requiring a special item. While the class equipped affects the character’s base stats and only one class can be equipped at a time. Wonder Boy Asha in Monster World Switch

Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP Free Download Romslab

A new wrinkle to combat is Leader Skills. Before each battle, players choose one unit to lead the troops, conferring stat buffs or other special bonuses depending on the character selected. Choosing between extra HP, greater movement and other buffs adds to the strategic decision-making. The enemy AI will be initially passive most units won’t approach until a character is placed within range but once awoken, enemies will freely throw everything they have at players. It provides a fun challenge on normal difficulty and players will probably need to make use of free maps recycled story maps with new enemies for some grinding. World’s End Club Switch NSP+ Update

Add-ons (DLC): Mercenaries Wings: The False Phoenix Switch NSP