Games worth discovering

Labyrinth of Galleria has a good feel to it

2K View2023-02-17

Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society (Reviewed)

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software

Publisher: NIS America

Released: 14 Feb, 2023

Price: $49 USD

Labyrinth of Galleria follows Eureka, a young girl looking for work in her town. She discovers a job flyer saying that items need to be located & found. She arrives at her destination and is greeted by a Witch who informs her that she must conjure a spirit, in this case you. That you may assist her in her job beneath the mansion.

Your mission is to seek out precious artefacts known as curios that the Count of the mansion seeks for himself. The labyrinth is filled with fierce monsters and frightening traps that you'll have to avoid or fight to survive through.

I didn't care much for the story as it is for the most part fluff text, all you need to know is that you are here to crawl through a dungeon and farm. It's addicting.

Tutorials

It seriously is still overwhelming

I can not stress it enough, as to how frustrating this games tutorial system is.

In short, it did nothing but confuse me because of how they delivered it, which ended up halting my ability to progress the game because I did not know that I was capable of using Wall Breaker on walls that did not have markers.

This may have been due to the fact that I was just fed up with the tutorials and narration and wanted to play the game, but I was better off learning for myself over time. Once I understood the basic foundations the game really opened up.

I'll help you here if you do intend to pick up and play through this game.

The Basics

Look at your map and follow the red exclamation points, some are normal conversation events, while the others are very powerful boss fights.

The green ones scattered throughout the Labyrinth are nothing more than what you've probably figured out by now, tutorial refreshers or new things.

When you acquire Wall Breaker it may be used on non-yellow lined walls on the mini-map, making it an entertaining ability as you break down walls to discover secret locations, fierce foes, and curios where you least expect them to be.

You can even use this to get around a locked door, it's very satisfying. You will also unlock most skills and abilities as the game progresses.

If you encounter enemies, it is critical to farm them for mana and EXP to improve your puppets in order to take on more difficult monsters later.

Combat

Is confusing at first so bear with me

When it comes to battle within the Labyrinth, there is a lot to take in.

You can certainly just slam the basic attacks, but it won't help you much against strong foes considering the value of your equipped gear, the monster you're facing, what pacts you've created, and many other factors.

The actual dungeon crawling action is what sells this game for me. If you're like me you'll just fall asleep paying attention to the dialog outside of objectives.

Formations within Formations

Vanguard

Because they stand closer to foes in the Vanguard position, puppets can deliver more damage to them. However, they suffer more damage and have increased aggression. This would be fitting for a frontline tank / warrior.

Rearguard

Because they stand further from the foes in the Rearguard position, puppets suffer less damage from foes and are less aggressive to them. They do not, however, deliver as much damage to foes. This is more appropriate for a ranged or support class to buff themselves and allies while de-buffing foes.

Weapon Types and Formations

There are different weapons that apply different styles to your puppets attack.

Slash

Blunt

Pierce

Each style is effective against specific enemy types. This will make it easier for you to deal damage and not waste much of your time. It's also important to note that the weapons correspond better in their suited positions.

Vanguard - Hammer, Katar, Sword, and Scythe.

Rearguard - Crossbow and Lamp.

Both - Lance and Bell.

If you employ a weapon in the incorrect position, it will be less effective, and the game will alert you with the text "Mismatch," allowing you to adjustment it.

Reinforce

Is for your powers. This initially perplexed me because I assumed that using items would be a straightforward feature already available in the game.

However, it is an unlocked talent that is restricted by how many points are left in your reinforce. If you run out, you will be unable to utilize any special abilities or items while in combat. Restore it through getting mana or returning to base.

It is connected to your current Coven pacts. The better the pacts, the less reinforcement you will carry into the labyrinth, making passage more difficult.

You must manage your reinforce energy not only to cast skills like Wall Breaker to penetrate the labyrinth's walls, but also in combat against powerful foes too.

Liberations

Allows you to call skills that cause massive damage, defends your puppets, and does a variety of other things based on the pact you choose for that specific puppet you produced. You can empower these by joining together many puppets from the same faction. They have their pre-requisites to being used.

There are so many other things

It's a steep curve, so don't be upset if you don't comprehend. It's okay, I was bewildered for the first 8 hours as well, until I sat down and tried to understand. It's still a little perplexing on a few minor points, but I've done well so far.

The game is a fun dungeon crawler that genuinely feels like you're navigating a dungeon, with advancement blocks and multiple ways to solve problems.

Customization is still a real blast

Character creation

This is still one of the greatest aspects of the game.

When I play games like this, I prefer to roleplay, name my characters after my friends and assigning them personalities and roles in the party that match them, rather than creating random characters. It has a wide range of roles and pacts.

Min-Maxing

Consider what you want your characters to be, especially if you need a specific role handled adequately. When it comes to maximizing their potential, the game takes their stats, weaponry, and roles into account for damage and defense.

If you want a tank choose the proper shell and give them a shield and a pact that enhances their defense while their HP and DEF scale (S-SS) with level.

It's quite detailed, especially when you've unlocked numerous formations.

Gearing up

Once you've unlocked the alchemy pot, you may begin unsealing strong equipment and boosting your puppets by feeding their weapons crystals and other weaponry to help them reach new heights, so don't forget to save gear!

Gameplay

Exploring

Personally, I enjoy exploring secret areas that always regenerate after returning to base. Allowing you to grind out legendary item drops early in the game.

Nevertheless, if you prefer to travel and face formidable monsters, you can do so instead, or you can do both allowing you to be stronger beforehand!

You must eventually progress the tale, but I enjoy that the game has a lot to offer through exploring rather than pushing you to travel from point A to point B.

The map is your friend

You will become disoriented and wander around until you figure out where you are and what you need to accomplish. Running around aimlessly, on the other hand, will only exhaust you. Make sure to make notes and follow the markers.

Challenging Foes

I enjoy a good fight, especially when I'm under-leveled. When it comes to dungeon crawlers, this game seems to satisfy my every need for entertainment.

In this example, I was able to take on a higher level foe by using a formation with a good central tank and backline support to keep them alive long enough for me to kill the foe with the remaining characters, with high avoidance.

It not only provided me with a lot of EXP to level up, but it also provided me with a lot of satisfaction that I was able to pull it off in the first place.

Conclusion

I enjoy this game more than I dislike it

While the game gives you a headache for a few of hours, the fundamental gameplay is what keeps you from wanting to put it down for good.

You should have no problems as long as you are willing to devote a few hours to overcoming the flood of worthless tutorial lectures and conversation.

There is a lot of retracing, and you will get lost now and again, but the map feature and the ability to write notes to yourself will help you remember things.

This concludes my review of this game, while my opinions may be met with criticism, that's what makes gamers unique, you don't have to like the same things that others do, nor do you have to agree with them.

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