Rise of the Third Power raises the moorings of nostalgia

Rise of the Third Power is a JRPG (which is a genre and not necessarily from Japan) developed by an American indie studio, Stegosoft Games. We know them in particular for Ara Fell, another RPG released in 2016 and designed under RPG Maker.

For Rise of the Third Power, however, the studio appealed to backers through the Kickstarter platform in 2018. That's where they raised just over US$14,000. The quality of their project nevertheless attracted a publisher, Danger Entertainment. The latter, a regular on small but daring productions like Bug Fables or Crosscode, jumped at the chance and allowed the project to achieve its ambitions.

Always in their desire to please players, the developers of Stegosoft clearly pay homage to Super Nintendo JRPGs with their production. We particularly think of Chrono Trigger not only for the visual aspect (especially the world map) but also in the gameplay. However, we feel that they were inspired by more modern productions like Octopath Traveler, especially for the visual effects in the fights.

A complex scenario

What Rise of the Third Power emphasizes in its marketing is its storyline. The story puts us in the shoes of Rowan, a pirate who lives off theft and other unclear jobs. He is accompanied by Corrina, his faithful ally with whom he has a very conflicted relationship.

We understand very quickly that the world in which they live has just suffered a violent and bloody war. It is peace, of course, but it is a very precarious peace that hangs by a thread. Then I don't know about you, but the title of the game reminds me above all of Rise of the Third Reich, the name given to the period that begins in 1933-34 when the Nazi party came to power in Germany and Hitler became chancellor.

It is in this very volatile context that the duo decides to kidnap the princess of the kingdom of Cirinthia who is about to marry the prince of the neighboring empire and enemy of Arkadya. The royal character does not take long to join our team, reluctantly at first, so convinced is she that her marriage was nothing but purity. She will quickly learn the truth and will quickly side with our heroes.

We will also have to meet people since the total team is made up of no less than eight playable characters. Each one having his aspirations and his reasons in this world at the edge of a new reign.

Although the very political and complex scenario is somewhat reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics, we are delighted that the inspiration comes from the 1930s rather than the eternal Middle Ages. Even if the world Rin is a medieval fantasy, it changes completely.

On guard, cabin boy

The other strong point of Rise of the Third Power is its combats. Very dynamic for turn-based, the clashes are fast and nonetheless strategic.

With a team of up to three characters, we have the choice between several actions when our turn comes:

  • Skills
  • Objects
  • Change (character)
  • Status
  • Flee
  • Expect
  • Story Mode

You will notice that there is no Attack function like in the vast majority of games of the genre. In fact, all offensive and defensive skills are “stored” together in the Skills category. The latter consume or not MP which recharges regularly but in a different way depending on the character. Corrina, for example, regains points with each round. In the case of Rowan, it is when he is attacked that his gauge goes up.

Then, you quickly unlock the other aspect inspired by Chrono Trigger, group attacks. They can be performed once the vertical pink bar next to the character is full. These attacks are of course different depending on the duos who perform them. They are always devastating.

In addition, once we have more than three characters in our merry troop, a new option is added: that of changing characters. Indeed, as in Final Fantasy X, you can change characters with one of those who are in reserve.

Also, speaking of battles, I would like to put a word on the progression system which is also different. Instead of each character gaining experience, the whole party progresses at the same rate. Then, each time you level up, you have a certain number of points to spend on the talents of each character. Similarly, we do not change the equipment of his character but we craft new elements to increase his statistics.

An achievement that has the wind in its sails

If all the aspects mentioned above are fundamentally subjective, we must all the same agree on the fact that Rise of the Third Power is a slap graphically speaking. It's beautiful, it's neat, it's fine. A real charm emerges from this artistic direction.

I particularly like the large portraits of the characters that adorn the text boxes. Especially since these images change according to the mood of the character. Of course, it's not the only game to do this, but it's increasingly rare and it's always a pleasure to see.

Speaking of the texts, I did not specify above that they are very successful and often funny. In this sense, they are much more modern and contemporary than the games of yesteryear on Super NES or other 16-bit console. A real strength.

Finally, the soundtrack is one of the best heard lately. The heroes being pirates, the pride is given to the strings with in particular violins, guitars and pianos which offer us themes with an improbable Celtic atmosphere for a JRPG but so fitting. A real surprise and special mention to the catchy theme of the bosses.

00:00
-01:13

Let's conclude by telling you that Rise of the Third Power is a game with a more than adequate lifespan. It is full of things to do and places to visit. In other words, you will get your money's worth. Dangen Entertainment's game is available now on PC, MacOS, Linux (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store), PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch (version tested).