Necro Story

Necro Story is a turn-based Japanese-style RPG with a comedic twist, where players take on the role of a reluctant necromancer tasked with saving humanity. Set in a whimsical fantasy world, the game blends strategic combat with quirky humor, allowing players to command an army of the undead and fantastical creatures. With its unique narrative and charmingly mischievous tone, Necro Story offers a fresh take on the RPG genre, balancing intense battles with lighthearted storytelling.

Necro Story: A Darkly Whimsical Journey Through the Afterlife

Introduction: A Necromancer’s Unlikely Quest

Necro Story is a delightful contradiction—a game that embraces the macabre with a wink and a grin, blending the grim aesthetics of necromancy with the lighthearted charm of a Saturday morning cartoon. Developed by the Belgian indie studio Rablo Games, this creature-collection RPG casts players as Jaimus, a necromancer who awakens from a five-year slumber to discover humanity has been wiped out. Guided by the mischievous ghost Vivi, Jaimus must venture into the underworld to restore balance, all while commanding an army of undead minions and wielding dark magic with flair. Necro Story is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s its greatest strength. It’s a love letter to classic JRPGs, monster-collecting mechanics, and comedic storytelling, wrapped in a visually distinct package that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

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Development History & Context: From Solo Passion to Collaborative Vision

Rablo Games, founded by Pablo Coma in 2014, is a studio that thrives on creativity and personal touch. Coma’s first game, Healer’s Quest (2018), was a solo-developed labor of love that garnered praise for its humor, unique combat mechanics, and charming art style. Necro Story began as Coma’s next solo project, but fate had other plans. In 2020, Coma reunited with Baptiste Remy, a former colleague from Appeal Studios, and the two decided to reboot Necro Story as a collaborative effort. This shift from solo development to a small team dynamic brought new challenges, particularly in synchronization and workflow, but it also allowed for a more ambitious vision.

The game’s development spanned six years, with much of the work done in spare time alongside full-time jobs. Funding from Wallimage, a Belgian public game fund, provided crucial support, allowing Remy to work full-time on the project for nearly a year. The team expanded to three with the addition of Clémence Geurts, who contributed key art, marketing assets, and QA testing. This collaborative effort resulted in a game that retains Coma’s signature humor and art style while benefiting from the technical expertise and creative input of a small but dedicated team.

Necro Story was released on October 7, 2024, across multiple platforms, including PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game’s multi-platform launch was a significant step for Rablo Games, marking their first foray into console development beyond the Nintendo Switch. The decision to embrace consoles from the outset was driven by a desire to reach a broader audience, a goal facilitated by Remy’s experience with console development.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: A Tale of Death, Humor, and Redemption

Plot and Characters

Necro Story begins with Jaimus, the necromancer protagonist, awakening from a prolonged slumber to find the world in ruins. Humanity has been wiped out, and the planet is overrun by monstrous creatures. Jaimus is guided by Vivi, a playful and optimistic ghost who reveals that she was the one who put Jaimus into a coma five years earlier to protect him. Together, they embark on a quest to restore humanity, venturing through various realms of the afterlife, including Valhalla, Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell.

The dynamic between Jaimus and Vivi is the heart of the game’s narrative. Jaimus is a grim, moody necromancer, while Vivi is a bubbly, mischievous ghost who constantly teases and prods him. Their banter is filled with humor and affection, creating a compelling odd-couple dynamic that carries the story forward. The game’s humor is a blend of dark comedy, slapstick, and witty dialogue, with Vivi often breaking the tension with her irreverent remarks.

As the story progresses, Jaimus and Vivi encounter a variety of characters, including Vikings, Valkyries, angels, and demons, each with their own quirks and personalities. The game’s narrative is divided into two distinct halves: the first half is set on Earth, where the duo explores a desolate world overrun by monsters, while the second half takes them into the underworld, where they confront the forces behind humanity’s demise.

Themes

Necro Story explores themes of redemption, friendship, and the balance between life and death. Jaimus, despite being a necromancer, is not inherently evil; his journey is one of self-discovery and atonement. The game’s lighthearted tone belies a deeper exploration of mortality and the consequences of one’s actions. Vivi, as the ghostly guide, serves as a moral compass, challenging Jaimus to confront his past and embrace his role as a savior rather than a destroyer.

