Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Previews » REVIEW ‘Alvastia Chronicles’ Shows Why Mobile Mechanics Don’t Work

REVIEW ‘Alvastia Chronicles’ Shows Why Mobile Mechanics Don’t Work

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford04/15/20204 Mins ReadUpdated:02/25/2024
Alvastia Chronicles
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Alvastia Chronicles, from Exe-Create,  presents players with a classic JRPG look and feel. Everything from the top-down pixel graphics to a somewhat convoluted fantasy setup and turn-based combat called back to so many past RPG adventures. But even before I saw its looks, I had been drawn in by a single promise: the ability to recruit over a hundred characters.

Having read this in the descriptive blurb in its Xbox Game Pass entry, I was instantly sold on giving it a try. Thoughts of RPGs with large recruitable rosters, like the Suikoden series, sprang to mind. And while I had no expectation of it reaching those heights, I had hoped for a fun game filled with a varied cast I’d recruit on my playthrough. What awaited me wasn’t quite what I expected.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

After Alvastia Chronicles took me through a story presentation, mired by difficult-to-read text that didn’t stay on the screen long enough, I was dropped into a gameplay experience that initially felt very promising. As the party system was explained to me, I saw how deep this game could get.

With all the characters attacking together, becoming more like augments to my main character, it felt unique. Once you fill out your main group, you can then build up additional groups that can attack and support you on the field.  And with over a hundred characters, the various possibilities for builds could lead to tons of depth. And then it showed me how I would access many of those hundred-plus characters. That’s when I found out Alvastia Chronicles is a gotcha game.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a gotcha game uses a random system to get characters or gear. Generally, this takes the form of some sort of loot box. Thankfully, Alvastia Chronicles’ random characters do not require micro-transactions to acquire. They are gained through in-game currency that is earned through play. But even though there isn’t any monetary requirement for gaining these characters, it took much of the fun out of the prospect of discovering all these potential party members. To add to this disappointment was the power level of these characters. Before I left the initial village, my free demonstration pull was a level 28 character. I went from having enjoyable combats to one-shooting everything that moved.

Alvastia Chronicles

My hopes of countless character combinations leading to interesting abilities and job perks were instantly dashed. What difference does the creativity make if I kill everything with a single hit? The next time I pulled from this system, I was gifted with an even higher-ranked character and several pieces of incredible-looking gear. And while I suppose the game might have eventually caught up to my party’s newfound might, who wants to play hours of a game that will effectively feel like a glorified tutorial?

The overpowering of rare characters and pressuring players to pray at the altar of the random number generator (RNG) gods has always been one of mobile gaming’s most bemoaned vices. Even if these characters are free, I can’t imagine acquiring characters this way, let alone the best characters this way, as opposed to acquiring them through story progression.

But I decided to push on a little further. Maybe the difficulty would ramp up way faster than I expected. At least I was going to continue until I ran into another one of mobile gaming’s more loathed gifts to players: time-locked treasure chests. That’s right. Treasure chests dropped by enemies in battle were often time-locked. And, of course, the best ones had the longest timers connected to them.

At a carrying capacity of four, you could run out of space for chests awfully fast. It’s as if the game doesn’t want me to play it for too long. This decision just completely baffles me. Again, mobile games utilize these features because they generally provide an option to pay cash to open the chests early. And again, no cash option is present here.

Despite my initial interest in a throwback aesthetic and interesting party-building mechanics, these mobile-inspired features instantly took all interest I had in this game and stomped them to pieces. Even as I write this, I am left wondering: Is there anyone clamoring for these mobile-style mechanics to begin showing up on other platforms?

Alvastia Chronicles is available now.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Code 8’ is a Troubled but Engaging World
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Sweet Heart,’ Issue #3
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

‘Digimon Story: Time Stranger’ Is A Treat, Full Of Tactics And Time Travel

09/08/2025
Pokemon Legends Z-A promotional still from Nintendo

‘Pokemon Legends Z-A’ Puts Dynamic Encounters First With Real-Time Combat

09/05/2025
STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions

‘STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions’ Promises Playful Shenanigans and Community Goals

09/05/2025
Switch 2 Upcoming Releases

Borderlands 4, Kirby Air Riders, And More Awesome Switch 2 Demos We Played

09/05/2025
Skate Skateboarder But Why Tho

Skate. Feels Like Free-To-Play Done Right

08/31/2025
Outer Worlds 2 Hero But Why Tho

‘Outer Worlds 2’ Delivers A Strong Opening Chapter In Our Hands-On Preview

08/27/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11
8.5
Anime

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 11 – “Hey, It’s a Kaiju”

By Allyson Johnson09/11/2025

The ragtag group faces down the mysterious kaiju in the thrilling and beautifully animated DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 11.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here