‘Sword of Konvalaria’, a new SRPG being developed by XD, was held in Korea CBT from February 29th to March 8th. This work, which was first revealed at the 2021 Tap Tap game presentation, was inspired by classic RPGs, and was well-known in Korea at the time of its release for its graphics and gameplay that captured the sensibility of classic games.
Accordingly, the company has been actively making moves to advance into the domestic market by participating in an offline event in October 2023 and G-Star 2023 as an experience zone at the Inven booth. However, in order to improve quality, the schedule was postponed from winter 2023 to spring 2024 through an official community announcement. As such, this CBT was a final check to see if ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ would be implemented as predicted.
Graphics and gameplay that take advantage of classic SRPG sensibilities
The first thing that catches your eye in ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ is the graphics with its unique dot sensibility. Although it does not have complete dot graphics like many recent classic-style games, didn’t those games capture the classic feel well by combining 2D dot graphics and 3D rendering graphics? In particular, these methods are easy to incorporate various effects, such as real-time changes in light sources, which were difficult to use in the past, and based on this, they made possible natural productions that were previously difficult to achieve.
Of course, compared to the techniques of Japanese developers who have been honing this technique for a long time, ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ felt a bit clunky. In particular, when looking at the PC screen, I felt that the outline was somewhat rough. Nevertheless, details such as the characteristics of each character and changes in facial expressions were not missed, giving the effect of capturing the sensibility of the old days before techniques developed.
▲ The graphics, which combine dot style and 3D to create a classic feel, are impressive.
In terms of skill directing, it was impressive to see the dynamic movements of in-game characters and simple directing containing only the key points rather than CG. This is because early JRPGs sought to save resources as much as possible and maximize effectiveness in order to contain a vast story within an extremely limited capacity. Of course, things have changed in modern times, so the overall effect used 3D and other techniques rather than dots, but it was impressive that it was harmoniously solved in a way that focused only on key points and was simple instead of flashy effects.
The battlefield you face afterwards is heavily influenced by the ‘Ogre Battle Saga’ series, as the developers mentioned at the time of its initial release. If you have recently played the remake version of ‘Tactics Ogre: Reborn,’ you will feel familiar with the quarter-view battlefield, which has clear elevation differences in the terrain in a stepped manner.
‘Sword of Konvalaria’ did not adopt this structure simply to show a differentiated appearance on the outside. In ‘Ogre Battle Saga’, the unique quarter-view battlefield was a way to strategically express the terrain of the battle map, and its core was clearly revealed in ‘Sword of Konvalaria’. This is because from the relatively early stages, strategic elements that utilized the terrain stood out, such as reducing damage depending on the difference in terrain or pushing the enemy off a waterway or cliff.
▲ It is not a monotonous structure where you exchange attacks each turn.
▲ Roll the rock to snipe the enemy boss or
▲ There is a taste of using objects tactically to attack enemies, such as exploding explosives to eliminate all enemies at once.
These elements were not just presented as a preview during the tutorial phase. If you look at the overall stage of ‘Sword of Konvalaria’, there are quite a lot of terrains that can fall or have severe elevation differences. Except for some classes such as ‘Intruder’, which is a class similar to the thief in other games, terrain with severe elevation differences is difficult to overcome. Therefore, the attack route is quite limited, and the advantage of occupying the high ground is great.
Moreover, unlike recent SRPGs that mainly adopted a method in which friendly turns and enemy turns were divided into phases, ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ had a method in which the order in which turns came varied depending on the speed of each character. In other words, when moving the character, it was necessary to think about who would move in the next turn. In particular, there were various variables such as special terrain, elevation differences, and objects, so if you made a wrong move, there was a possibility that the battle situation could deteriorate rapidly, such as having to go round or being isolated.
▲ This Is Spar Town… It is also possible to make someone fall off a cliff, so make good use of it when using a character with knockback.
▲ When rolling an object, keep in mind that it goes in the direction you hit it and cannot roll back to higher terrain.
On the contrary, as there were so many different restrictions and strategic elements, it was fun to use them to effectively defeat the enemy. This is because it was possible to roll a rock to exterminate the enemy under the hill, roll an oil drum and set fire to the entrance road to inflict burn damage on the enemy, and snipe explosives from a distance or push the enemy towards them to wipe them out all at once. Since rolling or pushing an object is also affected by elevation differences, it was necessary to aim carefully, taking into account the enemy’s direction and terrain features along the path.
▲ Enemies hiding behind a barrier cannot be hit with a direct attack.
▲ Strategic movements that take into account terrain and objects are required, such as aiming with a howitzer skill.
Design that juxtaposes classic and modern times
Although this structure was temporary, ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ also could not completely break away from its roots as a mobile RPG. As mentioned above, the battlefield that you experience when entering the stage is as faithful as possible to the classic SRPG, but in the end, the routine represented by daily quests and training dungeon runs is intact.
Although not all of BM’s paid products have been released, it can be confirmed that it is based on the framework recently shown by ‘Genshin Shin’ and ‘Star Rail’. The season pass adopts a weekly quest-based season pass rather than a daily quest-based season pass, and as the character grades range from N grade to SSR, the character draw and equipment draw are separated.
In addition, there is an asynchronous PVP ‘Glory Battle’ where you compete against other players, so users who missed the classic feel may feel a sense of betrayal. XD’s choice to be considerate of such users was to incorporate the classic method into another major content, ‘Vortex of Destiny’.