The game also delves into the idea of second chances, both for Jaimus and for the world itself. The necromancer’s ability to raise the dead and capture souls is not just a gameplay mechanic but a narrative device that underscores the theme of renewal. The underworld realms, each with their own unique cultures and conflicts, serve as a backdrop for exploring the complexities of good and evil, order and chaos.

Dialogue and Writing

The writing in Necro Story is sharp, witty, and often hilarious. The game’s humor is one of its standout features, with Vivi’s playful teasing and Jaimus’s deadpan responses creating a dynamic that feels both fresh and familiar. The dialogue is filled with pop culture references, puns, and meta-humor, making it accessible and engaging for a wide audience.

However, the game’s narrative is not without its flaws. The first half of the story, set on Earth, suffers from a lack of meaningful character interactions beyond Jaimus and Vivi. The recruited monsters do not speak, and the absence of human NPCs makes the world feel empty and devoid of life. The second half, set in the underworld, remedies this issue with a cast of colorful characters who provide much-needed depth and humor.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: A Strategic Dance with the Dead

Core Gameplay Loop

Necro Story is a creature-collection RPG with a unique twist: the player controls a necromancer who can summon undead minions, capture enemy souls, and cast a variety of dark magic spells. The game’s combat is a blend of real-time and turn-based mechanics, with the player controlling Jaimus while the recruited monsters fight autonomously.

The core gameplay loop involves exploring the world, engaging in battles, capturing souls, and upgrading spells and minions. The game’s world is divided into overworld areas and dungeons, with a mix of linear progression and optional exploration. Players can choose to follow the main story or venture off the beaten path to discover hidden treasures, solve puzzles, and uncover secrets.

Combat System

The combat system in Necro Story is one of its strongest features. Battles are initiated when the player encounters enemy wisps in the overworld. Once in combat, the player controls Jaimus, who can cast spells from five different schools of magic: Affliction, Darkness, Life Stealing, Summoning, and Dark Pacts. Each spell has its own cooldown timer, and the player must manage their mana pool carefully to avoid running out of resources.

The recruited monsters fight autonomously, but the player can customize their behavior and equipment. Each monster has its own set of skills and can be equipped with items to enhance its stats. The player can also set the frequency with which monsters use their skills, allowing for a degree of strategic control over the battle.

One of the most unique aspects of the combat system is the soul-catching mechanic. When an enemy is defeated, its soul floats away, and the player must quickly aim and capture it before it escapes. Captured souls can be used to summon new minions or absorbed to restore mana. This mechanic adds a layer of urgency and skill to the combat, making it more engaging than a typical auto-battler.

Character Progression

Character progression in Necro Story is robust and rewarding. Jaimus can learn up to 20 different spells, each with its own skill tree. Players earn points to upgrade these spells, allowing for a high degree of customization. The skill trees are designed to encourage specialization, with more powerful upgrades available for players who focus on a specific school of magic.

The recruited monsters also level up and gain new skills as they participate in battles. While the player cannot directly control their progression, they can equip them with items and set their behavior to optimize their performance. The game’s creature-collection aspect is reminiscent of Pokémon or Shin Megami Tensei, with a wide variety of monsters to capture and train.

UI and Controls

The game’s UI is intuitive and well-designed, with a clean, cartoonish aesthetic that matches the game’s art style. The controls are responsive and easy to learn, with a tutorial that guides players through the basics. The game supports both keyboard/mouse and controller inputs, making it accessible to a wide range of players.

However, the UI is not without its issues. The lack of a map can make navigation challenging, especially in the game’s more maze-like dungeons. Additionally, the game’s inventory and equipment systems could benefit from more streamlined organization, as managing a large number of monsters and items can become cumbersome.

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World-Building, Art & Sound: A Vibrant Underworld

Setting and Atmosphere

Necro Story is set in a vibrant, cartoonish world that blends fantasy and humor. The game’s art style is reminiscent of classic 2D RPGs, with a soft, pastel-like quality that gives it a unique and inviting look. The world is divided into several distinct regions, each with its own visual theme and atmosphere.

The overworld areas are diverse, ranging from snowy mountains to deserts to lush forests. The underworld realms, including Valhalla, Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell, each have their own unique aesthetic and cultural flavor. Valhalla, for example, is a Viking-inspired realm with towering halls and epic battles, while Hell is a fiery, demonic landscape filled with dark humor and sinister challenges.

