The Diofield Chronicle Explained

The Diofield Chronicle
Developer:Square Enix
Lancarse
Publisher:Square Enix
Producer:Shigeyuki Hirata
Director:Takahiro Kumagai
Artist:Isamu Kamikokuryo
Taiki
Composer:Brandon Campbell
Ramin Djawadi
Genre:Strategy role-playing
Modes:Single-player
Released:September 22, 2022

The Diofield Chronicle is a strategy role-playing video game co-developed by Square Enix and Lancarse. It was released in September 2022 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows platforms.

Gameplay

The Diofield Chronicle plays as a strategy role-playing video game.[1] Unlike Final Fantasy Tactics, it is not tile-based in its movement, but instead allows for more free directional movement like XCOM.[1] The game features real-time strategy elements, with the battle system being named the "Real-Time Tactical Battle System", an allusion to the Active-Time Battle system.[2]

The player controls a party of characters to engage in tactical battles, completing missions such as vanquishing enemies, defending a stronghold, escorting an ally, or capturing points on a map.[3] Similar to Fire Emblem, the viewpoint shifts as the battles themselves play out.[4] The party earns skill points at the end of each mission, which can be used to upgrade different character abilities.[3]

Plot

The Diofield Chronicle takes place on a fictional war-torn continent, where the Kingdom of Alletain sits in the close vicinity of a conflict between the Trovelt-Schoevian Empire and the Rowetale Alliance.[4] When the Empire ends up defeating the Alliance, they turn their attention to Alletain.[4] The game follows the mercenary group related to the Alletain called the "Blue Foxes".[5] [4] The four heads of the group are Andrias Rhondarson, a royal bodyguard who knows ancient sorcery, Fredret Lester, his childhood friend, Iscarion Colchester, an archer and former noble, and Waltaquin Redditch, a mage noblewoman.[5]

Development

The game was first announced on March 9, 2022, as part of Sony's "State of Play" presentations outlining future games coming to their PlayStation platforms.[6] It was one of two games announced by Square Enix at the presentation, alongside Valkyrie Elysium.[6] While the latter was only announced for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows, The Diofield Chronicle was later revealed to additionally be coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S platforms.[6] The game has character design by Taiki (character designer on Lord of Vermilion series) and also features character art from designer Isamu Kamikokuryo, who previously did art for Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XIII, and was noted to have an art style similar to Final Fantasy at times, though the game share no official ties.[7] [1] [2] Square Enix is co-developing the title with Japanese studio Lancarse, who had previously co-developed with Atlus.[8] Music is composed by Ramin Djawadi and Brandon Campbell, both of which had previously worked on the Game of Thrones television series.[8] The game was released worldwide on September 22, 2022, following the release of a demo on August 10.[9]

Reception

The Diofield Chronicle received "mixed or average" reviews for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Windows, and "generally favorable" reviews for the Xbox Series X/S, according to review aggregator Metacritic.

The Nintendo Switch version of The Diofield Chronicle sold 6,415 physical copies within its first week of release in Japan, making it the eighth bestselling retail game of the week in the country.[10]

Manga adaptation

A manga adaptation by Minori Tsukahara and Ataru Arata began serialization in Square Enix's Manga UP! website and app on September 8, 2022.[11]

References

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Minotti. Mike. The DioField Chronicle is a new Square Enix strategy game. VentureBeat. March 9, 2022. September 30, 2022. March 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318120910/https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/09/the-diofield-chronicle-is-a-new-square-enix-strategy-game/. live.
  2. Web site: Van Allen. Eric. The DioField Chronicle is a new real-time tactical RPG from Square Enix. Destructoid. March 9, 2022. September 30, 2022. July 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220707150852/https://www.destructoid.com/the-diofield-chronicle-new-tactical-rpg-real-time-system-square-enix/. live.
  3. Web site: Castle. Katharine. August 18, 2022. The DioField Chronicle is shaping up to be real-time Fire Emblem meets Final Fantasy. Rock Paper Shotgun. August 18, 2022. October 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221007130355/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-diofield-chronicle-is-shaping-up-to-be-real-time-fire-emblem-meets-final-fantasy. live.
  4. LeBlanc. Wesley. Square Enix Reveals The DioField Chronicle, A New Tactical RPG Coming This Year. Game Informer. March 9, 2022. September 30, 2022. March 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220318150502/https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/03/09/square-enix-reveals-the-diofield-chronicle-a-new-tactical-rpg-coming-this-year. dead.
  5. Web site: Lada. Jenni. The DioField Chronicle Characters Introduced. Siliconera. March 11, 2022. September 30, 2022. September 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220928175122/https://www.siliconera.com/the-diofield-chronicle-characters-introduced/. live.
  6. Web site: Phillips. Tom. Square Enix announces new tactics game The DioField Chronicle. Eurogamer. March 9, 2022. September 30, 2022. March 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220329063840/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-03-09-square-enix-announces-new-tactics-game-the-diofield-chronicle. live.
  7. Web site: Kim. Matt. The DioField Chronicle Is a New Strategy RPG From Square Enix. IGN. March 9, 2022. September 30, 2022. May 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220531000816/https://www.ign.com/articles/diofield-chronicle-square-enix-rpg. live.
  8. Web site: O'Connor. Alice. Square Enix announce new strategy RPG The DioField Chronicle. Rock Paper Shotgun. March 10, 2022. September 30, 2022. July 17, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220717234311/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/square-enix-announce-new-strategy-rpg-the-diofield-chronicle. live.
  9. Web site: Romano. Sal. The DioField Chronicle launches September 22, demo launches August 10. Gematsu. July 2, 2022. July 2, 2022. September 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921190250/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/07/the-diofield-chronicle-launches-september-22-demo-launches-august-10. live.
  10. Web site: Romano. Sal. September 29, 2022. Famitsu Sales: 9/19/22 – 9/25/22. Gematsu. September 29, 2022. September 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220929130752/https://www.gematsu.com/2022/09/famitsu-sales-9-19-22-9-25-22. live.
  11. Web site: Hazra. Adriana. The DioField Chronicle Game Gets Manga. Anime News Network. September 11, 2022. September 11, 2022. September 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220911091514/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-09-11/the-diofield-chronicle-game-gets-manga/.189539. live.