In 2015, Lab Zero Games launched a crowd-funding campaign for gamers interested in their idea of a turn-based RPG featuring a unique, 2D hand-drawn animation style and a soundtrack crafted by the hand of Hiroki Kikuta of “Secret of Mana” fame. Instead of simply asking for gamers to have faith in their potential work, the developers actually released a prototype alongside the campaign to give gamers a taste of what could become a full experience. The experiment worked, though very slowly as it didn’t have the name recognition or demand of more known studios and gaming franchises. Unfortunately that quest for delivering the goods to backers & non-backers alike would take nearly four years to complete. I had very little knowledge of “Indivisible” before the game’s official release. Glowing reviews from gamers promising “Indivisible” was something a fan of 1990s RPGs & platformers would love convinced me to purchase this interesting title.
Did I Complete “Indivisible”?
Though “Indivisible” isn’t the largest RPG, the amount of depth put into the world & exploration definitely rewards players who decide to backtrack when given the opportunity. Taking control of Ajna, the player must journey into the unknown after her village is burned to the ground and she discovers a great power hidden within her that allows for potential teammates to physically enter her mind to live until it’s time to throw down with a variety of enemies. The sights, sounds & slashes produced before the credits rolled took around twenty-five hours to complete with yours truly recruiting every playable character and all of Ajna’s abilities.
Did “Indivisible” Live Up to the Hype?
While the initial crisp & bright art style is the first thing players will most likely be drawn to, the combat of “Indivisible” definitely helps it standout during this generation of RPG offerings. Taking inspiration from the “Valkyria Chronicles” series, “Indivisible’s” combat is a wonderful showcase of traditional turn-based RPG action featuring Active Time Battle meters, character specific attacks & “class” types, and enemy variations that will keep players on their toes. Each character’s attacks are attached to a specific face button on the controller depending on where that character is placed on the battlefield such as Ajna being on the bottom row having the player to use the “X”/“A” to perform an attack with her. Holding the analog stick or d-pad up or down will deliver a different maneuver with some characters either buffing themselves, taking advantage of an enemy that’s being juggled by slamming them down on their head, or even others being exceptional healers with the latter usually being a necessity in combat considering there are no healing items in this game. Some enemies can be armored and needs the player to mix high & low attacks to break an adversary’s defense for some of that aforementioned juggling. If the player can keep the attacks going the combo created will see each subsequent attack become more powerful than the one before it.
Blocking is a major implementation during combat. Like the attacks themselves, blocking with specific characters is solely connected to whatever face button is currently associated with that character. Blocking will only deflect a portion of the damage an enemy dishes out if the player just blocks at any given moment. But blocking just before an enemy hits a character will not only nullify all damage, it may also give that character a little bit of health as a reward. Learning enemy attacks & patterns are necessary to stop an entire party from being wiped out as some enemies early on can land one-hit knockdowns on Ajna’s party if the player doesn’t block at the right time. At the screen’s top is a bar called “Iddhi” that fills up with successful blocks & attacks. Spending “Iddhi” alongside certain character’s attacks can unleash a variety of super attacks depending on how many “Iddhi” segments are spent. A full “Iddhi” bar usage allows for full health restoration as well as the revival of any fallen enemy. Players must also be careful with their timing of full group blocks as holding down the entire party block button instead of tapping it at the proper time will drain “Iddhi” – something that can be detrimental during a hectic boss battle.
But there’s another half to “Indivisible’s” gameplay. Platforming in “Indivisible” takes a major precedent especially in the latter half. Throughout Ajna’s journey she’ll gain specific abilities & items like being able to run through cracked walls & hanging from the side of ledge with an axe respectively to progress through some very dense maps. As the game progresses and Ajna’s abilities become more hefty the game throws some rather complicated scenarios at the player that will challenge their skills in regards to blending all these abilities & items together to keep Ajna from falling & losing a lot of health.
The sole collectibles to be found are connected to the platforming with these red orbs allowing for Ajna to increase her attack power or defense capabilities, as there is no weapon or armor upgrades and leveling simply boosts a character’s health. To gain max attack & defense the player will have to backtrack as certain sections are blocked off due to Ajna not having the abilities needed when Ajna makes it to a specific area like being able to destroy a weak point in the floor. Platforming also plays a role in certain boss battles with the player being pulled out of combat to traverse a certain area in Ajna’s chase to continue the fight – it’s a unique decision and can be a nice change of pace. Unfortunately some of the platforming in latter areas take almost too much precision and can leave a player repeating the same sequence multiple times without the understanding as to why their strategy isn’t working or why Ajna can’t use certain abilities like swinging her axe twice per jump. There are also no fast travel points that could’ve easily been implemented thanks to the various save points littered around some of the most grandiose areas.
The narrative isn’t necessarily remarkable, but done mostly well with some pacing issues in the end. The most positive aspect about the game’s story is Ajna’s character development. When the story begins it’s obvious she’s a person hopeful in her quest to become the strongest fighter she can be – opting to use violence as a way to solve all of her problems. Ajna discovers the destructive power of a single person’s aggressive actions and it changes her as well as the story’s presentation. The story is also rather shockingly inclusive with some character choices that will definitely catch the player off guard. Thankfully there is a good amount of humor provided including the animations of certain enemies when struck and early companion Razmi’s very dark mindset. While it’s obvious the developers didn’t want to burden the player with a narrative too extensive it would’ve been nice if some of the other characters the player is able to recruit got a little more backstory or development in general. As expected considering his works in the past, Hiroki Kikuta’s composed soundtrack is truly exceptional featuring one of the best final dungeon themes of the entire generation (if not all time).
Very few games ever come from the depths of “Development Hell” and actually reach the high level of promise initially expected from it – “Indivisible” is definitely one of those games.
Should You Play “Indivisible”?
“Indivisible” is truly a “sleeper hit” when it comes to games in 2019 – a nice throwback experience that doesn’t rest on the troupes & mechanics of time gone by. The combat is intuitive & rewarding a majority of the time. The platforming is a mixed bag with the early & mid portions being a better example of enjoyable gameplay than what’s seen in the final dungeon. The art style, soundtrack & overall narrative will leave a smile on the face of almost any gamer. Fans of old school RPGs & platformers won’t be disappointed with the overall experience and should add this one to their collection as quickly as it takes Ajna to continuously pull unsuspecting allies into her head.