The game’s atmosphere is a mix of lighthearted whimsy and dark fantasy. The humor is ever-present, with Vivi’s playful banter and the game’s quirky monster designs keeping the tone from becoming too grim. However, the game’s themes of death and redemption lend it a deeper, more contemplative edge.

Visual Direction

The visual direction in Necro Story is one of its strongest assets. The game’s art style is distinctive and cohesive, with a cartoonish, hand-drawn aesthetic that gives it a timeless quality. The character designs are expressive and full of personality, with Jaimus and Vivi standing out as particularly well-realized.

The monster designs are equally impressive, with a wide variety of creatures that range from cute and cuddly to grotesque and terrifying. The game’s use of color is particularly noteworthy, with a soft, pastel-like palette that gives the world a dreamlike quality. The environments are detailed and varied, with each region feeling distinct and immersive.

Sound Design and Music

The sound design in Necro Story is solid, with a mix of ambient sounds, combat effects, and voice acting that enhances the game’s atmosphere. The voice acting is limited to Jaimus and Vivi, with the rest of the dialogue presented through text. However, the performances are strong, with Jaimus’s deadpan delivery and Vivi’s playful tone adding depth to their characters.

The music in Necro Story is a mix of lighthearted and atmospheric tracks that complement the game’s tone. The overworld themes are upbeat and whimsical, while the combat music is more intense and dramatic. The game’s soundtrack is not particularly memorable, but it serves its purpose well, enhancing the game’s atmosphere without overpowering it.

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Reception & Legacy: A Mixed but Promising Debut

Critical Reception

Necro Story received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its humor, combat mechanics, and art style. The game’s unique blend of dark fantasy and lighthearted comedy was highlighted as one of its strongest features, with many reviewers noting the dynamic between Jaimus and Vivi as a standout element.

However, the game was not without its criticisms. Some reviewers found the first half of the story to be slow and lacking in meaningful character interactions, while others noted technical issues such as slowdown in battles and clipping in the overworld. The game’s lack of a map and limited guidance for certain mechanics were also cited as areas for improvement.

Despite these flaws, Necro Story was praised for its innovative gameplay mechanics, particularly the soul-catching system and the depth of character customization. The game’s replay value was also highlighted, with multiple difficulty levels, hidden secrets, and a variety of spells and monsters to experiment with.

Commercial Reception

Necro Story performed modestly in terms of sales, with a price point of $14.99 across all platforms. The game’s multi-platform launch helped it reach a wider audience, but it did not achieve the same level of commercial success as some of its contemporaries in the creature-collection genre.

Legacy and Influence

While Necro Story may not have set the gaming world on fire, it has carved out a niche for itself as a charming and innovative take on the creature-collection RPG. The game’s unique blend of humor, strategy, and dark fantasy has resonated with a dedicated fanbase, and its success has paved the way for future projects from Rablo Games.

The game’s influence can be seen in its approach to storytelling and gameplay mechanics. The dynamic between Jaimus and Vivi, with its blend of humor and heart, has set a new standard for character-driven narratives in RPGs. The soul-catching mechanic, with its emphasis on skill and timing, has also introduced a fresh twist to the creature-collection genre.

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Conclusion: A Whimsical Triumph with Room to Grow

Necro Story is a game that defies expectations. It takes the grim aesthetics of necromancy and infuses them with humor, charm, and a sense of adventure that is both refreshing and engaging. The game’s strengths lie in its dynamic characters, innovative combat mechanics, and distinctive art style, all of which combine to create a unique and memorable experience.

However, the game is not without its flaws. The first half of the story suffers from a lack of meaningful character interactions, and the game’s technical issues, such as slowdown in battles and clipping in the overworld, can detract from the overall experience. The lack of a map and limited guidance for certain mechanics also make navigation and progression more challenging than they need to be.

Despite these flaws, Necro Story is a triumph of indie game development. It is a testament to the creativity and passion of its developers, who have crafted a game that is both fun and thought-provoking. The game’s blend of humor, strategy, and dark fantasy makes it a standout in the creature-collection genre, and its success has paved the way for future projects from Rablo Games.

In the end, Necro Story is a game that is well worth playing for fans of RPGs, creature-collection games, and dark comedy. It is a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still manages to deliver a compelling and engaging experience. With its unique blend of humor, strategy, and heart, Necro Story is a game that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Final Verdict: 8/10 – A charming and innovative take on the creature-collection RPG, with a unique blend of humor, strategy, and dark fantasy.