Reigns: Beyondis a fascinating addition to the acclaimed Reigns game series that offers players an out-of-this-world experience. In this game, you take on the role of an interstellar indie band and embark on an epic cosmic journey. As you traverse the vast expanse of space, you’ll encounter many intriguing challenges and obstacles that you must navigate through a series of intriguing card-based decisions, each with consequences that can make or break your journey.
Mysterious Beginnings
The game offers little introduction or guidance to players, throwing them directly into the gameplay without a main menu or clear settings. This approach may leave some players feeling lost and uncertain at the beginning. The initial premise is a mystery, with players starting as an amnesiac on a doomed ship, raising more questions than answers in the early stages.
Take Control
The control scheme inReigns: Beyondheavily favors using a controller or gamepad, such as an Xbox controller, over the keyboard. It’s easy to understand why: the keyboard controls don’t feel optimized, which can detract from the experience for those who might not have a controller available. Once you get used to the controls, though, the game presents a series of card-based decisions that impact your band’s journey across the stars.
Music and Art Put The Stellar in Interstellar
The music is exceptional, featuring a delightful soundtrack that perfectly complements its interstellar theme, enhancing the overall experience. The art style is simple yet visually appealing, with a 2D design that is easy on the eyes and brings the quirky universe to life. The character portraits add depth and personality, making every interaction more engaging.
The humor and personalities of the characters are highlights, offering a refreshingly-fun element to the gameplay. The dialogue is generally crisp and entertaining, though it can occasionally feel repetitive or forced. The narrative eventually finds its stride as players begin to understand their musical odyssey’s mechanics and purpose. The game cleverly avoids lore-heavy expositions, allowing players to dive into the story at their own pace. It is a welcome approach for those who prefer gameplay to story.
Dogfights and Guitars
Gameplay inReigns: Beyondvaries, from managing your band and making strategic decisions to engaging in ship dogfights via card swipes. While enjoyable, these elements are laced between guitar segments that can feel infrequent and disconnected from the main gameplay loop if you need clarification on your objectives. While the guitar segments are fun, they are unfortunately few and far between if you don’t make the right navigational choices. This sporadic pacing might leave players wondering whether elements like rhythm gameplay are supposed to be more central to the experience.
Gotta Swipe ‘Em All
One of the unique features is the extensive deck of over 1400 cards, ensuring that each playthrough offers a new experience and tons of replay opportunities. A cloning mechanic further enhances this variability upon death, where the game “remembers” previous iterations of your character, adding a layer of continuity and depth to the strategy.
Reigns: Beyondneeds to catch up in some areas in terms of accessibility and settings. It lacks robust accessibility options, which might limit its appeal to players with specific needs. Moreover, the menus are minimalist, possibly to a fault, contributing to the initial feeling of being unguided and unsupported.
Closing Comments:
Reigns: Beyondis a unique game that combines strategy, simulation and a choose-your-own-adventure styled narrative, making it an appealing choice for indie game enthusiasts and fans of the series. The game’s appeal lies in its blend of humor with engaging card-based gameplay, all set within a space adventure and indie music. Although the game can be confusing initially, and the instructions may not always be clear, players who stay with it will find a satisfying, albeit quirky, experience. There’s room for improvement, though, as some elements are not explained enough. While the level of engagement may sometimes dip, the fresh dialogue, intriguing card mechanics and delightful visuals make it worth playing for those who want a unique experience.
Reigns: Beyond
Version Reviewed: PC
