REVIEW

Cladun Returns : This Is Sengoku! Review

by Rob Pritchard, June 20th, 2017

The eternal questions of the enigma that is life after death is a mystery that many individuals have tried to answer, or given their own unique interpretation of what they believe to be present in the worlds beyond our own. Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku is the newest action RPG from Nippon Ichi Software, and the newest entry in the long running Cladun series which began in 2010 on the PlayStation Portable. While there are some minor issues with replay ability, there is a lot to enjoy in this retro styled oriental RPG.

In Cladun Returns, fallen warriors travel to the purgatory dimension known as Arcanus Cella. In order to pass onto the next world and be reincarnated, they will need to complete their unfinished business by travelling through several dungeons filled with lost souls, traps and powerful monsters. Each chapter of the game is based on a certain real world place in Japan, with each of the souls that you rescue being based on a Japanese warrior which existed during the country’s feudal era. Once you have rescued the souls, they are added to your team of warriors that can assist you during your journey to find reincarnation. The story is a quaint mixture of Japanese folklore and real life history, with some of the details being given creative license to spare some of the more graphic details.

The gameplay of Cladun Returns takes place from a top down perspective, and feels like a mixture of action combat in the style of Kingdom Hearts, with a dungeon crawling RPG experience such as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. The main aim is to reach the end of each floor with your team of warriors, making sure that you unlock the doors that bar your path by completing certain objectives. Each floor can be completed reasonably quickly, and the swift nature of the real time combat keeps the fights against the various monsters from becoming stale.

Unlike some dungeon explorers of this type, every floor has a set layout for each visit you make. While this does make revisiting most of them unnecessary once you have the reached the target completion time, there are some that require you to have unlocked certain abilities to get certain rewards. An early example of this takes place in the first chapter, where it is possible to complete the floor in next to no time, but there are bonus items and areas that require you to have a weapon capable to destroying boulders.

At the beginning of Cladun Returns, you are asked to create your protagonist who will travel to Arcanus Cella. There are many different parts available for both genders, ranging from traditional samurai wear to kimonos. The only minor issue is there doesn’t appear to be a vast range of hairstyles available, with many of them appearing essentially identical for both male and female warriors. Each warrior is also assigned a class, which consists of the usual RPG suspects such as Magician and Swordsman, alongside some of the more unusual choices such as the Vile Priest. One of the best parts of this process is choosing the dialogue pattern for your new character, ranging from the honour following Samurai to the amusing but morally questionable drunkard.

Alongside the ability to customise your equipped weapons, armour and spells, Cladun Returns uses a progression mechanic known as Magic Circles. By placing certain warriors in certain positions around the diagram, you can earn additional strength, health or defence points to your characters. Certain layouts, which are unlocked as your warriors level up can also detract from your character’s vital stats, so it is essential to place your warriors carefully before your enter the dungeon floors.

Like its older brethren, Cladun Returns uses pixel art for the environments and character art, with the option to select modern styled or retro styled font. Whether you decide to play on the regular PS4 model or the PS4 Pro, there are no frame rate drops to be seen, and the short loading times keep you returning to the action quickly. Fans of both retro and modern styled soundtracks will be pleased to hear that you can choose between them at any time, with both music types sporting a mixture of oriental music that will have you tapping the beats on your nearest desk. One of the best tracks is the battle theme during boss fights, which sounds fantastic no matter which musical time period you decide to revisit.

Overall, Cladun Returns: This Is Sengoku is an entertaining mixture of Japanese history and fast paced dungeon crawling gameplay. The retro styled graphics and addictive soundtracks will keep you returning to complete just one more floor, whilst the large amount of character creation options ensure that each hero you create will be unique. If you are looking for a JRPG with something a little bit different, this game could be exactly what you have been looking for.

If you are looking for a historical action packed RPG, Cladun Returns: This is Sengoku is an experience that should definitely be included in your gaming library.