To explain this, it is necessary to first understand the story and worldview of Sword of Konvalaria. The main setting of ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ is a small country called ‘Kingdom of Ilia’, which is a strategic location where a large amount of ‘crystal stone’, a major resource whose use has recently been highlighted, is deposited. While various forces, including the Knights’ Alliance and the Papal Rodinia, are secretly keeping a check on this interest, a riot suddenly breaks out in Turin Castle, a major port in the west, and Princess Inanna, who came to inspect the place, is executed by the mob. As a result, a civil war breaks out in the Kingdom of Ilia, and as foreign powers seeking Ilia’s interests intervene, the entire continent becomes engulfed in war.
▲ When I opened my eyes, I was in a prison. I didn’t know what it was, but I was in danger of dying.
▲ He escapes with the help of Konvalaria’s sword mercenaries who came looking for the client.
▲ Caught in the middle of a whirlwind of war.
▲ The protagonist, who fell into paradise amidst the chaos, goes on an adventure that transcends time and space to save everyone.
In the story, the main character, the user’s alter ego, appears trapped in a dungeon without any memory and no understanding of the story. While mysterious forces disguised as royal troops are killing prisoners in the dungeon to destroy evidence, Konvalaria’s sword mercenaries rush in to find the client imprisoned in the dungeon, rescue the protagonist, and escape the castle. struggling. However, in a situation where the entire Turret Castle becomes a battlefield where royal troops and rioters are intertwined, they ultimately fail to escape.
I thought it would end like that, but the story goes on again when a mysterious cat suddenly appears and guides the protagonist and a group of Konvalaria’s sword mercenaries to a different space called ‘Paradise’. The main story of ‘Sword of Convalaria’ is that they, who have been revived, go on a journey across time and space to look back on what has happened on the continent while searching for the culprit who has twisted the fate of a peaceful world.
Since the story structure of gathering all the party members at first and then resetting and starting again is a story structure that has been common in mobile RPGs, users who expected a classic RPG style may not like this part. Moreover, since the story of Sword of Konvalaria is a story that only highlights the main sections of each junction in a staged manner rather than explaining the overall context, there is room for a story that users do not know to be shared only between characters.
The ‘Vortex of Fate’ content, which was designed to overcome this problem, excludes ‘Paradise’ among the turning points at the beginning of the play and focuses on the content after the point where Konvalaria’s sword mercenaries hide in the dungeon until the Turmoil Rebellion ends and survive. I drew a story. The sword mercenary group of Konvalaria, who escaped from the castle, returns to Konvalaria Village, where they are stationed, and there they raise the mercenary group again and continue their long journey to maintain peace not only around the village, but also in the kingdom and on the continent. This is the core of ‘vortex’.
▲ Another content, ‘Vortex of Fate’
▲ Starting from the junction where the mercenaries safely escaped from the castle.
▲ As you return to your home base, Konvalaria Village, and grow your mercenary group, the upcoming story unfolds sequentially.
Rather than clearing stages step by step, this method adopts a method of completing essential episodes and requests as time passes on a weekly basis, like a console package game. In addition, as the village stabilized, various facilities such as blacksmith shops, inns, and training grounds were secured, and a console package game-like structure was introduced, in which players could craft equipment using resources obtained through requests or recruit and train characters. It’s not that you can’t use the characters you already got through the lottery in the game, but because the level and equipment are reset when you start the Vortex of Fate, you had to develop them step by step like other recruited characters.
As the concept of running a mercenary group was adopted, simulation elements for managing mercenary members were also seen. First of all, the fatigue of the members who participated in the battle is consumed, and when all the fatigue is exhausted, they cannot be deployed to the next battle, so it is important to manage the fatigue of key members. Because skill training cannot be completed immediately and requires at least one week, a member cannot perform multiple actions simultaneously within a week. Therefore, it was important to check the physical condition, training status, and episode difficulty of each unit and distribute the schedule accordingly.
▲ When you first enter, you enter with some of your characters.
▲ Equipment and training must be done from the beginning.
▲ Rest and equipment production also require appropriate distribution as slots are limited.
‘Sword of Konvalaria’ showed a cross-section of new classics even in the CBT stage
Even in the CBT stage, ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ was enough to say that it was a work that faithfully captured the sensibilities of SRPGs of the time. This is because, in addition to graphics and combat methods, the content also focused on preserving the classic taste by paralleling the grammar of modern mobile RPGs and the method of single-player package games.
Of course, there were no regrets while playing. The first thing that catches your eye is the poor localization that Chinese games have been experiencing lately. The first half was okay, but from the mid to late half, a mixture of formal and informal language was standard, and the script and dubbed lines often did not match, so I felt a sense of disconnect. In particular, since this happened in a classic SRPG where it is important to depict the conflict between each faction, the dust was bound to be highlighted even more.
Also, the parallel structure between the mobile RPG and the single RPG was good, but the focus on the big picture in the story felt like the build-up of the main characters was a bit abrupt. Although the screen was staged like a play and the character’s situation was explained clearly through a monologue, it was so dependent on it that the feeling of glancing at and interacting with the character was a bit ambiguous compared to other collectible RPGs.
However, excluding these details, it is clear that ‘Sword of Konvalaria’ is a work that clearly shows its potential in terms of a modern interpretation of a classic SRPG. As a new collectible RPG, there are some parts that are somewhat out of sync with the modern tempo, but this is because it has solidified its status as a ‘new classic’ by adding content that matches that atmosphere along with classic graphics. It will be necessary to watch whether ‘Sword of Konvalaria’, which was announced to be released this spring, will be able to meet the expectations of classic SRPG fans on mobile and PC through feedback after this CBT.
