In Necro Story, an evil necromancer and a goody two-shoes ghost reluctantly join forces to raise some serious hell. Oh, and all the monsters they can carry. Right from the jump, the silly character creator sets the tone: dive deep into the RPG mechanics if you want, but there’s nothing wrong with a little fun on the way.
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Necro Story is a creature-collection buddy comedy with a snarky streak. Its unholy brew of irreverence and thoughtful design choices delighted me, even when some aspects felt a bit long in the tooth.
Fuzzy Feelings
Necro Story’s singularly fuzzy art style makes me want to reach out and touch it. Creatures, characters, and environments look cohesive but not too samey. And befitting a self-described evil necromancer, the monster design isn’t afraid to get wild. Proportions stretch and bulge. Beady eyes, gnarly claws, and more than a hint of Addams Family creepy-cuddly round out the crew.
Necro Story’s art even shines through the user interface. There’s not a hint of bog-standard fonts here, just delightfully spindly letters. Buttons in battle have texture and ornamental borders. Your character’s skill tree literally branches out with each spell, curlicues and particles dotting the screen. It’s there because it’s fun! What else do you need?
Battle Beasties
Necro Story smartly displays enemies onscreen with ominous black wisps. Run into one, and you’ll enter a fight. Every encounter is a pleasant surprise thanks to the buckwild creature design. Standard monsters like slimes and mummies are mixed in with stranger additions. Tiny raptors, huge snails, and the most adorable Cerberus kept me poking around the map for more enemies to uncover.
Necro Story’s real-time combat never gets too cluttered. Character abilities are on set cooldown timers, including the creatures you eventually recruit to your party. Better still, you can set individual monster behaviors and names once they’re added in. It’s Final Fantasy XII‘s gambit system on an indie scale (and for my money, a lot less headache).
Hoovering up a creature for later use means your character has to carefully aim their wand at the departing soul and yoink it through the onscreen mirror before it floats away. These fun wrinkles add some user tension to a pleasingly hands-off battle system. Weapons can be upgraded for your main characters, while monsters get a set number of skills as they level up. And even the sickliest beast in the party can improve with the right accessories.
Verdict: Necro Story is A Loving Work of Snark
Necro Story’s fun falters when it does the expected. The game’s snarky humor is a mixture of goofy and biting, but some jokes felt like waiting for a laugh track. The game’s mazelike interiors frustrated me at times. But these slight annoyances never made me put the game down completely.
Even in its flimsier aspects, Necro Story never forgets how to cut loose. Rablo Games’ second title has all the fun my twisted little heart desires. Necro Story’s distinctive art style, delightfully tactile user interface, and thoughtful gameplay systems pack a lot of punch at an extremely reasonable price tag. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bestiary to complete.
Amazing
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fun twists on creature combat. | Less-than-subtle sense of humor that isn’t for everyone. |
| A delightfully weird art style. | A few exploration sections get too mazelike. |
| Great character creator. | |
| Skill trees are in depth without overwhelming |
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