Genre: Role Playing (Turn-based)/Adventure
Developer: Zeboyd Games
Publisher: Limited Run Games
Platforms: Switch (Also available on PC/Mac, PS4, and PS Vita)
Available: August 13th (EU)/August 14th (US). US Physical release by Limited Run Games late 2018 to early 2019.
Price: USD $14.99 / EUR 11.99 / CAD 16.99 / AUD 17.99
Downloadable Content: No.
Size: 1.9 GB
Supported Languages: English
Players: 1
Full Disclosure: Most of the content is reiterated from the official website as well as the official eShop page.
Alyssa L'Salle is one of the top secret agents at the Agency of Peace & Intelligence on the Planet Araenu. But when she uncovers a horrible conspiracy, she has to go rogue in order to save the day. 3 exotic planets to explore. Aliens. Robots. Magic. Forbidden technology. Conspiracies. A galactic threat. And one brave heroine to make things right.
The Characters:
Alyssa L'Salle
Our Heroine! At the start of our story, she is one of the top secret agents at the Agency of Peace and Intelligence. However, all is not as it seems...
Weapon: Cyber-Bo
Strengths: Versatility, Leadership
Dominant Element: Water
Chahn Kaneko
Close personal friend of Alyssa. Quite the energetic personality. Skilled in gunmancy - the art of summoning and controlling guns with your mind. Also skilled in the medical arts.
Weapon: Summoned Guns
Strengths: Healing, Backup
Dominant Element: Fire
Dave
Elite hacker for the Galactic Agency. Thinks he's cool but really isn't. Incredibly paranoid. Supports the team while impairing the enemy with his mad skillz. His unique Enviro-hack skill changes effect depending on the location it's used in.
Weapon: Tablet
Strengths: Debuffs, Hacking
Dominant Element: Lightning
Borisusovsky (aka Sue)
When you need brute strength combined with impeccable fashion sense, he's your man. Quiet and gruff but has a soft side that emerges from time to time.
Weapon: Fists
Strengths: Martial Arts, Combos
Dominant Element: Earth
Lauren
An indie singer from the slums of Gehenna. A little shy... or is that just a cover?
Weapon: Force Daggers.
Strengths: Speed, Ailments.
Dominant Element: Wind
Finn
Proud member of the Araenu Police Force. Distant cousin of Alyssa. Wants to be taken seriously.
Weapon: Shotblaster
Strengths: Taking a hit
Dominant Element: Fire
Arete
Prominent member of the Astrea rebel faction. True name unknown. Proud and calculating. Accompanied by a floating seeing eye robot that feeds images directly to her visual display device.
Weapon: Explosive Beakers
Strengths: Technology, Eye Robot Minion
Dominant Element: Ice
Clarke
Rogue robot agent. Was the smoothest talker around back before the incident. Ever since then, he's been a bit... odd.
Weapon: Rocket Boots
Strengths: Who knows?
Dominant Element: Lightning
Psybe
Cybernetically-enhanced Psybe comes from the planet Rhomu, where his species builds its advanced hive-like civilizations among the ruins of jungle-like planet surface. A genius and fearless explorer, Psybe seeks justice for his planet and his people.
Weapon: Songs
Strengths: Support
Dominant Element: Earth
Orson Bolibar
Member of an alien race that begins life looking human before turning into ghosts upon maturation. Wears a special suit that amplifies his spectral powers. Private Eye on the Planet Nuluup.
Weapon: Colt Handgun formed from Spectral Energy.
Strengths: Elemental Magic
Dominant Element: Wind
Z'xorv
Alien bounty hunter. Loves capes. Hard to kill. Doesn't talk much.
Weapon: Claws
Strengths: Brute Strength.
Dominant Element: Ice
Combat takes place directly on the exploration maps (no separate battle screen). No random battles; everything is pre-set and some battles can be avoided if you manage to sneak past the enemies.
In combat, there's no MP. Instead, most abilities you have can only be used once until you use a Defend/Recharge move to restore everything.
As you choose abilities, your character's style score goes up and as that goes up, your abilities become more effective. There are also a few "Burst" abilities that you can use that will spend all of your existing style points for one massive effect. Every few turns, your characters will go into Hyper mode and abilities will deal double damage and ailments are more likely to work. Plan in advance to take advantage of hyper and style for combat success.
Every character gets about 20 personal abilities. You can also use programs as abilities, based on which shield (armor) you have equipped. As an example, Alyssa can equip a unique shield that lets you do a special unique two-person combo with each other character. They're like equippable mini-classes.
- The best of classic and modern RPGs!
- Brisk pacing that respects your time! Save anywhere!
- No separate battle screen! Battles take place directly in the areas that you explore!
- 2D visual style straight from the height of gaming's 16-bit era!
- Animated cutscenes reminiscent of the Sega CD and Turbo Duo era!
- Soundtrack by HyperDuck SoundWorks (Dust: An Elysian Tail, Precipice of Darkness 4)!
- Over 100 minutes of music!
- Innovative turn-based combat system that focuses on flow and strategy!
- Multi-character combo techniques!
- Your own spaceship! Recruit new agents to help your home base grow!
- Inspired by games like Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star, and Suikoden!
Reviews:
Metacritic: 82
God is a Geek: 9.5/10
Cosmic Star Heroine on the Switch is the definitive version of the game. While I would've hoped for things like touch support to progress dialogue text, I can safely recommend this to anyone looking for a great RPG to play on the Switch.
Nintendo World Report: 8.5/10
It's not difficult to find new games that are designed with the 16-bit era in mind, but it is rare to find ones that develop new and enjoyable game mechanics. While the writing could have benefited from some additional depth, the expansive party and combat options provide hours of entertainment, making Cosmic Star Heroine a worthwhile addition to your Switch library.
Nintendo Life: 7/10
This is a homage to the classic sci-fi RPGs of the '90s that successfully takes out many of the annoying bits but boasts a fair amount of the depth and consistency. Cosmic Star Heroine is a JRPG for those who long ago grew bored of JRPGs, but committed fans might find it just a little too slight an offering.
Screenshots
Reddit AMA
Soundtrack: Official Soundtrack from Hyperduck Bandcamp
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