Forsaker:DingDing&Blade Review

There’s something to be said for interactive novels: you have all the plot of a book, broken up with some engaging gameplay. However, there’s also an argument that these kinds of titles can get a bit convoluted at times, with either the gameplay or the plot suffering to some degree. With that in mind, I want to see if Infini Fun’s latest title, Forsaker:DingDing&Blade, is a real page turner, or if you should wait for the movie.

Forsaker:DingDing&Blade follows the story of Ian, a young lad from a village, whose initial journey devolves into a tale of monsters, cannibals, and chosen ones. The human population is either ruled by the church, a bunch of battle-obsessed individuals blessed by a magic fruit, or the Forsakers, who are a group of very powerful cannibals.

It’s an interesting story, with Ian finding himself hunting one particular Forsaker on a quest for revenge. The issue, at least initially, was that there wasn’t any gameplay happening. So, no matter how engaging the plot was, it just devolved into a series of slides with no voice acting. 

There are actually two modes here: Story Mode and Adventure Mode. If you pick the former, the first option on the screen, you skip ALL the battles. Instead, if you want to actually play the game, you need to pick Adventure, which is further down the main menu. Now, perhaps I was being a bit thick (it has been known to happen), but I would have thought the more interactive version of the game would be the first choice?

I should also warn that the actual plot can get very dark, with a lot of gore and suggestive themes. With that being said, there’s nothing overtly sexual; it’s more that some of the outfits don’t leave much to the imagination, plus some of the imagery is very gory.

If you do happen to select the gameplay-focused mode, then you’ll find yourself playing a rogue-like deck-building game based around finding the best cards you can in preparation for a boss fight. Each map is separated into a series of points, with each one offering different connections. For instance, you could move to a battle point, fight an enemy, and win some XP, but then from there you could only move to the blank stops where nothing happens (or the traps).

Alternatively, you could select the event stops where you might find some money, or add to your deck, but lose some health or even get stuck with a fell card that debuffs you when drawn. The gameplay can be very tactical when it comes to movement. The map is randomised on each run, plus your deck and companions are reset. Thankfully, you keep your level and any XP you gather from fights. 

Battles are, as you would expect, card-based. You draw a set number each turn, which you can play using action points you get each round. Cards can do everything from deal damage, add armour, heal you, or inflict buffs and debuffs. Now, as you can imagine, some are infinitely better than others. As such, you will often hit a point where you just can’t win a fight with the deck you have. 

Thankfully, cards aren’t your only skill, as levelling up offers new abilities you can use in battle, plus others that increase your health or action points. You’ll also be able to recruit companions, who offer buffs of their own and can also be levelled up to give you even more boosts. It sounds complex, but over time, it becomes second nature to play the right cards while juggling which buffs and abilities you want. 

However, the boss fights in Forsaker:DingDing&Blade are honestly really difficult at times, and you will often need to grind through sections to get to a higher level to really stand a chance. This is, of course, the nature of this genre, but it doesn’t stop it from being a bit frustrating. I found some boss fights were a breeze after a while, but others became frustratingly hair-pulling.

The art in Forsaker:DingDing&Blade is, honestly, pretty stunning, with some fantastic character designs. The monster design, meanwhile, is, well, honestly, they can be a bit odd. They’re not bad… exactly, but well, remember Mara from the Persona series? That. That’s why you shouldn’t play this game in public. Meanwhile, the card designs are fun to look at, and the effects are fine, if a little dull at times. 

I wish I could talk about the animation, but there really isn’t any to mention. The characters don’t really move, so outside of the attacks, there’s not going to be much to focus on. Also, one thing I should note is that, while the story is good, the writing clearly suffers a little bit when it comes to the translation, so some of the dialogue can feel a bit clunky. 

So, is Forsaker:DingDing&Blade the game for you? Well, if you’re looking for something with an engaging plot broken up by some fun battles, then you can certainly do worse. However, the challenge of some of the battles will have you replaying sections a lot, so it’s not ideal for players who want a fun time but still want some gameplay.