Fernz Gate Game Sample - PS4
23Fernz Gate is one of MANY RPGs from Kemco in association with EXE Create and Hit-Point Co., Ltd. It, like many of their titles, was originally released for mobile phones as a free-to-play game and later ported to a multitude of platforms for a set price with various quality of life changes (improved controls, modified gameplay mechanics, improved performance, etc.) and many of the "Freemium" elements associated with mobile titles being highly nerfed or removed altogether (Ads, more tolerable gacha mechanics, pay-to-win being more optional, etc.). Most of their games are modeled after titles from the 16 and 32 bit era with some approaching the early Dreamcast/PS2 era and are very straightforward and "classic" in nature. As far as quality and accessibility, Fernz Gate is one of the best titles representative of their current standards without needing too much knowledge of past games (though it helps). In layman's terms, if you don't like this game, you're probably not gonna like the majority of games in their catalog.
The game's setup is simple enough; The player assumes the role of Alex, a teenager from modern-day Japan who passes out on his way home from school and awakens in Fernland with no memory of the events that led to this point. He is soon met by a perky girl named Toril who explains that he, herself, and many of the other inhabitants are "Outworlders" -- people from different worlds drawn together for different reasons but with basic commonalities and control of "Mana", a magical essence vital to Fernland. Bells ring throughout the land informing others when new visitors have come, and travelers used to be able to come and go as they please... until the bell summoned the wrong Outworlder one day: Overlord Clangorrah, an exceptionally powerful Outworlder known as a "Transcender" who decides to take control of Fernland and subdue its Goddess. Now the only way for Alex and everyone else to return home is to grow stronger and overthrow the overlord and save the Goddess while slowly regaining their memories in the process. There are a few simple twists and turns, but it's a mostly predictable plot.
Like many EXE/Hitpoint games, it rehashes and slowly builds upon their past game engines which has earned many of their titles the reputation of being the same games with different skins, but what sets Fernz Gate apart from most of their past titles is the execution; the dialogues are more refined and organic, the characters have a reasonable amount of depth, and the game's various systems work well together. The game also has multiple endings and post game content as well as hundreds of enemies, items (some of which change your appearance), sub-quests, optional challenges, buddies (who battle with you, offer passive buffs on stands, or adventure separately for level-ups and special coins), fruit harvesting, and other layered mechanics that are fun to play around with.
The game's combat is turn-based with a hint of Grandia; characters have access to a variety of skills and unison attacks (though physical skills are subpar to magic skills besides Kodan's if you pair him with specific equipment) and some can be used to affect turn order and delay actions... it's possible to get through some battles without getting hurt in this manner. All abilities have a cooldown period however, so using certain skills becomes a little strategic. Characters share stats and are paired into teams, which also affect certain buffs.
Players can also choose four difficulties which change the risks and rewards (though "Expert" is the only worthwhile difficulty) and some of the uber goods are hidden through "Maid Coins" and "Gems" (alternative currencies with gems being used for Gacha purposes, though they are much easier to get than in the free version). While most of their prior works have many of these elements in one form or another (and the game assumes you know some of this already, though there are helpful in-game reference materials), Fernz Gate incorporates them intelligently and lets you go at your own pace. That said, while the game lasts about 10-12 hours if you only care about the main plot, it can last considerably longer if you do all the optional quests and take advantage of the game's many secrets and systems.
Fernz Gate is recommended for fans of 90s role playing games with its aesthetics and throwback story-telling, but it has many modern conveniences that keep it from feeling archaic. If you like exploiting games and making a God-Tier team that crushes everything, you'll like Fernz Gate. If you want to see what a bigger budget title from EXE Create looks like, check out their 1999 Dreamcast game, "Ouka Houshin". This is a video showing several things. You can get the game at:
https://www.kemco.jp/game/fg/en/spec.html
Enjoy.
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