Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark

Adheres to the tradition of Final Fantasy Tactics admirably, but repetitive encounters and lack of an interesting story drag the experience down

This love letter to the Final Fantasy Tactics series mimics its inspirations very closely, but manages to be a solid SPRG in its own right.

A top-notch strategy RPG that should definitely appeal to genre fans who've enjoyed games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, or Summon Night.

In spite of a somewhat spotty presentation, Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark manages to fill a tactical RPG niche that had been lying dormant for far too long. Beyond just serving as a competent TRPG, however, Fell Seal engages with the genre in increasingly dynamic ways. It borrows a good deal of its concepts from Final Fantasy Tactics, but nothing is just brought over as is. While there are conceptual similarities between the titles, this has more than enough mechanical depth to stand on its own. Strong map design and plenty of customization options make this game a must-have for fans of tactical RPGs.

It’s easy to feel like every single mid-to-late-game map in Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is soul-crushingly awful, but in reality, only around half of them are. That’s still far too much gameplay that’s held back by busywork, especially since the explosion of status effects that most often bogs down Fell Seal‘s gameplay can cause the bad maps to last 2-4 times longer than the good ones, but there are glimmers of potential that shine through all the way through to the end. It’s just hard to give the game credit for the things it does right when the things it does wrong are so egregious.

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a unique combination of jRPG aesthetics and turn-based combat like no other. It's not enough to recommend to everyone, but anyone who loves either jRPG or tunr-based games will find something for themselves in Fell Seal.

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a wonderful throwback to tactical RPGs of old, featuring tons of customisation and strategical options to play around with.

Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is a tactical RPG that may seem like it's trying to follow the footsteps of its older counterparts but that doesn't mean it's not a game with its own merits. With a stunning visual environment, a top notch audio environment and an immense variety of characters, Fell Seal is easily accessible for most players and well worthy of praise.

Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is a rock-solid successor to games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre.

In a summer of tactics titans, does this complex strategy title hit the mark?