Rise of the Third Power is the second major title from Stegosoft Games, a studio that was founded by two people, Evelyn Rose Hall and Joey Peters. Consequently, this indie RPG was primarily headed up by just two people. That’s impressive for any indie studio.
Did things work out in their favor? If gamers have been looking for an old-school, turn-based RPG from the 16-bit era then the answer is yes. Not everything about Rise of the Third power feels as classic but overall it is a good effort. Let’s find out what the game does and does not do well.
8 Best: The 16-Bit Art
Most of the art works well in this game. The sprites on the map and the environments mirror classic 16-Bit games from the peak era. The most impressive sprites are the ones in battles, and this holds true for the heroes and enemies. Their animations are top-notch with every move looking like they were hand-drawn.
Rise of the Third Power even has a world map and players can save anywhere. It’s as forward-thinking as it is nostalgic.
7 Worst: The Character Art
The one downside to the aesthetic is the character portraits. They use an anime-style, which many RPGs tend to do. The Persona series is one of the biggest examples of this. However, in Rise of the Third Power, they come across as faux anime, meaning they look a bit generic.
The lighting is also a problem in this game. It can be adjusted but even then caves and dungeons can be hard to navigate. There isn’t a mini-map either so this can make it all the more frustrating.
6 Best: The Battle System
The battle system in Rise of the Third Power is simple but good. Every character has a set amount of abilities. They all have different sets of cooldowns and restrictions. Arielle, for example, wields a cannon. This takes ammo which is represented by a meter.
The stronger the attack, the more ammo it will consume. Arielle has a reload option to refill her bar too. There are also dual attacks that sort of act like Limit Breaks from the Final Fantasy series.
5 Worst: Enemy Respawns
It is a bit hard to grind in this game. On one hand, it is great to see Rise of the Third Power not following in the nostalgic RPG trend of random battles. All enemies are on the map and can be avoided if players so choose. However, unlike most RPGs wherein monsters respawn naturally, players have to take an extra step.
A traveling merchant that sometimes lurks in dungeons can respawn enemies. The main way is through Inns. This requires a lot of backtracking for players just to grind. This creative decision might not have been for the best, even though it is easy to see why the developer did it.
4 Best: The Music
The overall soundtrack to Rise of the Third Power fits the motif of pirates fighting a colossal empire. It is good for a throwback RPG with some outstanding tracks. One of the best ones in the game is the track for the normal boss battles, which sounds like a mesh-up of Flogging Molly and Nobuo Uematsu.
This is the kind of song wherein players may let their controller rest just to hear the tune play out. It will get players pumped up for battle which is a good trait for boss themes.
3 Worst: The Dialogue
Not all sound bites on the soundtrack are great. The effects can often sound like someone cranked up the volume too much. Sometimes they even cut out which is presumably just a glitch. There is also no voice acting in Rise of the Third Power.
As a throwback RPG, it’s easy to see why voice acting was not used. It may not have helped the situation anyway because the dialogue comes across as a bit too sophomoric. It can feel like it is being crass for the sake of being crass. There are moments of true heart and laughter, so it’s not all bad, but a good chunk could be considered cringe-worthy.
2 Best: Equipment Upgrades
Players do not equip gear in the traditional sense for the most part in Rise of the Third Power. The game instead treats equipment like a skill tree. Players will craft items that then become permanent buffs to the character’s overall stats. There are still things to equip like accessories though.
They level up by unlocking skills, sort of like the system in Final Fantasy 9. It’s easy to understand once players start experimenting with Rise of the Third Power’s world. There is more to it once new mechanics unlock too, but these are the basics.
1 Worst: Shared Levels
Rise of the Third Power treats character development differently than most other RPGs as the party’s members level up together. Instead of boosting stats vastly, leveling up will net players with talent points. These can be used to boost stats or unlock skills.
The downside is that all of these talent points are shared. This can hinder development as players may feel obligated to diversify their allotment. It also takes a long time to level up in this way, so Rise of the Third Power is a huge grind. It is necessary too because the game is tough, even on Normal.
Rise of the Third Power is set to release on February 10, 2022 and will be available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
